Visit Day 11: Ever Had One of Those Days?

Ever had one of those days when everything makes you unhappy? Even the things you usually really enjoy? Jesse had one of those days today. He's either teething or has a little cold (or both). After a lot of persuading he finally decided to take a nap, just what he needed.


While Jesse fussed, Evelyn had her own fun with all the toys to herself. When Jesse woke up and managed to find a toy he could be happy with, Evelyn decided it must be the perfect toy and tried to get a hold of it.

Not only is Evelyn very focused, but she's also good with her hands. She has little trouble grabbing whatever she decides she wants, especially if her brother has it. Fortunately, Jesse seems pretty willing to share. Evelyn, on the other hand has a much stronger sense of ownership, often pulling all the within reach to herself.

Don't even think about taking this bunny!

After we left the twins today, we asked our interpreter, who grew up in Kokshetau, if she would show us some places we wouldn't see by walking around our little corner of town. We took a car ride around the south edge of town and saw all the summer cottages where families spend the warm months when school is out, and around to the West side where we got a nice view of the whole place. As you can see, Kokshetau sits on the edge of a large lake, a really picturesque location from our vantage point up on this overlook.

Out on the edge of the overlook there is a bush covered with ribbons. Our interpreter said the ribbons represent people's wishes.
We also saw a very new mosque out on the south edge of town, and this reminds me of a correction I should make to an earlier post. Based on the info I had available I had previously told you that this country's population is about half Muslim and half Russian Orthodox. Talking to people here, I realize now that these figures are out of date. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union there's been a significant exodus of ethnic Russians (who are mostly Orthodox) from the country, the remaining population is now a greater proportion of ethnic Kazakhs and other groups (who are mostly Muslim). So, a better estimate says that the current population is about 2/3 Muslim.


Here's the answer key to the signs in my post from yesterday:

1. Dentist
2. Auto Part and Repair Shop
3. Cafe/Bar
4. Pizza Parlor
5. Market (Convenience Store)
6. Optometrist
7. Flower Shop (Called "Orchid")
8. Video Rental
9. ATM and Currency Exchange