Tuesday, April 13 -Day #28 - “The Day that Pollyanna Died”
Last night’s instructions from Gulnara were for us to wait in our apartment for her to call. Gulnara was to decide last night after coming back from Iger’s house what our plans were to be today. Evidently there are still some documents we need. John and I were able to run to Net City this morning to post some blogs and make it back in time to be picked up for a short visit with Kirill at the baby house at 11:15. We bought him a little Winnie the Pooh ball (there are no bouncy balls anywhere to be found in this baby house). Today, all 10 new parents are in the big music room (the 3 families with Children at Heart and the new couple from Spain, and us). We aren’t envying the baby thing at all, rather we were busy blocking the bouncy ball that Kirill was kicking across the room barely missing baby heads! We took a bag of candy for the kids in his class (and have promised cars for all the kids but have not been given time to get back to the toy store yet). Kirill’s teacher had him say “I love you” in English to me today when I took him back to his room. I am smiling while I type – he’s such a sweet little boy.
12 –ride in taxi with Catherine and David to the (mega) bazaar, a cool (actually grubby but cool) flea market type of place where the real people shop! We head straight to the back of the bazaar to eat at a little place they have been enjoying that prepares shashlick (shish kabobs). I am looking forward to getting to hang out and shop for souvenirs (sp?). John and I order coffee (Nescafe instant, but good) and the four of us take a seat in an “indoor” restaurant (trailer) where we can see our breath (it’s so cold -did I say that it snowed again today?). Just as the kabobs were coming off the grill, John’s cell phone rings and it is Gulnara saying that we must leave now to head to Astana (2 hour drive) to obtain a document from the Ministry of Education (a record of Kirill’s name being on the data base). So we stand, pull a couple hunks of meat off the skewers, grab some Khleb (flat bread) and RUN to meet Iger and Gulnara across the street. I was really looking forward to some shopping.
12:30-2:30 drive to Astana
2:30-4:30 drop Gulnara off at the MOE and drive around a few minutes. Astana, the newer capital of Kazakhstan is a grand city with architecture unlike any I have ever seen. After Kazakhstan regained its independence from USSR in 1991, and the capital of Kaz was moved from Almaty, there has been tremendous growth and development. However, the traffic was so bad that we found a parking space alongside some random building and we sat in the car for another 2 hours while waiting on Gulnara. So this is where Pollyanna dies (Pollyanna has been John’s nickname for me for years because I usually have a way of looking at the brighter side of things). Well I just wasn’t finding it today and thank goodness, John was holding it together for the both of us so I didn’t rock the boat with just 2 ½ days left to go. I’ll give myself an “F” on attitude today. We haven’t a clue why we needed to come along on the ride (and if I’d known I’d be sitting in a car for over 6 hours, I’d have brought my book). Ok, enough whining – we missed our time with our boy today. I’m tired of being here and I’m ornery and cranky and I want this to be over (and successful). On day #28 I have hit the wall – AGAIN.
4:35 Grab some food and stop by an apartment in Astana to talk with Gulnara’s new client, a single mom who is adopting from a baby house there. Her little 19 month old boy apparently has some hearing deficit issues and Gulnara thinks it may be helpful if she can talk with the two of us (this mom is still not certain she is going to adopt this child). John was able to call and talk with an ENT from Greenwood (Greg, if you get a charge on your cell phone for an international call, we owe you big). Hopefully the information that John passes on to this mom (and her mother) is helpful.
6:15 -8:15PM Drive back to Astana reaching speeds of 160km (Did I tell you that they use no lines on their roads here? That a 4 lane road with 3 lanes of traffic going each way with cars going at it without any white or yellow, solid or dotted lines to keep them straight?) Odd and scary.
Tonight we enjoyed watching “Accidental Marriage” that we borrowed from one of the other couples and eating popcorn in our room. Trying to unwind a bit and get myself into a much better frame of mind for tomorrow when we will have pre-court at 11 and our interview (with Dept. of Education lady) in the afternoon. (just learned tonight that we should take a gift to these 2 ladies and one to the judge – great to know that after all the stores are closed) I will go to sleep now and hope that Pollyanna has returned in the morning.
Last night’s instructions from Gulnara were for us to wait in our apartment for her to call. Gulnara was to decide last night after coming back from Iger’s house what our plans were to be today. Evidently there are still some documents we need. John and I were able to run to Net City this morning to post some blogs and make it back in time to be picked up for a short visit with Kirill at the baby house at 11:15. We bought him a little Winnie the Pooh ball (there are no bouncy balls anywhere to be found in this baby house). Today, all 10 new parents are in the big music room (the 3 families with Children at Heart and the new couple from Spain, and us). We aren’t envying the baby thing at all, rather we were busy blocking the bouncy ball that Kirill was kicking across the room barely missing baby heads! We took a bag of candy for the kids in his class (and have promised cars for all the kids but have not been given time to get back to the toy store yet). Kirill’s teacher had him say “I love you” in English to me today when I took him back to his room. I am smiling while I type – he’s such a sweet little boy.
12 –ride in taxi with Catherine and David to the (mega) bazaar, a cool (actually grubby but cool) flea market type of place where the real people shop! We head straight to the back of the bazaar to eat at a little place they have been enjoying that prepares shashlick (shish kabobs). I am looking forward to getting to hang out and shop for souvenirs (sp?). John and I order coffee (Nescafe instant, but good) and the four of us take a seat in an “indoor” restaurant (trailer) where we can see our breath (it’s so cold -did I say that it snowed again today?). Just as the kabobs were coming off the grill, John’s cell phone rings and it is Gulnara saying that we must leave now to head to Astana (2 hour drive) to obtain a document from the Ministry of Education (a record of Kirill’s name being on the data base). So we stand, pull a couple hunks of meat off the skewers, grab some Khleb (flat bread) and RUN to meet Iger and Gulnara across the street. I was really looking forward to some shopping.
12:30-2:30 drive to Astana
2:30-4:30 drop Gulnara off at the MOE and drive around a few minutes. Astana, the newer capital of Kazakhstan is a grand city with architecture unlike any I have ever seen. After Kazakhstan regained its independence from USSR in 1991, and the capital of Kaz was moved from Almaty, there has been tremendous growth and development. However, the traffic was so bad that we found a parking space alongside some random building and we sat in the car for another 2 hours while waiting on Gulnara. So this is where Pollyanna dies (Pollyanna has been John’s nickname for me for years because I usually have a way of looking at the brighter side of things). Well I just wasn’t finding it today and thank goodness, John was holding it together for the both of us so I didn’t rock the boat with just 2 ½ days left to go. I’ll give myself an “F” on attitude today. We haven’t a clue why we needed to come along on the ride (and if I’d known I’d be sitting in a car for over 6 hours, I’d have brought my book). Ok, enough whining – we missed our time with our boy today. I’m tired of being here and I’m ornery and cranky and I want this to be over (and successful). On day #28 I have hit the wall – AGAIN.
4:35 Grab some food and stop by an apartment in Astana to talk with Gulnara’s new client, a single mom who is adopting from a baby house there. Her little 19 month old boy apparently has some hearing deficit issues and Gulnara thinks it may be helpful if she can talk with the two of us (this mom is still not certain she is going to adopt this child). John was able to call and talk with an ENT from Greenwood (Greg, if you get a charge on your cell phone for an international call, we owe you big). Hopefully the information that John passes on to this mom (and her mother) is helpful.
6:15 -8:15PM Drive back to Astana reaching speeds of 160km (Did I tell you that they use no lines on their roads here? That a 4 lane road with 3 lanes of traffic going each way with cars going at it without any white or yellow, solid or dotted lines to keep them straight?) Odd and scary.
Tonight we enjoyed watching “Accidental Marriage” that we borrowed from one of the other couples and eating popcorn in our room. Trying to unwind a bit and get myself into a much better frame of mind for tomorrow when we will have pre-court at 11 and our interview (with Dept. of Education lady) in the afternoon. (just learned tonight that we should take a gift to these 2 ladies and one to the judge – great to know that after all the stores are closed) I will go to sleep now and hope that Pollyanna has returned in the morning.
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