So I have had some trouble getting on a computer the last few days, hence the drought of blogging. Plus, we have been so busy and only recently had any down time.
The last few days we have been working in a Sarajevo classroom for kids with special needs - autism as well as other disabilities. Local staff worked at stations targeting specific skills, and then we rotated through the stations with our child and a student from the University of Tuzla. The first day was a rough start - imagine eight children with autism walking into their classroom to find over 30 adults standing there waiting to make them work. Let's just say there was a lot of crying, screaming and pinching. And the kids had a hard time too. ;).
My little guy was two years old, and was definitely having a hard time with the huge change in environment. It is amazing how quickly everything you thought you knew about therapy and behavior management can go out the window in the face of a screaming two-year old. He cried and screamed through the better part of two hours. However, we did get some great exchanges with PECS to help him to request a break. PECS is a system of communication using picture items that a child will hand to an adult to request the things he wants or needs. Although it may sound like it replaces verbal language, research shows that it does not - in fact it is shown to help many kids develop verbal language while giving them an effective means of communication in the meantime. So, we made it through two hours of screaming, but were rewarded with a lovely team dinner up on the hills surrounding Sarajevo. We got to see the sunset over the city and were able to hear the prayer calls coming from the Mosques spread over the city. As the city got darker, we were able to see the tops of all the Mosques lit up, as well as the glow from the new National Library, replacing the one that was burned to the ground in the war.
I settled into bed hoping the next day at school would be better.
We woke up in the morning and made our way to the Tunnel Museum. During the war, Sarajevo was almost completely surrounded by the Serbian Army, with the exception of the airport, which is located at one end of the city. The airport was occupied by the UN and they tried to keep it a neutral zone. However, Sarajevans would try to cross the airport to get out of the city and most were killed in the process. So, they built a 1/2 mile tunnel under the airport connecting Sarajevo to the zone on the other side that was unoccupied by the Serbian Army.
The museum was a nice look at history, and that tended to be the theme of the day. It's amazing to think that a city the size of Pittsburgh was essentially surrounded and under siege for almost four years, and what the people went through. However, there are two sides to every story, and I know very little about the other side of the story.
Since there are so many of us traveling together, it takes us a minimum of 3 taxis to go everywhere. The highlight of my day on Thursday was taxi drivers. A local man drove a group of us from the museum to downtown that day. He had lived in the neighborhood near the museum before the war. However, since this was essentially on the front lines, his family moved away during the war, and then moved back later. He took us on a little tour of the city between the museum and downtown. He pointed out all the lines separating the different sides, as well as important landmarks in the city. We saw the brewery where Sarajevans got water during the war, and the bridge on which Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was killed - contributing to the start of World War I.
Later in the day we actually had a taxi driver who was a commander of the Bosnian Army during the war and who had used the tunnel extensively. They both talked about the different cultures and religions that currently coexist in Sarajevo. The second taxi driver said that he was Catholic, and the other two drivers with us were Muslim and Jewish. One commented that one big problem in Sarajevo was that no one could build any factories, because there are too many parties of people to please. For example, if someone wants to build a factory, everyone wants to know who they are - Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, etc., and that nothing ends up getting done because nobody can come to an agreement. I couldn't help but think that it all sounded a bit familiar...
So after our history tour and lesson, we strolled through downtown, got some street food (cevapi), and made our way back to the hotel to set out for day two at the classroom.
Of course, it was much better than the first day. All of us and all the students had the hang of things from the day before, and although we had a different set of kids from the first day, things went much more smoothly, and there was a lot less crying. My child definitely had is issues, but was so smart and worked really hard at everything. I served as a much better teacher to both him and the student who was paired with me and left the day feeling like I may actually know what I'm doing from time to time. It's amazing how much confidence plays a role in everything. The first day, my confidence was shaken within the first 10 minutes of the session, and I felt useless and incompetent the rest of the time. Truthfully, I probably was - I was too in my own head to help my child or teach my student. But, being rejuvenated the next day, I was able to remember why I am here, why I love my job at home, and what I have to offer.
We went to an Italian restaurant downtown for dinner, then came back to work on our presentations for Saturday's conference.
On Saturday, most of us presented a topic to each other, as well as many of the students and therapists we have been working with over the past 9 days. I don't know about the students, but I learned so much from the other people on our team and know I will be a much better therapist next year because of it. I am really excited to go back to school next year with all this new information and with so many new skills and ideas.
After the conference, we walked to a restaurant in a park, where we had pizza for lunch. On our way, we ran into a Muslim family - a couple and their child. The dad was trying to talk to us in limited English - literally spitting out random words that he knew. Eventually, we found out that his wife was a psychologist in Kuwait, and Anna, our team leader got talking to her. Anna explained what we were doing here, and even as a highly-educated psychologist, she was so surprised to learn that kids with autism can be taught and that they could learn to speak. So, with that humbling thought, we made it to the restaurant, tried to avoid making out in public (see picture), and ate pizza.
Then, we took a horse-drawn carriage ride to a nearby park with natural springs. Sounds so nice, but I felt like the horses were so skinny to be pulling us, and our horse got spooked by a bike whizzing by and some stupid ladies who wouldn't get out of the road. So, I couldn't get off the carriage fast enough and insisted on walking the two miles back. I felt better both physically and morally after my walk, but realized I was turning into my mother =).
The park itself was beautiful. And, since the weather had dropped below 85 degrees for the first time since our arrival, we were actually able to enjoy it. While we were in the park, we saw a Muslim woman in a full burqua (although this one was purple). She had a little boy with her who clearly had some issues, and it was so difficult not to go up to her and try to explain about the classroom here and what it can offer. The classroom we are working in is really the only place like that in Sarajevo and there are so few services for kids with special needs here. However, I was so happy and impressed to see this woman out with the child in the park. As I've mentioned before, the culture in Bosnia view disability much differently than we do in the States and so many of the children are hidden in the house. It may not seem like it, but for this mother to have her child out and about in the park really was a big deal.
We went to a casual restaurant for dinner, and had yet another amazing meal.
The best part of the day - making it into bed before 11 for the first time since I've arrived.
This morning was our last day at the Sarajevo classroom - we ran two two-hour sessions for the two different groups of kids. As it turns out, the family of my two-year old child is from a different city in Bosnia (about 3 hours away) and had moved here to get services for this child. However, they have another child, and since he is enrolled in school in the other city, he stays with his grandparents and then the family drives the three hours to visit on the weekends. Since today is Sunday, my child wasn't able to come to school. This family literally split themselves up because the only services available were three hours away.
So, I worked closely this morning with the university student to develop some goals for our child and now have made it back to the hotel for some uninterrupted time on a computer.
Tonight, we are headed to dinner then out to a bar/club called Pussy Galore. Honestly, some things are the same wherever you go. The only difference is that here, the local women refuse to say the name of the bar.
Tomorrow, we take the three-hour bus ride to Tuzla/Zenica where we will stay until Friday morning.
Two cities down, one to go. I might actually survive this. =)
The last few days we have been working in a Sarajevo classroom for kids with special needs - autism as well as other disabilities. Local staff worked at stations targeting specific skills, and then we rotated through the stations with our child and a student from the University of Tuzla. The first day was a rough start - imagine eight children with autism walking into their classroom to find over 30 adults standing there waiting to make them work. Let's just say there was a lot of crying, screaming and pinching. And the kids had a hard time too. ;).
My little guy was two years old, and was definitely having a hard time with the huge change in environment. It is amazing how quickly everything you thought you knew about therapy and behavior management can go out the window in the face of a screaming two-year old. He cried and screamed through the better part of two hours. However, we did get some great exchanges with PECS to help him to request a break. PECS is a system of communication using picture items that a child will hand to an adult to request the things he wants or needs. Although it may sound like it replaces verbal language, research shows that it does not - in fact it is shown to help many kids develop verbal language while giving them an effective means of communication in the meantime. So, we made it through two hours of screaming, but were rewarded with a lovely team dinner up on the hills surrounding Sarajevo. We got to see the sunset over the city and were able to hear the prayer calls coming from the Mosques spread over the city. As the city got darker, we were able to see the tops of all the Mosques lit up, as well as the glow from the new National Library, replacing the one that was burned to the ground in the war.
I settled into bed hoping the next day at school would be better.
We woke up in the morning and made our way to the Tunnel Museum. During the war, Sarajevo was almost completely surrounded by the Serbian Army, with the exception of the airport, which is located at one end of the city. The airport was occupied by the UN and they tried to keep it a neutral zone. However, Sarajevans would try to cross the airport to get out of the city and most were killed in the process. So, they built a 1/2 mile tunnel under the airport connecting Sarajevo to the zone on the other side that was unoccupied by the Serbian Army.
The museum was a nice look at history, and that tended to be the theme of the day. It's amazing to think that a city the size of Pittsburgh was essentially surrounded and under siege for almost four years, and what the people went through. However, there are two sides to every story, and I know very little about the other side of the story.
Since there are so many of us traveling together, it takes us a minimum of 3 taxis to go everywhere. The highlight of my day on Thursday was taxi drivers. A local man drove a group of us from the museum to downtown that day. He had lived in the neighborhood near the museum before the war. However, since this was essentially on the front lines, his family moved away during the war, and then moved back later. He took us on a little tour of the city between the museum and downtown. He pointed out all the lines separating the different sides, as well as important landmarks in the city. We saw the brewery where Sarajevans got water during the war, and the bridge on which Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was killed - contributing to the start of World War I.
Later in the day we actually had a taxi driver who was a commander of the Bosnian Army during the war and who had used the tunnel extensively. They both talked about the different cultures and religions that currently coexist in Sarajevo. The second taxi driver said that he was Catholic, and the other two drivers with us were Muslim and Jewish. One commented that one big problem in Sarajevo was that no one could build any factories, because there are too many parties of people to please. For example, if someone wants to build a factory, everyone wants to know who they are - Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, etc., and that nothing ends up getting done because nobody can come to an agreement. I couldn't help but think that it all sounded a bit familiar...
So after our history tour and lesson, we strolled through downtown, got some street food (cevapi), and made our way back to the hotel to set out for day two at the classroom.
Of course, it was much better than the first day. All of us and all the students had the hang of things from the day before, and although we had a different set of kids from the first day, things went much more smoothly, and there was a lot less crying. My child definitely had is issues, but was so smart and worked really hard at everything. I served as a much better teacher to both him and the student who was paired with me and left the day feeling like I may actually know what I'm doing from time to time. It's amazing how much confidence plays a role in everything. The first day, my confidence was shaken within the first 10 minutes of the session, and I felt useless and incompetent the rest of the time. Truthfully, I probably was - I was too in my own head to help my child or teach my student. But, being rejuvenated the next day, I was able to remember why I am here, why I love my job at home, and what I have to offer.
We went to an Italian restaurant downtown for dinner, then came back to work on our presentations for Saturday's conference.
On Saturday, most of us presented a topic to each other, as well as many of the students and therapists we have been working with over the past 9 days. I don't know about the students, but I learned so much from the other people on our team and know I will be a much better therapist next year because of it. I am really excited to go back to school next year with all this new information and with so many new skills and ideas.
After the conference, we walked to a restaurant in a park, where we had pizza for lunch. On our way, we ran into a Muslim family - a couple and their child. The dad was trying to talk to us in limited English - literally spitting out random words that he knew. Eventually, we found out that his wife was a psychologist in Kuwait, and Anna, our team leader got talking to her. Anna explained what we were doing here, and even as a highly-educated psychologist, she was so surprised to learn that kids with autism can be taught and that they could learn to speak. So, with that humbling thought, we made it to the restaurant, tried to avoid making out in public (see picture), and ate pizza.
Then, we took a horse-drawn carriage ride to a nearby park with natural springs. Sounds so nice, but I felt like the horses were so skinny to be pulling us, and our horse got spooked by a bike whizzing by and some stupid ladies who wouldn't get out of the road. So, I couldn't get off the carriage fast enough and insisted on walking the two miles back. I felt better both physically and morally after my walk, but realized I was turning into my mother =).
We went to a casual restaurant for dinner, and had yet another amazing meal.
The best part of the day - making it into bed before 11 for the first time since I've arrived.
This morning was our last day at the Sarajevo classroom - we ran two two-hour sessions for the two different groups of kids. As it turns out, the family of my two-year old child is from a different city in Bosnia (about 3 hours away) and had moved here to get services for this child. However, they have another child, and since he is enrolled in school in the other city, he stays with his grandparents and then the family drives the three hours to visit on the weekends. Since today is Sunday, my child wasn't able to come to school. This family literally split themselves up because the only services available were three hours away.
So, I worked closely this morning with the university student to develop some goals for our child and now have made it back to the hotel for some uninterrupted time on a computer.
Tonight, we are headed to dinner then out to a bar/club called Pussy Galore. Honestly, some things are the same wherever you go. The only difference is that here, the local women refuse to say the name of the bar.
Tomorrow, we take the three-hour bus ride to Tuzla/Zenica where we will stay until Friday morning.
Two cities down, one to go. I might actually survive this. =)
You would find a bar in Bosnia called Pussy Galore ;) some things really don't change!!
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