Morning weather report: 38, feels like 30. Projected high: 44 and overcast (a veritable heat wave!)
Meanwhile back in Memphis: Overnight low of 49, heading back to 67 and sunny (wishing we were there!)
What a busy day! Lots of paperwork to finish as well as final packing to do. We had given the kids a heads-up that we wouldn’t visit today since we had to be at the airport. They were simultaneously sad and happy: Sad because mom is heading home, but happy because mom is going to make all the final homecoming arrangements for them.
We also found out that Julia and Olivia, en-route to Salt Lake City (Congrats Guy, Deb and Family!) would be on the same flight. Guy, Deb and their three boys received their LOI just a few days before we did and were in Petro just before we arrived. It’s amazing how God works things out! They had met our children before leaving and we had the opportunity to send periodic updates and sighting reports for their new daughters. (Read about their Kaz and Petro adventures at www.guyperryfamily.blogspot.com)
We had hoped that Cathe could return home a couple days early but were frustrated with the unexpected delay between Bonding Period and Court. We had expected 2-3 business days instead of 5-8 that seems to be standard practice now. For those planning to adopt in Petropavlovsk, be sure to plan that change into your schedule! We have to go back to our previously referenced movie “Evan Almighty” and the one line in the movie which stands out for us: “When you ask God for patience, He doesn’t give patience. He gives you opportunities to become patient.” We also have to reference the Kazakh proverb which Suzanne shared with us, “The two worst things in life are Chasing and Waiting.” Those who have been following the details of our Adoption Adventure know both apply equally well in our case.
As always, Masha arrived right on schedule with additional papers to sign before Cathe’s departure. If Masha says she will be at the apartment at 10 am, the doorbell rings within seconds of the appointed time! We also made sure Cathe signed our I-600 forms (7/30/07 revision, one for EACH child!). To further complicate matters, Cathe’s planned departure just happened to coincide with Air Astana’s shift to their winter schedule, which began today. Several calls, a few text messages, and several emails zinged back and forth to make arrangements for Cathe’s hotel stay and move her flight out of Almaty up a couple days. Everything seems to be working out fine, despite our heightened stress levels. The coordinators have quite an impressive network of people to help take care of us during our stay!
When we learned that Cathe would be leaving a little sooner than we thought, Cathe had asked Masha to translate some complicated sentences from English into Russian. We have made several friends in the small market by the Iceberg store, and Cathe could not leave without personally thanking several people who helped make our brief stay in Petro much more welcoming. Two in particular are Dinara “The Fruit Lady,” and Sasha, “The Kabob Guy.” 
Masha not only helped with the translations, but also accompanied us on our typical rounds this afternoon. First stop was to see Dinara. After Masha’s translated farewell, Cathe gave her a dollar bill as a small token of appreciation. Dinara wished us Good Luck and presented us with some of our favorite apples and a few bananas as a farewell gift in return. The next stop was to say good-bye to Sasha. He has been great with our improvised hand gestures and broken Russian! We also presented him with a dollar bill. Cathe shared that Bill will be staying behind and each reassured her that they will keep him well fed and help him pick out the best fruit. Not to worry!
After presentations, we ducked into the small indoor market in search of some more gifts for Cathe to take home, specifically some more of the Kazakhstan and “For Men” chocolate bars. As passed by his kabob stand, Sasha waved and gave us a great big smile, then asked us to autograph the dollar bill for him.
We wouldn’t be surprised to see it framed over his stand on some future visit! Dinara and the adjacent Fruit Ladies all called out in English, “Good Bye and Good Luck!” Cathe returned their farewell, by replying Dasvadanya, “until next time.” We were both touched by that moment and how each one touched our lives and each reciprocated a friendship even with language barriers!
Our final souvenir stop was at the Birch Store to purchase some nesting dolls. With everything in hand, we headed back to the apartment to finish packing Cathe’s suitcases. Since we had learned about the strict luggage weight limits on the way in, Bill took a few moments to pick up both bags and guess how close we were to the 25 kg weight limit (~55 lbs combined checked AND carry-on). He did a great job! When we placed the bags on the scale at the airport, they totaled 24.5 kg. (Extra thanks to Suzanne and Hilton for the info about the small nesting dolls in a box under the counter! You’ve made a lot of folks back home happy with those!)
En-route to the Northern Kazakhstan-Petropavlovsk Regional Airport (name is much more impressive than the facility), we passed by a wedding party stopped by the side of the road.
There is a tree in which newly married couples tie a ribbon to signify safe travels on the road of marriage. It’s a very colorful and touching tradition!
The airport was COLD! Yesterday we had asked Masha and Sasha if it would be ok for the children to come to see mom off. Both told us that it would be better not to since there are no places to sit and there’s no heat in the facility. Besides, we would be waiting a long time. They were right! Although the plane was on time (amazing!) there was still a fair bit of milling about. Masha helped Cathe through security then we waited until we heard the planes engines start and it pulled away from the terminal. Cathe’s on her way to Almaty and home. Bill will be checking off the days until the kids can go home too.
Tonight our friends and family back in the states will be “Falling Back” while we stay on Central Asia +6 time (Kazakhstan stopped observing daylight saving time last year). For everyone in the Central time zone, we will be exactly 12 hours “out of sync.”
1 comment:
I just wanted to remind people that the new law took effect this year. We do not turn the clock back until next weekend November 4th.
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