Thursday, May 18, 2006

Another fine day in beautiful north Kazakhstan began with fruit salad and fried eggs and the requisite tea. We went shopping at the grocery store on the lower level of the Iceberg mall where we found such delicacies as Diet Coke and Mountain Dew as well as doughnuts, peach juice boxes, and other fabulous items. Having completed viewing of the first season of Grey’s Anatomy, we returned to reading books to pass the time between visits to Arkhangelskaya.

Today we played outdoors as the weather was quite nice except for occasional bursts of severe windiness. We played a game of rings (throw the plastic ring on the stake, like at a carnival) and that was fun but slightly difficult on account of the wind. We also played with a purple kick ball and a yellow fun bouncy ball that the children really enjoyed.

We had some balloons that made squealing noises when you blew them up and let them go. The kids liked that too after Sholpan (vowels pronounced like in “Cole Haan,” for those amongst you who are shoe enthusiasts) and Zarina were finally able to get theirs’ inflated. We also tried blowing bubbles for a while and that was a good bit more fun than I expected. Even Rinat (sounds like “re-knot: to tie a knot again,” accent on the second syllable, for those of you who love Russian phonics) seemed to have a blast blowing bubbles. Hey! Who doesn’t? It was pretty windy, though, and Sholpan kept laughing because most of the time the wind blew her bubbles before she even got the wand to her face. Whatever works…

We took a snack break for doughnuts and juice. Rinat loved the doughnut and made that quite clear while he rapidly consumed his. The ladies also enjoyed it. We were then visited by local wildlife as a family of piglets wandered through from the yard next door, apparently wondering if we had any more doughnuts to share; they were tragically out of luck.

Director Sandi came by for a short visit and Yura, our stand-in translator, took a picture of us all together on the playground. The boys spent the rest of the day playing soccer while the girls started to assemble a challenging jigsaw puzzle. Alas, the puzzle must wait until tomorrow, as must we all.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

They really know how to start the day off here with a good breakfast. We had cucumber, potato, tomato, and egg salad chased by a cup of tea. Then we took in a movie (okay we watched a DVD) before heading out for a long walk around town. Stopped in one of our favorite shops called Smak on the way back to the hotel and picked up a snack lunch. Valentina dropped by to introduce us to our substitute translator, Urah. He is a nice young man who grew up in the village where the orphanage is. His summer plans include a trip to the US to study and work in Indiana. We don’t have a lot of info to share on that state. It was starting to cloud up by the time we made the trip so we opted for indoor play. The children were quiet this afternoon. Rinat seemed very tired and the girls were a bit wary of Urah. The Leapster was a big hit with Zarina and she did well with the color and alphabet games. We’re trying to sneak in a little learning when they least suspect it! Rinat showed his artistic side with his painting of a dom (home) beside a Birch tree (Petro is famous for the Birch forest). Notice that when he was asked to sign it, he chose to write his name in English. Sholpan made a mystery painting that she would not show us. Our bag of tricks is starting to run out of new things to do. Of course, we could not let a day go by without a few rounds of cards. Both Crazy 8’s and Hearts were played. Rinat can play cards while simultaneously playing with a computer game! He did not want to waste time on just one thing! The rain came just us we got back to town. Which interestingly we realized is only about eight miles from the village. We have been trying to pronounce the name of the village all week. It is Arkhangelskaya and it does not flow well out of an English speaking mouth. It is just a matter of “you can’t get from here to there” without taking the scenic 35-minute route. Something about a river and a bridge (sounds a lot like Richmond).

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 (more photos)

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

The weather was beautiful today so our entire visit was spent on the playground. Good thing too since a visiting educational committee was taking up most of the space inside. We pumped up some balls we had brought and played so hard one of them popped! The children enjoyed a banana while Keith was inflating. They laughed at the way I peeled a banana and told me I did it upside down. Valentina says that here bananas are peeled from the end opposite the stem. The kids had a great time throwing, kicking, and heading the ball. Some of the other children joined us for a game of soccer until Rinat decided that perhaps we should play something that required Keith’s attention to be more on him. The boys brought out the Traffic game and played until their brains ached. The girls made necklaces with me and spelled their names in beads. A couple of their friends joined us. They had never seen alphabet beads. They were a novelty to Valentina as well so she made a necklace for her daughter. Rinat actually sounded out Susan from my necklace. Hopefully, this means he will transition easily to our alphabet! He is definitely eager to learn. Mamba were handed out to disperse the crowd that gathered and Keith and Rinat got in a few hands of Crazy 8 before time to pack up. Rinat remains the champ! It was fun to see the children laughing and playing together outside. The girls are renewing their sisterly bond and are giggly together. Rinat watches out for both of them and makes sure they are happy. When our coordinator was here yesterday she formally asked each child what their decision was about joining us. Thankfully, they each said they wanted to come home with us!

Monday, May 15, 2006

Another really cold day forced us to stay in. Starting to wish we had brought a heavier jacket! Our visit was a little short today. Rain made the trip out to the Ark longer than usual. Of course, we are not allowed to stay past 5:00 so we made the best of what time we had. We started a cool glitter art project and then played Yahtzee while enjoying some Mamba (sort of like Starburst). It seems dice are fine, just not cards. Go figure. The children showed us their math skills by adding and multiplying the numbers on the dice. Zarina says math is her favorite subject and it shows. Rinat was very disappointed that we did not have time for a round of Crazy 8. We promised to try again tomorrow. Didn’t take many pictures today. Rinat did debut a new outfit to at least vary the photo a bit. Svetlana, our coordinator, dropped by our room on her way out of town and said we had to give her the names for the children’s court papers. She let us have about 60 seconds to decide! Rinat has decided to keep his name so it was really just middle names to choose. Forced to make a decision we came up with Rinat Brawner (Keith’s maternal great-grandmother), Sholpan Isabel (an Americanized version of their current last name, Isabekova) and Zarina Faith (which Lucy has been calling her along).

More Photos

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Our schedule was different today since it was Sunday. We got to the Ark just as they were getting breakfast ready. Zarina was on kitchen duty and it was fun to watch her set the table and giggle with her friend every time they looked at us. Her caretaker let her sit and eat first so she could change for our visit. It was the first time we had seen her hair out of braids. It is almost down to her waist. The others came down with their group and inhaled some food so they could join us. Today we were sent to a common area upstairs for our visit. It was much too cold to be outside. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate soon and we can get to spend some time in more active play with them outdoors. Zarina’s buddies kept coming to the door and calling to her. She tried to shoo them away. When I asked what they wanted Valentina said the girls were calling her to come with them so they could make her hair beautiful for us. I gave them some M&Ms and they scurried away. Zarina let me comb her hair and give her French braids. She then added some of her new hair clips. Sholpan drew pictures for me while I braided. Sholpan then wanted hers done. That girl has got some thick hair! Her braid was solid. Meanwhile, Keith and Rinat kept busy playing Traffic. Rinat is a strategic thinker and quickly advanced to the higher level games. Since we seemed to be alone out came the Heart cards! It is nice to have something to do that does not require too much communication. Rinat won more often than not. Everyone enjoyed the games win or lose. The children tried the small camera and took some of today’s pictures for us. They really thought that was cool stuff. Oh no, time to go. No tea today. Director Sandi was caught off guard by our early arrival! Besides she was busy telling the children where to plant potatoes. The older groups of children have spent the last couple of days digging holes to plant the garden for food for the winter. Director Sandi says it is “gardening therapy”. I think it is free labor. She loaned some of the kids to older village ladies that can’t dig their own gardens. Actually, they did look like they were having a pretty good time.

After our visit we hurried to the hotel to get Kim for her visit at the baby house. Then we had a nice lunch at the Slavic Restaurant before Valentina had to head to the airport to fetch a new couple from Silver Springs. We had a nice walk to the hotel through the park and did a little shopping. When Kim finished her visit Valentina’s husband, Andrei (yes, John, the mystery man in the flesh) came and accompanied us to the Museum of Nature and History. Andrei is a teacher of English and history in a local school. The museum is newly built and very nice. It would probably make more sense if we could read all of the placards, but it was enjoyable. It relied heavily on taxidermy and bones.

Saturday, May 13, 2006 (part 2)

Today’s special was pastry with cabbage, onions and carrots. As we were close to finishing the assistant to the region’s government highest official waltzed in unannounced. This led to a very stressful period of being questioned by the anti-adoption anti-American anti-Christian mightier than thou man. It was quite a relief to get away from him. Of course, this will make court seem easier! We tried to answer his questions diplomatically but honestly. He was particularly upset that I said our children would be raised Christian. Not an issue I felt I could be less than honest about! Please pray that he does not try to block our way.

Today’s photos include shots made along the way to the orphanage. You never know what may be in the road. Today it was horses. The dirt road leads to the orphanage gates. The sign points the way to the village.

Saturday, May 13, 2006 (part 1)

We visited the Iceberg Mall this morning to purchase some clothes for Rinat. Shopping is quick when you only have about four items to choose from! He is now the very proud owner of a pair of jeans, two shirts and a jogging suit. To avoid hurt feelings we got a Care Bear hat for Zarina and some shoes for Sholpan. Then we headed to a different shop for tennis shoes for him and hair clips for the girls. Our goal was to actually see Sholpan’s face today without the bangs. It was decided to skip lunch in anticipation of afternoon tea. The original plan for the afternoon was to drive out, try on the clothes, and then play outside. However, the gale force winds kicking up dirt everywhere made it an inside day. Zarina was out in the hall waiting for us and showed us where the others were. We were put into a small office with a table. Everyday they find a new place to have our visit. No more relaxation room! It seemed like a perfect set up for a game of cards. Out came the children’s version of Hearts. Keith began shuffling and the translator started telling him to stop doing it so well. She said, “The caretaker must not think you are a card dealer!” The kids loved the game, but we were limited to one round due to intense scrutiny. Perhaps another day when the chief leaves the room! Next came the novelty of the day, colorful pipe cleaners. We spent the next hour making creations and laughing at them. It was also a nice way to start teaching them the colors and shapes in English. They each took a turn repeating the English words and did a nice job with it. Rinat seems to know the English words for numbers just not in order. He took the opportunity to share that this is the fourth orphanage he has been in. Rinat had a great time playing handheld Connect Four. He is wearing his new clothes in the photos. In case any of you have not noticed the girls always wear the same outfit. They have a school uniform for wearing to classes, an outfit for wearing while relaxing and an outfit for wearing when they are playing. They are responsible for taking care of their clothes and washing their underwear and socks and doing their own ironing. Today’s treat for the children was Choco Pie, something similar to a Moon Pie. They took such small bites that they still were not done when the director came to get them. Sholpan was so nervous that she would get in trouble for eating at a non-designated time. The children were led away and we were taken to the tearoom.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Today, for those who know the routine, is day three of the fourteen required bonding days. We got to count the day we saw only Zarina as day 1. That is a good thing as you cannot ask for a court date until after day 14 and this makes our chances better of going to court two weeks from today. They have decided to let us just go to court once for all three children in the village. Sholpan and Rinat will have to testify. Zarina does not since she is under the age of 10. As the time approaches we will have to have the translator coach them as to what to expect. Rumor has it that this judge likes to ask a lot of tough questions. Let’s hope we have all the right answers!

The director went over a few of the children’s papers today. It looks like their past will remain sketchy. After we have had more time with them she wants to go over their medicals and school records. She feels it would be more helpful if we have observed their behaviors first and can then ask questions. Today we settled for learning a bit about their routine. Let’s just say it is very regimented! Those children hear a bell and off they go to the next task of the day. The time we are allotted is 3:30 - 5:00. This is their break time between school and homework. On Sunday we will get more time since that is the one day they don’t have lessons.

Our visit today started with the girls going straight to Mama and Rinat to Papa. Their hugs came with no prompting this time. Zarina had shared some of her clothes with Sholpan and she looked lovely in a pink skirt and flowered shirt from Virginia. Rinat joked that he decided not to wear Zarina’s clothes and just to stick with the clothes on his back since that is all he was allowed to bring with him. Tomorrow we will go shopping for him. The children have never had to make any decisions for themselves as they just take what they are given. When I questioned him as to what style and color he would like he looked at me like I was crazy. This is very strange for him to have a choice and he was reluctant to make one. It was finally decided that he would like jeans and a blue shirt and some tennis shoes. Sholpan says she has no shoes. Someone let her borrow the little red “church shoes” that she is currently wearing. We will find something that will work until we can get them home and actually measure their feet. I tried to find out their favorite foods and got the same response. They eat what is put on their plates! No picky eaters in this group! I wonder how long that will last?

Rinat and Keith built things with magnetic blocks and balls while the girls made beaded bracelets. Zarina sat on the floor and copied every move I made. If I put on a red bead so did she. She was very proud of the finished product and now all three of us are wearing matching ladybug bracelets. We made a few extras for them to share with their friends. Zarina tried to tie one of them by herself and didn’t get it tight enough so when she stood up to get her picture made most of the beads went rolling across the floor. Rinat picked them all up and held them for her while she started stringing again. Then they fell off the other end! Sholpan jumped in and started stringing from the other side so they finished it as a team. They wanted to have their pictures made and loaded onto the computer so that they could see them right away. Keith made a slide show and they were amazed. Then our time was up. It went by too quickly! They were gathered by a caretaker to go have a snack. We had provided oranges for them to share with their groups. That is considered a real treat around here. We are trying to collect enough bananas to take one day. Each kiosk only has a few. They are typically only given to the children on very special days. The director says they have not had any since Christmas. She also asked us to not take any more pictures of the orphanage only of the children. It is in poor shape and she is embarrassed.


We were already in the car when Director Sandi tracked us down and insisted on that cup of tea. It must be a contest in the kitchen to see who can out bake the other! Today it was fresh home made sugared rolls, a curd Danish with exquisite dough art, cookies, candy, cheese, apple slices, and tea. We keep telling her that it is not necessary to feed us, but she insists. I think she is very proud of her cooks and it is something she can show off.

They are preparing a show for us with singing and dancing one day soon. She introduced us to a 12-year-old girl that is a very talented singer. She is going to sing in a big competition soon. The girl is shy because she has a birthmark across her face. We have agreed to take photos of her and show them to some doctors and see if they have any suggestions. There are so many beautiful children there. It is a wonderful, but difficult place to visit.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

It was a good day! We had breakfast this morning with some other Americans that are in various stages of adopting. Our translator then took Kim (from Canada) and us to exchange money and to the market for goodies to share at the orphanage as well as a few needed items. (Like a Pepsi Light for Susan. No one should have to meet their new mother when she is in caffeine withdrawal!) We dropped Kim at the babyhouse and went to lunch with Oleg (our driver) and Valentina (translator) at the pizza parlor. Then back to the hotel to wait for school to be over so we could visit the children. Thanks to all of you movie-loaners out there we have a good way to waste an hour and a half! The time finally arrived and we made the 35-minute trip out to “the village” filled with excitement tinged with a bit of fear. Upon our arrival Zarina was brought to us again wearing an outfit we had sent her several months ago along with the necklace her Virginia sisters made. We visited with her while the social worker and coordinator went over details on the new arrivals. They were moved to “the Ark” where Zarina resides this morning. I gave Zarina a Magna Doodle to play with and she looked up, grinned and quickly wrote “mama” on it and handed it to me, as if she didn’t already have me won over! We drew some pictures together and questioned her as to her reunion with her brother and sister. She commented, “They seem taller”. I guess 5 years will do that to you. The psychologist fetched us and led us into the “relaxation room”. It has mats on the floor, several huge beanbags, a fake aquarium, cool lights, boom box, and don’t forget the disco ball. In the midst of our amazement over this room in walked Sholpan and Rinat. She very timidly smiled at us as he ushered her in. They are just as beautiful as their little sister! She seems shy and he protective and inquisitive. He quickly asked the translator what was going on and who were we. She introduced us and filled them in on our purpose. He announced that he and Sholpan would love to come to America, but this time they were not going anywhere without Zarina. It was quite touching. He is very much a young gentleman. When given cookies he gave them to the girls first and then they all sat there just holding the cookie. I asked if maybe it was not a kind of cookie they liked and the answer was we won’t eat until Mama tells us to eat. Rinat asked to see the computer and pictures of home. His eyes were like saucers! He told the translator that it was like something out of a fairytale. We learned that he turned 14 in March but is only in 5th grade due to earlier circumstances. He seems very sharp and is quite small so he should be fine to start middle school next year. Sholpan turned 12 on May 1. She is strikingly beautiful with unbelievable eyelashes and dimples. She is also in 5th grade and likes to play basketball. Her build is very petite and she seems very ladylike. Zarina was glad to see them again, but we all noticed she seemed a bit sad to lose her “center of attention” status! After seeing all of our photos of family, home and friends, they agreed that they would like to have this family and a new life. Rinat added that he wants to change his name if we don’t mind and that they all promise to try very hard to learn English and to be good so we don’t have to worry. They all seem wonderful to us. A bell rang and Zarina said they must go to do “home chores”. They gave us each a tentative hug and off they went. We had given Zarina the rest of the bag of cookies to share with her group and had to laugh when she saw the director coming and she quickly tucked the cookies and Magna Doodle under a towel as if she feared they would be confiscated! I hope she isn’t hiding those cookies under the bed! Once the director spied us she insisted that we could not make the drive back to town without a cup of tea. Of course, the cup of tea turned out to be four cups of tea, apples, candy, cookies, homemade pastries and magnificent potato turnovers. She called this a little snack! Then she made us a doggie bag to take to the hotel for later. They are very flattering with all of the attention. Apparently, Zarina has already bragged that she is getting new parents and they are beautiful! At least today there were no Cognac toasts. We were obliged to take part in the ritual yesterday and after so many hours of travel and no sleep it maybe was not the best idea! (Don’t worry John, no one threw up on our pants! What a relief for Valentina as she is still looking for the man who did it to you.) Tomorrow we will go to the Ark and have a conference with the doctor and director and go over the children’s history and try to learn as much as we can about their past. We end this day with great happiness. The meeting was much easier on all of us than we had feared. What amazing children to have their lives turned upside down and still be so trusting. We can not even imagine what must be going through their minds tonight.

We have arrived

We finally made it to Petro after 2 days and 5 plane rides. We went to visit Zarina and things went well. She is very sweet and also very shy but she knows how to smile for the camera. She has older siblings who we will meet soon.