I got a letter from Borya yesterday, and this is part of what he wrote:
We had a Mother's Day event. I played on stage. All the teachers liked it. Aleksey made photos from the concert. I congratulate you, dear mother on this Mother's day. And I wish you love, health and happiness.
WTF?!? What kind of sick, twisted place celebrates Mother's Day at an ORPHANAGE?
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2 comments:
Hi, I just found your blog and am enjoying your story. I cannot let your Mother's Day question go without a comment. The previous commenter was correct. March 8 was Women's Day in Kazakhstan and part of the larger International Women's Day celebration that North America passes by with hardly a glance. We happened to be in Almaty for Women's Day this year and were blown away by the significance it holds. It is a MAJOR holiday for which the entire country shuts down for a long weekend. ALL women are celebrated and mother's hold a special role. Our coordinator instructed us to buy gifts for all of the women we were dealing with in our adoption process (baby house director, caretakers, doctor, etc.). In addition, our coordinator showed up that day laden with cakes and champagne for the same baby house women. I was gifted with a very nice Kazakh rug. It is a holiday that is not taken lightly or for granted. Nor is it anything like North America's hallmark version of Mother's Day. Women's Day is sometimes referred to as Mother's Day in Kaz but should not be confused with our version of it. It was entirely appropriate for the orphanage to celebrate it in the way they did. And how nice that they included you in it!
I hope that makes you feel better about the circumstances. Just one of those cultural differences.
Best of luck in your adoption proceedings!
Sara
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