Morning weather report: 5, feels like -6. Projected high: 21 (Not much different than yesterday, and again colder than the forecast. They’re *REALY* trying not to scare away the tourists!)
Meanwhile back in Memphis: Overnight low of 56, and heading back to a high of 68 (save some of that weather for us!)
First, Happy Veteran’s Day to all our friends, family and all the service members who gave us the freedoms that we enjoy in our country. A friend sent me this definition of a veteran: A Veteran - whether active duty, retired, National Guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check, made payable to "The United States of America", for an amount of "up to and including my life." Take a moment today to thank a veteran for what he or she has done/is doing to insure those freedoms.
Today’s entry was begun in the quiet darkness of morning at 7:30 am. Sunrise wasn’t until 8:45 this morning, so it was still pitch dark outside. Last night was a complete change from the night prior. In fact, it was so quiet that I woke up a few times wondering if everything was ok. It was. Since the kids let me sleep, I let them sleep a bit too, waiting until 8 am to issue their wake-up call. Both rolled out of bed without complaint, although by 11am there were a few pleas for a nap because “it’s so boring here” and “we’re tired.” Go figure after the prior night’s adventures! Laura in Virginia sent a quick note saying that my approach is similar to hers, and encouraged me not to let up. We all have to start somewhere, and the kids have to understand that there has to be a give and take balance.
Right after breakfast, the kids asked again, “When will we be going to Almaty?” As soon as I said, “Tomorrow” and pointed to their suitcases both sprang into action. It was only 9 am, but they had to pack because we’re leaving tomorrow. Ignore for a moment that we still have laundry to do as well as shuffling through our things to decide which back will get what. It was fun to watch the process, which we will repeat again in hopefully less than a week, but not more than 10 days.
This afternoon Masha came over to bring a few things and to help me figure out the phone bill with Ivan (that’s really the landlord’s name). (Kathy, I have your books. Lynn, I have your tea.) A month of dial-up internet for the small sum of 17,660 kzt (not including the last two days). That’s about $150. Just as we were finishing up settling that bill, the phone rang. It was Kaztelkom saying that they noticed we had been spending a lot of time online and had a special deal to offer on DSL. Since we’re leaving tomorrow morning, we decided to pass, though it would have been nice a month ago! The bill was quite a lengthy print out!
Next order of business was hat shopping. Since our nephew’s name is Zack, we had to find an appropriate Kazakh hat for him, so we headed to the big market. Success! Not only did we find one for Zack, but David and I also now have souvenir Kazakh hats. Kate was *NOT* a happy camper though. Our little princess was miffed that none of the shopping was about her, so we did a little more looking and found a nice hat & scarf set. It’ll be a little warm for Memphis, but nice for Christmas in Michigan. Also, as a thank you gift for Masha, we bought another hat for her from the four of us. She and Kate posed for a picture sporting their new hats as well.We didn’t have time to go back to the apartment before it was time to go to church. Masha wasn’t with us to confirm, but even I think this week’s priest was easier to understand (the last two weeks we had a priest from Poland who I could not understand at all, but felt a little better when Masha said she had trouble understanding him as well). It was a very nice service, especially now that the Sisters recognize us as regulars. My only regret today was that we did not have a chance to tell them we are leaving, though I suspect they know the purpose of our trip.
After church, we had to pick p a few “last day” supplies at the Iceberg as well as bid farewell to Sasha the Kabob Guy. He made two fresh kabobs for us as the three of us huddled next to his fire for a hint of warmth. Although it had been a sunny afternoon, the sun was going down and there was a breeze which whisked away any hint of warmth.
Lastly, we also had to pay a visit to the Skif to see Suzanne and Hilton before heading out of town. And also to return the Robbins book which turned out to be some interesting reading. I’m sure Cathe won’t let me buy my own copy (yet) because Christmas isn’t too far away. (full title and cover picture are on our 2 Nov entry). We had to get one last group pose with our new friends who are now practically extended family. I really understand how our neighbors, Rick & Laura, feel about their “Cruise Friends.” When you find people who are going through the same sorts of ups and downs far from home, you form an instant and lasting bond. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other often over the coming years. Not to be outdone, David had to give their tripod a “test fitting” as well.It’s late, so I had better get this post on the wire and finish packing. Tomorrow we will be in Almaty. I have no idea what the connection situation will be like, so don’t worry if it’s a little later than usual.
P.S. The kids have been in bed almost two hours and not one peep! Maybe I will get another good night’s rest!
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