Turkish Coffee and Remembering American Colonialism

Friday, June 27, 2008
Aktobe

Although I haven’t written in weeks, things have been very busy in Aktobe, if somewhat setting into a pattern of regularity with jolts of unexpected occurrences that knocked down our grand plans slightly.  My week before my recent Turkish vacation started out full of optimism.  We just had an article written about our horse therapy program in the big regional newspaper and were receiving around five calls a day from interested parents.  A woman running a different stable called to offer us free riding every afternoon and the use of five trainers and six horses for the therapy.

Previous to her call, came the first jolt.  The two trainers from the first stable found new employment and we could therefore no longer use that stable that had worked out well but was expensive.  The owner of the horses was first out of town, and then trying to solve the problem himself, unfortunately with no luck.  That put both of us in a place we didn’t want to be.  That’s when the other woman called.

Then, Kazakhstan’s peculiar environment emerged.  As of my trip, that woman disappeared.  We weren’t able to run the horse therapy program the week before I left despite the free horses, space, and trainers offer because our contact vanished.  But, these things happen.  I hope that while I’ve been in another country, the program has come back together.  If not, we’ll be working on it this week to get it back trotting.

Then I went to Turkey.  I went through what I imagine are the normal phases of transition to something new.  I was first worried about leaving my site and about my projects and wrote down all the contact details for the various projects for my co-workers and went through plans with them.  Then, the Friday before I left, it was a slow day in the office.  I left a few hours early due to the lack of activity.  That’s when I felt free.

This was my first out-of-country vacation since coming here around 10 months ago.  Just like when I first came to Aktobe after three months in Talgar, I forgot some habits of how things work in different parts of the world.  I forget that not everyone in the world do people all try to be first in line to board a plane, or a tram; that there is better quality beer than that produced in Shymkent; and that tourist groups in beautiful cities are incredibly annoying.

My first two days in Istanbul I was alone.  I arrived in the evening, went to the hostel, had an Efes, which I was disappointed to have as I drink them in KZ as well.  The next day, I wandered around the city alone with no map to take it all in.  I started early; waking up at 6 AM and was out of the hostel before 8.  People weren’t out in mass until 9 and the crowds transform it from a peaceful collection of beautiful old buildings to a tourist Wal-Mart.

I tried to find a café to have my first cup of true Turkish coffee.  That task caused a lot of trouble.  There were so many choices.  How was I supposed to choose?  Not only were there the fancy coffee shops (I happened to wander onto a posh street), but there were the hordes of smaller cafes with low stools and tables, then there were the two Starbucks within 5 minutes from each other.  I was incredibly overwhelmed by my options.  I chose one place that had a bunch of people sitting there, figuring it must be good; they’re all speaking Turkish.  Then there were coffee choices.  I managed to order the Turkish coffee, enjoyed it immensely and then continued my self-led tour around the city.

Istanbul is a beautiful city and once we picked up a guidebook, it made a lot more sense.  Culture shock, while retreating after a day or so, found its gateway through another coffee opportunity.  On the third day, I decided I had to have Starbucks.  I don’t particularly like Starbucks coffee, the Turkish coffee was tasty, and I can get good coffee in KZ.  But, it’s Starbucks.

I walked into the Starbucks, through the sliding glass door and sheepishly to the counter.  I imagine I looked a mix of stunned and glowing.  The barista asks what I’d like.  I say, “I don’t know…a frappachino.”  He says, “What kind sir?”  I look around for some support, but my friend stayed outside.  There’s one of those advertisements for a Dark Chocolate Mocha Frappachino on the counter.  I point to it and ask for one of those – a Tall.  I feel very dirty at this point.  He asks, “Would you like whipped cream?” I think and mumble, “No…” “Would you like chocolate sprinkling?” he asks.  I am feeling confused and say no.  But he sprinkles some on anyways.  It was tasty.  He asks if I’d like anything else.  I quickly say no and forget where to stand to wait for my drink. Then, I see the familiar counter at the end and wander over there.

The drink comes and it feels so comfortable.  I nursed the mildly distressing feeling that I was succumbing to “America” while in Turkey as the frappachino mix and crushed ice quickly emptied through the straw.  I was good.  The Turkish coffee was better but not as homey.  More stories to come from Aktobe and Turkey in future e-mails.  I just wanted to let everyone know I’m doing great.  Things are going well, the trip was good, and the rest of the summer should be very productive.

“Dr. Horse”

The following article appeared in the Aktobe newspaper “Diapazon” on June 5, 2008.

http://diapazon.kz/?nom=57&rub=15&news=1320

Dr. Horse

By Almira Alishbaeva

In Aktobe, children with ДЦП, have begun treatment; working with horses. The boys love their doctor, named Boy, and after treatment show their appreciation by feeding him sugar.

Top of health

There are currently three children being treated with Boy: Yan, Bagdat and Temirlan. Every Wednesday, they travel outside the city and spend an entire hour at a small racecourse. The children ride horses and conduct exercises with the volunteer from America, Perry Teicher.

It all started one day when he went to visit Yan. Yan’s mother lamented that there is no opportunity for disabled children to train with horses in Aktobe. “Balbulak” in Almaty, where Yan was once treated, provides hippotherapy opportunity for special children. Yan, unfortunately, cannot speak, but his mom saw: he liked it, and after the horse therapy her son markedly improved.

A few days after this conversation, Perry told Svetlana that Yan has begun to carry out hippotherapy at stables outside the city. Shortly after beginning, the program had grown to three children.

“Yan was riding the horse while lying down,” his mother said. We met at a break. “We recently took Yan to Atyrau, where surgeons carried out a unique operation for ДЦП patients. They punctured the muscles that did not allow him to move. My son was recovering after the surgery. The first time on the horse, it was difficult to sit. Today, he has a different mood.”

At 5 years old, Termilan also has ДЦП. The child has trouble walking, with one leg shorter than the other. Temirlan is very active. He goes to kindergarten and is preparing for school, but he needs constant rehabilitation. His mother has taken him to many sanatoriums, but on the horse last Wednesday, he sat down for the first time.

“I heard a lot about hippotherapy, but we have never tried it before. When I heard that the children will train at the hippodrome, I asked to be one of the first,” said Marzhan, Termilan’s mother.

“I tried to drive children to school for the first course,” tells Svetlana, mother of eleven-year-old Bagdat, “But we were warned that the children will not deal with anyone. There was no instructor. Bagdat also has ДЦП. He did not walk from birth to three years old. The diagnosis was recognized too late. We began to treat our child, and a year later he became better. Soon, he began to walk and go to kindergarten. He is now an excellent student at school, but we must deal with his health constantly. He has problems with his speech and gait. I had heard a lot about hippotherapy, but today was the first time my son sat on a horse.”

Necessity is the mother of invention

Perry does not just have the children ride the horses, he asks them to pet the ears, sit on the horse, and stroke his forehead. After one hour, the classes end, but the children are in no rush to the bus. They are allowed to feed Boy sugar. It’s a nice “thank you for the good work”.

“For kids, we have provided a very calm and short horse,” said the young riding instructor Eyla Milenchuk. “They need to practice and hippotherapy. I was hired as an instructor. This is the first time I’m working with disabled children and horses. We follow the pace, look, and depending on the condition of the child, change the horses step. After the class, I invited the children to spend more time with Boy, to pet him and feed him sugar. The children are no longer afraid of horses, this is also very important.”

Travel to the hippodrome is organized by the “Society for the Protection of Paralyzed Citizens of Aktobe”. Every Wednesday, it sends a minibus to pick up the children and take them to the site. In addition, the organization partly pays for the hippotherapy. The money for this project comes from English lessons Perry teaches. The parents themselves pay the other part of the money for training.

“We are looking for a variety of ways to rehabilitate the disabled,” said Kuralay Baimenova, chairwoman of the Society. “In Aktobe, there is no gym or sports for disabled people. To help solve this problem, we have approached the Department of Social Programs. But, there was no result, so we have had to experiment ourselves. In Taraz, there is a house for disabled people, with four huge rooms. There is a training room, massage room, and household room. The organization in Taraz is directly under the Department of Social Programs, and we will not solve this challenge for a few years.”

As Perry says, in Detroit, where he was born, there are also several programs for active rehabilitation for people with disabilities. In the city, there are several races and many special facilities. For the rehabilitation of children, not only horses are used, but also dogs. Organizations throughout society are engaged in this problem and are supported by the state.

“I am glad that I can help make sick children happy,” said Perry. “We are willing to travel more to the hippodrome if more children want to work with horse therapy. We will make the trip even once a day, to have additional time.”

To benefit from riding

Diseases in which rehabilitation is conducted by riding:

- Violations of the musculoskeletal system (infantile cerebral palsy, spinal injuries, etc.);
- Osteochondrosis, radiculitis;
- First and second degree scoliosis;
- Delay in mental development, Down’s syndrome;
- Speech impediments;
- Cardiovascular disease;
- Violations of integrated development.

What is hippotherapy?

The term “hippotherapy” derived from the Greek “hippos”, which means horse or treatment with the help of the horse. This is a special form of therapeutic physical education, which has received recognition in many countries around the world. In the process of riding, an individual works all the major muscle groups of the body. This is happening at the level of reflex, because sitting on a horse, moving with it, the child instinctively tries to maintain a balance. The horse is a natural simulator. Hippotherapy provides the patient with comprehensive physical and psychological support and treatment.

Доктор Лошадь

В Актобе детей, больных ДЦП, начали лечить, катая на лошадях. Мальчишки успели так полюбить своего доктора по кличке Бой, что после каждого лечения кормят его по очереди сахаром.

Верхом за здоровьем

Пока на лечении у Боя только трое детей: Ян, Багдат и Темирлан. Каждую среду они едут за город, где целый час занимаются на небольшом ипподроме. Катает детей на лошади и проводит с ними различные упражнения волонтер из Америки Перри Тайчер.

Все началось с того, что однажды он пришел в гости к Яну. Мама его посетовала, что в Актобе никто не занимается иппотерапией. В центре «Балбулак» в Алматы, где как-то лечился Ян, детей специально возили на ипподром. Говорить Ян, к сожалению, не может, но мама видела: ему это нравилось, и состояние сына после лошадиной терапии заметно улучшалось.

Через несколько дней после этого разговора Перри сообщил Светлане, что договорился возить Яна на базу отдыха за городом, где есть своя конюшня. Вскоре желающих лечиться необычным способом было уже трое.

– Ян пока ездит на лошади лежа, – говорит его мама, которую мы встретили на базе отдыха. – Недавно мы возили Яна в Атырау, где тульские хирурги проводили уникальную операцию больным ДЦП. Прокалывали контрактуры на мышцах, которые не дают им двигаться. После этого у сына были боли, и первый раз на лошадь ему было садиться сложно. Сегодня у него совсем другое настроение.

У 5-летнего Темирлана правосторонний ДЦП. У ребенка проблемы при ходьбе, одна нога короче другой. Темирлан очень активный, ходит в садик, готовится к школе, но ему нужна постоянная реабилитация. Мама с ним объездила много санаториев, но на лошадь в прошлую среду он сел впервые.

– Я много слышала об иппотерапии, но у нас этим никто не занимался. Когда я услышала, что детей будут возить на ипподром, записалась одной из первых, – говорит мама Темирлана Маржан.

– Я пыталась водить ребенка в школу верховой езды при ДЮСШ-1, – рассказывает Светлана, мама 11-летнего Багдата. – Но нас сразу предупредили, что детьми никто заниматься не будет. Нет инструктора. У Багдата тоже ДЦП, его уронили при родах, до 3 лет он не ходил. Диагноз распознали слишком поздно. Мы стали лечить ребенка, и через год ему стало лучше. Сын начал ходить, его взяли в садик, сейчас он отлично учится в школе, но его здоровьем надо заниматься постоянно. Есть проблемы с речью и походкой. Об иппотерапии я много слышала, но сегодня сын впервые сел на коня.

Голь на выдумки хитра

Перри не просто катает детей на лошади – просит потянуться к ушкам, лечь на лошадь, привстать. Через час занятия заканчиваются, но дети в автобус не спешат. Им разрешают покормить Боя сахаром. Это как благодарность за хорошую работу.

– Детям мы предоставили самую спокойную лошадь низкого роста, – говорит младший инструктор по верховой езде Эйла Миленчук. – Такие и нужны для занятия иппотерапией. Меня закрепили как инструктора. Но я работаю не с детьми, а с лошадью. Слежу за темпом, смотрю, чтобы она не дергалась, в зависимости от состояния ребенка, меняю шаг лошади. А после занятий я разрешаю детям угостить Боя, погладить его, похлопать. Дети перестают бояться лошади, а это тоже очень важно.

Организацию поездок детей на базу отдыха взяло на себя общество парализованных граждан Актобе. Каждую среду оно отправляет туда специальный микроавтобус. Кроме этого, частично оплачивает услуги базы отдыха. Эти деньги для организации зарабатывает Перри, обучая желающих английскому языку. Часть денег родители платят сами.

– Мы ищем самые разные способы реабилитации инвалидов, – говорит председатель общества Куралай Байменова. – В Актобе для них нет ни тренажерного зала, ни спортклуба. С этой проблемой мы не раз обращались в департамент социальных программ, но результата никакого, приходится экспериментировать самим. В дотационном Таразе и то нашли для инвалидов 4 огромные комнаты, где теперь тренажерные залы, массажный кабинет и бытовая комната – они находятся прямо под крышей департамента соцпрограмм, а у нас это не решается годами.

…

Как рассказывает Перри, в Детройте, откуда он родом, тоже активно занимаются реабилитацией инвалидов. За городом есть несколько ипподромов, в самом городе – множество специальных залов. Для реабилитации больных детей используются не только лошади, но и собаки. Организацией всего этого занимаются общественные организации, их поддерживает государство.

– Я рад, что могу приносить больным детям пользу, – говорит Перри. – Возможно, будут еще желающие ездить на ипподром. Будем делать рейс еще в какой-то день, просить на базе дополнительное время.

Кому полезна верховая езда

Заболевания, при которых проводится реабилитация посредством верховой езды:

• нарушения опорно-двигательного аппарата (дет­ский церебральный паралич, травмы спины и др.),
• остеохондрозы, радикулиты;
• сколиозы 1-2 степени;
• задержка психического развития, олигофрения, синдром Дауна;
• речевые нарушения;
• сердечно-сосудистые заболевания;
• комплексные нарушения развития.

Что такое иппотерапия Термин «иппотерапия» происходит от греческого «hippos» – лошадь, что означает лечение лошадью или при помощи лошади. Это особая форма лечебной физкультуры, получившая признание во многих странах мира. В процессе верховой езды в работу включаются все основные группы мышц тела. Это происходит на рефлекторном уровне, поскольку, сидя на лошади, двигаясь вместе с ней, ребенок инстинктивно старается сохранить равновесие. Лошадь – природный тренажер. Иппотерапия комплексно воздействует на физическую и психическую сферы человека.

Альмира Алишбаева

Выпуск № 23 (748) от 05.06.2008