Day Five

Today we started our new visitation schedule and were at the Delfin Baby Home by 9:00 AM. With Bruce's help, Carrie fed Julia porriage and apple sauce with a spoon. Though not graceful, the task was accomplished! Our new American friends lent us their camera so we now have some preliminary "Julia Photos" that we will attempt to post. You'll see how easy it was for us to fall in love with her! As usual, our time together was too short.

We returned to the hotel (checked for email and blog comments!) and headed out in -10 F temps under clear blue skys to the outdoor mall. It is simply fantastic! Thousands of cloth coverred stalls, not unlike the boardwalk, only packed side by side and overflowing with themed isles of merchandize from cloth to children's clothing to electronics, food and fur pelts! The venders, many of them farmers, are layerred in wool and fur, their faces chisled by exposure to extreme Kazak temperatures. Each face tells a story. Today, the ice and snow made walking difficult but no one was deterred. Soon, we are told, the mud will come. We are continuallly amazed at how stylishly the people of Kostanai are dressed.

After stopping at the "Gros", or supermarket for a few supplies, we came back to the Medeo Hotel to meet up with the two other American families and our Guide, Olyssa, for a celebratory luncheon. This afternoon, Laura and Brett Watrous were granted priliminary adoption rights here in Kostanai and will now return to Virginia to wait for their finalization. They have been here a month and have been very helpful in orienting us to the culture of Kazakhstan. We will miss them. We DID however have one of the best meals of our lives repleat with Kabobs, pickle soup, spicy beef noodles, a cubed tomato with garlic and ham salad and beer #6. Everything is seasoned with dill so the flavor is even more unusual.

Tomorrow we plan to walk to the river to watch the ice fisherman. Though spring we're told is coming, we're still hoping to experience a major snowstorm! Friday we're planning a group excursion to the indoor waterpark! So stay tuned and please keep your comments and emails coming! Let us know on the blog if you are having difficulty reaching us via email at bjqmiller@gmail.com. We send you smiles across the miles and always are love, Carrie and Bruce XOXO