Exit Visas and Empty Pockets

20 Nov 07, Tuesday, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Day 56. Major events of the day: Waiting for “The Call,” Consulate Appointment, Settling Bills and Packing

Morning Weather Report:
Almaty weather: 30, feels like 30, with a projected high of 44. Probably the clearest morning we have had so far.
Meanwhile back in Memphis: Overnight low of 58, and heading up to 72. Unseasonably warm. Hopefully the good weather will hold out a few more days!

The weather is turning cooler in Almaty. There is a strong breeze blowing from the south over the mountains. We can still see the mountains, but the clouds are moving in. The forecast for the next few days is not too bad, but it is getting cooler. Although the 4pm high of 50 exceeded the forecast, the winds from the south (over the mountains) are bringing a dampness .

After getting back to our apartment late last night after having dinner and visiting with Suzanne and Hilton, the children went right to sleep with only one request for a bedtime snack (Dad declined the request). Soon there were sounds of peaceful deep breathing and I was able to catch up on a little correspondence before calling it a night myself.

This morning’s wake-up call went smoothly as well, without too many “duck-and-cover” attempts by the kids. David actually hopped right out of bed and plugged himself into cartoons while I checked e-mail. Kate was a little slower to rise, but also got up without too much complaint. The sounds of activity and cartoons was more alluring than the call of her pillow, so she too was up and at ‘em.

The rest of our morning was spent doing laundry and some packing. As soon as everything is dry (I pushed the drying rack next to one of the radiators to help speed the process), I’ll finish the process. The hardest part is to distribute heavier souvenir items between bags while getting everything in. Although Cathe and I emptied one suitcase when we distributed gifts, we acquired many other space-consuming items. It’ll be a challenge for me (Cathe’s much better at this part than I am), but I think I’ll squeeze everything in while preventing breakage.

Not much of a morning walk today since I wanted to be around to get the confirmation call that we had our 3 pm US Consulate appointment set. After getting used to having an A++ team in Petropavlovsk, I have to express my disappointment in consistency of communications since arriving in Almaty. So we waited, watched some TV, checked e-mail for updates, waited, and watched some more TV.

I have a nice, but mostly unread book which I could easily spend a few hours progressing on, but my schedule is not the children’s. After being in a regimented environment with strictly adhered to schedules, my schedule is now driven by theirs. It’s sort of like the first couple weeks we were in Petropavlovsk when Cathe and I were adjusting to being 11 hours out of sync (now 12 with the end of DST). Just when I thinking things are settling down, we suddenly have a wrestling match, or balloon fight, or two hungry kids. I’ve already warned Cathe that I get the first couple weeks “off” since she has been enjoying a lot of peace and quiet!

Finally, we received a call that we would be picked up at 2:30 to go to our appointment. We could have walked over since the US Consulate is now located in the brand new high-rise bank building next to the Ramstore. We checked in and I headed to the cashier’s window to pay up another $760 ($380 x 2) for entry visas. Thankfully they accept plastic, because our once fat cash supply has dwindled after almost 2 months on the road. It’s a good thing that I brought more than recommended since we were initially going to a small remote village or we would have run out of cash. Although I only tried a few ATMs, all rejected my cash card.

A couple minutes later I heard our names called and we went to Window 3 for our interview. Since our Dossier and supporting paperwork were thoroughly complete (more complements to the Petro Team a la Masha!) we only took a few minutes with Jeff, the VERY helpful Consulate representative, and the process was done. Both children now have shiny new immigrant visas installed in their passports!

After returning to the apartment to drop off paperwork, we headed right out the door in hopes of ice skating and internet connectivity at our favorite local venue. I got a good signal and connected right away, but sadly for the children, it was time to “defrost” the skating rink. Apparently they add a little water each evening to dress the ice, then melt it back once a month since they don’t have the equivalent of a resident Zamboni. Instead, we each had some ice cream and a Domino’s Donut (which bears an uncanny resemblance to Dunkin’ Donuts, down to the color scheme).

Back at the apartment, we celebrated with a feast in an attempt to clean out the last of our grocery stores. I considered the full plate of bread left at the end of our meal as “complements to the chef”! At least we have a good starting point from which Cathe and I can work in a greater variety of foods in search of the same results.

The last business transaction for the day was to settle the bill for our Almaty stay with Oleg. Everything was ok except an additional expediting fee on top of what was already worked into our fee schedule. We’ll have to do some checking there, but at least we’re ready to head home.

On that note, I’ll wrap today’s entry and get this post online (using the last of my Nursat minutes) then back to work on packing while trying to get the kids to sleep after an very expensive day.