Day Thirteen and Fourteen

Dancing is truly a universal language! Simply to be on a dance floor with a live band, moving to the rhythms of Russian and Kazak ballads, surrounded by local townspeople will be etched in our memories for years to come! Olyssa gave up her Friday night and, with her three American families, piled into two small cars and drove 30 miles out of Kostanai to a place called "444" but affectionately referred to by us as "the shishkabob-belly dancer place." What a time we all had! We arrived at 8:00 PM and closed the place after midnight. And the food just kept on coming! Between courses of fresh vegatables, skewered meat with delectible barbecue sauces, bread baskets, rice dishes, pickled tomatos, peppers and pickles, wine, water, beer and vodka, we danced and were entertained by amazing belly dancers and performers! It exceeded our wildest expectations and we salute Olyssa who is ensuring that our time spent here inn Kazakhstan is not only poignant but enjoyable, educational, culturally informative and comfortable. Julia comes from a very rich heritage!

We arrived at the Baby House before Julie awoke and we surprised her by greeting her at her crib to which she responded with a characteristically brilliant smile! What a cutie! She is still a little congested but doesn't seem bothered by it. "Dad" took more pictures. "Mom" fed her breakfast and the three os us played for over an hour. Time with Julia always passes too quickly (for us anyway!).

Then, as the day was sunny and warming, we hiked to the distant outdoor market and browsed the stalls, buying Bruce a baseball cap with ear muffs for eight bucks! We walked back to the hotel through "Central Park", still buryed in snow and ice, ate chicken breast sandwiches with cold potatos in our room and took an afternoon nap, preparing to write this blog to you. Tomorrow afternoon we're scheduled for luncing out, followed by a rigorous two hours of indoor ice skating! Austin we miss you! More to follow, so stay tuned and keep your comments and emails coming! We love them! Our love to you there, from us, here... C & B