3-D wall art, ocean, and a portrait of the parents

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Today was a pretty good day. We had breakfast then went shopping and bought some DVD Russian cartoons for the children to watch when we get them home. Sorry, no subtitles. We had lamb kebab and salmon for lunch at the Slovenian Restaurant and it was quite tasty. After lunch we went earlier than usual to Arkhangelskaya and hung out with Rinat and Zarina, playing Hearts, Yahtzee, and Leapster. We went early because when arranged to go see Sholpan in the hospital. She was very glad to see us and we were delighted to see her and to see that she is now much improved. She no longer has fever. She is sleeping better. She still has a cough but it is probably not as bad as the coughing we heard back at the village.

We may get to see Sholpan again tomorrow. We will send her some more clothes as well as her dress for court on Monday. We will get to see Rinat and Zarina for a longer period of time tomorrow as we have court at 10 am Monday and will not have much time to visit with them after court because we have a plane to catch in Astana. Tune in tomorrow for the final entry. We won’t be able to blog again after court until we are back in Virginia Tuesday night. Thanks again for all your prayers and encouragement over the past few weeks.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

We awoke early to the sounds of industrious neighborhood children banging rugs with sticks. Cleaning day. It is Sunday and our visit with the children was from 11:00 to 12:30 instead of the usual school schedule of 3:30 to 5:00 pm. After a tasty breakfast at the Skiff we were off to the lovely hamlet of Arkhangelskaya, enjoying the many potholes created by a particularly severe winter. The short spring and summer here seem to be the only time when road repair seems remotely feasible and the citizens of North Kazakhstan have their work cut out for them this year. We were simultaneously delighted to see the children and exit the car and we headed upstairs for an indoor visit, as it was still pretty chilly when we arrived.

We thought we would try something new today and I first reached into the backpack and brought out the video camera. We thought the kids would like to make a movie of themselves talking or singing or acting something out. We were wrong. They were quite teased by the idea and rampant shyness overwhelmed them when the tape was rolling. Instead they all took turns at cameraman while mom and dad did the singing. Susan had hoped the girls knew some rhyming songs with hand motions like Miss Mary Mack, but this seemed like a foreign concept. Sounds like a project for the Thompson girls to tackle when we get them stateside.

After the video bombed we returned to some familiar things (Leapster, card games, and banana break) and also tried one new game, Tangoes. You know, make a certain shape using several plastic pieces (triangles, a square, and a parallelogram). Rinat liked this very much but the puzzles were harder than they looked. Luckily the answers were on the back of the card, allowing Keith to keep from pulling out what little hair he has left. We took a few photos but Sholpan was not in the mood to have her picture made as she recently was given a haircut, the outcome of which was, clearly, personal dissatisfaction.

For lunch, we ate with Valentina and several others at the Slovenian Inn and then walked back to the Skiff through the park. The park was quite bustling this afternoon as everyone is off from work and school and the fun that comes from a ferris wheel, a moonwalk, go-cart tracks, and innumerable nausea-inducing metal structures swinging and spinning their occupants in all directions transcends culture.

Friday, May 19, 2006

Day 10 of visitation is now complete. Somehow making it to the double digits seems like progress! We had an invitation to come to the baby house this morning to visit Dr. Rimma and show off pictures of Noah. It turned into a two-hour party complete with champagne toasts, tea and my favorite local cookies. Keith got lots of hugs and kisses from her. And I got my fair share as well. She loved seeing how happy Noah is and how much he has grown. We were allowed to go upstairs and visit the babies and see the caretakers. The caretakers knew us right away and had to see pictures of Alisher. Dr. Rimma took us to see the music room where we spent most of our visitation time with Noah. It now has a model yurt, a stage with flowing pink curtains, and new festive curtains on the windows. The piano is gone, but the boombox remains. John, the red chairs are all gone. Do you suppose someone could have been too rough on them!

It turned rainy in the afternoon so we had an indoor visit with the children. Zarina came in first and enjoyed a few minutes of lap time alone with Mama. We worked a jigsaw puzzle and watched a slide show of our recent photos put to music. The children do love watching themselves. Valentina was back with us today and the girls were very happy with that. They are not as comfortable with the guy translator. The snack of the day was a box of Twixels, which are really skinny Twix bars. We were just getting into a game of Uno when the caretaker came back for the children. Some days the time really flies. Rinat reminded us before we left that he surely did like those doughnuts yesterday. I think that is as close as he has gotten to actually asking us for something. Maybe we can find some more tomorrow morning. This place could use a Krispy Kreme!

Thursday, May 18, 2006 (more photos)

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

They really know how to start the day off here with a good breakfast. We had cucumber, potato, tomato, and egg salad chased by a cup of tea. Then we took in a movie (okay we watched a DVD) before heading out for a long walk around town. Stopped in one of our favorite shops called Smak on the way back to the hotel and picked up a snack lunch. Valentina dropped by to introduce us to our substitute translator, Urah. He is a nice young man who grew up in the village where the orphanage is. His summer plans include a trip to the US to study and work in Indiana. We don’t have a lot of info to share on that state. It was starting to cloud up by the time we made the trip so we opted for indoor play. The children were quiet this afternoon. Rinat seemed very tired and the girls were a bit wary of Urah. The Leapster was a big hit with Zarina and she did well with the color and alphabet games. We’re trying to sneak in a little learning when they least suspect it! Rinat showed his artistic side with his painting of a dom (home) beside a Birch tree (Petro is famous for the Birch forest). Notice that when he was asked to sign it, he chose to write his name in English. Sholpan made a mystery painting that she would not show us. Our bag of tricks is starting to run out of new things to do. Of course, we could not let a day go by without a few rounds of cards. Both Crazy 8’s and Hearts were played. Rinat can play cards while simultaneously playing with a computer game! He did not want to waste time on just one thing! The rain came just us we got back to town. Which interestingly we realized is only about eight miles from the village. We have been trying to pronounce the name of the village all week. It is Arkhangelskaya and it does not flow well out of an English speaking mouth. It is just a matter of “you can’t get from here to there” without taking the scenic 35-minute route. Something about a river and a bridge (sounds a lot like Richmond).

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

The weather was beautiful today so our entire visit was spent on the playground. Good thing too since a visiting educational committee was taking up most of the space inside. We pumped up some balls we had brought and played so hard one of them popped! The children enjoyed a banana while Keith was inflating. They laughed at the way I peeled a banana and told me I did it upside down. Valentina says that here bananas are peeled from the end opposite the stem. The kids had a great time throwing, kicking, and heading the ball. Some of the other children joined us for a game of soccer until Rinat decided that perhaps we should play something that required Keith’s attention to be more on him. The boys brought out the Traffic game and played until their brains ached. The girls made necklaces with me and spelled their names in beads. A couple of their friends joined us. They had never seen alphabet beads. They were a novelty to Valentina as well so she made a necklace for her daughter. Rinat actually sounded out Susan from my necklace. Hopefully, this means he will transition easily to our alphabet! He is definitely eager to learn. Mamba were handed out to disperse the crowd that gathered and Keith and Rinat got in a few hands of Crazy 8 before time to pack up. Rinat remains the champ! It was fun to see the children laughing and playing together outside. The girls are renewing their sisterly bond and are giggly together. Rinat watches out for both of them and makes sure they are happy. When our coordinator was here yesterday she formally asked each child what their decision was about joining us. Thankfully, they each said they wanted to come home with us!

Monday, May 15, 2006

Another really cold day forced us to stay in. Starting to wish we had brought a heavier jacket! Our visit was a little short today. Rain made the trip out to the Ark longer than usual. Of course, we are not allowed to stay past 5:00 so we made the best of what time we had. We started a cool glitter art project and then played Yahtzee while enjoying some Mamba (sort of like Starburst). It seems dice are fine, just not cards. Go figure. The children showed us their math skills by adding and multiplying the numbers on the dice. Zarina says math is her favorite subject and it shows. Rinat was very disappointed that we did not have time for a round of Crazy 8. We promised to try again tomorrow. Didn’t take many pictures today. Rinat did debut a new outfit to at least vary the photo a bit. Svetlana, our coordinator, dropped by our room on her way out of town and said we had to give her the names for the children’s court papers. She let us have about 60 seconds to decide! Rinat has decided to keep his name so it was really just middle names to choose. Forced to make a decision we came up with Rinat Brawner (Keith’s maternal great-grandmother), Sholpan Isabel (an Americanized version of their current last name, Isabekova) and Zarina Faith (which Lucy has been calling her along).

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Our schedule was different today since it was Sunday. We got to the Ark just as they were getting breakfast ready. Zarina was on kitchen duty and it was fun to watch her set the table and giggle with her friend every time they looked at us. Her caretaker let her sit and eat first so she could change for our visit. It was the first time we had seen her hair out of braids. It is almost down to her waist. The others came down with their group and inhaled some food so they could join us. Today we were sent to a common area upstairs for our visit. It was much too cold to be outside. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate soon and we can get to spend some time in more active play with them outdoors. Zarina’s buddies kept coming to the door and calling to her. She tried to shoo them away. When I asked what they wanted Valentina said the girls were calling her to come with them so they could make her hair beautiful for us. I gave them some M&Ms and they scurried away. Zarina let me comb her hair and give her French braids. She then added some of her new hair clips. Sholpan drew pictures for me while I braided. Sholpan then wanted hers done. That girl has got some thick hair! Her braid was solid. Meanwhile, Keith and Rinat kept busy playing Traffic. Rinat is a strategic thinker and quickly advanced to the higher level games. Since we seemed to be alone out came the Heart cards! It is nice to have something to do that does not require too much communication. Rinat won more often than not. Everyone enjoyed the games win or lose. The children tried the small camera and took some of today’s pictures for us. They really thought that was cool stuff. Oh no, time to go. No tea today. Director Sandi was caught off guard by our early arrival! Besides she was busy telling the children where to plant potatoes. The older groups of children have spent the last couple of days digging holes to plant the garden for food for the winter. Director Sandi says it is “gardening therapy”. I think it is free labor. She loaned some of the kids to older village ladies that can’t dig their own gardens. Actually, they did look like they were having a pretty good time.

After our visit we hurried to the hotel to get Kim for her visit at the baby house. Then we had a nice lunch at the Slavic Restaurant before Valentina had to head to the airport to fetch a new couple from Silver Springs. We had a nice walk to the hotel through the park and did a little shopping. When Kim finished her visit Valentina’s husband, Andrei (yes, John, the mystery man in the flesh) came and accompanied us to the Museum of Nature and History. Andrei is a teacher of English and history in a local school. The museum is newly built and very nice. It would probably make more sense if we could read all of the placards, but it was enjoyable. It relied heavily on taxidermy and bones.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

It was a good day! We had breakfast this morning with some other Americans that are in various stages of adopting. Our translator then took Kim (from Canada) and us to exchange money and to the market for goodies to share at the orphanage as well as a few needed items. (Like a Pepsi Light for Susan. No one should have to meet their new mother when she is in caffeine withdrawal!) We dropped Kim at the babyhouse and went to lunch with Oleg (our driver) and Valentina (translator) at the pizza parlor. Then back to the hotel to wait for school to be over so we could visit the children. Thanks to all of you movie-loaners out there we have a good way to waste an hour and a half!  The time finally arrived and we made the 35-minute trip out to “the village” filled with excitement tinged with a bit of fear. Upon our arrival Zarina was brought to us again wearing an outfit we had sent her several months ago along with the necklace her Virginia sisters made. We visited with her while the social worker and coordinator went over details on the new arrivals. They were moved to “the Ark” where Zarina resides this morning. I gave Zarina a Magna Doodle to play with and she looked up, grinned and quickly wrote “mama” on it and handed it to me, as if she didn’t already have me won over! We drew some pictures together and questioned her as to her reunion with her brother and sister. She commented, “They seem taller”. I guess 5 years will do that to you. The psychologist fetched us and led us into the “relaxation room”. It has mats on the floor, several huge beanbags, a fake aquarium, cool lights, boom box, and don’t forget the disco ball. In the midst of our amazement over this room in walked Sholpan and Rinat. She very timidly smiled at us as he ushered her in. They are just as beautiful as their little sister! She seems shy and he protective and inquisitive. He quickly asked the translator what was going on and who were we. She introduced us and filled them in on our purpose. He announced that he and Sholpan would love to come to America, but this time they were not going anywhere without Zarina. It was quite touching. He is very much a young gentleman. When given cookies he gave them to the girls first and then they all sat there just holding the cookie. I asked if maybe it was not a kind of cookie they liked and the answer was we won’t eat until Mama tells us to eat. Rinat asked to see the computer and pictures of home. His eyes were like saucers! He told the translator that it was like something out of a fairytale. We learned that he turned 14 in March but is only in 5th grade due to earlier circumstances. He seems very sharp and is quite small so he should be fine to start middle school next year. Sholpan turned 12 on May 1. She is strikingly beautiful with unbelievable eyelashes and dimples. She is also in 5th grade and likes to play basketball. Her build is very petite and she seems very ladylike. Zarina was glad to see them again, but we all noticed she seemed a bit sad to lose her “center of attention” status! After seeing all of our photos of family, home and friends, they agreed that they would like to have this family and a new life. Rinat added that he wants to change his name if we don’t mind and that they all promise to try very hard to learn English and to be good so we don’t have to worry. They all seem wonderful to us. A bell rang and Zarina said they must go to do “home chores”. They gave us each a tentative hug and off they went. We had given Zarina the rest of the bag of cookies to share with her group and had to laugh when she saw the director coming and she quickly tucked the cookies and Magna Doodle under a towel as if she feared they would be confiscated! I hope she isn’t hiding those cookies under the bed! Once the director spied us she insisted that we could not make the drive back to town without a cup of tea. Of course, the cup of tea turned out to be four cups of tea, apples, candy, cookies, homemade pastries and magnificent potato turnovers. She called this a little snack! Then she made us a doggie bag to take to the hotel for later. They are very flattering with all of the attention. Apparently, Zarina has already bragged that she is getting new parents and they are beautiful! At least today there were no Cognac toasts. We were obliged to take part in the ritual yesterday and after so many hours of travel and no sleep it maybe was not the best idea! (Don’t worry John, no one threw up on our pants! What a relief for Valentina as she is still looking for the man who did it to you.) Tomorrow we will go to the Ark and have a conference with the doctor and director and go over the children’s history and try to learn as much as we can about their past. We end this day with great happiness. The meeting was much easier on all of us than we had feared. What amazing children to have their lives turned upside down and still be so trusting. We can not even imagine what must be going through their minds tonight.

We Have Arrived

We finally made it to Petro after 2 days and 5 plane rides. We went to visit Zarina and things went well. She is very sweet and also very shy but she knows how to smile for the camera.

She has older siblings who we will meet soon.