One of the things I love about Turkey is there is always something interesting to see...it may be scary, dangerous, exotic, happy, beautiful, sad...but there is always something to see when we go places. (This is a great place to live for blog ideas!) The day I took Eva to the mall, we noticed as we were about to exit, that a Turkish children's dance troupe was about to perform. I thought it would be fun to stop and let Eva watch it...sort of (but not really) like Christmas carollers in the malls this time of year. Out came these adorable kids dressed in traditional costumes, dancing like the Ottomans. The boys even crossed their arms and kicked like the Russian dance! It was fun to watch, but even more meaningful to me was the audience. A school for Down's Syndrome children had come to see the performance. It is so very rare to see a child with Down's Syndrome here in Turkey, as abortions are only legal through the 10th week of pregnancy, but exception is made for a child with Down's Syndrome. The rate at which these sweet kids are aborted is staggering. In this country, to work with children with special needs is not glamorized. The life the typical special needs child must lead here is awful. Many of my friends volunteer in an orphanage here. The stories they tell break my heart. So, when I saw these dear ladies, pursuing a career of loving and educating these kids, my heart just swelled in admiration for them. I wanted to pin a gold star on all of them! Here we can't go anywhere without someone snatching a kid, so I gladly passed Benaiah around and let the ladies love on him. The children were so excited to see and touch a baby. Is it possible they are denied that privilege at times? During the dance, Starbucks came around and handed out free hot chocolate to the kids. Eva told them she did not want hot chocolate, she wanted warm chocolate. I certainly left the mall "warmed." The blessing of that day was all mine.
4 comments:
How wonderful!!! What a wonderful story. I love how you pass your children around for people to hug. I agree with you that maybe they are denied that???? There certainly is something that makes them so enthusiastic over little ones, isn't there? Maybe it's because children are such a gift of G and that really stands out in a dark land where the SON doesn't shine like we're used to. Whatever the reason, that is wonderful.
You are very blessed Sara. What great experiences you have! It is a blessing to me for you to share them during a time when I am on the computer a lot. Who said blogs aren't useful? :)
All your children are precious. I feel as if I am getting to know each one.
Melanie
Hey!
You need a new picture at the top of your blog :)
Wow! You've got some really neat experiences. I need one of those babies you spoke of in the orphanage! I may have to come visit you! It is heart-breaking to hear about special needs children not being cared for as if they were typical!
Whitney
Whitney, I totally agree. I asked my Turkish friend today if I was correct in what I said on my blog. She said that those who ARE allowed to live mostly are kept at home b/c it is taboo to bring them out. It was really special to me to see them and how the teachers were relating to them. Thanks for the comments!
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