Gettin' in the Groundhog Day Groove

Major event of the day: Bonding Day 6, Back to School

Our internal clocks are finally getting back on schedule after almost two weeks on the road. We both rolled out of bed well rested at 6 am local, not long after our friends back home were wrapping up dinner.

First event of the day was to wander over to the Big Flea Market. You can find just about everything there, including the kitchen sink. We were looking for a couple shirts and a sweatshirt for LB. Didn’t buy anything there this trip, but it was quite an adventure. Since it was obvious by how we dress that we’re not natives, many shopkeepers said, “Welcome to Petropavlovsk” as we passed by (most in Russian, but a few in English). We’re planning to come back tomorrow with our translator since she has a better idea of which shops have good quality at the right prices and which do not. It’s nice to have some great local talent on our side.

We did find some nice clothing as a regular shop on our way back to the apartment. A bit pricey, but it’s what we were looking for. We need to pick up a few more exciting things like socks and underwear for both as well as some pajamas. Masha says the market will be the best place to go for those. We won’t go overboard though since we promised family and friends that they’ll have plenty opportunity to help outfit the children.

Today’s visit was a lot of fun for all of us. First order of business was for the children to show us their books and tell us a little about what they are studying in school. They are going to have a good academic start while they work on their English skills. We don’t think LB will have much trouble as he already has a good foundation in English. LG will do ok too, but is at the beginning of learning English. We’ll work on her confidence. Both like Math, Geography and Science and showed us where they were in their text books.





We could only pick out a few words of Russian, but the diagrams and math were quite understandable to us. Our biggest challenge will be leaping the English hurdle. They were a little embarassed when we held up the books upside-down (on purpose) and didn't realize we were trying to be funny... (They really care and don't want their new parents to look bad in front of the whole world. They're great kids)


After looking over the childrens’ books we did a few academic drills of our own. While Cathe went over ABCs with LG, Bill was going over basic sight-words with LB. Both are catching on quickly. We brought along a picture dictionary and went through some of the words there. We’ll have to use sign language for the first couple weeks, but we can manage. All of us showing patience as the learning and teaching was being carried out.

Finally it was time to play a bit. We bought some dominos a local store and enjoyed playing with them. Then LG had dedicated computer time since Bill and LB had been dominating its use the past few days. LB had a lot of fun playing with the Franklin pocket translator and his first translated term was, “I need a translator.” We all got a good laugh at that one. Both children have a great sense of humor despite their past.

Before we knew it, the day’s visit was over. Time really does fly when you’re having fun! Today was another great day for us all.

This evening we are having dinner at the Slovenian Inn with a couple who arrived this past Friday. We’ve never met in person, but already have so much in common. You really have to love those Web Sites and Yahoo Groups for families adopting kids from Kazakhstan, especially those dedicated to specific regions, Petropavlovsk in our case, and the families who have contributed their thoughts, observations, and stories. Our translator was amazed at how much we already knew about the area when we arrived as well as having met other families she had worked with in the past. We’ll do our best to help add to the tremendous resource. Thanks again to the Kazakh Adoptive Families, PAKK and PVPK moderators for all that they do.

Fast forward… Back from dinner at the Slovenian Inn. Our hostesses, Irina and Marina, must have had some fun today. Apparently the menu is changing, so they don’t have an English translation available at the moment. We tried English, German, and Spanish with no luck, so we resorted to sign language and pantomime. Marina does a mean Miss Piggy. We settled on the lamb-ka-bobs and Greek salads, so everyone was happy. Good dinner and great conversation and company with our new friends, and in English too.

All in all, a nice wrap-up for a great day. Only 8 more bonding days until we can apply for court.