In today's New York Times, there was an article - about baby talk crossing cultural lines,and I was reassured that although I am learning my Russian it will be minimal at best - my baby just needs to hear baby talk voice and will be responsive and understand.
Research from this study showed that baby talk in any language can be universally understood. "This is the first empirical demonstration that in a nonliterate, nonindustrialized indigenous culture, people are able to recognize meaning in a language they do not speak...There is variability across cultures in how much people talk to babies, but when they do, they tend to sound very much alike".
Perfect timing for us - we've heard how quickly children pick up a new language and this helps confirm that - maybe we'll lay off the Russian lessons a little.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Expecting
I just realized that it is 6 months from the time we signed with the agency to hearing about what region we will travel to - and looking forward can anticipate being home in 3 months from now with our daughter. A 9 month process.......hmm familiar and very similar in feelings. My father actually said to me, that I was carrying really well and I laughed and thought that in this stage of expecting I was looking and feeling good. I know I can't help myself feeling bubbly with excitement for all this crazy travel and adventure to find our child.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Arkalyk
Here's a description of Arkalyk from the town's home page:
The city is located in the steppe of central Kazakhstan and is surrounded by man-made hills of tailings, an immediate sign that this is a mining community. Like many other areas in Kazakhstan, the Arkalyk region is surrounded by natural resources. Trees are very rare and resources are not so obvious . . . there is coal underground and fish in the rivers.
Arkalyk suffers from its remote location, far from the centers of Kazakhstan, the airport is inoperative now and next large city is 15 hours away by train. The bauxite mining operation remains the city's largest employer of citizens even though the raw material is shipped to a different city for processing into aluminum.
A city of miners, of regional administrators, and people excited to live in a regional center. Perhaps it is like many cities in the former Soviet Union, with an identity crisis developed through the self-destruction of the communist state. But through the transition many people have remained, and the Arkalyk region is home to about 40,000 people.
Sometimes it becomes more pleasant to remember the role of the city in the past, the so-called "space port" of the Soviet/Russian space programs. Cosmonauts returning from their missions landed near Arkalyk, and special recovery teams would rush into the steppe and bring them to their hero's welcome in Arkalyk.
Not all of Arkalyk's good times are in the past. The people are real and continue to breathe life into the city and often speak of the past but continue to work as best they can for the future.
The city is located in the steppe of central Kazakhstan and is surrounded by man-made hills of tailings, an immediate sign that this is a mining community. Like many other areas in Kazakhstan, the Arkalyk region is surrounded by natural resources. Trees are very rare and resources are not so obvious . . . there is coal underground and fish in the rivers.
Arkalyk suffers from its remote location, far from the centers of Kazakhstan, the airport is inoperative now and next large city is 15 hours away by train. The bauxite mining operation remains the city's largest employer of citizens even though the raw material is shipped to a different city for processing into aluminum.
A city of miners, of regional administrators, and people excited to live in a regional center. Perhaps it is like many cities in the former Soviet Union, with an identity crisis developed through the self-destruction of the communist state. But through the transition many people have remained, and the Arkalyk region is home to about 40,000 people.
Sometimes it becomes more pleasant to remember the role of the city in the past, the so-called "space port" of the Soviet/Russian space programs. Cosmonauts returning from their missions landed near Arkalyk, and special recovery teams would rush into the steppe and bring them to their hero's welcome in Arkalyk.
Not all of Arkalyk's good times are in the past. The people are real and continue to breathe life into the city and often speak of the past but continue to work as best they can for the future.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
We got the call
Friday 4:30pm the agency called to say that it looks like our dossier will be chosen to go to a particular region in Kaz and there are a few children there for us to see with some assorted details and that she will know more and we'll talk again in a week when our caseworker comes back from her vacation. WOW! It was a lot of info and yet very little in the scheme of things, so there I was off and running into the www abyss to find out anything I could on this region.
I am not completely at liberty to discuss the details until it is completely final.
first I should start with this is probably the most remote area in Kazakhstan that could have been chosen for one of the most cosmopolitan couples. The only way to get to this area is once we arrive in country to take a 15 hour train out there. That is after we have taken 3 flights to get us to the country. The journey truly begins......I love the idea of a train ride, as long as I can see some country side before night fall. I will have more details on travel next week.
I have been able to talk to some other families and hope to get as familiar with what to expect as possible. I have heard the children are really well cared for and mostly healthy. I just can't wait for more details so we can book our flights. Tom is also in the process of figuring out how on earth he can stay connected to work with only a dial up line and no internet cafes to be found. There aren't any hotels either for that matter, we will be staying in an apartment and have someone cook all of our meals. More details on location later.
I am not completely at liberty to discuss the details until it is completely final.
first I should start with this is probably the most remote area in Kazakhstan that could have been chosen for one of the most cosmopolitan couples. The only way to get to this area is once we arrive in country to take a 15 hour train out there. That is after we have taken 3 flights to get us to the country. The journey truly begins......I love the idea of a train ride, as long as I can see some country side before night fall. I will have more details on travel next week.
I have been able to talk to some other families and hope to get as familiar with what to expect as possible. I have heard the children are really well cared for and mostly healthy. I just can't wait for more details so we can book our flights. Tom is also in the process of figuring out how on earth he can stay connected to work with only a dial up line and no internet cafes to be found. There aren't any hotels either for that matter, we will be staying in an apartment and have someone cook all of our meals. More details on location later.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
The big decision......
Everyone keeps asking us about the process of choosing our child once we get to the orphanage and how on earth does one do that. We chose to go this route and embrace the idea. I do believe what is meant to be will be and we will just feel it in our hearts, that is why I am trying to be very zen about the process and look forward to that day. This waiting game is the hardest but the unknown always is - so therefore, I take a deep breath and just know we will meet our daughter shortly.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Post Placement Reports
There are conflicting reports about particular regions being closed down because of a fairly new ruling that families who adopt children from Kazakhstan must comply with a post placement report until the child reaches 18 years old. We have already paid in advance for the initial four year reports with our home study agency. This was a required document in our dossier. Because this is a new requirement there are families that have adopted in the recent past that are either not aware of this ruling or do not feel this applies to them.
What is most unfortunate is that there are children waiting to be placed in loving homes and families like ourselves that are anxiously awaiting this opportunity and we are being held up by this process.
This is an e-mail from the Embassy about Karaganda...
"Karaganda region is closed since spring of 2007 due to the missing
post-placement reports about the previously adopted children. The
Embassy is working on contacting the adoptive parents and the
adoption agency to obtain the missing reports. Kazakhstani
authorities promise to open the region only after all the reports are
submitted."
Best regards,
Consular Section
U.S. Embassy Astana, Kazakhstan
I hope that other regions do not close their doors as well, and that Karaganda can accumulate the needed post placements to open the process up again so we can be invited to bring our child home.
What is most unfortunate is that there are children waiting to be placed in loving homes and families like ourselves that are anxiously awaiting this opportunity and we are being held up by this process.
This is an e-mail from the Embassy about Karaganda...
"Karaganda region is closed since spring of 2007 due to the missing
post-placement reports about the previously adopted children. The
Embassy is working on contacting the adoptive parents and the
adoption agency to obtain the missing reports. Kazakhstani
authorities promise to open the region only after all the reports are
submitted."
Best regards,
Consular Section
U.S. Embassy Astana, Kazakhstan
I hope that other regions do not close their doors as well, and that Karaganda can accumulate the needed post placements to open the process up again so we can be invited to bring our child home.
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