Get me to the church on time!

We went to a Russian Orthodox Church down the street. It was a sight to see. I know more about Islam than I do about Russian Othodoxy but I did recognize the art. Bon and Olyesa lit a candle and said a prayer, about what I don't know. in Bonnie's case it was either for the health of Alexei or hope that she does not have to kill me before we get out of Kazakhstan.
We have never spent this much time alone together and there are good things about that and bad things about that. It has brought us closer together and we have also gotten on eachother's nerves at times. Lesson learned...for us some space is healthy, but we can also operate as a team when we have to...very important.
On our way out of the church we met the priest pictured . What a face, fantastic.

Mem Park Pic

Here's an interesting picture of the Memorial Park. It is larger than life and speaks for itself.

The Market

The market was very interesting. It reminded me of the choked streets and alleys of Mosul or perhaps Morocco. At one point the girls (Bonnie and Olyesa) lost me as I was taking pictures and just gawking. One of the most striking sights was the meats and fish. First we walked through the meat area where each vendor had their provisions just laid out on tables next to one another. All I could think of was how FDA would freak out at the sight. There was Mutton, Beef, and ...yes Trigger (horse) just liad out without refrigeration. All ver fresh mind you but it had to have been there for hours...need I say more..."I'll have mine well done please."

Just outside was this man playing traditional Russian music on an organ. Great stuff. Beats the pots and pan man on Chestnut Street.

Speaking of fresh, the fish were still alive and flopping about. If they jump off the table (which they often do) they are just hustled back onto the table. I guess once you clean and cook them it doesn't make that much of a difference, but it was still something I have not seen before. All fresh water varieties obviously.

Light at the end of the tunnel

Well the court date has been set for next Tuesday. This came after much “sturm und drang” and waiting. With all the changes it was very frustrating but things are OK and it looks like we may be able to fly on the 11th of NOV if we can get a final court date late next week.

Now that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel we are much more at ease. I (Jeff) am still going a little crazy but we have been doing our best to keep busy. The new couple we met John and Jen from Alabama are going to take Roxanna and there are 2 new couples arriving tomorrow morning. The Abrams' are also arriving to pick up Nora. Then another arrives on Sunday. Then Tuesday Sherry (Uncle Mike & his sister Sherry from another agency) is arriving on Tuesday.

All this activity is coming as a welcome relief to days and weeks of …not much going on. It will also give us lots of company in the final days in Kostani. I don’t think we will return here for our pick up. We are planning to go to Almaty and have Alexei brought to us there. This really simplifies the flight arrangements and departure coordination since there are many more flights from Almaty than Kostani.

We have chosen to stay 1 night in Frankfurt on our way home. If we changed our arrangements and tried to do it in one day it means $800+ more and we arrive at JFK instead of Phila Int’l. We will also be more rested this way so we won’t need days of recovery (hopefully) when we get back.

My Russian is getting much better. I can hold minimal conversations (greetings, etc) and order food. However sometimes I miss something in the translation and get a surprise meal. Not to worry, I have come to like “nravitsa” the national soup called “slyanka.”

We are both healthy but tired and eager to get home. It’s been a long haul with many ups and downs, twists and turns.

Dr Blackman (Sam and Julie) are leaving this weekend to go home to Boston. We will miss them until we see them again in Phila. Sam is an amateur photographer and took (and had framed here) an amazing picture of Alexei and gave it to us. It sits proudly on our desk in the hotel room.

The weather is still pretty moderate here so we've been trying to get out each day. A few days ago we went to the open air market. What a treat that was. It was like an outdoor Pennsauken Mart (for those of you that remember that) but a lot more crowded. Most of the goods are from China and not really of great quality. We did get some traditional gifts for family and friends however.

We also visited a Russian Orthodox Church, which was a very nice. Bon and Olyesa lit candles and on the way out we met up with the priest (I forget what they call them in Russ Ortho).

The road outside the Dolphin House is almost complete, the progress of which has been our daily benchmark.

Well that’s all for now. Yes here are some pics and vids for you all to enjoy. We’re looking forward to seeing all of you upon our return. I will try and do one more post before we leave.

I will keep the blog up and running until we have him home after the 2nd trip…and maybe thereafter. This is a great way to keep everyone up to date.