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Last week, it felt like time was going slow…But today, it felt like it was just flying. Next week our appeal period will be finished and we will be taking legal custody of Gabriel. And not a moment too soon, as Kazakhstan will be celebrating their new year. Similar to the Chinese, this will be the year of the rat. The Kazakhstan people really know how to celebrate, and this party will be next week starting Thursday until Tuesday! We already know that Gabriel’s paperwork will be delayed, putting us an extra two or three days more here, but just as long as he’s out of the orphanage and in our arms, it doesn’t matter.
Our morning visit with Gabriel was a lot of fun. He was so full of energy! He was bouncing up and down in his walker and was rolling all over his blanket. Gabriel then settled down for a snack (baby food) and some juice. Next thing we knew, our morning session with him was up and his nanny brought him back to his room.
We broke for lunch and went out with Ben, Karla, Eric, Kami and Bayanna to a Kazakhstan restaurant in the old section of Aqtobe. What makes this place unique from the other place was the table we sat at. The restaurant owner modeled the section to look like a Yurt, which is a hut like home which Kazakhstan nomads still use till this day. The food was good and the company was great. The owner of the restaurant came by our table and asked Bayanna how we liked it and he said we were always welcome to come by and enjoy the food. Before we left the restaurant, a promoter sitting next to our section invited us to attend a concert of traditional Kazakhstan music this weekend. We happily accepted as this was a great opportunity to learn more about the culture.
After our lunch, Bayanna took us to a small art gallery across the street. This gallery has received some notoriety as a lot of Aqtobe’s famous artists have their work on display. The president of the country had also visited the gallery to see the artwork. This was a nice opportunity to get an interesting look at other facets of life through artwork here in Aqtobe.
We returned to the orphanage for our afternoon session. Gabriel was a bit mellow this session, but still greeted us with a big smile. One thing we’ve noticed more and more is his reluctance to go back to his nanny after our sessions are over. It really warms our hearts to see that he has really made a bond with us. Even if either one of us have to leave the room to use the restroom, Gabriel’s eyes follow us intently. When we return, he flashes a huge smile and gets all giddy.
One of Gabriel’s nannies, the one who absolutely adores him, is leaving on holiday at the end of the week. She told the translator present that she feels so sad that she won’t be around to see him before he goes next week. You can really tell that she really cares for Gabriel and she is genuine with what she says. Gen and I are going to get some pictures printed out for her and give her something nice to show our appreciation for taking care of him.
Paka!
