Showing posts with label Peace Corps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peace Corps. Show all posts

December 2, 2011

774 Days

Hi everyone!  This is Kate.

I'm finishing up here in Jordan and will be returning home on Monday after 774 challenging, exciting, happy, sad, Arabic-filled, lonely, fulfilling days in the Peace Corps.  It's so hard to describe what this experience has meant to me--I know it's changed my life.  And I know it wouldn't have happened were it not for my mom and Hannah.

After Hannah was born, as I was growing up, I knew I wanted to do something related to children with disabilities, especially Down syndrome.  My junior year of college, I thought I might become a speech therapist, and visited graduate schools in that field.  I also considered becoming a lawyer specializing in adoption--specifically of children with disabilities from other countries (a la Reece's Rainbow).  That was also the year my mom suggested the Peace Corps.  I knew from the moment I started the application that I would be accepted.  I was invited to become a special education teacher in Jordan, a small country in the Middle East.

 
Me soon after arriving in Jordan
In the beginning, I lived in a small Bedouin village for training.  We had intensive Arabic classes every day, coupled with technical (special education) trainings.  We also had a practicum in the special education center in my host village.

After two months, I moved to my permanent site, in another small village.  These people were farmers, not Bedouin, and my village was filled with greenery instead of desert.

The view from my house!
Above all, the thing I love and will miss most from my Peace Corps service are the people.  My neighbors, my friends, and especially my students.  I learned Jordanian sign language to communicate with my neighbors and students.

Qosai, A'atif, and Battoul, students at my center

My friend Natalie, Islam (a student), and myself at Jerash, a Roman archeological site

Ali and Fatima, students, on a picnic in a nearby village
My special education center consisted of 20-30 students from the ages of 5 to 21.  My students were deaf and blind, and had Down syndrome, learning disabilities, autism, paraplegia, dwarfism, ADHD, congenital defects, psychological and behavior problems, and muscular dystrophy.  My experience teaching at the center gave me experience with all types of disabilities, but the most important thing it taught me was that society is one of the largest factors in how much a person with a disability can achieve.

For instance, my student Mohammad Jamal is in a wheelchair.  The story his mother told us was that she fell down while pregnant, harming baby Mohammad in utero, and that's why he is paralyzed.  He is cognitively normal, but attends a special education center because the students at a typical school would be too cruel to him.
Mohammad Jamal
This type of pseudo-explanation is common in Jordan.  Families don't want people knowing about their children with disabilities, or if people must know, they invent something that happened to the child, rather than accepting it as genetics or God's will.  This is so that their other children can eventually get married--no one wants to marry a woman with "bad blood," despite the fact that most people in Jordan marry their cousins, just as their ancestors have for centuries.  The whole culture supports the segregation of people with disabilities, not even attempting to "mainstream" them as we do in America.  Add to that fact that the two jobs available to people who fail the end-of-high-school exams are the military or becoming a special education teacher, and you get a recipe for failure.

Children with disabilities in Jordan do not excel because they are not given the tools to do so.  They are not accepted into society.  They are not given proper teachers or care.  Many are not allowed out of the house.  They are marginalized in every way.  We often see stories in the media about the oppression of women in Islamic societies; this is nothing compared to what people with disabilities face.  The Jordanian government is, on paper, extremely progressive when it comes to people with disabilities.  The problem is, there's no trickle-down effect.  Decisions made at the top level by the Higher Council for the Affairs of People with Disabilities are rarely, or if they are, slowly, effected on the ground level, especially in villages.

I have a student with Down syndrome who is around five years old.  For the first week he attended our center, no one bothered to find out his name.  We called him welad, which means boy.  His name turned out to be Isma'il (Ishmael), and he's one of my favorite kids.

Isma'il
See what I mean?  Nothing is expected of people with disabilities in Jordan here--not even names.  Living here for over two years has given me such an appreciation for America--how we give our children pride, expectations, and hope.  I have always known my sister is exceptional.  I never knew before how much our culture and our family has encouraged that. 

Living in Jordan, I've gained ten pounds, learned Arabic, played 4,434 games of solitaire on my computer, and read over 200 books.  I've also formed countless relationships with the people around me, and I hope that my influence has helped open their minds a little.  I've tried to explain that people with disabilities can succeed, can speak, read, write, work, and marry.  I know Hannah is capable of all those things and more.  I wish the Jordanian culture and people were more accepting of people who are "different," and I know that in time someone will prove them wrong.

I set out to write this blog post as an overview of my Peace Corps service.  Instead I seem to have gone on a rant about Jordanian culture.  I don't mean to offend anyone or disparage anything--I'm all about cultural relativism.  However, I think this topic is extremely important, and I hope that this will inspire people in America (and Jordan, if they read this) to encourage their daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, and friends with disabilities to achieve everything they are able to--which is certainly more than we expect of them.

Me, my girl, and my best friend Greer in January



January 19, 2010

Kate Update

Kate is settling in to her new home. She worked at the Special Education Center for a about a week before they started their month-long vacation. This has given her some time to explore the neighboring towns and buy items for her household. Plus get her house hooked up to THE INTERNET!!! Yahooey! She has a very slow connection, so she usually just emails. Somehow she managed to upload some pictures the other day. I like to see them so I can "see" her living conditions.

Her house from the front. The right door leads to the formal sitting room (separate from the house to avoid mixing genders). The door on the left leads to her house.

She had to purchase her bed, rug and heating sources (gas heater, electric heater). That took up the bulk of her housing budget.

Some village women have helped her make curtains for her windows, and she has since purchased a desk and wardrobe to add to her room. It seems a little lonely, yes?


This is her kitchen. Note the faucet up high on the wall! The sink is quite shallow, so I guess the faucet is up high so a pot could be fit under it? She has a little fridge, big enough for one vegetarian person!

At least I know she's eating healthy! I keep sending her candy treats and ramen noodles so she won't miss dorm life too much!

Here is the view from her house.


And a blanket for her bed....she says, "That's right, folks, 100% Vergin Acrylic. No recycled fibers here!"

The villagers are very protective of her, as they are of all unmarried women. She is not allowed to walk to the village market alone. She spends her time "visiting", which may last anywhere from 4-14 hours long! "Visiting" is the main past time in Jordan. It usually involves a meal (or three), so she has not had to cook very much!

We miss her, but, as she says, it's only 23 1/2 more months.....

December 18, 2009

Kate Update

We hear from Kate about every week or so (email or phone), which really soothes me. It's even better when she posts pictures so I have a visual! She is doing well.

Kate has enjoyed living with her (new) host family. It consists of an elderly widow and two of her adult daughters. They have been very gracious to her and have allowed her to have some privacy (and they don't force feed her!).


Here is a picture of Kate's bedroom at the host family's home.

And here is the town where she has been living and learning.
It's easy to see that water is a precious resource in Jordan.


Kate has completed her language training and will be moving to her new village after Christmas.


This week she is visiting a town in North Jordan where she will be living for the next 2 years. It is a small town (pop~7,000). Kate will be teaching in a Special Education Center. The student population consists primarily of children (all ages) with hearing impairment. This means that in addition to learning Arabic, Kate will be learning Arabic Sign Language! She is a little disappointed that there aren't many students with cognitive impairments, but she will have the opportunity to work on a project to reach out into the community to find children with disabilities who are hidden from society.

This week she will be signing a lease for her apartment, which hopefully has hot running water! It would be fabulous if the village had internet service, but with a town that small, it's likely that there is none. There was a previous Peace Corps volunteer in the town who completed her service last summer. It will be nice that the town has already had a westerner in their midst--I imagine it will make it easier for Kate.

The town is in the mountainous region of Jordan, about 90 minutes away from Amman. This area has the only forest in all of Jordan, and it also is the primary agricultural land. Only 1% of land in Jordan has forest.

This is the only region that gets snow. And, like most areas of the world, there is no central heating, so she will be bundling up!

The forest ends quickly, back to the rock valleys called wadi.

Kate had a field trip there a few weeks ago (before she knew she'd be living in the area). This castle dates from the 12th century. It was built as a military fort to defend against the crusaders.

Next week we hope to see pictures of her new apartment and town!



October 26, 2009

Peace Corps: Intro to Amman, Jordan

I got to speak with Kate briefly today! The connection was terrible, but we did manage a few sentences before giving up. But, I had a treat on Facebook this evening--she was able to download some pictures from the past couple of days!

Kate has been in Amman since Saturday and will be leaving tomorrow for Mafraq. The PC group took a short tour of the ancient ruins surrounding Amman. (No hijab required in Amman.)

Amman


Mosque in the background

I guess they like satellite dishes!


Ruins of a Roman Amphitheater

My Favorite!


I can tell that she's having a good time (so far!). The hard work begins soon, but she's got her sunny attitude at the ready!


*****To read more about Kate and Peace Corps, click here ******

October 23, 2009

Kate Update

I spoke with her while she's en route to JFK. She's pretty happy with the team of volunteers she's with--already made friends. She's the youngest of the bunch (as she said, "No surprise there."). About a quarter of the volunteers are retirees.

They will stay in Amman until the 28th, then move to Mafraq for 2 months in language school.

She's feeling better (she's had a cold), and she's looking forward to what's ahead.

My Wild Thing.

October 22, 2009

:(


This is hard.

Kate just went out the door.

The tissue box is being put to good use, catching tears.

I'm so proud of her. But I don't want to be this far apart. Sending her off to college was pretty easy, even if she was 1300 miles away. Letting her go to Spain by herself when she was 16 was easy too. I knew I'd see her three weeks later.

Amman, Jordan is 6,013 miles from home.



It was a restless night for all of us. I dreamed of haikus of Kate leaving. Of my feelings, and how I imagined she was feeling. Of her wiped-clean computer, awaiting a new owner. Of the third car we will sell since we have no driver for it. Haikus of Hannah not understanding how long two years really is. And tears.


As much as it hurts to think about her being gone, we are all very excited for her. It's amazing.


I just saw her Facebook status: Let the Wild Rumpus Start!!!

That's my girl. The adventure begins.

Deo volente.


October 17, 2009

Life in Fast Forward--Peace Corps Bound!

Things around here are just going way too fast for me to keep up! I feel like I've got so much to write, yet no time to write it!

It's a little stressful these days getting Kate prepared for her big move. We have four days left to get everything in order. She leaves on Thursday morning. While I'm not all that worried about her going--it's more feeling excited for her grand adventure--there are enough details to make anyone crazy.

We ordered some basic fashion essentials for her life in Jordan. She is planning on buying much of her clothing there, since it's difficult to find culturally appropriate clothing here (or we don't know where to find it!). The Peace Corps (PC) strongly encourages volunteers to wear clothes that will help them fit in to their community. So while Kate is not Muslim, she will be wearing a khimar (head covering) at first. The first two months she will be living with a family while she takes intensive Arabic lessons. The town where she's staying is one of the more conservative areas of Jordan.

Here in the States, I know that some people are offended by others wearing clothing from other faith traditions. Kate does not mean to offend others, but she does have to "assimilate" as best she can, so she can do her job. We have read blogs of other PC volunteers in Jordan (here's one if you're curious), and not all of them dress this conservatively. It just depends on the town or village. Once Kate gets her assignment within the country (to be determined after language proficiency is completed), she will adapt to that areas culturally acceptable attire. Generally, she will need to cover every part of skin other than hands and face, plus a head covering. This will be a BIG change for my girl!

Here is a first peek of her future fashion!



September 4, 2009

Kate's Departure

This week Kate got her final paperwork from the Peace Corps. It was exciting and overwhelming at the same time! She will be leaving home on October 22nd, heading for Washington D.C. for two days, and then flying to The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan!

Once in Jordan she will be attending language classes for three months along with other new Peace Corps volunteers. She will live with a local family which will help her learn Arabic and acclimate to the culture. After she completes her training, she will be sent to a rural or semi-rural area to help teach at a day-care/school or residential setting for children with physical or developmental disabilities. She will remain in Jordan for a total of 27 months!

Kate will need a new wardrobe, since women in Jordan keep themselves covered with loose fitting clothes from their neck to wrists to ankles. Form fitting clothes are not acceptable there, and she will wear a head-covering (not a burkha, but a hijab or scarf). This will be an interesting transition for Kate I think, since she is somewhat into fashion.

We are proud of Kate, starting out in the world, working to make life better for children who need help! This is a HUGE adventure, with the real possibility of having limited communication (what young American adult can imagine not having internet or a cell phone???), and limited news from the rest of the world. We might even have to resort to old fashioned letter writing!

We'll (she'll) have a busy seven weeks to prepare and pack...she'll need winter clothes (yes, it gets cold there), a new laptop (power source? Unknown), and oh, I can't even think it through!


January 1, 2009

Happy New Year!

Computer agony! I just lost a long entry and now I'm not too thrilled to begin anew...but yes, you are worth it, so I'll press on! (Yes, I know I should work in Word or something else...)

We had a very nice Christmas, with just enough joy and just enough relaxation. Hannah's favorite gifts were her very own digital camera and a Playmobil hospital. I should have chosen a camera with a rechargeable battery--this girl likes to take pictures!

Katie's winter break from college has been filled with doctor's visits to complete her Peace Corps paperwork. She has been offered a nomination to work in Special Education the Mid-East, and we are very excited for her! Kate also has found time to visit with friends and spend plenty of time with Hannah.
(photo by Hannah)

Chris is spending the week with friends in North Carolina, so he missed our big party last night! We have a history of hosting a "New Year's @ Nine" family party. Everyone arrives about 7:00, but we move the clocks three hours ahead and celebrate "midnight" with crazy hats and noisemakers. Everyone can get home to put kids to bed at a reasonable time and nobody is on the road when the crazy people are driving. This year we were a little ambitious...we were expecting 47 people! And 27 of them were kids!! I never took a complete headcount, but I think we were only one person shy.


Our house has had a revolving door of guests for the past two weeks. It's been fun to see family and friends. We've also had a longer-term guest--a tiny two year-old girl with Down syndrome. We are providing respite care for her and it is a joy! She is a delightful baby, crawling, cruising, and starting to talk and use sign language. She's about the size of a 10 month old. I'd love to post her picture, but really don't think I should, so here is a series of pictures that don't show her face but do show how cute she is!

Time for Jammies.

I think I can do this myself.

Somehow I don't think this is quite right...

Ahh! Much better!
Look at that little snowman on the bum--could it be any cuter?

Wishing you wonderful blessings in the New Year!