Lots more snow....

Well, I definitely got my wish for snow! There were about 2 inches of snow on the ground this morning, and it is still falling! I may not be so happy about it when we try to walk to lunch, but for now it's pretty neat-o. Luckily it is very warm in our apartment- 76 degrees according to our travel clock/thermometer. When we first got here it seemed horribly hot in here, but now it is very nice. However, we are told not to be shocked if the heat and/or water and/or electricity go out at any time, so we could be in for a challenge.

Last night we went to dinner with two peace corp volunteers stationed in Uralsk for two years, Betsy and Becky. They've only been in Kazakhstan for 9 months, but their Russian was very good. They work with an organization called IBC that helps locals start their own businesses and also help teach computer and english skills to children from the Zaus Dauren which is an orphanage for older children through high school. It seems that orphans are discriminated against in the job market (yes, they can ask such questions in an interview), so it is important for them to get as much training as possible. Sue, who we met earlier is setting up a program to get sponsor families for the kids in Zaus Dauren who would send money each month, along with letters, etc., to be put in an account for the kids to access when they go out on their own for college or whatever they need. She is also in the process of hiring a teacher to help them with life skills so that they can take care of themselves and avoid being taken advantage of when they go out on their own. It's really amazing what these women are doing- it really puts in perspective any of the small annoyances we have had. Although, other than my illness, seriously the only "hardships" we've suffered were the orange water (which is gone), not being able to work the lock on the outside door to our apartment and being stuck outside for a bit (I really needed the restroom), and accidentally buying carbonated water at the store (they're big on "with gas" water here). So, honestly we're really doing just fine.

We went to the Almaty restaurant, which was about a 20-25 minute walk from our apartment. It was definiely fancy compared to where we've gone so far. We had Bish Par-Mock (that is totally phonetic and probably not at all the right spelling), which is the national dish of Kazakhstan. It is a bed of really thick pasta (almost like tortilla), cubes of beef, potatoes and carrots. I also thought there was cauliflower, but it turned out to be large lumps of fat. Apparently they make the pasta from scratch and need advance notice you will be ordering the dish. The name means "five fingers" because it is traditionally eaten with your hands. It is also traditionally made with horse meat, but ours was beef. We had our own separate room all set up, and it was very nice. Everyone had beer - except me- I decided to use the shot glass in my place setting and ordered a shot of vodka. They brought it out in a flask, and seriously there were about 2-3 of what we would call shot. Betsy and Becky said that was the smallest amount they sell and that they would laugh if we asked for less! The beers come in very big bottles- we were guessing at least 24 ounces- and then they give you giant mugs. They also have an interesting system for their beer. In addition to choosing the brand, you also choose a number - I think it was 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, which determines the alcohol content. I read somewhere that 9 was like 85%, but I'm not sure on that. They also had some American brands, including Miller mom! (My mom works for a Miller beer distributor) So we had our giant beers and vodka and all was well.



This is the dish, but unfortunately we didn't think to take the picture until we had already stared eating it.











Our travel partners, Troy and Paula Ford from Atlanta, are in the middle, and Betsy and Becky are on the right.











We had a little mix up with the clothing today. Each day we give the caregivers an outfit and four diapers for each baby. They dress them and bring them out to us. So, today Madden got Jackson's outfit. Kevin was thrilled to see her in the football getup. We assumed we'd have some pretty funny pictures of Jackson wearing Madden's purple fleece outfit- complete with shirt bearing flowers- but somehow her outfit went on Troy and Paula's son, Carter. We were told that all three babies were not feeling well so our visit was only 30 min., but at least Jackson got to come out. Madden seemed fine, but he was definitely not himself.

We got a little more information about their schedule and feeding today. Aparently they do not get bottles at all. The foods they regularly eat are: soup, mushed vegetables, potatoes, some sort of fried meat- yes meat- cookies, and it seems tea with most meals. So, we knew they would be eating more solid food than infants in the US, but meat and no bottles at all was a shock. They also don't use diapers because they are too expensive. The babies wear knit tights which are then just changed if there are accidents. They also regularly put them on a pot on a regular schedule and teach them to go when they are put on the pot. It seems that our are just getting to the pot training at the babyhouse. It also seems that they eat a huge amount of food and eat very fast. We are hoping that we will get to see a feeding, because from what we've heard the babies get really angry if you don't feed them fast enough- these kids really like their chow!

Several people have asked about clothing sizes for the kids. We don't have current measurements for them, and honestly the last ones we had for Madden were either seriously off or she had some crazy growth spurt. The clothing sizes I bougth for them were 6-12, 9-12, and 12m. This seemed to vary by brand. I honestly don't know what the difference is in these sizes, but it seems the 12m are the biggest. Most of the stuff I brought for Jackson was the 12m, and that all seems to fit fine with the sleeves and pants needing to be cuffed on some outfits and not on others. I brought mostly 6-12m for Madden, and it does fit her, but it fits her pretty much exactly right- not a whole lot of room for growth. The football outfit she is wearing above is a 12m and is a bit roomy, but not huge--it's about the same fit for Jackson. They are about the same height, but she weights a little more. If I had to guess, I'd say they weigh in the 20-22 lb. range and maybe 30 inches. Now, of course we won't be home for almost another month, so there is no telling where they will be by then. I already know that almost none of the clothes I bought for Madden will fit her. The information we had said that just exactly two months ago she weighed only 14.5 pounds, but she easily weighs 20 or more now, and I really doubt she gained 6 pounds in two months. Oh well, we'll just save them for #3......

We have met four other couples here adopting with other agencies, so we are definitely not the only Americans here. The others are all staying at hotels, and not getting out in the city as much as we are. Our agency really seems to focus on us staying in the apartments, for some reason. Three of the couples are staying at a place called the Pushkin, which is supposed to be really nice. They have suites, including a kitchenette, a gym, laundry services, and some english TV channels. The hotel apparently offers an adoption rate of $85/night plus 50% off food in the hotel restaurant. We still had orange water as they were telling us this, and I was seriously jealous! We could move if we wanted too, but we share an interpreter with our travel partners and that would be difficult if we moved. Right now they are just across the hall so it is very convenient and we also do most of our outings with them. However, when we put posts of our apartment, well the outside at least, you will think we are crazy for not moving. Honestly if we had the hotel information in advance we would have chosen to stay there, but the only info I really got from our agency was that it would be twice as expensive to stay in a hotel. Strangely though, I am happy that we ended up in the apartment- it definitely adds to the experience, and an extra $30-40 a day adds up over a month's stay.

So, that's about it for now. We're going to try to make our way through the snow to get some lunch. Hope all is well with everyone at home!