(Suzanne) We thought we would let you in on our typical day. We wake up and go downstairs where we order breakfast. Most of the waitresses don’t speak English, so this is always an adventure. We have learned enough Russian to order food. Nikolai is terrific at learning Russian. We ask our translator how to say things, but then Dave and I usually forget how to say it by the time we need it. Not Nikolai, he can hear how to say something once, then he remembers how to use the word 4 days later. I’m not sure it’s because of his amazing memory or if he actually remembers Russian for the first 14 months of his life.
After breakfast, one of us goes to the baby home for the morning while the other stays with Nikolai for “school”. Nikolai has terrific first grade teachers at his private school, Palmerdale United Methodist church, who have put together lesson plans (Thanks Laura and Jill!). I have always thought they did an amazing job, but now I respect them more than ever! Nikolai has been a great student despite his two substitute teachers this month. Nikolai is really missing school. His teachers and classmates gave him special notes to read every day while we’re gone. I cry every time we read one of them. Our room is decorated with ALL of them! It has really helped with the homesickness which seems to grow worse the longer we are here. We love Nikolai’s school and are so lucky to have all the wonderful people who work and go to school there. We love all of you.
The short ride to the baby home is a lot of fun. We ride with a driver who only speaks Russian, a wonderful couple from Spain named Jaime (pronounced HI-MEE) and Anna who only speak Spanish, and a translator named Irena who speaks Russian, Spanish and some English. We have really enjoyed our time with Jaime and Anna. Somehow, I can’t say how, we understand each other and seem to have the same silly sense of humor. When we visit our baby, we share a playroom with them when they visit their 4 year old daughter. I never expected to learn Spanish while in Kazakhstan, but I have learned a good deal! We are always laughing with Jaime and Anna. One afternoon Nikolai went to a railroad museum with them-an afternoon with no English !
Around lunchtime we usually go out to eat somewhere and run errands like going to the grocery store, buying baby clothes, etc. or we’ll go for walks. We share our primary translator Valentina with a couple from Cape Cod, named Tom and Kristin. Tom and Kristin are adopting boy and girl bio siblings age 2 and 4.
We eat always eat supper at our hotel. The Russian food is VERY good .Then we check e-mails, play UNO with others, and find some way to pass the time. After getting the hotel bill for laundry, we decided we could wash our own clothes in the sink and hang them on the heat registers.
While most people here don’t speak English, they appreciate it and help us along when we attempt to speak Russian. Nikolai has become the mascot for the hotel, and the pretty young women who work here are always bringing him gifts. He may have trouble getting back into the real world when we get home!
After breakfast, one of us goes to the baby home for the morning while the other stays with Nikolai for “school”. Nikolai has terrific first grade teachers at his private school, Palmerdale United Methodist church, who have put together lesson plans (Thanks Laura and Jill!). I have always thought they did an amazing job, but now I respect them more than ever! Nikolai has been a great student despite his two substitute teachers this month. Nikolai is really missing school. His teachers and classmates gave him special notes to read every day while we’re gone. I cry every time we read one of them. Our room is decorated with ALL of them! It has really helped with the homesickness which seems to grow worse the longer we are here. We love Nikolai’s school and are so lucky to have all the wonderful people who work and go to school there. We love all of you.
The short ride to the baby home is a lot of fun. We ride with a driver who only speaks Russian, a wonderful couple from Spain named Jaime (pronounced HI-MEE) and Anna who only speak Spanish, and a translator named Irena who speaks Russian, Spanish and some English. We have really enjoyed our time with Jaime and Anna. Somehow, I can’t say how, we understand each other and seem to have the same silly sense of humor. When we visit our baby, we share a playroom with them when they visit their 4 year old daughter. I never expected to learn Spanish while in Kazakhstan, but I have learned a good deal! We are always laughing with Jaime and Anna. One afternoon Nikolai went to a railroad museum with them-an afternoon with no English !
Around lunchtime we usually go out to eat somewhere and run errands like going to the grocery store, buying baby clothes, etc. or we’ll go for walks. We share our primary translator Valentina with a couple from Cape Cod, named Tom and Kristin. Tom and Kristin are adopting boy and girl bio siblings age 2 and 4.
We eat always eat supper at our hotel. The Russian food is VERY good .Then we check e-mails, play UNO with others, and find some way to pass the time. After getting the hotel bill for laundry, we decided we could wash our own clothes in the sink and hang them on the heat registers.
While most people here don’t speak English, they appreciate it and help us along when we attempt to speak Russian. Nikolai has become the mascot for the hotel, and the pretty young women who work here are always bringing him gifts. He may have trouble getting back into the real world when we get home!
(Nikolai) i have 5 rubels (Russian money !!!!!) and 250 TENGE (Kazakh money)
(Suzanne) Nikolai earned 250 tenge from helping me with the laundry (thats about 2 dollars). He received the 5 rubles (about 15 cents) as a gift from the lady at the front desk.
