Saturday, August 8, 2009

(910 AD Mosque)

Ok....I knew I said I wasn’t going to post on the days I didn’t go to Umit to visit the little one but I have to post about today. Janette, our driver (I still do not know his name), Iema (who served as my translator today), and Janette’s granddaughter (I don’t know her name either but she is the shyest thing in the world!) took me to some historical sights in Taraz. Taraz is the oldest city in Kazakhstan….2000 years old to be exact. The Silk Road ran through it. I went into a mosque today that dated back to 910 AD! 910 AD people! They just unearthed it in 2006 and are still in the throws of refurbishing it. It was so, so awesome! The caretaker of the rebuilt mosque, a very nice older Muslim man, asked me to write something in a journal book, sign my name to it, and write where I was from in it as well. My name will be in this journal book in Taraz, Kazakhstan forever! How cool is that! Not to mention the fact that it will be kept in a mosque that is thousands of years old! It was an honor just to be able to be in a place like this not to mention to have my name in a book that will be kept there.






(Girl's lovers Monument)








(Maid's Tomb)








(Male lover's Monument)

Taraz also has their own version of Antony and Cleopatra a la Romeo and Juliet. There were two lovers (Iema told me their names but I can’t even begin to pronounce them in English much less type them phonetically here). Apparently, the girls father did not like her lover therefore he did not let them be together. So, she killed herself by letting a poisonous snack bite her. Well, her lover built a monument to her and her nurse. It was so beautiful! It was a scenic designers dream to be able to see the original architecture of these monuments. I took loads of architectural shots for my archives (I’ll be sure to share them with you Dave!! (our scenic design prof at school) ). Of course, I had to touch and feel everything! I asked permission first to make sure it was ok. We even went into the monument where her tomb is located. It is shrouded in white satin with gold tassels hanging at the bottom. People come there to pray for many reasons but it’s mostly about love. We took our shoes off and entered. I felt a little out of place because I did not have a covering for my head but no one there seemed to mind. You could either sit on a small stool or sit on a rug on the floor. We chose to sit on a stool. I didn’t know what was to happen next so I just waited for some indication from Janette or Iema. The caretaker of the monument came in and was dressed in tan slacks, a long tan tunic, and red embroidered felt hat that Muslims wear. I assume he said hello and then proceeded to say a prayer. With it’s domed ceiling and rounded interior, the caretakers prayer reverberated around the room and you were surrounded by this monotone song that made you feel peaceful. It was an amazing experience and a very humble one at that. After the prayer was said, we left the caretaker some Tenge and proceeded to visit the nurses tomb. It was not as spectacular as the girl lovers tomb but interesting none the less. There is also a huge rose garden in front of both monuments. It was a very peaceful and solemn place. Also, it’s considered good luck to get married there. Couples are hoping that the kind of love that the two lovers had will rub off on their union.
We also visited the male lovers tomb. The townspeople built him a monument because he was so devoted to his lover and built her a monument. It’s not as fancy as the girl lovers tomb but, again, very interesting. We also went inside this monument and listened to a prayer. This caretaker was dressed in a white button up shirt, black pants, and Muslim looking hat. He was an older gentleman but had a very calming sound to his voice. After the prayer, we left some Tenge for him, put our shoes back on as we exited, and then proceeded to go to another famous historical monument.
As we were walking back to the minivan, Janette asked if I would like something to drink. At first I said no but then I changed my mind. There are these vendors everywhere on the streets of Taraz that sale a drink that Shirin told me was very tasty. It is kept in these pressurized green and yellow plastic kegs and they are usually attached to some kind of machine that keeps the liquid cold. Well, one of these vendors was outside the male lovers monument. After I saw that Janette wanted to have some of this, I changed my mind about having a drink. I offered to pay for it but Janette refused my Tenge. It’s not very expensive…probably not even a dollar a cup. I asked Iema what it was and how it was made. She told me that it was water that was taken from making bread. I’m assuming it’s like our sourdough starter. For those who know nothing about this, to make sourdough bread, you have to have a liquid that has certain ingredients in it. You add it to your dough before you bake the bread. It’s the nastiest smelling stuff you’ve even smelled because it sits in your refrigerator and ferments for a while. But, it gives the sour taste to the sourdough bread. Anyway, I’m assuming that this tea looking liquid is something to that affect. There is the liquid from the bread making process and then they add sugar and other ingredients to make it sweet. It was very tasty and I had been wanting to taste it. I’m glad I did.






(Hero's Monument)

We went to another historical monument of a hero of Taraz. Apparently he is a military hero in that long ago, the city of Taraz was going to be invaded and he stopped the invasion. He has his own tomb and monument which overlooks the city of Taraz. Very appropriate I thought. You can also see the Taraz River from this monument. We also went into this monument to see his tomb. The Muslim caretaker saw that I did not have a head covering and offered me one which I readily took. It was a white silk scarf. I placed it on my head and sat down on a rug. His prayer was the best of all of them I thought. I really enjoyed his voice. This monument was more open than the others so you could feel a breeze coming through. Again, the sound of the prayer surrounded me as the caretaker sang his monotone praise. It was very humbling and I realized that the Kazakh people take there history, culture, hero’s, and families very seriously. This caretaker seemed a little more dedicated to his job and even came over and spoke to Janette. We were the only one’s in the monument at the time. He even asked about me. I have no idea what he said but it seemed he was offering some advice or something to Janette. I was not told what he said. I hope it was all good. After the short conversation the caretaker had with Janette, we stood up, and headed out of the monument. I left some Tenge for the caretaker and gave him back the scarf he had loaned me. I told him thank you in Kazakh. We put our shoes on outside the door of the monument and proceeded to walk around to the back. I’m glad we did because you can see the entire city of Taraz from this monument. Iema volunteered to take some pics of me at the monument and with the city of Taraz in the background. We then headed toward the minivan. As we walked along the stone path up the hill to the parking lot, I could see in the distance there was a cemetery. I asked Iema about it and she told me that it is a Muslin cemetery. Janette then told me that her grandparents are buried there. Obviously, Janette’s grandparents were Muslim. Iema then started to tell me about the burial ceremony of Muslims. It seems they do not use wood or coffins. They are wrapped in white cloth and then buried in the ground. I would love to research this some time.
We get in the van and head back toward the Hotel Zhambyl. On the way, we stop at a Christian church. This is where Janette and her family worship. It was absolutely beautiful inside! So many paintings of saints and important people of the church. Gold painted trim around very tall columns and along the back wall behind the alter. No pews…you stand for the service. There were gold stands that held small taper candles. A simple but beautifully adorned alter. The walls had to be 20 foot tall and there were even paintings on the domed ceiling. I didn’t take pictures of the inside of the church. I feel so uncomfortable doing that. It’s like I’m invading someone’s privacy. So, I’ll just file this amazing place away in my brain somewhere and I hope I will never forget it majesty. I told Janette, “I-de-a-mah”, which is Kazakh for beautiful. She thanked me and we headed out the door back to the van.
On our way back to the hotel, Janette told me that on Monday, I should be able to know when I will be going to court. Yahoo!!! I still expect it to be around three weeks from now but at least it gives me something to look forward to AND Mom and Dad can start planning their trip here. You know, I’ve bitched and moaned and complained about Janette but she really is working very hard to get me out of here are quickly as possible. I really do believe that. I have to look at it this way … this is her job. She should get paid to do her job and paid well because apparently, she does it quite well. All the complaining I did about the extra money that I had to shell out and the way I thought I was being taken advantage of by her, now seems unfounded to me. It’s not her…it’s the lady in charge of the International Adoption program at my agency. She’s the one who didn’t tell me until two days before I left that I needed to come up with an extra $2200 in regional fees. She’s the one who, apparently, sets the fees for the transportation after the 14 day bonding period. It’s not Janette I should be upset with. After I had calmed down about the money situation and actually thought about it instead of just brooding over it, I realized that I was upset at the wrong person! And really, I’ve been in this adoption game long enough to realize that anything…and I mean anything…..can change in a millisecond! It shouldn’t have surprised me that something would change at the last minute. Just because things were not going to go the way I had planned them, I totally got my panties in a wad!!! Yes, I am a control freak and I plan, or try to plan, everything. So, I am mad at myself for getting so worked up over something I should have anticipated or at least had no control over. I’ve got to learn that I can’t plan everything and everything is not going to go like I planned even if I planned it. Man, I need to loosen up or Alina will end up with a Mama in the nut house! I hope this little one can teach her old Mama some new tricks about things not going as planned. You know, I’m not this way at work, just with my life. If things don’t go the way I planned them at work, then it’s ok and we work around it. It’s just that when the things that are really important to me (like adopting a child!!!) don’t go as I’ve planned, then I get upset. I want to have to best possible experience and to do that, I think I need to plan to a T. When those plans go awry, that’s when the panties wad up and I go on the defensive. Please don’t think that I’m saying that my work is not important enough to plan to a T. That’s not what I’m saying here. It just seems that I’m willing to be more flexible with my planning at work than when I plan for something in my life (does that make any sense at all????). GOTTA..AND I MEAN GOTTA work on that! Ok…I’ve rambled enough. Enjoy the pictures of the ancient historical sights of Taraz. Until Monday…

Kim and Alina

PS. Janette told me today that my Kazakh was better than Iema’s…her own daughter! I thought that was funny and I must be doing alright with my study of the Kazakh language. Janette seems impressed that I’m trying to learn as much of the language as possible. It’s the only way I can communicate with my child right now so…yeah….I want to learn as much as I can while I have the resources. Anyway, I like learning new languages. It’s fun to me.