Here's a picture of stuff me and Marian drew yesterday.
Well, I drew and he told me what to draw. er colored. He likes dogs. Dogs say Ham Ham (hum hum) in Romania. And the clown started out as a dog but I messed up on the ears so it ended being a clown. He was like what does a clown say and I was like uh... Ha Ha Ha? He has a rooster on his little shoes. Roosters say Cu Cu Ri Gu (Koo Koo Re Goo). I drew it on the back of my journal article about trying to find simple answers to complex questions in the study of development. The people in the room thought it was funny that I read a bunch of stuff in english that was gibberish to them. It's usually gibberish to me the first 2 times I read it as well.
I got to see Florin again. He sent me on a couple errands to get candy and soda, because he's not aloud to go outside when it's cold, because he doesn't have a jacket. He didn't like the candy I picked. So Marian and I ate it. He has spina bifida and a solid right hook.
This is Florin
He looks essentially the same now, but I don't have a new pic of him yet. Well he looks a little bigger. I was really happy to see him again. Joking around with him is a lot easier now. He's really cool; he goes and plays with the other Marian (who is from the orphanage) When no one else can.
Marian is really cute. I don't know much about his condition, but he's a little little dude and he knows 3 words: Acolo (there), Asa (there/ok/that/anything you want it to mean), and doi (two). Florin gave him a package of pretzels and marian got them all over his little crib/bed. He didn't eat any of them. I tried to tell him that they were food but he just wanted to throw them around and pretend to count them. Watching him pretend to count reminded me a lot of Minge Mihai from before. Hopefully I'll get to see Mihai while I'm here. I miss that kid.
I have a hard time going to the hospital sometimes as I see some of the kids corrupted by some of the rough language in there. The young mothers teach this little 3/5/6 year old I come play with bad words and think it's funny. I don't really know how to tell them to stop that other than to tell him not to say those things. I don't know most of the words, but every once in awhile I figure it out. Ergh. Maybe the Lord will bless me with the gift of tongues for two minutes to rebuke them like a rap battle.
Me and Alex have a fun game we play now and it's led to a kind of teaching opportunity. There's a bunch of foam puzzle pieces that are about 10"x10" with numbers on them that punch out. They fit together to make cubes. I build them into a tower about 7 layers high with the top and bottom open. Then I put the tower on his head. Then he likes me to throw all the punched out foam numbers into the top of the tower at once and let them fall on his head. Then we laugh. Yesterday I tried teaching him some numbers. One physical thing that he can do is kick hard. We found a sweet sound that happens when you scrape your sneaker across the footboard on his wheel chair. It makes a Reeenk! sort of sound. I had him make that scrape sound the number of times that each number was. At first he didn't get it, but he eventually did each one. I don't think he really knows his numbers, but I think this will help some. I need to figure out what they're working on with him in school so we can supplement that a little better. We also took pictures of all his clothes and the room for some boards. It was fun. I love working with Teo. She understands how important this is and is just as committed to Alex, if not more. Also I feel super l337 when I'm in the psychology office.
There's a girl in one of the apartments that was one of those kids that shocks you the first time you see them. Her face is significantly deformed in a way I've never seen before. She runs around like some of the kids from Mickey Mouse the first time I was there. Jumping around, hitting things, climbing and jumping off of things, hitting themselves, running up to be held, then hurting you, etc. I was a little put off by her and her face comes into my mind sometimes. Last night, Kinsey told me she found out that this girl's mother tried to have an abortion and she survived. The thought just sort of flattened me. I had to sit down for a minute. The feeling is like standing in front of a bunch of doors that you know lead to horrible torture chambers. And the thought paths are like those doors. You stand in front of them and know where they lead, but exploring them is something you just don't want to do. I'll probably visit again soon, because I like to make it to all the different rooms/apartments regularly. I also saw a potential communication aid project with her. She is cognitively normal, or so I've heard, but her mouth and palate are not usable for complex speech. The great thing is that like many of the other children I've met, I know whoever works with her will see the beauty inside her. Those rough shells tend to disappear pretty quickly.
Well, I drew and he told me what to draw. er colored. He likes dogs. Dogs say Ham Ham (hum hum) in Romania. And the clown started out as a dog but I messed up on the ears so it ended being a clown. He was like what does a clown say and I was like uh... Ha Ha Ha? He has a rooster on his little shoes. Roosters say Cu Cu Ri Gu (Koo Koo Re Goo). I drew it on the back of my journal article about trying to find simple answers to complex questions in the study of development. The people in the room thought it was funny that I read a bunch of stuff in english that was gibberish to them. It's usually gibberish to me the first 2 times I read it as well.
I got to see Florin again. He sent me on a couple errands to get candy and soda, because he's not aloud to go outside when it's cold, because he doesn't have a jacket. He didn't like the candy I picked. So Marian and I ate it. He has spina bifida and a solid right hook.
This is Florin
He looks essentially the same now, but I don't have a new pic of him yet. Well he looks a little bigger. I was really happy to see him again. Joking around with him is a lot easier now. He's really cool; he goes and plays with the other Marian (who is from the orphanage) When no one else can.
Marian is really cute. I don't know much about his condition, but he's a little little dude and he knows 3 words: Acolo (there), Asa (there/ok/that/anything you want it to mean), and doi (two). Florin gave him a package of pretzels and marian got them all over his little crib/bed. He didn't eat any of them. I tried to tell him that they were food but he just wanted to throw them around and pretend to count them. Watching him pretend to count reminded me a lot of Minge Mihai from before. Hopefully I'll get to see Mihai while I'm here. I miss that kid.
I have a hard time going to the hospital sometimes as I see some of the kids corrupted by some of the rough language in there. The young mothers teach this little 3/5/6 year old I come play with bad words and think it's funny. I don't really know how to tell them to stop that other than to tell him not to say those things. I don't know most of the words, but every once in awhile I figure it out. Ergh. Maybe the Lord will bless me with the gift of tongues for two minutes to rebuke them like a rap battle.
Me and Alex have a fun game we play now and it's led to a kind of teaching opportunity. There's a bunch of foam puzzle pieces that are about 10"x10" with numbers on them that punch out. They fit together to make cubes. I build them into a tower about 7 layers high with the top and bottom open. Then I put the tower on his head. Then he likes me to throw all the punched out foam numbers into the top of the tower at once and let them fall on his head. Then we laugh. Yesterday I tried teaching him some numbers. One physical thing that he can do is kick hard. We found a sweet sound that happens when you scrape your sneaker across the footboard on his wheel chair. It makes a Reeenk! sort of sound. I had him make that scrape sound the number of times that each number was. At first he didn't get it, but he eventually did each one. I don't think he really knows his numbers, but I think this will help some. I need to figure out what they're working on with him in school so we can supplement that a little better. We also took pictures of all his clothes and the room for some boards. It was fun. I love working with Teo. She understands how important this is and is just as committed to Alex, if not more. Also I feel super l337 when I'm in the psychology office.
There's a girl in one of the apartments that was one of those kids that shocks you the first time you see them. Her face is significantly deformed in a way I've never seen before. She runs around like some of the kids from Mickey Mouse the first time I was there. Jumping around, hitting things, climbing and jumping off of things, hitting themselves, running up to be held, then hurting you, etc. I was a little put off by her and her face comes into my mind sometimes. Last night, Kinsey told me she found out that this girl's mother tried to have an abortion and she survived. The thought just sort of flattened me. I had to sit down for a minute. The feeling is like standing in front of a bunch of doors that you know lead to horrible torture chambers. And the thought paths are like those doors. You stand in front of them and know where they lead, but exploring them is something you just don't want to do. I'll probably visit again soon, because I like to make it to all the different rooms/apartments regularly. I also saw a potential communication aid project with her. She is cognitively normal, or so I've heard, but her mouth and palate are not usable for complex speech. The great thing is that like many of the other children I've met, I know whoever works with her will see the beauty inside her. Those rough shells tend to disappear pretty quickly.
2 comments:
Robby... I just found your blog and I love it! Thanks for being there and taking care of everything and sharing your great stories! You make me laugh so much and help me reminisce about the wonderful times I had there. Not to say that there weren't hard times too... But I am sure glad that the students have you and you have such a great way of putting things into perspective and I know the students will really benefit from that!
It makes me miss Romania reading about all the kids and everything, but its also a great confirmation that the Lord takes care of all of His children. But I am still a little jealous! Give the kids lots of pupici for me!
te pup!
So I LOVE LOVE LOVE everything about this post! My favorite is the paragraph at the end about the little girl...I have had those same thoughts so many times. I continue to be impressed and delighted with your work with Alex...you're like a freakin Annie Sullivan, it's amazing. Thank you for not doing a half-a job with him and being creative and making him stretch. He really is so lucky to have you, Robby!!!! Last night I totally dreamed that I was the faciliator in Romania, but my group was a group of girls from American's Next Top Model (hahaha, you can see riiight where my mind has been, huh? :) I tried to get them together for a group meeting but they kept ignoring me. It was teh wrost. Oh, and I totally know Florin! I asked you if it was rabbit-teeth Florin and you told me no. He got to the hospital like a week or so before I left...I think I might have bought him a toy car. Anyway, it looks like you're doing amazing with him and Marian too and presumably that fat lard Larisa (although you never write about her :( ) and pretty much you 're teh 733t for telling Marshall to write on my blog!!!! He even rapped, because he has to! He just can't write in normal prose because he is THAT MUCH of a badass! I was so giddy!!!! Thanks so much for telling him Robby, it made like my next 18 days. Cuidate bien eh?
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