November 26, 2006

Still a bit jet-lagged, but happy! - McP

The Long Journey Home - by McP

(Photo: Emil's car, just before we filled it with fifteen bags. Note the unusual sticker, showing the chalk outilne of a little girl on the highway. The text translates to say something to the effect of "I'm doing my part to drive safely, are you?" He proudly gave me one as well. A bit graphic, I must admit, but who knows? That may be how to best get the message across in that culture!)

Emil arrived first, and as usual right on time. We began the somewhat difficult process of moving the extremely heavy luggage down three floors of stairs and into his Subaru. The last forty feet were on the sidewalk and through our little last minute snowstorm, with quite slippery footing.

(Photo: In the falling snow we bid farewell to our little illuminated apartment. The falling snow was significant, in that Mac and Alina so wanted to see snow... and I wanted to outlast the mosquitos - which we did! I would like to think each falling snowflake I saw represented another one going down! I BEAT THEM!!!)

Alison was letting Cal sleep up to the last minute. Mac and Alina were up and ready to go! Gulnara's car finally came, and we left Almaty just as we had arrived on October 8th, all crammed in Gulnara's BMW with Emil's car packed to the roof with bags.

We opted to pay for something called "VIP Service" at the Almaty Airport. I know several people contemplating going to Kazakhstan are reading this blog. Let me HIGHLY recommend this service. Alison and I used it six years ago, at the old airport building, but had been told that it wasn't really necessary in the modern terminal. It is expensive, but it tends to smooth out all the potential problems and calms the nerves.

When taking Liza to the airport back on October 30th, I noted with dread how everyone with their bags in tow formed a haphazard que at a chokepoint before customs and passport control, then rushed to be first at the next line, and so on. There was also some concern in that we had not yet had seats assigned, and if you have never traveled with a baby you must know the importance of this. Bulkhead seats are the ones at the front of the economy section - where you are facing a wall and your seat arms do not raise to allow you to stretch out. Why would you want this, you ask? Because the folks in the airline have a fancy little contraption that allows a bassinet to be hung on the wall (and they provide the bassinet).

Getting the VIP Service allowed us to access a Lufthansa desk hours before other passengers, thereby confirming that we would have these very important seats! Also, the waiting room was a beautiful area with wall murals of scenes from Almaty. Alina and Mac noted that we had seen or experienced each scene depicted! But there is an even more important reason for using this service. Everything involving your luggage is done in a well-lit and supervised area that gives one peace of mind to avoid fraudulent overcharges or attempts to extort payment for handling your bags. I am certain that more than one of our bags was overweight, and Alison and I were mentally prepared to reshuffle items to redistribute the weight. I credit the VIP Service for sparing us the trouble. The bags were all tagged and cleared, even the two antique rugs I had purchased (after much discusion and looking over my certificate from the Ministry of Culture allowing me to remove them from the country).

Individually, Alison and I went back to bid farewell to Emil and Gulnara. Saying goodbye to Emil brought tears to Alison's eyes. He had truly become part of our family. I gave him a hug and promised that we would send letters and updates on the children's progress in life.

When we got onto the plane, it was about 2:45 a.m., Almaty time. Cal did not like the situation at first, and let everyone on the plane know it. I wondered if the entire flight was going to be like this. On the way to Kazakhstan, from Atlanta to Frankfurt, we had been about four rows back from the designated screaming baby. Did we have the designated screaming baby for this flight?

Alison soon calmed Cal, and when we were aloft the bassinet was installed and he got to stretch out in a perfect little caccoon which Alison had covered entirely with a blanket.

Alina and Mac were instructed to recline and sleep, and even they got a few hours of rest in the seven hour flight.

At Frankfurt, we were delighted to be in an entirely new section of the airport than we had experienced seven weeks before. THEY HAD A McDONALDS!!! WITH A PLAYGROUND!!!

If you go, don't spend too much time enjoying this place, because in the age of terrorism any flights to the USA are going to be (thankfully) scrutinized very carefully, so there was a very long security line to get to the gate of the USA-bound flight. We all had to take our shoes and coats off, and did that dance of removing them while taking out our laptops and pocket change and hoping that we did not do anything to cause more delay. Even Cal was thoroughly searched, even under his hat!

(Photo: Having cleared the final security area at Frankfurt, we await our last flight to Atlanta.)

The flight from Frankfurt to Atlanta is just shy of ten hours. Thankfully, we had bulkhead seats all the way home. Cal, with one flight under his belt, was now an old pro at this. Once the flight got underway, he got into the bassinet and snoozed comfortably.

We broke out the Gameboys for Alina and Mac, although our daughter is more into checking out all the other amenities of the modern traveler. Every emergency guide, magazine and catalog was studied, with many questions asked about the life vests under the seats and the oxygen masks and why adults should put theirs on first before the children.

While the children got pretty good rest, Alison and I were restless. It seemed that just as soon as the older two were napping, a round lump would rise in the blanket-covered bassinet. Alison would calmly put a hand on it, and gently push Cal's head or bottom or whatever was making it down for another period of peace. But in a ten hour flight, there were long periods of being up as well! Again the bulkhead saved us, as Cal could cruise along our section of Row 29 (Photo below).




Finally, we arrived in Atlanta! Under the new laws that the Clinton Administration passed, Cal became a U.S. Citizen as soon as he arrived! Mac and Alina were very excited about this magic change of status with their little brother.

Let me warn you not to have your loving families waiting at the airport for you, thinking that you will go directly from the plane into their arms! We had to go to Customs, then Immigration, then an unusual exit where we again had to take off shoes and coats and remove laptops and were subjected to more security checks. It was two more hours of processing.

Finally, we emerged to find Alison's mother, sister, brother and niece waiting patiently for us to take us to Ringgold. At our home, I had a couple of my sisters and my mother and father who were waiting to see us, and to meet Cal.



On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, we were in no shape to go visiting! Instead, we have opened our home to anyone who wants to come visit us, and it has been a wonderful homecoming indeed.

As I started writing this post, about 3:45 a.m. on Friday morning, I am wide awake. Mac and Alina woke me up at 3:15 a.m., telling me it was time to get up. I pointed out to them that it wasn't even morning in Kazakhstan, so who knows where our body clocks are set for?

Meanwhile, Cal is slowly adjusting to a world where there is so much love directed to him - a fact that he is nevertheless quite suspicious of. We think he fears that there is going to be another change of custody, as he clings to either Alison or me and waives "bye-bye" to anyone wanting to hold him. But we are already seeing him relax and even smile a bit more at our friends and the members of our HUGE extended family - all who love him so much and missed Alina and Mac for so long.






Thank you for following along our journey to bring Cal into our family. Again, if any of the readers are considering adoption (especially internationally or specifically from Kazakhstan), please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. And if your question is about what it is like to be a parent by adoption, I can tell you with absolute assurance that it just feels like everything in the world is right that Alison and I are the parents of these three wonderful children.

And now... the journey continues! - McP

A Storybook Ending... - by McP

More than one dream came true today, on our day to become homeward bound!

Seven hours before departure for the airport... (Turn sound up and click on center of video!)


Four hours before departure for the airport...


This is most certainly our last post from Kazakhstan. If connections permit, perhaps a post from Frankfurt can be done. It is snowing heavily and beautifully outside our apartment here in Almaty. Emil will be here in a couple of hours to take us to the airport. In 30 or so hours, we will be in Atlanta, Georgia USA!

Thanks again to all. Alison's grandfather is holding on in ICU. We appreciate all the kind words and thoughts.

Now we just have to figure out how to entertain three children on a trip halfway around the world! Best to everyone, and here's wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for. - McP

One Last Bit of Local Culture - by McP

Today was our next-to-last full day in Kazakhstan, so long as Cal's medical report is timely completed, the U.S. Embassy doesn't arbitrarily close tomorrow, Lufthansa still has seats for us and the weather doesn't change to keep us here longer! In all seriousness, it does appear that everything is going well and in 24 hours we will be heading toward Almaty International Airport for the long, long trip home.

Alison went shopping with Emil this morning, and I stayed in with the kids. Alina did her last homework, Mac did his absolute best at lounging, and Cal played around mostly at my feet after his lunch. Alison thinks that the baby food is not filling him up anymore, so what better time than Thanksgiving week to introduce him to the food of his new culture?

I then went riding with Emil, with the intent on doing a bit of shopping but mostly we just rode around the city. Emil has become a good friend to our family, and I do hope that we can see him again someday, perhaps in America. He is a smoker but never does it when around the children. Also, when the kids are not around, he cranks up the stereo pretty loud, with a wide range of Russian music, as you my now experience yourself (turn up your sound and click the arrow on the image below). I must say that I have enjoyed talking with Emil and learning from his perspective of how life is in this part of the world. And I admit, some of his music is kind of catchy.




Tonight I finally got to go to the "Esik Restaurant", which has the same name as the town Cal is from but is actually here in Almaty just two blocks from our apartment. We were told they had the best traditional Kazakh food and that they put on a Kazakh cultural show each night.

Alison and Cal bailed out on me first. I can understand, as she is trying to get the baby on a sleep pattern that will be the kindest to all Lufthansa passengers between Almaty, Frankfurt and Atlanta. Also, Alison is still very gun shy from how sick she got six years ago here, and avoids taking culinary risks! Then Mac gave me the bad news that he opted to stay in tonight as well.

I looked to Alina. If she did not want to go, I would just resolve that it was not to be and I would just finish off the six pound cannister of Peter Pan peanut butter. Oh, but not Alina! She was dressed faster than I could find my shoes.

We walked together down the dark street toward the restaurant, Alina clutching that little felt Kazakh purse that I bought as an afterthought without knowing how popular it was going to be. It was again stuffed with God knows what. She is prepared for anything, it seems, even an impromptu dinner invitation.

The interior of the Esik Restaurant is absolutely beautiful, with vaulted ceilings and a recessed portion in each section which is designed to look similar to the top of a traditional yurta (nomadic round tent home). Alina seized upon the fact that there was a formal table setting, which has some weird effect on her. She gets really "into" formality, it is now apparent.




We were almost the only people in this huge restaurant. There were two young women together at one table and two well-dressed men at another. Soon after we placed our order, a huge commotion started at the table with the men. The biggest of them started shouting, threw his glass to the floor, and stood up over the man on the other side of the table.

The shouting was at the top of his voice, and the man was a physically imposing man of about 250+ pounds. I was wondering why the management was keeping its distance. They were just letting it play out. I wondered if the big guy was some sort of organized crime kingpin they were frightened to control.

Alina just acted as if this is something that happens all the time in the world of fine dining, eating her salad and paying little attention to this very loud and very disruptive event. "Daddy, will you pour me some more tea please?" and "Two sugar cubes, please," was her only comment while the whole ruckus was going on. Finally, when the shouting was louder than anything else, she said, "Daddy, I don't think he liked his food." The man finally stormed out, and his meek associate slunk out a few minutes later.




After we ate our orders of chicken sashlyk (chicken cooked on a kebob kind of skewer), and ordered dessert, the show started. Mind you, we were now almost the only people in the room, but a huge production started with dancers, singers and finally someone played one of those dombras! We had a great cultural experience, perhaps in more ways than we thought.



Even the "Golden Man" made an appearance, as if to bid us farewell!



I don't know whether or not there will be another post from me from Kazakhstan. We are almost completely packed, so tomorrow may be a day to just rest and watch videos or walk around the neighborhood until time to launch. If this is my last post from here, let me say how much I have enjoyed your emails and your reactions to my reports. I cannot think of a better way to have spent the last almost two months, exploring another culture that will - because of Alina, Mac and Cal - forever be near and dear to us!

After we rest up a bit, please call us and come by to meet Cal, and to catch up with Mac, Alina, Alison and me. - McP

The Difference a Family (and a little hair) Makes - by McP

This is Cal a couple of weeks before our arrival in Kazakhstan...








And here is a shot I took of him tonight...







I think everyone who has followed us along our journey and has looked at the photos will see different things in the differences in him between then and now, as many of the changes are subtle. Seeing the changes in him in person is amazing! Not only in his appearance, but in almost every way.

Including mobility! Cal was not so speedy six weeks ago as he was tonight...




If you ever know anyone who is considering adoption to create or add to their family, please encourage them. There are so many children in America and all over the world who would thrive just like little Cal has, just with the love and care of a family. You have seen what our little family has done. Imagine what he can do after this Wednesday when he gains the love and influence of his grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and other extended family and friends! -McP

Note: Please keep Alison's grandfather, Walter Vaughn, in your thoughts and prayers. He is at this writing in intensive care at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga after a serious accident yesterday at his home.
-McP

An International Affair - by McP

(Photo: Alison and the children at the Miras School - Note the beautiful Tien Shan Mountains in the background)

This afternoon (Sunday) we attended the Annual Charity Bazaar put on by the Almaty International Women's Club and the Diplomat's Club. The proceeds went to help the local orphanages. Of course, our Korean friends told us about this event. It was at the Miras International School, where the children of diplomats from all over the world attend. This was a beautiful facility and apparently a very good school - I suppose one of the few perks for moving your family around the world every few years.

I insisted that Emil come inside with us, rather than waiting in the parking lot, and he seemed to enjoy it. Alina and Mac spent much of their time in one of the classrooms, where teenage students supervised the children in doing art, watching movies, and generally keeping them busy.

Cal missed his morning nap for this, but was a real trooper in his stroller! Alison and I ate some food prepared by the Malaysian, Egyptian and Turkish delegations, and Cal enjoyed it as well. Mac and Alina ate some Turkish roast beef.


(Photo: Alison and Emil have a conversation, while Cal tries to follow along.)

I walked around to the different booths, and on one lap along with Emil. He commented on a ceramic horse (knowing that I like older things), telling me he knew it was Soviet as his family had one just like it long ago. On my next lap, I bought the horse, and presented it to Emil out of appreciation from our family. What I was not expecting was that he became very emotional, and was obviously very touched by the gesture. Apparently, the downfall of the U.S.S.R. was devastating to those who had established themselves under that system. For example, his parents - both scientists - lost everything in the bank as well as their careers. Even many of their personal effects were lost. Who knows, it might have been their actual ceramic horse! Emil himself had followed his parent's footsteps in becoming a molecular biologist, but now ekes out a living driving American adoptive parents around Kazakhstan.

Before we left, I introduced him to the Ambassador from Korea, and they exchanged contact information. Emil was very happy, now having a contact in the diplomatic corps. Now perhaps he will get even more work from foreign people needing to know their way around Almaty!

As we drove back to the apartment, Alina and Mac took turns sharing a taste of their lollypops with their little brother. He was very appreciative! Alison and I noted that six years ago this very day, we met Alina for the first time, and soon headed North to Kokshetau to meet Mac.



Today at the festival, Mac told us that for a moment he felt like he was "in a dream." I told him that I understood him completely. - McP

The "Bird of Prey Show" (is NOT for the Squeamish!) - by McP

Well, on Saturday Mac got to see his "Bird of Prey Show". You know those cute little yellow baby chicks that you see on farms at around Easter time? Well, imagine the cute fuzzy things getting RIPPED TO SHREADS by giant eagles, hawks, falcons and a buzzard!

That, my friends was the "Bird of Prey Show" in a nutshell, although Mac seemed to have the stomach for it. He still stands by it as a career choice, along with "scuba diver," "doctor," "policeman" and a few other jobs.

The show began with a man dressed in traditional Kazakh hunter attire riding out on a horse with a hooded falcon on his arm. Then the baby chick carnage began! The giant birds o' prey did all kinds of stunts, each culminating with a very up-close and personal ripping of feather, flesh, sinew and whatever else a baby chick is made of. At one point, a piece of baby chick flew over and landed near us. Emil commented that he is glad the children did not wear yellow gloves.

Some recorded music was piped in, and the bird expert had a microphone attached to his head as he described, in Russian, each bird. Emil was very helpful in interpreting each statement, which seemed to end in "keep your hands in your pockets please."



It was actually very fascinating, and I think educational as to the rich cultural history of the Kazakhs hunting with these giant birds. I can imagine the birds are well trained, because even if I had one I think I would have to end up fighting the bird over the prey before he or she ripped it to shreads.


Mac is so serious, and asked me if he could get one of these giant killers as a "pet". I told him to wait five years (an arbitrary number) and we would see. One MUST be eleven to even consider it! His enthusiasm unphased, I then told him we would have to check into the licensing issues as well as other laws - which I was pretty sure did not allow such pets. Finally, I told him that our cats Brenda, Kitty, Ash and Misty would all be eaten by such a bird, just as the baby chicks had been. It would have been a good time for him to ask me for a car - anything but one of these giant killer birds!

We came back to the apartment, and I went with Emil to the big Thai restaurant we have been hearing about. I ordered out, and our gang enjoyed some really good Thai food for supper. And believe it or not, we all had chicken. - McP

Our Day of Big News, and Alina's Night Out - by McP

Of course the big news we got today has put us into a frenzy of sorts to get ready to leave around midnight on Tuesday - three days earlier than planned and allowing us to be at home before Thanksgiving!

But tonight was our long-planned night for Alina and I to go to dinner and then to the ballet. She was really looking forward to it, and last week I got tickets to the presentation of "Carmen" by the Kazakhstan National Ballet. The theatre is just down the street from our apartment, so we walked to a cafe nearby for supper first. Alina was really "on" this evening, with her little Kazakh felt purse filled with everything she thought we would need, including a schedule of events she had written out for us: "5:00 - Walk to dinner; 5:30 - Eat dinner; 6:00 - Walk to theatre; 6:30 - Watch ballet..." and so on.



We had a nice meal and then went to the beautiful Abai Theatre. As Alison, Liza and Alina had attended an opera there in October, Alina was enjoying the role of showing me around the place. I insisted that she go to the ladies room by herself, telling her she was too old to go into the men's room with me now.

I waited outside the ladies room, awkwardly holding the little Kazakh felt purse, for what seemed like ages. Finally, after about ten minutes, a woman came to me and asked if I would come into the women's room! Apparently, Alina had locked herself into a stall, and had been trying to convince passers-by to go out and find me. Some nice woman put two and two together and figured things out and came for me.

There I was in the ladies room of the Abai Ballet Theatre. Alina was so upset she could hardly talk, just turning the handle again and again. I opened the next stall (thankfully it was empty) and studied how the lock worked. I talked Alina into finding the small knob and by knocking on the left side of the door communicated to her which way to turn it. Finally, the door came open, and Alina emerged only to find me and about twenty women standing there in the ladies room, looking at her. Of course, she was in tears.

I told her it was no big deal, and that I knew a lot of adults who got themselves locked in bathrooms, especially at Aunt Bunny's house before she fixed the lock. I told her how proud I was that she somehow communicated to the lady to come get me. I finally got a smile and even a laugh when I told her that finally I got to see the inside of a ladies room!

We very much enjoyed the ballet. Alina was very interested in the story of Carmen, with all of its theme of the boyfriend "getting dumped", as she put it. Of course, when a jealous one killed Carmen that brought more questions than I was prepared for. I just told her to avoid men like that! If it were only so easy.

The theatre was so beautiful, and the performances were great. I thought many times that this should be the antedote for the public relations problem Kazakhstan has officially deemed have been created by the comedian's character "Borat" (but I still plan to see the movie when I get home and hope it is as funny as it sounds).



Walking back to the apartment, Alina told me that she really had a great time, and that she was looking forward to the annual "Father-Daughter Dance" in Chattanooga in February, but that I should not expect to actually get to "dance" at it.

Tomorrow, it is Father-Son day, as Mac and I travel back to the mountains for the "Bird of Prey Show"! Since this is Mac's new career choice, I suppose it will be a pretty important trip. - McP

A true Thanksgiving!

We went to our facilitator's office this morning to do paper work for our embassy visit. We were sitting in the conference room when one of the girls came in and said "we've got good news! Cal's passport is done!!! She then told us we could change our plane tickets to depart at 3:00 a.m. next Wednesday the 22nd instead of Saturday the 25th.

This puts us home the day before Thanksgiving and we are SO thankful.

Ken went to Lufthansa today and got all the tickets changed. We are so excited.

The facilitators then told us that Cal's medical appointment was scheduled for this afternoon.

We took him to see the doctor and he got raving reviews. His weight & height and everything looks good. We did have to go through the traumatic sticking of the finger. This took him a little while to get over.
(Photo: Cal turns the tables in the examination room, using the doctor's own magnifying glass on him!)

We have so much to do to get packed and ready but we will make it happen. Ken and Alina went to the ballet tonight. I can't wait to hear what she thought of it.

We'll post more later. I just wanted to share the news.

Alison

Happy Birthday Cal! - by McP

Today we celebrated Cal's first birthday! It was another really beautiful, unseasonably warm day in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The sky is so amazingly blue here, and it is said that it is the inspiration for the color of the nation's flag.

Cal really enjoyed himself today, but so did his big brother and big sister. I took Alina and Mac to the Kazakhstan Geological Museum. It was a real treasure to find. It is almost hidden in the dungeon-like basement of the "Kazakhstan Business Centre," a massive Soviet-era building on the corner of Dostyk and Abai (very close to our old apartment from six years ago). There is only a small sign and a big rock that indicated anything was there at all on the small entrance on the less-ceremonially adorned side of the huge building. When we went in, a little old lady (I think this country is run by them!) charged us 300 tenge (about $2.25 total) for myself, Emil and the kids.

We got into a freight elevator and rode down below ground level into a very dark basement. Another lady came in and quickly started turning on the lights on the various displays. We obviously had the whole museum to ourselves! It was a nice little museum with a good representation of the geological findings in Kazakhstan. Mac and Alina enjoyed the mural of the dinosaur times especially.

I think Alina and Mac have had a great educational experience on this trip. We have had many outings that have been educational in purpose. Of course, we have had our fun as well.

Alison and Cal tried to rest at the apartment, although Cal seemed to know something was up. He was restless most of the day.

In the afternoon, all the children took naps. I took the opportunity for a long walk around the city. I walked uphill again, this time up Dostyk Olitza toward the mountains. On this walk I was more cognizant of our limited time here, and took a lot more photographs of monuments and buildings. Hopefully, the children will enjoy them one day.

Finally, at 5 p.m., Emil showed up to take us to Mama Mia's for dinner. Emil brought a gift for Cal, a "Cherburuska" - a Russian cartoon character that looks like a bear but apparently isn't. It is very popular, and Cal was very curious about it.



Emil brought a smaller Cherburuska for Alina, and for Mac he brought a hilarious "Spong-bob" doll. No, I did not misspell it. The Chinese goods sold at the Green Market are often rife with misspellings and other misrepresentations of the characters they are attempting to copy (rememeber the "Superman" I got Mac with the backward "S" on his chest?). We all got a kick out of this. I had been looking for a Cherburuska for Cal for weeks. It is something uniquely regional, unlike the worldly "Spong-bob" character.



I know Alina and Mac will miss Emil very much. They have some basic conversations with him in Russian! While I struggled to learn some basic survival phrases, our children are learning so easily - and retaining it!

Back at the apartment, we started a webcast of the birthday party. That was a last minute decision but we were joined by many around the world. Alina, Mac and Cal all donned traditional Kazakh hats for the celebration. Cal was in excellent form, and carried on for the folks watching back home. He had his first cake and first ice cream. I think we have another sweet tooth in the family!

Thank you all for thinking of us as we start to wind our journey down to the last week. We are going to the office tomorrow to review papers that will be sent to the American Embassy for our processing out next week. It has been quite a trip! - McP

Our last trip to Esik - by McP

On Tuesday, we loaded up the car with everyone and took our last long ride to Esik! This was Alina and Mac's first trip, as they had stayed in Almaty with their cousin Liza the first week of our journey here. Most of the time was spent either driving the hour distance one-way to and from the town, or spent waiting for one thing or another.

A lot of time was spent in the parking lot of the Ministry of Education, waiting for Gulnara to arrive with our paperwork. It is going to be a shock to Cal when we get home and strap him into his first car seat! Cal was jealous of his brother and sister getting to wait outside, but as you can see from Mac it was not as fun as it looked to his little brother:




Once Gulnara got there, the whole process took only about five minutes. Cal did not want anything to do with the women inside, even though they were making a big deal over him. He yanked his arm back from one of the ladies who was simply trying to touch him! I hope he can soon feel assured that he is with his family forever and will not have to go anywhere else once we get home.

Mac and Alina got to visit in Esik the very spot where the famous "Golden Man" was found, which is memorialized by a simple monument on the side of an long-unfinished construction site. Alina claimed to have spotted some gold on the ground, which sent her brother into a frenzy of gold fever. Emil assured them that the discoverers found all four-thousand-plus pieces of the Warrior Prince's suit of gold:


At the end of it all, Cal rested peacefully, seeming to know that all went well and that his paperwork will soon be finished and he will be on his way to his forever home with his forever family! -McP

The Quest for Snow, and the Creatures We Meet Along the Way - by McP

Early this morning Alina and I set out to find some bananas to make lunch with. Oddly enough, the two larger grocery stores within walking distance of our apartment do not carry fresh produce. The places to look are with the small, streetside vendors. There we have found some of the freshest and best fruits and vegetables. We walked on Ghambul Olitza behind the ballet theater, crossed Furmanov, and found them. On the way back, I decided we should cross the VERY busy Furmanov Olitza at an intersection, and not just on the crosswalk without a light that we first crossed. We did, but about halfway across the wide street I noticed a car coming too fast to stop at the light. I pulled Alina and told her to run and she did but quickly fell. Since I was holding her hand she never hit the ground, as I basically picked her up with one arm (the bananas in the other!) and carried her the rest of the way, midair.

When we got to the other side, I realized that I had badly sprained or strained my lower back! I was in agony! Alina was o.k., as even as she fell she had never touched the ground. But for me I really messed up my back, I fear.

Not wanting to cancel our plans, we bid farewell to Alison and Cal, and climbed into Emil's car. He rarely knows in advance where we plan to go! I pulled out my "Lonely Planet Guide to Central Asia" and pointed to an area known as "Alma Arasan", high in the Tien Shan Mountains Southwest of Almaty. I wanted the kids to see snow, and the unusually warm autumn in Almaty makes it unlikely at the apartment.

We drove up into the mountains, through giant dams created not to stop water - but for the purpose of stopping the frequent mudslides that they experience here. As I mentioned before, Almaty is built on a huge slope at the foot of these mountains, so I suppose it is on the result of a series of ancient mudslides!

Actually, we experienced a mild earthquake here last week! Alison, Cal, Mac and I were in our living room. Alison started noticing the sofa move across the floor! She mentioned it to me, and I saw everything else rattle and shake (the chandelier, the t.v., everything!). Alina was in another room and I shouted for her to come be with us - so that at least we would all be together. The rumbling stopped. We didn't think much more about it until we compared notes with another American family from San Francisco (America's experts on earthquakes). They thought it was one as well. Emil confirmed it today, telling me that it was just under 4 on the Richter Scale.

In any event, we went up into the mountains, and the first stop we made was a place which is aptly called the "Falcon Farm." In Kazakhstan there is a rich tradition of hunting with the help of birds of prey. A traditional Kazakh hunter would go out with his falcon or eagle and the bird would go and get rabbits or other small creatures and bring it back to its owner. I wondered if they ever took on one of those crazy looking squirrels?




The man who owned the place told us that the bird show was only on the weekends, but then I guess he saw the look on Mac's face, and offered to let him "hold" one of the giant birds! Mac quickly accepted, although Alina would have nothing to do with it. The birds we saw were HUGE! They were tethered on perches, some in cages but most just out in the guy's yard. There were falcons, eagles, huge owls and even a giant turkey buzzard. On the other side of the complex were amazing regional hunting dogs of unusual varieties.

The owner suggested a giant eagle as the one for us to hold. It looked so big, I hesitated to let Mac hold it. I took the glove and let the bird sit on my left arm while Alina nervously joined Mac and I for a picture. There wasn't a moment that I didn't expect the bird to reach over and bite my nose or ear off, or pluck out my left eye. But he was indeed a gentle bird.




The owner then suggested a huge owl for Mac to hold, and after seeing the eagle Mac quickly agreed on the owl. It was a great experience for him, and Mac went on and on for the rest of the day about how he was going to train "birds of prey" as a career choice.



I suggested that Emil try holding the same bird I did, as it was so gentle. Emil handed me his camera phone to snap a photo. I started to, but the bird started attacking Emil's jacket on his shoulder with it's huge beak! The owner kept saying that the bird was just "playing" with Emil. I was glad that Mac did not hold that one, as I imagine such "play" would have started Alina screaming, and would have ended up with me punching an eagle out.

Before we left, we took a look in a barn where the guy was raising thousands of rats! This is, of course, food for the birds.

We drove further up the mountains, to an unusual place that Emil said was the actual "Alma Arasan" on the map that I suggested as our destination. It was a barren looking place (we had been on dirt roads for an hour) with evidence of recent rock and mudslide action.

We found a place with crude picnic tables, and Emil stopped. He never eats with us, but what he did not realize was that Alina had insisted that we prepare for him a lunch as well. So, Emil got his first peanut-butter (rare here) and banana sandwich (even rarer together, I'm sure). When I told him it was a variation of an Elvis recipe (The King would acually add mayo and FRY the sandwich!), he seemed to get into it more, and eventually said that he liked it. That made Alina very happy.

Our quest was snow (in Russian,"cnyk"). Emil, now energized with his first ever peanut-butter and banana sandwich, drove on up the mountains until we reached the first line of snow. Alina and Mac were very excited, although I forgot to bring their gloves.

On the way up, we stopped at the remains of a small "yurta". This is the traditional Kazakh home, back when the majority of the country was involved in nomadic herding. When an area became less attractive for grazing, the yurta would come down and be moved to better fields. The original mobile home, I suppose. The ones I have seen in museums are quite comfortable inside and decorated with traditional Kazakh wool rugs. As I shot this photo, an old truck rumbled up the mountain. Emil said it was an old military truck of the old Soviet Army, now used by the National Observatory up the mountian to haul supplies up the very narrow and fragile roadway.




When we reached the snow, just on the sides of the dirt trail our road had become, the kids jumped out and started having great fun! Before long we were joined by a donkey (all livestock is free-range here, apparently). He was very friendly and followed the kids around as they played in the snow. Before we left, I broke out an extra banana we brought and started to give it to our new friend. The minute food became part of the equasion, the donkey's whole family joined us, including a cute little baby donkey. The kids were thrilled, yelling "dasvidanya" (Russian for "goodbye") to the donkeys!


After an exhausting day, Alison took Cal out to meet another American couple at a favorite restaurant of ours. Alina and Mac had big plans. Thanks to St. Nicholas librarian Kelley Mitchell, we participated in a webcast where the kids could see and talk to their classmates and participate in the chapel services at their school, which happen each morning. All of the children looked amazed when they learned what was 8:00 a.m. Monday morning to them was 7:00 p.m. Monday night to us!

It was a wonderful experience for all of the children, and Alina got to see and speak to her classmates. Mac's turn is Wednesday.

Overall, I think it was one of the kids best days here. But now that things have settled down, I am feeling my back start to ache again! I guess the secret is to keep moving, and with these kids, you know I will! - McP

A Night to Remember! - by McP

As Alison wrote in the previous post, I went to the Lufthansa office this morning with Alina and Mac. We bought baby Cal's ticket to his new country! It was a great feeling to be handed a ticket to the USA under the passenger name "Calvin Poston."

Mac and Alina called their Aunt Jan and wished her a Happy Birthday! They love to talk to people from home, and loved being the first to call Jan as we are eleven hours ahead of her.

Later this morning, we got a call from Moonkyung, the friend of our friend Karen Paik back home and the wife of the Ambassador for the Republic of Korea. We were invited to their home this evening for what she said would be an "informal" dinner. We really liked this family after meeting them at the Hyatt for lunch last Sunday. We gratefully accepted, and loaded up our gang for the drive to the address she gave us.

Emil was unfamiliar with the street name, but knew the area. We went to the Embassy for South Korea to ask directions. This was in the extreme South of Almaty, very high above the rest of the city. We came upon a gated community with a guard. A moment later we were standing in front of the most beautiful home we have seen in Kazakhstan.

Ambassador Ill-Soo Kim met us at the door, which opened up into a great room with 20' ceilings and many furnished areas for multiple gatherings. Cal's eyes gleamed at the most indoor space he had probably ever seen in his life! He soon saw another thing he had never seen: Moonkyung's daughter Caroline brought out a sweet looking calico kitten, three months old. What we were not expecting was that this was the wildest, crazyest cat any of us had ever seen! It was full of energy, and stalked us all around the great room like the elusive snow leopard in the mountains just to the South of us! Cal was enthralled with this creature, but a bit scared as well. The thing was not much bigger than a kitten just able to live on its own, but it obviously thought it was an Asian Tiger. It chased the children all around the house, retreating only to a group of plants to watch its prey and plan its next pounce! Alison's heart melted, obviously feeling withdrawals from her Kitty back home.

We were led to a beautiful dining room, and then were feted with a seven-course feast! We had the best meal, not only in Kazakhstan, but almost ever, anywhere! Let me just list a few of the items: A dumpling soup, a salad with two dressings, Namul (multi-vegetables, shredded and marinated) Korean chicken (Alina and Mac's favorite), Pab (rice), Bean and Chestnut dish, Dried Seaweed (quite good!) with rice, a VERY spicy Kimchi (pickled salted Korean cabbage, layered with garlic, ginger, chilli pepper), and a very thin beef steak (another favorite of Mac, Alina and Alison!).



We had hours of pleasant conversation, and Cal amazed our hosts by playing "peep-eye" with the table cloth and clapping his hands when asked by Alison. Alina was by far the most gracious guest, carefully minding her table manners and constantly adjusting the napkin on her lap. I noticed that she even tried to laugh when it was appropriate (even if she did not understand much of the conversation the adults were having). It took the chicken course to stop Mac's figeting, but it did the trick.

After the main courses, Moonkyung's dauthter Caroline took Alina and Mac into her room where they watched Spongebob Squarepants (in English!). Alison and I enjoyed the conversation with the adults. Moonkyung kept taking things back into the room with the children, what we later learned were various candies and desert treats.

We were given coffee, a desert, pear and orange slices, a chocolate mint and finally a Russian cognac.

I write all of these details in an effort to remember one of our most pleasant times in Kazakhstan, thanks to the Republic of Korea and our hosts. Again, I cannot thank Karen Paik enough for putting us in contact with this great family.




After dinner, Cal was let loose on the beautiful hard wood floor. He made an all out run (o.k., a fast crawl) into the great room. I followed him, and watched him take a lap around the baby grand piano and then straight back to his Mama in the dining room. I figure it was an after-dinner lap to make more room for food, and Moonkyung then brought him a little star-shaped pancake, which he loved.




I seriously doubt that we will ever again be the guests of an ambassador, so we relished the evening. The children loved Caroline and begged to stay longer, but we had to get back to the apartment and put the children to bed.




Late tonight, Alison and I just sat on the sofa, amazed at the evening we had just experienced. Things are going to start happening quickly now. We go back to Esik on Tuesday, and tonight Emil asked for Cal's passport photos so he could deliver them to Gulnara to her home tonight. We are starting to think in terms of packing for home, and taking in whatever else there is before the weather gets too cold. The weather is indeed starting to change here.

Meanwhile, back home Mac's ELC group from St. Nicholas School sent another heartfelt greeting to their classmate and his sister:



We have successfully tested with Ms. Mitchell a webcam link between Alina and Mac and their classmates back home. We are looking forward to sharing some things we have learned while in Kazakhstan with the children back at home, as soon as Monday. - McP

15 Days Done!!!!

Just a quick note - with a cute video of course.....

Today marks the end of our 15 day post court waiting period. So all is final!!!

Cal and I hung out today while Ken and the kids went to the Lufthansa office to get Cal’s plane ticket home. It’s a done deal and they think we will be able to get a bulk head seat. This will allow us to have a bassinet that hangs on the wall where Cal can hopefully sleep. She said the flight as of now has very few people on it. We hope that stays that way and that we can spread out and have some extra room. We won’t know for sure about the bulk head seat until we check in at the airport.

We will leave Almaty at 3:00 a.m. on the 25th. We arrive in Frankfurt at 5:15 a.m. (8 hours later). We leave Frankfurt at 10:30 a.m. We arrive in Atlanta at 2:30 p.m. EST (10 hours later). So we leave and arrive on the 25th.

The family in which Ms. Paik from Chattanooga put us in touch with called us this afternoon. They have invited us to their house this evening for dinner. We are so excited. It’ll be nice to be in a home environment and get to visit. The meal at the Hyatt with them was nice but we didn’t get that much of chance to talk & visit.

We have a meeting tomorrow with the facilitators. I think it is just to sign some documents in front of a notary. We will then travel to Esik on Tuesday to sign some additional papers.

After this the mad dash is on to get all of the necessary steps accomplished. Cal must obtain a passport, exit visa, entry visa, medical examination and visit with the U.S. Embassy here is Almaty.

This Thursday is a special day as Cal will have his first birthday. We look forward to a celebration.

Enjoy the videos of Cal’s new tricks. Happy Birthday Jan!





Alison

One More Step Toward Home... - by McP

This morning we continued a little family tradition. Just like six years ago when I took baby Mac to get his passport photo done, I took Cal today to get the photo that will grace his Kazakhstan passport - the document that will allow us to leave this country and come home!


Emil snapped this photo just before we walked into the camera shop for the passport photo. The building in the background is Hotel Kazakhstan, once the grandest hotel in the former Soviet Kazakh Republic. In our photo made during this task six years ago, I am holding Mac in about half a foot of snow! It is a bit cooler today, and raining, but still no "cnyk" (snow).

You may remember that six years ago there was a portable building outside our old apartment, where a woman operated a makeshift bar for vodka shots at 25 to 50 tenge a shot. Back then, when I brought baby Mac back from his passport shot, she stopped me and asked to see him, and when we stepped inside she gave to me as gifts for Mac a big plastic model of Hotel Kazakhstan, and a paperweight of the Mir space station. Around the corner from the photo studio I took Cal to today was our old apartment. We walked around while waiting for the photos to be processed, but the portable building was gone. Emil said that the city had cracked down on the makeshift bars. Since it was about the size of our goat barn (and about as clean), it was no great loss. But I am sorry the old lady didn't get to meet Cal.


Last night we went to the best restaurant we have been to while here. It is a little Italian place called "Mama Mia's". We all enjoyed a great meal. The food was obviously fresh and it was a very comfortable setting.

Today we went to the office to sign some more papers. It is now apparent that we will get no break in our timeline, and still have two full weeks (from tonight!) in Kazakhstan. While I know this greatly disappoints Alison, I am o.k. with it. Rarely does a father get to spend this much quality time with his family. I do miss everyone back at home, however.

At the office they have been celebrating their tenth anniversary as an establishment. The Altynbaeva Sisters are three impressive women -a neurologist, an accountant and a lawyer - who have obviously enjoyed a successful decade in putting families together and giving these children a better life. They put us all together, and for that I will forever be so very thankful. It has been good to see them again.


While at the office I thought this flower display celebrating the ten year anniversary would be a good photo oppotunity. I think it is especially good of Alison.


Baby Cal has definately bonded with Alison! The women who work at the office of course look much like the women at the Baby House in Esik. When they again came to make such a big deal over the baby, he would not give them any smiles or anything. Instead, he would turn toward Alison's shoulder and hold her tightly.

After we discovered an error in the paperwork we where there to sign (Cal's middle name was misspelled), Alison and Cal went back to the apartment and Alina, Mac and I went to their favorite place at the Ramstore, "Poctyk'c" (pronounced "Rostick's")- the fast-food chicken joint with the indoor playground! At this place the three of us have had many philosophical discussions and other conversations. Today Mac suggested that I take this photo for Senoria Maria Gonzalez at St. Nicholas - as she requested that we document some of the exotic foods we find in Kazakhstan. I'm not sure if this really qualifies (photo below), but I'm proud that he remembered her request! - McP

Extra Credit, Music Teachers? - by McP

Today our two students went to the "Kazakhstan Museum of Musical Instruments", in hope for some "extra credit" from their music teachers back home. Mostly, the museum featured various evolutions of the Kazakh national instrument, the dombra. The dombra is kind of guitar-like, only with fewer strings and the bottom part looks like half a gourd, with a rounded back.

Since this is kind of like a book report, here is the official government line:

"The 'State Museum of Popular Musical Instruments' was created in 1980. It is one of the cultural sights of Almaty. Kazakh musical instruments have been collected in the Museum from all regions of Kazakhstan.

The collection includes personal dombras of poets, zhyrau and composers, such as: Abai, Zhambyl, Makhambet. Amre, Dina and other figures of the musical arts. The Museum is located in a traditional Russian wooden building dating 1907."


What the kids liked about it most is there were some ancient cave-type drawings, or etchings, on some giant rocks that had been placed in the museum. I am not certain what it had to do with music, but it certainly was interesting! - McP



(Photo: Photographer Mac snaps a photo of his sister for their music teachers back at school.)