Current mood:

excited

Last Supper - kinda
Last full day in Kostanai!!! Yeeeeeee-haw! The lack of hot water is really starting to get to us though. Roughing it is not so much fun as it sounds.

It was a very good day – with the young lass sleeping from 9 to 7. She’s been in a good mood most of the day, but at the moment she’s engaged in a progressive dinner, trying to eat while roaming all over the floor, in various states of repose. It’s not working too well, and it looks quite strange. That’s our girl.

We had a big milestone today – Asella’s first trip to the mall, and first new pair of shoes. We got her some badass pink puffy shoes with a weird bear and dog on them. They’re easy on and comfy and the price was right. A funny thing happened at the mall today – Eugene was wearing our diaper bag (backpack) while we were looking at shoes, and some Kazakh teens came up to the three of us and asked in English if we needed any help (translation). Eugene told them “No” in English. They asked where we were from and he told them “Colorado”. It was funny (though it doesn’t sound it). The second he put a backpack on he “became” an American. They picked us all out, heard the English and assumed we were all Yanks. Weird.

Sarah also got her first Mother’s Day gift, courtesy of Eugene (picked out by dad). It’s a Kazak souvenir figuring thing Sarah’s had her eye on for awhile. He’s really a good guy and we’re very fortunate that we wound up with him as our coordinator here.

All our paperwork is now set. We have her old and new birth certificates, and her passport is waiting for us in Almaty. And even better news, we’re staying in an apartment in Almaty, so hopefully we will have internet access, and maybe, finally, a washing machine. It will make feeding her much easier having a fridge and being able to boil water and all that good stuff. We were worried about doing that in a hotel. Also, since we should have internet access this will not go down as the last entry from in country. (That’s why it’s not very exciting.)

Been trying to get packed all day, hopefully with one less bag than we came with (inside another bag) – given we donated an entire suitcase of kiddie clothes to the orphanage, and Sarah’s giving away most of what she brought (though no one in their right mind will wear them here – just not their style.) That should make things a little easier. But packing an entire apartment full of stuff is quite the task.

For our last dinner we headed to, where else, Knick Knack. Ed and Joan joined us as well, providing much needed arms so that we could actually eat. Asella did very well, munching on cherrios in her mesh baggie thing that she loves so much. I ordered for Sarah and I before Eugene got there, and the waitress thought I spoke Russian. She was asking me questions with Eugene sitting right there, even though he told her twice I don’t speak Russian. It must have been confusing, because I can speak fluently when ordering certain foods and drinks, but I cannot understand much else. Survival skills.

Even Asella knows the Knick Knack menu by now. Of course, Russian is her first language.



Our last night out here. So sad – yet so welcome. Hopefully tomorrow we will get to ride the Ferris wheel before we go. Our flight is at 4 pm. So farewell from this grand city of the north. There will probably not be any entry tomorrow. So sad for you. If we are not able to post until we get back to the U.S., then I’m terribly sorry that this is the entry I left you with. I know you expect more from me, and I don’t mean to disappoint. Please the last 3 paragraphs from your favorite Hemmingway, Faulkner or Dave Barry book and insert here.

It’s been fun…