Today was the eighth day of our 14-day mandatory bonding period with Kyra. Progress has been two steps forward, one step back. Yesterday, she wanted to be held for most of the visit. We also gave her some new clothes, which she modeled for her playgroup (11 other children she lives with, one of whom is being adopted by a family in Irvine). All clothes and toys at the orphanage are communal so she's never really had anything that is her own. She is so proud of these clothes and strokes her sweater like it's some kind of pet. Despite yesterday's "success," today was more of a struggle. She hung out with us for about 90 minutes and then started crying. She wanted to go back to her playgroup. We try not to take it personal. We also found out that we'll go to court on Monday, January 15th at 4:00pm and then we'll take the overnight train to Almaty. On Tuesday, we'll visit the U.S. Consulate in Almaty for an official interview to apply for Kyra's Visa to the U.S. On Wednesday, we will fly home. We will return to Kazakhstan for three days in February to finalize the adoption, and then Kyra will be able to fly home to California.
When we're not visiting Kyra, Michael and I are trying to stay busy. Every day, we walk around the city until our feet are so frozen we have to go back to the hotel and warm them up with the hairdryer. On one of our recent walks, we met the camel at the top of this post.
Earlier today we went to the bazaar, which is where most people do their shopping. (Yes, even in Kazakhstan I can figure out a way to work shopping into the itinerary.) Michael bought a sweater and I bought a coat with arctic fox fur trim for 28000 tenge (about $200). I'm guessing that the same coat would cost about $800 in the U.S. Yesterday, we went to the museum. Our coordinator arranged a private tour with Svetlana, a very kind Russian woman who also speaks English. We learned a lot about Taraz, which is the oldest city in Kazakhstan. The city originated in 54 BC when Zhi Zhi Chanyu (a Mongolian prince) built a settlement here. Since that time, the city has been alternately controlled by the Persians, Byzantine, Turks, Mongols, Kazakhs and, of course, the Russians (who controlled the city from 1864-1991). The museum has several artifacts from all of the different periods and we were even allowed to touch some statues and other items from the 4th-10th centuries. We also learned that Taraz's sister city is Fresno, California.
Despite all of the interesting things we're doing, we really miss home and especially our son, Nicholas. We've never been away from him this long before, and it's been very hard on all of us. We are counting down the days until we can see him again.
When we're not visiting Kyra, Michael and I are trying to stay busy. Every day, we walk around the city until our feet are so frozen we have to go back to the hotel and warm them up with the hairdryer. On one of our recent walks, we met the camel at the top of this post.
Earlier today we went to the bazaar, which is where most people do their shopping. (Yes, even in Kazakhstan I can figure out a way to work shopping into the itinerary.) Michael bought a sweater and I bought a coat with arctic fox fur trim for 28000 tenge (about $200). I'm guessing that the same coat would cost about $800 in the U.S. Yesterday, we went to the museum. Our coordinator arranged a private tour with Svetlana, a very kind Russian woman who also speaks English. We learned a lot about Taraz, which is the oldest city in Kazakhstan. The city originated in 54 BC when Zhi Zhi Chanyu (a Mongolian prince) built a settlement here. Since that time, the city has been alternately controlled by the Persians, Byzantine, Turks, Mongols, Kazakhs and, of course, the Russians (who controlled the city from 1864-1991). The museum has several artifacts from all of the different periods and we were even allowed to touch some statues and other items from the 4th-10th centuries. We also learned that Taraz's sister city is Fresno, California.
Despite all of the interesting things we're doing, we really miss home and especially our son, Nicholas. We've never been away from him this long before, and it's been very hard on all of us. We are counting down the days until we can see him again.
1 comment:
Bonding is such a complicated thing, made even more difficult by the language barrier. But then again, smiles and love (and new clothes!) really are a language of their own. Your optomism will be your saving grace and you'll never regret having the time to get to know about Kyra's heritage, I'm sure. All three of you (and Nicholas) continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. Love the picture!
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