A Bit of Culture

Okay, quick without looking how many of you can now spell the name of this country? It’s not that difficult. Can you tell someone where it is located? Some other interesting fact besides the lame ones I have included in the blog?!? You can always click on the side panel link that says Kazakhstan and it will take you to the C.I.A.’s World Factbook which is really a great resource on all countries. Today was our official 13^th day of visits and so after tomorrow we can move on the next phase of adoption and paperwork – Yeah Us!

It seems each day that Joseph comes into the room in the morning he has a bigger and bigger smile on his face! As Terry, Sue, Vinnie and Charlie pointed out in a comment recently, I too am concerned about Laura. I am not sure her smile muscles will ever recover – I guess that is good for me when I goof up at home! Today was no different as he entered the room beaming at us. It is a great feeling for sure. One of the first things he looks for is his bumble bee teething toy. It was probably the first thing we offered him when we first arrived so we keep it handy and as a positive and comfortable association with us. Laura, ever the school psychologist, is great at using all of these tricks to make him comfortable and I am sure all of the things she has put into place will make the transition from the baby home all the easier for him. If you look closely at the photo you can see that Mr. Joseph is sporting two bottom teeth! Yes they are very cute but perhaps would not be so cute if you were to see the scene that followed this photo. He dropped the bumble bee and decided that Dad’s finger would do just fine. I thought it was fine too until I felt those chompers – man, he really has been training those jaw muscles and like a puppy those teeth are honed! I will not be falling for that substitution trick anytime soon. At the end of our morning session Olga (II or “big Olga”) stopped by and said she would be putting together our paperwork for court! She is thinking that we will go to pre-court on Monday and then real court on Wednesday. We would normally be going on Tuesday but it is Victory Day here and so the courts are closed. This is really great news as we are truly moving ahead! Well, it was time to go and we said “see ya” to Joseph.

This morning we decided that we would like to go to the museum in town and get some Kazakh culture! Although small it was very nice and was a history museum with exhibits depicting life in Kazakhstan before Christ all the way up to today. Kazakhstan has a rich history and very diverse which is due in part to its size and so many things have occurred in different areas. Most known to the world is that Almaty was a stop on the Silk Road but that is not to say that the rest of Kazakhstan has not been full of history too. The Kazakhstan people were originally nomadic and lived in Yurts which are quite impressive structures. Some of them depicted in photographs in the museum would have been about 10-15 feet tall and at least the same around if not larger. They would be similar to a Native American tee-pee but round instead of pointed. They too were temporary structures and would be move with the people to a new location. The first photo here is of a traditional Kazakhstan robe which is just beautiful. You can not truly appreciate the workmanship of the stitching until you see it up close. One of the other well known facts about Kazakhstan is the love of the people for the horse. They are excellent horseman and the horse figures predominately in their traditions – from games to even food. The museum had many examples of wonderfully decorated – jeweled – saddles which were used by famous soldiers from Kazakhstan. In addition to many saddles there were many examples of shields that were used in battle. You can see in the photo that the shield is ornate in design and in the middle is horse hair. Besides the nomads and warriors, the museum had exhibits of Kazakh writers, artists and musicians. I think we got it right by saying that the dobra is the national instrument of Kazakhstan. Their version of this instrument appears to be more slender than the ones I have seen used in country music but the name is essentially the same. On the way out of the museum they had many examples of boiled wool tapestries which adored the walls and were very colorful.

Our afternoon session was great. We got Joseph all bundled up and headed out to the playground. We thought we would include a photo of the playground equipment so you can see what a nice area they have for all the kids. There are several areas but you can see here one of the larger pieces of equipment made by Little Tykes. We have seen kids of all ages running around, going down the slide, climbing ladders and there is even a built in kiddie piano on the far side of the whole thing. As you know Joseph is a bit small for all of this but he loves watching kids running around on it and also having Dad carry him on top so he can look around. Next to this area is a swing set and then a bit further over two structures which provide shade for the permanent playpens underneath. Often in the morning we will see some of the caregivers sitting out there with some of the infants to give them so outdoor exposure. It is really a pleasant area. Although we were having a good time outdoors, we wanted to get back indoors to have our music time and yes, to get out Neil Diamond!

It really seems that Joseph loves music. Once we get him in take off his coat, we get him on the blanket and start up his CD player. When that music starts – stand back from those legs and arms! He starts kicking his legs and swinging his arms like crazy! He smiles and laughs – the limbs pause – and then they are off again! To be honest Laura and I have a good time with the music as well and as it is just us – we actually sing out loud too! We figure that English sounds weird to Joseph at this point so bad English singing can’t be much worse! If it is, he is the kind of crowd every mediocre singer needs to have in their audience because he just smiles and gets right into it! The photo here shows Joseph and his CD player. He is also getting better at sitting up. He does best with controlling side to side movement but can have more problems once he leaves forward past his tip point! All too short again and we have to say good-bye (paka paka) to Joseph.

The only thing we did after our visit was to stop by the bakery to grab something simple for dinner. This is the same bakery we always go to and the same woman behind the counter who gets to be tortured by me and my Russian! Today as I turn the corner she puts her head down, smiles/laughs and says something to her friends. I am hoping that it is a kind laugh – not one of those “here comes the dorky American” kind of laugh. Anyway, after I pay, I turn to leave and give her a hearty “da zavtra!” which means “see you tomorrow!” Her eyes widen, and once again she puts her head into her hands and laughs – it was basically an international “crap!”. That’s about it for now so – DA ZAVTRA!