Day 20, same ol', same ol' .....

Put your hands to the crystal ball, let your eyes glaze over, and try to guess what we did today.......Wow, you must be some kind of mystic, how did you know that we:
1)woke up at 7am
2)received our call from the kids back home
3)got showered and dressed
4)went to breakfast at the hotel restaurant
5)went to the orphanage to visit with Julia
6)hung out at our hotel room for a bit
7)walked around town for a mid-day meal and a quick trip to Daniel's
8)hung out in our hotel room for the rest of the afternoon/evening doing homework, reading, and watching Russian cartoons
9)got ready for bed at 9pm

Oh my gosh, I can't even get to 10. That's pathetic.

We didn't do step 7 yesterday b/c it was snowing all day. Thought today's weather was better suited for walking. The weather wasn't a problem, but the street conditions were. Slightly warmer than freezing temperatures resulted in yesterday's pristine snow transforming into today's greyish-brown sidewalk sludge. It was like walking in an icee. Fred kept grumbling, "Why didn't you let me pack boots?" Grrrrrr. Of course I all but made him pack boots, but he didn't think he'd need them. At one point Fred, leading the way, stepped off the sidewalk into a slushee-filled pothole that nearly swallowed him. I silently grinned and thought about asking him if he wanted a snorkel, but thought better of it.

The visit with Julia was fun. I let Bella bring her computer and a Tom and Jerry DVD. It was just too comical watching the two sisters sitting side-by-side on the couch watching the cartoon, each giggling and keeping running commentaries, one in English, the other in Russian.
Julia: Etta moshka dielitz (the mouse did it)!
Bella: Jerry pulled Tom's whiskers!

The other highlight of the visit is when Fred engaged in a pillow fight with the girls. At one point Julia went to Luba (our new translator) and asked how to say something in English. She then got back into the fray and started calling Fred a "granny" everytime he threw a pillow at her! You heard it here first, folks. Fred's new nickname is Granny!

Day 19

Before heading off to visit Julia today, we went to the Air Astana office in town and purchased our tickets from Ust K to Almaty for next Weds. So at least now we have our foot in the door to the way home!



When we got to the orphanage, the room we usually visit Julia in was locked up and no one seemed able to find the key. Since I've been wanting to see more of the school anyway, I thought this was the perfect time to ask if Julia could show us around. In contrast to how things went down in Ridder when I asked the same question, we receieved a personal tour of the school from the head teacher. At first, not wanting to intrude or disrupt anything, I felt a bit awkward, but it was apparent from the start that they were very proud of this school and wanted to show it off to the visiting Amyerikanzas. They showed us a wall display that featured pictures of some of the older students tending vegetable and flower gardens (in warmer weather, of course!). I asked if Julia does any of the gardening, but they don't get that responsibility till they're much older. Though Julia's class tends to the houseplants inside the school. We walked past a stage area where the students give performances, and there were a few ping-pong tables with children playing. They took us into several classrooms in session. When we walked in, the children all promptly and quietly stood at their desks till told to be seated again (American students could learn a thing or two about order from this school!). The teacher would then tell us what they were working on and show us some examples of their work. There were only about 8 - 10 kids per classroom, Borya and Julia are in for a shock when they see their classes back home! The little ones were sooooo cute! The 1st and 2nd forms (which translates to 2nd and 3rd grade) wear uniforms, though the older kids do not. All the children look clean and well-dressed and the girls all have their hair beautifully braided and bowed by their caregivers. We then went on to see the woodworking shop for the boys, and the sewing rooms for the girls. The girls learn to sew by hand, by machine, and also some embroidery. They have sponsors that donate fabric, and once the girls have mastered the skills, they make some of the clothes for the students at the school.



The teacher also explained to us that the children set the tables for their meals. After lunch, the children have homework/studying time, some playtime, then dinner. Then they help clean the school before bedtime, which is at about 8pm. There are about 200 children at this school, from age 8 - about 16. Their schooling includes training in trades, as mentioned above, which is different than it was five yrs ago (or at least, so I had been told). I didn't get to see Julia's sleeping area b/c it was locked up. Maybe another time. All in all I was very impressed by this school. It looks like a pleasant place for her to have spent the last two or three years (prior to that she was in the Preschool Orphanage, where I met Bella and Borya, though I hadn't seen her when she was there).

It was snowing today. Started sometime during the night and kept up pretty steadily all day. I'd say we have maybe 6" on the ground. Of course our translator showed up in high-heeled boots. I just had to ask her how all the Kazakhstani women manage to wear such high heels in the ice and snow. She said it actually helps to wear them because the spiked heel digs into the ice and keeps them from slipping. Kind of like an ice pick. You know what? That actually makes sense to me. Have I maybe been here too long?

New count -- Day 18

Finally decided to switch over to counting the days by # of days in Kazakhstan. As you can see, we're up to 18 now, and probably another 10 days +/- will pass before our feet touch down on US soil. But hey, at least we're past the mid-way point, so we're getting closer!



We actually learned our court date today! Next Weds, 11/19, we will go to court at 10am to have a judge determine if we are fit to be parents to Borya and Julia. He will review a year's worth of paperwork which includes several sets of fingerprints, many dozens of documents signed by notaries and secretaries of state, medical clearances that declare we're not about to drop dead any time soon (though Fred loves to walk around clutching his chest, as if the actual act of being in Kazakhstan could indeed kill him), pictures of our house, our family, DNA samples (OK, now I'm just making stuff up). He will listen to statements Fred and I have prepared, review our journal entries and dated photographs that prove we have truly been visiting with our children over the last two weeks instead of sitting in a Kazakh cinema watching movies in Russian and inhaling the surrounding cigarette smoke. He will ask both Borya and Julia if they want to be adopted by us and move to America. He will ask the children if they want to change their names. Borya has told us he will tell the judge, "Yes, I want to change my name, but I can never remember what it is". And then we will all bite our fingernails to the quick and hold our breath till we're blue in the maddening anticipation of hearing the most beautiful word, the one we've been waiting so long to hear ..... da.

So to sum things up, if we are deemed capable of parenting these two wonderful children, we will fly out of Ust Kamenogorsk that afternoon and stay overnight in Almaty. The next day we will spend running amok signing more doc-oo-ments. We will get a few hours sleep, then take a 4:10am flight out of Almaty, lay over in Frankfurt, and arrive back in Philly Fri eve, 11/21. Fred and I will be so happy to be home again. We miss our kids terribly. Bella will be glad to be home, too, though she certainly has been wringing every drop of pleasure that she can from this trip to her homeland. Yesterday while shopping, she looked up in one of the market stalls and saw a pink furry creation at the very top row that just called her name. So now when she bundles up to head out into the snow, she puts on her pink snow boots, her pink coat, her pink gloves, and like a cherry on top of an ice cream sundae she smothers her head in a gigantic pink fake-fur/shearling Russian style hat with ear flaps and just a hint of bling. Our little Ust native ....

What day is it now?

Well, yesterday was the 14th day of visitation, today is day 1 of the 7 - 10 day wait till court, it is our 17th day in the country of Kazakhstan, and the 18th day since we've seen home. So what day is it now? Nyeesnyoo. I don't know.

After yesterday's hair-raising, knuckle-whitening roadtrip, we were glad to sleep in a little later. Alma and our driver picked us up around 10:30 and took us to the court to file for our court date (we're hoping for next Tues, and will hopefully find out tomorrow). Next we went to the notary (a different one than usual) to sign over power of attorney to a man we have never met before, to give complete authority over our two new children for the trip home in a month or so. Afterwards they drove us back to the hotel, so I asked what time they'd be picking us up later for our visit with Julia. My answer -- "Not today. You go tomorrow, yeah?" Well, since we can't walk there, yeah, sure. Meanwhile I'm wondering, since I had told her yesterday that we would see her today, has anyone told Julia that we're not coming today? I guess they must figure what's one more abandonment issue thrown on the heap, right?

Parental guilt notwithstanding, we managed to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Fred, Bella and I went shopping for the last of the items we needed for our kids' travel clothes. We also bought them the first two Harry Potter books in Russian. They're both H. P. fans but have never read the books. Picked up a couple English workbooks for them to do on the plane, and a few other odds-n-ends. We then had a scrumptious "linner" at the Chinese restaurant we like, while watching the snow fall over the park next door. We walked back home through the snow, bellies full, and settled in to a quiet evening of reading, and homework for Bella.

Bella has been an angel on this trip, by the way. I don't believe I've heard her utter the oh-so-popular kid's phrase "I'm bored" even once on this trip, though she says it all the time at home. And she doesn't have nearly as many boredom busters in her arsenal here as she does back home. She's been keeping herself entertained with homework, crochet, puzzles, drawing, and Russian cartoons. And at least once a day she clasps her hands together under her chin, gives a little skip, and says, "This is the best day EVER!"

Day 14 -- Last Day of Visitation!

The last day of the two week bonding period arrived today! We left earlier than usual to go to the notary again, then off to visit with Borya and Julia for a short time. After a bit, Borya went to gather the backpack of clothes and stuff he had at this school for the last couple weeks, we said goodbye to Julia (well, "da zavdra", which is "see you tomorrow"), and left to take Borya back to Ridder, his school in the mountains about 80 miles northeast of Ust Kamenogorsk.



It was a crowded car, as we had the driver and our coordinator up front, and Fred, Borya, Bella and I in the back. And we're not talking SUV or even mini-van, but compact car. Bella sat in my lap the whole way. Along the way, Borya grew tired and rested his head against Fred's shoulder and went to sleep. How do you say "awwww" in Russian? Partway through the drive it began to snow. It was exciting at first, to finally see some honest-to-God snow up here, but soon the roads started getting snow-covered and slick. There was a patch where we passed several cars either pulled over or slid over to the side of the road. Our driver finally decided to pull over himself and change over to winter tires. Something he accomplished, in the snow and with no gloves, in about 10 minutes. The tires helped, but it was still pretty treachorous going. As we climbed higher into the mountains, the roads became steeper and the turns twistier. We slowed to a crawl, we all held our collective breath, and we finally arrived in Ridder. Our last turn before entering the town proper, our car went into a spin and nearly crashed into a pole. I grabbed onto Bella and shut my eyes, Fred threw his arm across Borya and watched everything. We stopped inches from the pole, no damage, no injuries. Breathe.



So we get to the orphanange and we're ushered down several long hallways and into the director's office. After a long bumpy car ride with a 65# child bouncing on my lap, I'm in desperate need to use the "twalyet", but we are neither greeted, nor offered a drink, nor offered the use of their facilities. Instead, we all sit silent as our coordinator and the director and a secretary-type begin arguing in Russian. Nothing is said to us, and I'm about to get sick all over the conference table, thinking something has gone dreadfully wrong with the adoption. After a while, our coordinator leaves, and we sit with this man trying to make polite conversation though none of us speaks the other's language. Fred finally asks if we may use the bathroom, and the director takes us there personally. But I must warn you here and now: never, EVER use the bathroom at the orphanage in Ridder, Kazakhstan (remote chance, I know, but still you must be warned). When we got back to the director's office, neither he nor our coordinator were there, and I'm trying to hold it together, thinking the adoption has just been scrapped. Fred's trying to comfort me, but I just know it has gone all wrong. Alma returns and we gathered our courage to ask her what that was all about. Turns out it wasn't even related to our adoption, but some registration numbers that needed to be filed on someone else (doesn't even directly affect that adoption). The term emotional rollercoaster does not come close to doing justice to what we are going through here. I think I might coin a new phrase -- how does emotional tsunami roll off the tongue?



So the meeting with the director over, I ask permission for Borya to show us around and introduce us to his friends. Basically, this is the reason I wanted to come to Ridder at all. But no. So we get one picture of Borya with a couple boys who happened to be around, and it was time to leave. By this time there are several inches of snow on the ground, and just as many mountains to climb through. What should have been a 2- hour drive turned into a 3+ hour drive. We did get to see some lovely scenery, including beautiful montains with the sun setting behind them, stands of birch and forests of evergreens in the snow, quaint villages nestled in the valleys, tendrils of smoke curling from the chimneys of the little cottages, with a backdrop of snow-covered Christmas trees on the hillside ..... and sheer drops down the mountain at the side of slick, snowy roads!

As I'm sure you must surmise from reading this blog entry, we survived the trip. Never was I so happy to see the smokestacks spewing forth the pollution that covers Ust as I was when we neared this city. We arrived back at our hotel about 10 hours after we had left. We hadn't had anything to eat or drink (other than the pack of crackers I found in the bottom of my purse on the drive home) since breakfast that morning. But we signed a few more "doc-oo-ments" that our coordinator put on the table in front of us in the hotel lobby, had dinner in the hotel's restaurant, went upstairs and pretty much collapsed.

I will certainly miss Borya over the next week as we await our court date. The road to Ridder, I will not miss.