Durock

Something that REALLY bothered me was how the caretakers seemed to think the children were vegetables. If the workers who are supposed to be helping them think they aren’t capable of anything that’s just what they’ll be capable of. One lady who talked to me a lot once pointed to a child on a bed and said “Ona durock” (she is a fool/idiot). I gasped because that is not a nice word and she was overjoyed that I understood what she said. She proceeded to point to each child in the room and tell me who was durock and who wasn’t. Most of the children were. I know some of the children who she gave that title are capable of thinking and feeling because I’ve worked with them. Myra and Anthony, if you’re reading this, both Irina and Vanya were called durock. She said something about Irina’s head being unable to think and then said Vanya could only respond to emotions. It’s true that Vanya loves funny things and laughing, but that doesn’t mean that’s *all* he’s capable of. It really disturbed me and I wish I could speak more Russian so I could’ve given her a piece of my mind.