Our first day in KZ (by Brent)

View from our apartment

We woke up to a very pleasant morning in Almaty, Kazakhstan. After a relaxing breakfast of Cliff Bars and instant coffee (mmmmmm), our driver Gulnara, picked us up and took us to the agency office downtown where we did preliminary paperwork and reviewed the process from here on out.

Lunch at a Kaz food court.
(Yes, that is an iceskating rink
 in the background!)

Afterwards, before we came back to the apartment we did some grocery shopping in a mall nearby and ate at a Greek place in the food court. Now we’re back at a little internet café near our apartment building, making a few entries on the blog and checking email before we fall asleep on our feet (not quite adjusted to the 11 hour difference here on the other side of the world).

Although we are doing surprisingly familiar things like eating at food courts and emailing at internet cafes, there is really no question that we are not in Missouri anymore. Food items cost hundreds of the local denomination (Tenge), which takes getting used to; people mostly expect Russian to come out of our mouths when we speak; and there are onion shaped domes atop some of the apartment buildings. 

I pulled out a map when we were landing here and reminded myself, too, that I am now staying in a place which is far closer to Kabul, Afghanistan than St. Louis is to New York City. It really is the other side of the world. So far, a very good adventure.

And the adventure has just begun: at our meeting this morning the agency informed us that we will be hopping on a plane to Kokshetau, KZ bright and early tomorrow morning. This is the city where we will spend most of our time, and where the facility we will be visiting daily is located. After a meeting with the doctor in charge of the children and another with the local governing body that oversees child welfare, we will be able to start spending time with our children!

Next stop, Kokshetau. See you there.