zaftra = tomorrow
Last night Zema contacted us from Almaty to let us know that we would be going for our visit in the afternoon. Now what do we do with ourselves all morning. We started by sleeping in a little and then did some more laundry. With that all out of the way by 9am we contemplated on what to do until lunch. We were told the next two days were supposed to be nice weather; however, we awoke to overcast skies and no sun. They had the street blocked off out front again due to more rehearsal for the upcoming Victory Day celebration.
We decided to take a walk around town and then pick up some chocolates for Lukas. Right after we left for our walk it began to sprinkle. We headed towards the square to see what they were up to. When we arrived the various military branches were all lined up at the back while a large contingent of couples practiced some form of waltz. It has me really interested in the performance for Saturday. We headed down to the garden walk in the back and checked out what appears to be a memorial garden of some sort. I took pictures of the narratives and will see if I can translate them when I get home.
On the way back we got a closer look at the new apartment buildings going up. From what I can tell of the building process they should be very sound and sound proof. It looks like they start with cinderblock and steel, then apply a brick veneer and follow that with stucco or plaster of some sort. That should make for pretty thick, solid walls. The complex is pretty fancy looking compared to most of the exteriors you see on the buildings.
I’ve noticed while driving back and forth to Umit that it doesn’t seem to matter how expensive your home is, they all tend to have the same drab exterior. A few of the newer single family homes going up are a little more elaborate with ornate walls around them but you will find what look like expensive homes right next door to middle or lower income houses. Most of the homes and buildings are concrete but there are a few brick homes. There appears to be quite a bit of construction going on in Taraz. Some renovations of buildings are taking place as well. I’m curious to see how fast the construction takes place. I’m a little unsure about some of the masonry work I’ve seen; the mortar job isn’t the greatest, but I’m not sure if it is new work or old buildings being renovated. I hope it is the latter.
Over the last few weeks that we have been here we have really seen the city come to life. The plants have grown and started blossoming, festive lights have gone up around town, the outdoor cafes have opened and slowly but surely the fountains around town have come to life.
Well, 2:30 finally rolled around and we waited, and waited, and waited for Kuralt and Janette to show up. Finally at 3pm they came pulling up. Janette took the Docter family in a separate car so we could all go together. It was a race to the baby house. We had them up until the last turn and their driver cut us off at the pass.
We headed to the music room and some of the staff was putting together a huge flower. Since the sun decided to come out we planned on going outside anyway. We waited in the hall for them to bring Lukas Anton down stairs. We stopped him before he could run in and step all over their work. He was quite happy to see his “machina” and bubbles again. He pulled them all out of the bag and headed off with his hands full. We just followed behind to see where he would go. We walked around the building with everything in hand and terrorized the cats and the dog.
We had our usual grumpy, pouty episodes when we didn’t get our way. The photo of the day was one Wayne captured after Lukas Anton threw a big rock in the stream and splashed papa. It’s pretty priceless. During snack time some big boys (upper elementary school age) and Lukas Anton decided he had to show them his toys and treasures. The oldest of the boys appeased him. He had a small, soft ball with him and played soccer and catch with Lukas Anton. He was quite pleased with himself. We got to spend a full 2 hours with him on our last official visit.
Before we left Janette had Aima on the phone to give us the low down. We could continue to visit Lukas Anton and it would be $25/visit for our driver. We will still be without a translator. She mentioned the next 3 days, we aren’t sure if that is Thur, Fri, and Sat or Sunday since the big celebration is on Saturday. We will visit in the afternoon again tomorrow. They still don’t know when our guardianship council will be. Aima said Janette would let us no tomorrow. That is getting to be a recurring theme. We’re just going with the flow and will continue to visit our boy until they send us home or tell us we can’t.
That’s all for today, paka,
Lynda and Wayne
No comments:
Post a Comment