Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Ok…you ladies have to help me with this one….how is it that I have to travel half way around the world to be asked out for a beer by the opposite sex? Explain this to me! Ernur (pronounced Yur (roll the r) nar), the driver who drove me from Almaty to Taraz, was back in Taraz yesterday. He lives in Almaty but serves as a driver for Janette when he is needed. I was just asking Shirin about him yesterday when at 4:30 p.m. there is a knock on my door. I thought it was Kara or Lynda so I jumped up to answer it. To my surprise, it was Shirin and Ernur! He had driven Lynda and Kara et al to pick up their children from Umit. He asked Shirin if I was staying in the hotel and she said yes. He then told her he wanted to visit me. And, he did! I saw him and shook his hand and gave him a hug and asked how he was. He asked me if everything was going well with Alina and I said yes. Then he said he wanted to take me out for a beer sometime. Hello….men of the US OF A!! I can’t even get one of you to look at me much less ask me to have a beer with you! Punks!!! Now, of course, this is all just in the name of friendship. He is a very nice looking man and very sweet. He did call me beautiful though….hmmmmm…..hahahahaha!!!! And today, he was our driver to Umit and back. After visiting Alina, Janette had some paperwork to do inside the orphanage so Shirin, Ernur, and I were outside talking for quite a while. He asked me about prices in America of clothes, food, cigarettes (he is smoker), etc. He asked me if Kazak sugar was like American sugar and was American chocolate different than Kazak chocolate, etc. Lots of chit chat. Then he asked if I was going to be here until September. I said yes and he said that he would like to take me to the swimming pool sometime because he wanted to see me in a bathing suit!!! I WAS LAUGHING MY ASS OFF!!! I was not offended in the least because that’s how Kazak people are…..straight to the point! I told him I don’t even like to see myself in a bathing suit so I was for sure he wasn’t going to. Besides, I didn’t bring one with me. He said I could buy one in a shop here. I just laughed it off. It was a very amusing conversation to say the least.
I went downstairs and out of the hotel to sit on the benches out front as usual to wait for Shirin and Janette this morning. It’s cooler in the shade than it is in my room. Shirin walks up and asks me how I am doing and I ask her the same. I tell her that this spoiled American has to have a room with air conditioning. I said I didn’t mean to be a bother but if I’m staying here another two months I want to be comfortable and I’m not right now. She agreed with me and told me not to worry that I wasn’t complaining at all. When Janette arrived, Shirin told her what I said, spoiled American and all, and Janette went inside to check on a room for me. The room I was in before, 220, and 221 are the only rooms with AC and the Robeys and Kara and her mother are occupying them at the moment. But, they will be leaving this weekend and as soon as they leave, I can have my pick! Thank you Lord Jesus in Heaven!!! Only three to four more days of this awful heat! Just knowing that I get to move to a cooler room makes the room I’m in right now more bearable. Yes, it’s going to cost more but I cannot live in this heat. I’m not getting good enough rest and I feel run down all the time. All I want to do is sleep. I think if I was not so hot, I would feel better.
Today’s visit was ok. It is getting hotter in the mornings here so it’s very warm when I visit Alina. I almost thought of wearing shorts today but didn’t (thank goodness….Ernur might have had a heart attack…teehee!!). I think I most definitely will tomorrow. I could tell there was something not quite right with my baby today. She did greet me with the usual big grin and arms open wide. When I picked her up though, she just laid on my shoulder for the longest time with her tiny little arms around my neck. It’s as if she was very tired at 9:45 in the morning. She was not too interested in playing with anything though that’s not surprising. We walked a little, kicked the ball, stacked some toys, listened to some music, ate cookies, and drank strawberry flavored tea. At one point, Alina had to go potty so I took her upstairs to her playroom to do her business. We went back downstairs and not 10 minutes later she was pulling at her shorts as if she had to go again. I take that as a sign she does so we head back upstairs. We get to the potty room and I try to help her with her pants and she starts protesting. The little stinker didn’t have to go at all. Back downstairs we go and out to the gazebo. A few minutes later, she starts rubbing her tummy and has a sad look on her face. She had passed some very smelly gas earlier and when I saw her rub her belly it hit me….he stomach is upset. I told her to come here in Kazak and she came to me and sat on my knee and just laid her head down on my chest (see pic above). We just sat there for about 10 minutes just rocking back and forth and I rubbed her back. It seemed to sooth her and after a while she was up and playing again. I think the cookies I’ve been feeding her for the last two days are just too rich for my baby right now. So, we are going to lay off of those for the next few days. I found some long, skinny, crunchy bread sticks at the market today and I’m going to take those and just a bottle of water tomorrow. Still a treat but something not as heavy so we can get the tummy straightened out. Mama’s tummy is not feeling so well right not either.
I’m running out of ideas for play with Alina. The toys I have are boring her to tears, me too, so any other ideas anyone has would be welcome.
A nanny came to collect Alina today and she went without hesitation. The nanny told her to say goodbye to me and she did. No tears, no fussing, just a hand wave as if to say, “see ya later Ma” and off she went. Ok kid, see ya tomorrow.
I came back to the hotel and Shirin and Janette came in with me. They had some paperwork to drop off to the Robeys and Kara. I came upstairs to my room and immediately sat in front of the fan going full force for a good 15 minutes with my T-shirt off (TMI???). I was so sleepy and tired I eventually flopped back on the bed and dozed off and on for about and hour and a half. About 3:00, the maids came in and did their 10 minute swipe through the room and left. At 3:30, Kara and her daughter Alina and her mother come to my door to see if I wanted to go have a late lunch with them across the street at the café. I was actually thinking the same thing so we all loaded up and went across the street. The Docters (Kara and Quentin) and the Robeys (Lynda and Wayne) were here in Taraz earlier this year on their bonding trip and then back for court and now back to take their children home. So, Kara and Lynda know just about everything on the café menu. I’m relying heavily on them to teach it to me before they leave. I can only eat so much bread, cheese and yogurt. I need protein every now and then. The dishes I’ve had there are very good and I need to write them down. There is a waitress there who speaks a little English and she is very helpful when ordering. After our late lunch, we head to the market to buy some essentials and then back to our rooms for the night.
Thanks for tuning in. You are getting off easy today…short post.

Love,
Kim and Alina