No news yet about our court decree. Hopefully we shall hear something on Friday. For right now we are going to New York City on Wednesday, Lake Placid on Friday, and Cleveland Christmas Day. Then back to Atlanta on the 30th and Los Angeles the first week of January! Never a dull moment with the Moss Family!
It is amazing how quickly we can just fall back into our lives. I got two emails from Lauren, the Peace Corp Volunteer. They were really from Victoria and Valeria. They miss us just as we miss them. Somehow we have to get these kids here, at least for a visit. I think of Alena every night and am waiting for the phone number to call her. I can't imagine how hard it is for her to wait. For us, we are back into the running around the holiday's bring.
No matter how crazy we get, I still think of the kids every day and really quite a few times during the day. I can not wait for Alena to get here. She is going to love America. At least I hope she will.
To everyone who has visited this site. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Holidays. We wish Health and Happiness to you all. As I said Jonathan will update the blog soon and when we get the chance to UTube some of our footage we will let you know.
Thanks again for visiting.
The Moss Family
Monday, December 18, 2006
Thursday, December 14, 2006
DELAY
Hi Everyone,
We got some bad news today. Instead of going to get Alena January 7th, I may not be able to go until February! A young prosecutor has protested all of the adoptions in Taldy-Korgan. Right now, I know of four families that are affected.
So what does this mean. Well for one thing poor Alena, who is so close to having a family as she has dreamed, is sitting in the orphanage waiting. Plus, with the delay, we will have to update much of our paperwork. We may even have to get a new homestudy!
Hopefully, we will get a break and someone will step in and stop this madness. Oh but we are talking about international adoption, and as many of you know, anything can happen. You can tell I am frustrated, can't you! As Joe and I have said from the beginning. God is in control and we shall have patience.
But, we still could use some prayers! God listens to prayers, and we are not above asking for help. If any of you say nightly prayers like I do, please think of Alena and pray for intervention. It is amazing how things happen and you never know.
Thanks for visiting. Jonathan wants to blog and will do so in the next few days. It should be interesting getting a teenage perspective on the whole trip!
Thanks again,
The Moss Family
We got some bad news today. Instead of going to get Alena January 7th, I may not be able to go until February! A young prosecutor has protested all of the adoptions in Taldy-Korgan. Right now, I know of four families that are affected.
So what does this mean. Well for one thing poor Alena, who is so close to having a family as she has dreamed, is sitting in the orphanage waiting. Plus, with the delay, we will have to update much of our paperwork. We may even have to get a new homestudy!
Hopefully, we will get a break and someone will step in and stop this madness. Oh but we are talking about international adoption, and as many of you know, anything can happen. You can tell I am frustrated, can't you! As Joe and I have said from the beginning. God is in control and we shall have patience.
But, we still could use some prayers! God listens to prayers, and we are not above asking for help. If any of you say nightly prayers like I do, please think of Alena and pray for intervention. It is amazing how things happen and you never know.
Thanks for visiting. Jonathan wants to blog and will do so in the next few days. It should be interesting getting a teenage perspective on the whole trip!
Thanks again,
The Moss Family
Monday, December 11, 2006
Going Home
Hi Everyone,
Sorry for the delay. As Joe said we boarded a flight at 3 something am Kazakhstan time to start our journey home. I decided to come home as there is a delay in Alena going home with us. She can not come home until Jan. 12th at the earliest. Because of Christmas and New Years, I decided to come home and be with family until I go back to get her.
To say that Joe and I knew what we were getting into when we started this journey, would be a lie. We started this journey like we do everything, prayer and intuition. It just felt right. If we knew how far it was I am not sure if we would have started this. To give you an idea of where we were let me tell you how close we were to China, 250 Kilometers!!!
We left our hotel for court at 8pm Thurdsay, East Coast Time, and arrived into Atlanta on Saturday 2:34pm! I am still a bit foggy.
As Joe said court was really an experience. But even before that the last night at the orphanage was truly a bittersweet moment. There were times I had tears in my eyes, but on that night I truly lost it for a bit. All the girls that we fell in love with sat down, and as I said, " Friends never say goodbye," I started to cry. Luckily Joe saved me and came over and told the girls we were so thankful to be a part of their lives this past three weeks. He went on to say that they were amazing kids and they should always believe in themselves. By that time I got it together and I also told them, that they were a special family and we wanted to thank them for allowing us to be a part of that.
I couldn't help the tears. I was fine until I looked at Svetlana. She is the girl with the crutch and she is the sweetest girl. She is really smart and so kind and somewhat shy. I looked at her and thought I don't want to say goodbye to these kids. I hate that I can't love them all. They really deserve that. They deserve the knowing that comes with family. The knowing that someone loves you more than anything. Every child should have it, and these kids don't. It just about broke my heart. Well as we talked the kids realized that we had to leave and they started crying. Even the oldest most stoic girl cried. It was tough. Actually for my family it was pretty funny. We are a real guy's family. Lots of laughs, bodily noises, loud yelling at sports on TV, you know, like a college Frat house. Here we were with all of the girls in Alena's group, crying and hugging. I was proud of my guys they didn't roll their eyes once, ha-ha!!!
Lauren, the Peace Corp Volunteer, and her friend Asema were also there and that helped. Lauren got cornered by the Ophanage Director and asked if she would teach English and of course because Lauren is so awesome, she said yes. It is wonderful for the kids to have her and for Alena, it is going to help so much. Alena needs to get as much English as she can before she comes. Lauren and Asema will help with that and that is such a blessing.
As for Alena, she was crying too, although she did tell me she was really nervous about the next day....Court! We told her don't worry, gave all of the kids multiply hugs and after about 25 minutes got out the door. I don't think I could thank those kids enough for all that they did for us. Without even knowing they taught us so much. So much about perserverence and unconditional love. They were so wonderful and I know that we will always carry them in our hearts. No matter what we will have a connection with them, forever.
After we left, our translator, Zhanara ivited us for dinner and Karoke. A night in central asia is never complete without Karoke!! We had a wonderful dinner, and Lauren and Asema, Igor, our driver, and another American mom, Cheryl Lynn came. We ate manty, which is like a potsticker, and lots of salads, like ham salad kinda stuff and some cream horns. It is hard to explain all of the food! After dinner we went to Karoke and were singing with some very, very drunk Kazak women. There were six of them and they finished off a bottle of wine and two bottles of Vodka. Talk about skills!!!! They were so funny. One told me she had a seventeen year old daughter, who was beautiful just like her mamma, that could have sex with my seventeen year old son, and they could get married! No lie, she spit that out like it was nothing. I said thank you for the offer but we have to go back to America tomorrow!!! What do you say to that! She was a faily big woman who continually told me Kazakhstan was the best country in the world. I thought it best to just smile and agree that I found Kazakhstan a very nice country!
The next day we were up bright and early for court. We had to get Alena and she had fixed her hair up and put on the best winter coat in her group. The kids share all of their clothes and this one coat is really cute. They all take their turns wearing it and I know since it was a special day, Alena got it. We went to court which truly was a "court" experience. The judge was compassionate, yet very professional and competent. She asked relevent questions and gave us every opportunity to ask questions. We were specifically asked if we knew Alena had an issue with her eye. Alena has a lazy eye. Sometimes it is not to bad, other times like when she is tired, you notice it. To us, it is no big deal. When we get her home we will get it looked at and if need be she can have surgery. To them it was someting to make or break the adoption. Luckily the judge was very compassionate and had Alena wait outside during some of the proceedings.
At one point she asked Alena to come in and asked her if she knew who we were. Alena said yes, "that is my mama and papa." She said it with total confidence and the judge said, really! After about 2 or more hours of questions the judge asked if everyone agreed with the adoption. Of course everyone did, except the prosecutor. You could tell he said no, and the judge looked floored. I could see her saying, what? It is amazing how even though we do not understant the language, we still understand the body movements and eye contact. Your body shows so much. You could tell the judge was pretty frustrated. She said we will talk and I will come back with my decree and she left the room. Our atty ran up to the prosecutor and they started talking. Russian and Kazak people are passionate people. They really can get animated when they are frustrated. Well our atty was pretty frustrated and this young 25 year old, fresh out of the University prosectutor kept looking at his watch, like are you done yet. It was really sad to see. He could care less about this girl and her future and more about his ego and time. It was a bit infuriating. But, I remember myself at 25 and well let's say sometimes youth is not a good thing. Only a 43 year old can say that, hu!!!!!!
Alena came back in, not knowing what was going on, and we waited and waited. 45 minutes later the judge came in and read the decree, Alena was our daughter. As Joe said she started crying right away. She was so happy. Other than the birth of my kids, my marriage, and some other few family things, I don't think I have ever felt so privaleged to be a part of someting as much as this. This was amazing. To have the ability to change a child's life, it is amazing. Who knows what is in store for us, but for that one moment, Joe and I changed her life, and she was so thankful, so overwhelmed. She was so happy that when we went to sign the court decree she hugged the judge. It was awesome. After court we went to lunch and our driver picked up Jonathan and Jameson at the hotel. Since it was a closed hearing, they couldn't come. Alena ran into their arms for a hug when they came in the restaurant and the smile on her face was huge. She had a family!
So, we are now the parents of two boys and a girl! It is so right when we say that. How funny. We had to say goodbye and that was hard. A month is so long and we are so far away, but we have faith. As usual, faith is our companion. God is in control. Which I am so happy for, because I think with this jet lag I would definitly mess someting up, Ha-Ha!
So, we are making our plans to go back. Well at least I am. Joe will stay home with the guys and I will make the trip back. Luckily I might have a companion. Lauren's mom may come for a visit! I called her when I got back into the states to say that I met Lauren and loved her and low and behold, her mom wants to come. Since Kazakhstan is best seen for the first time with someone who has been there, I seem to be the perfect person to bring her over! How wild hu!
Joe, Jonathan, and Jameson are going to post their top ten for Kazakhstan and I will be posting every other day to tell you stories that we didn't fit in. Also, these kids need to practice reading English so if any of you out there are up for sending mail, we could use some letters. I will post how many kids and if you can send me a short letter I will take them back with me for the kids. Who knows you might get a response in Russian, or Kazak!!!
Then, after the holidays please check back, because we will be posting my trip to get Alena. I am sure it will be an adventure, as everything we do seems to be that just that. Plus, Jonathan the filmmaker, has a documentary of our trip. He is putting some things together and will post them on U-Tube so you can see what we have been blogging about. I will let you know when that is up.
Thanks again for visiting. We couldn't have done this without all the support we have gotten. Take care and if you need to email us send an email to kamgolf@bellsouth.net
Take Care and God Bless you all,
Joe, Kelly, Jonathan, Jameson, and Alena
Sorry for the delay. As Joe said we boarded a flight at 3 something am Kazakhstan time to start our journey home. I decided to come home as there is a delay in Alena going home with us. She can not come home until Jan. 12th at the earliest. Because of Christmas and New Years, I decided to come home and be with family until I go back to get her.
To say that Joe and I knew what we were getting into when we started this journey, would be a lie. We started this journey like we do everything, prayer and intuition. It just felt right. If we knew how far it was I am not sure if we would have started this. To give you an idea of where we were let me tell you how close we were to China, 250 Kilometers!!!
We left our hotel for court at 8pm Thurdsay, East Coast Time, and arrived into Atlanta on Saturday 2:34pm! I am still a bit foggy.
As Joe said court was really an experience. But even before that the last night at the orphanage was truly a bittersweet moment. There were times I had tears in my eyes, but on that night I truly lost it for a bit. All the girls that we fell in love with sat down, and as I said, " Friends never say goodbye," I started to cry. Luckily Joe saved me and came over and told the girls we were so thankful to be a part of their lives this past three weeks. He went on to say that they were amazing kids and they should always believe in themselves. By that time I got it together and I also told them, that they were a special family and we wanted to thank them for allowing us to be a part of that.
I couldn't help the tears. I was fine until I looked at Svetlana. She is the girl with the crutch and she is the sweetest girl. She is really smart and so kind and somewhat shy. I looked at her and thought I don't want to say goodbye to these kids. I hate that I can't love them all. They really deserve that. They deserve the knowing that comes with family. The knowing that someone loves you more than anything. Every child should have it, and these kids don't. It just about broke my heart. Well as we talked the kids realized that we had to leave and they started crying. Even the oldest most stoic girl cried. It was tough. Actually for my family it was pretty funny. We are a real guy's family. Lots of laughs, bodily noises, loud yelling at sports on TV, you know, like a college Frat house. Here we were with all of the girls in Alena's group, crying and hugging. I was proud of my guys they didn't roll their eyes once, ha-ha!!!
Lauren, the Peace Corp Volunteer, and her friend Asema were also there and that helped. Lauren got cornered by the Ophanage Director and asked if she would teach English and of course because Lauren is so awesome, she said yes. It is wonderful for the kids to have her and for Alena, it is going to help so much. Alena needs to get as much English as she can before she comes. Lauren and Asema will help with that and that is such a blessing.
As for Alena, she was crying too, although she did tell me she was really nervous about the next day....Court! We told her don't worry, gave all of the kids multiply hugs and after about 25 minutes got out the door. I don't think I could thank those kids enough for all that they did for us. Without even knowing they taught us so much. So much about perserverence and unconditional love. They were so wonderful and I know that we will always carry them in our hearts. No matter what we will have a connection with them, forever.
After we left, our translator, Zhanara ivited us for dinner and Karoke. A night in central asia is never complete without Karoke!! We had a wonderful dinner, and Lauren and Asema, Igor, our driver, and another American mom, Cheryl Lynn came. We ate manty, which is like a potsticker, and lots of salads, like ham salad kinda stuff and some cream horns. It is hard to explain all of the food! After dinner we went to Karoke and were singing with some very, very drunk Kazak women. There were six of them and they finished off a bottle of wine and two bottles of Vodka. Talk about skills!!!! They were so funny. One told me she had a seventeen year old daughter, who was beautiful just like her mamma, that could have sex with my seventeen year old son, and they could get married! No lie, she spit that out like it was nothing. I said thank you for the offer but we have to go back to America tomorrow!!! What do you say to that! She was a faily big woman who continually told me Kazakhstan was the best country in the world. I thought it best to just smile and agree that I found Kazakhstan a very nice country!
The next day we were up bright and early for court. We had to get Alena and she had fixed her hair up and put on the best winter coat in her group. The kids share all of their clothes and this one coat is really cute. They all take their turns wearing it and I know since it was a special day, Alena got it. We went to court which truly was a "court" experience. The judge was compassionate, yet very professional and competent. She asked relevent questions and gave us every opportunity to ask questions. We were specifically asked if we knew Alena had an issue with her eye. Alena has a lazy eye. Sometimes it is not to bad, other times like when she is tired, you notice it. To us, it is no big deal. When we get her home we will get it looked at and if need be she can have surgery. To them it was someting to make or break the adoption. Luckily the judge was very compassionate and had Alena wait outside during some of the proceedings.
At one point she asked Alena to come in and asked her if she knew who we were. Alena said yes, "that is my mama and papa." She said it with total confidence and the judge said, really! After about 2 or more hours of questions the judge asked if everyone agreed with the adoption. Of course everyone did, except the prosecutor. You could tell he said no, and the judge looked floored. I could see her saying, what? It is amazing how even though we do not understant the language, we still understand the body movements and eye contact. Your body shows so much. You could tell the judge was pretty frustrated. She said we will talk and I will come back with my decree and she left the room. Our atty ran up to the prosecutor and they started talking. Russian and Kazak people are passionate people. They really can get animated when they are frustrated. Well our atty was pretty frustrated and this young 25 year old, fresh out of the University prosectutor kept looking at his watch, like are you done yet. It was really sad to see. He could care less about this girl and her future and more about his ego and time. It was a bit infuriating. But, I remember myself at 25 and well let's say sometimes youth is not a good thing. Only a 43 year old can say that, hu!!!!!!
Alena came back in, not knowing what was going on, and we waited and waited. 45 minutes later the judge came in and read the decree, Alena was our daughter. As Joe said she started crying right away. She was so happy. Other than the birth of my kids, my marriage, and some other few family things, I don't think I have ever felt so privaleged to be a part of someting as much as this. This was amazing. To have the ability to change a child's life, it is amazing. Who knows what is in store for us, but for that one moment, Joe and I changed her life, and she was so thankful, so overwhelmed. She was so happy that when we went to sign the court decree she hugged the judge. It was awesome. After court we went to lunch and our driver picked up Jonathan and Jameson at the hotel. Since it was a closed hearing, they couldn't come. Alena ran into their arms for a hug when they came in the restaurant and the smile on her face was huge. She had a family!
So, we are now the parents of two boys and a girl! It is so right when we say that. How funny. We had to say goodbye and that was hard. A month is so long and we are so far away, but we have faith. As usual, faith is our companion. God is in control. Which I am so happy for, because I think with this jet lag I would definitly mess someting up, Ha-Ha!
So, we are making our plans to go back. Well at least I am. Joe will stay home with the guys and I will make the trip back. Luckily I might have a companion. Lauren's mom may come for a visit! I called her when I got back into the states to say that I met Lauren and loved her and low and behold, her mom wants to come. Since Kazakhstan is best seen for the first time with someone who has been there, I seem to be the perfect person to bring her over! How wild hu!
Joe, Jonathan, and Jameson are going to post their top ten for Kazakhstan and I will be posting every other day to tell you stories that we didn't fit in. Also, these kids need to practice reading English so if any of you out there are up for sending mail, we could use some letters. I will post how many kids and if you can send me a short letter I will take them back with me for the kids. Who knows you might get a response in Russian, or Kazak!!!
Then, after the holidays please check back, because we will be posting my trip to get Alena. I am sure it will be an adventure, as everything we do seems to be that just that. Plus, Jonathan the filmmaker, has a documentary of our trip. He is putting some things together and will post them on U-Tube so you can see what we have been blogging about. I will let you know when that is up.
Thanks again for visiting. We couldn't have done this without all the support we have gotten. Take care and if you need to email us send an email to kamgolf@bellsouth.net
Take Care and God Bless you all,
Joe, Kelly, Jonathan, Jameson, and Alena
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Court!!!
Court was successful but not without our attorney battling the prosecutor. Court lasted 3 hours in total before we got the great news. Alena who understood the judge started crying first when she heard the news, Kelly followed because she figured out why Alena was crying, I was in the dark and had to wait that 10-15 second delay before our translator relayed the great news to me. Then our translator started crying and had trouble relaying any further details to me. It was really an incredible day! But I must admit, it is strange feeling sitting in a court and just not understanding a word being said. Talk about trusting your translator to be accurate. Keeping this one short as we are boarding our 3:15 AM flight out of Almaty, Kazakhstan right now. We have some good stuff to share best week when we have more time to post.
Thank you for everyone's prayers!!!
Joe, Kelly, Alena, Jonathan and Jameson
Thank you for everyone's prayers!!!
Joe, Kelly, Alena, Jonathan and Jameson
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Wednesday
Two more days to court! Yahoo! As you are all sleeping, I am sitting here in a bowling alley in Taldy-Korgan, Kazakhstan! Boys will be boys! Whether we are here or at home my husband and sons want to play. Joe already has some side games going with our driver Igor and the guys! Sounds like Joe, doesn't it!!!! All his golf buddies know what I am talking about!!!
We saw Alena this morning and after we dropped her off at school, we came bowling! Since this is our big entertainment here, we decided to celebrate going home by bowling!!!!!
Since I am not bowling I thought I would update our blog. Again, thank you for visiting. We love the comments and the support. Some of you are prospective adoptive parents so Joe and I wanted to give you a list of things we really would like and are glad we brought.
The first thing is a knife!!!! Not a kitchen knife but a Swiss army knife. This is invaluable. We have used it to cut salami, as well as duct tape!
The second is duct tape! The first day we got here Jonathan or Joe, we are not sure who, used the towel rack to support themselves and well you can imagine! So far the duct tape is holding.
The third thing is baby wipes. No need to explain that one.
We also recommend antibacterial hand gel. Lots of that. Maybe 5 or 10 little ones. You can always give it as a present. Our driver likes using it too.
Our travel pillows, that fold up, and our travel clothes line and soap have been invaluable. We wash everything in the sink.
One thing I wish I had brought was a short wave radio. Fry's electronics had a small one. I didn't get one and that was a mistake. Joe and I had one in the UK and it was awesome. You can get the American radio station and keep up with
national news. When I come back I will have one.
We did a great job of packing and only brought one bag each to check. Mine was just bigger than a carry on and the guys were carry on size. We went to the one bag travel website and packed really light. Bring synthetic clothes that will dry. Joe and Jonathan brought north face thin fleece pullovers and we washed them in the sink and dried them overnight.
That reminds me the Croc plastic clogs are awesome. You remove you shoes when you come in your house or hotel room. You do not want to walk barefoot as you can pick up nasty things like worms or fungus!!! Crocs can be worn in the shower so they are wonderful.
Of course, as a girl, I brought hair coloring and girlie stuff. Just think, what would be uncomfortable to have in a third world country!!! You can email me personally if you need more information, ha-ha!!!
We brought Pearls, acidophilus from Whole Foods stores. Immodium and Nauzene that I got at Walmart. Our doctor gave us Cipro for travelers diarrea. Just a small amount, and we are glad to have it, just in case. Vitamins are key. We brought powdered ones that have 1000 mg of vit c.
The boys said bring at least five pairs of underware! There has been days that Jameson or Joe have squeezed into Jonathan's because they were clean! Actually poor Joe brought enough but the guys take his! At least they are not stealing mine!!!!!!! Is this to much info????
Bring breath mints!!! Oral hygiene is not the same as home! It wigs us out too!
We brought sweetner, as sugar is the only one we have seen.
We made a mistake and did not bringing our laptops. Luftansa has internet while you are flying and if you bring a usb drive you can do you email before you go to the internet cafe. When I come back I will have one.
I brought a nice scarf and that was a great idea. It has been wonderful to have. I cover my hair and even though my blonde hair is out of the norm, I do not get as many stares!
Movies are good to pass the time, the laptop is great for playing them.
We are in a small town and ended up buying an electric kettle and two mugs. It was perfect to have and we are donating it to the orphanage when we go.
Sorry this is so long. If you are in a big city you will get to do more. If we were in Almaty we would have gotten the BBC and American magazines. That would have been heaven!!!!
Have a great day, ya'll. Thanks for visiting.
The Moss Family
We saw Alena this morning and after we dropped her off at school, we came bowling! Since this is our big entertainment here, we decided to celebrate going home by bowling!!!!!
Since I am not bowling I thought I would update our blog. Again, thank you for visiting. We love the comments and the support. Some of you are prospective adoptive parents so Joe and I wanted to give you a list of things we really would like and are glad we brought.
The first thing is a knife!!!! Not a kitchen knife but a Swiss army knife. This is invaluable. We have used it to cut salami, as well as duct tape!
The second is duct tape! The first day we got here Jonathan or Joe, we are not sure who, used the towel rack to support themselves and well you can imagine! So far the duct tape is holding.
The third thing is baby wipes. No need to explain that one.
We also recommend antibacterial hand gel. Lots of that. Maybe 5 or 10 little ones. You can always give it as a present. Our driver likes using it too.
Our travel pillows, that fold up, and our travel clothes line and soap have been invaluable. We wash everything in the sink.
One thing I wish I had brought was a short wave radio. Fry's electronics had a small one. I didn't get one and that was a mistake. Joe and I had one in the UK and it was awesome. You can get the American radio station and keep up with
national news. When I come back I will have one.
We did a great job of packing and only brought one bag each to check. Mine was just bigger than a carry on and the guys were carry on size. We went to the one bag travel website and packed really light. Bring synthetic clothes that will dry. Joe and Jonathan brought north face thin fleece pullovers and we washed them in the sink and dried them overnight.
That reminds me the Croc plastic clogs are awesome. You remove you shoes when you come in your house or hotel room. You do not want to walk barefoot as you can pick up nasty things like worms or fungus!!! Crocs can be worn in the shower so they are wonderful.
Of course, as a girl, I brought hair coloring and girlie stuff. Just think, what would be uncomfortable to have in a third world country!!! You can email me personally if you need more information, ha-ha!!!
We brought Pearls, acidophilus from Whole Foods stores. Immodium and Nauzene that I got at Walmart. Our doctor gave us Cipro for travelers diarrea. Just a small amount, and we are glad to have it, just in case. Vitamins are key. We brought powdered ones that have 1000 mg of vit c.
The boys said bring at least five pairs of underware! There has been days that Jameson or Joe have squeezed into Jonathan's because they were clean! Actually poor Joe brought enough but the guys take his! At least they are not stealing mine!!!!!!! Is this to much info????
Bring breath mints!!! Oral hygiene is not the same as home! It wigs us out too!
We brought sweetner, as sugar is the only one we have seen.
We made a mistake and did not bringing our laptops. Luftansa has internet while you are flying and if you bring a usb drive you can do you email before you go to the internet cafe. When I come back I will have one.
I brought a nice scarf and that was a great idea. It has been wonderful to have. I cover my hair and even though my blonde hair is out of the norm, I do not get as many stares!
Movies are good to pass the time, the laptop is great for playing them.
We are in a small town and ended up buying an electric kettle and two mugs. It was perfect to have and we are donating it to the orphanage when we go.
Sorry this is so long. If you are in a big city you will get to do more. If we were in Almaty we would have gotten the BBC and American magazines. That would have been heaven!!!!
Have a great day, ya'll. Thanks for visiting.
The Moss Family
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Orphans
One thing that I am learning about orphans is that no matter how happy they seem on the outside, inside there is so much pain.
Remember, I am not an expert just a new acquaintance to this sad reality of orphans. And it may only be these orphans, kids who's parents have abandoned them for one reason or another. These kids do not have loving families to go home with. Even the ones whose parents did not leave them by choice still had no one else who loved them enough to take them. These kids in one way or another feel abandoned. And they are. At lest until someone comes to claim them as their own, like Joe and I.
Until you spend time with them, you do not realize how deep the hurt goes. You also don't know just how much pain the care givers deal with. It can sometimes be overwhelming. Like tonight.
The two girls that have been in the orphanage since they were very young, and are not eligable for adoption shared their diary with me. They told me that the words they wrote were how they feel and I just about lost it.
Why am I here without a parent or parents, when other's have theirs, one girl wrote. Why am I alone? They both voiced the opinion that if they could they would find their mother, just to see her face. Is it like mine, she writes, if I look like her, will I have a life like her's? Will I leave my child, like she left hers?
It is so hard, because we can't do anything.
After we talked we had to leave to go to the Taldy Korgan English club. The boys were asked to attend and speak to the club, as they do not get many American Teenagers here. We thought maybe a few kids would be there and to our surprise the room was full. Really full! Jonathan and Jameson did really good and we were proud of them. Their first public speaking engagement! It helps when no one has ever been to America, ha-ha!
No, they did great representing America, at least the teenage side! After they finished everyone wanted to take a picture with them! It was really special. The only bad part was we were running late, as the kids at the orphanage didn't let us leave on time. It takes about 15 to 20 min just to get out the door. We are blessed they like having us.
Two of the girls from the orphanage came with us, and it was the first time they had ever participated in anything like it. They were very uncomfortable, but they got to see what the internet was and they even emailed us a letter.
Hopefully our being here will start the process of them seeing something other
than just their school and the orphanage. The internet can be amazing for a kid
whose world is so small. One of the caregivers is going to take them so they
can have some guidence. Who knows what will happen!
Alena is awesome, although I wish we could see her alone more. Then again, we shall see her everyday soon!
Thanks for visiting.
The Moss Family.
Remember, I am not an expert just a new acquaintance to this sad reality of orphans. And it may only be these orphans, kids who's parents have abandoned them for one reason or another. These kids do not have loving families to go home with. Even the ones whose parents did not leave them by choice still had no one else who loved them enough to take them. These kids in one way or another feel abandoned. And they are. At lest until someone comes to claim them as their own, like Joe and I.
Until you spend time with them, you do not realize how deep the hurt goes. You also don't know just how much pain the care givers deal with. It can sometimes be overwhelming. Like tonight.
The two girls that have been in the orphanage since they were very young, and are not eligable for adoption shared their diary with me. They told me that the words they wrote were how they feel and I just about lost it.
Why am I here without a parent or parents, when other's have theirs, one girl wrote. Why am I alone? They both voiced the opinion that if they could they would find their mother, just to see her face. Is it like mine, she writes, if I look like her, will I have a life like her's? Will I leave my child, like she left hers?
It is so hard, because we can't do anything.
After we talked we had to leave to go to the Taldy Korgan English club. The boys were asked to attend and speak to the club, as they do not get many American Teenagers here. We thought maybe a few kids would be there and to our surprise the room was full. Really full! Jonathan and Jameson did really good and we were proud of them. Their first public speaking engagement! It helps when no one has ever been to America, ha-ha!
No, they did great representing America, at least the teenage side! After they finished everyone wanted to take a picture with them! It was really special. The only bad part was we were running late, as the kids at the orphanage didn't let us leave on time. It takes about 15 to 20 min just to get out the door. We are blessed they like having us.
Two of the girls from the orphanage came with us, and it was the first time they had ever participated in anything like it. They were very uncomfortable, but they got to see what the internet was and they even emailed us a letter.
Hopefully our being here will start the process of them seeing something other
than just their school and the orphanage. The internet can be amazing for a kid
whose world is so small. One of the caregivers is going to take them so they
can have some guidence. Who knows what will happen!
Alena is awesome, although I wish we could see her alone more. Then again, we shall see her everyday soon!
Thanks for visiting.
The Moss Family.
Monday, December 4, 2006
Update
Hi Everyone,
Joe's blackberry went down on Nov. 30th and we have not been able to send the blog update to my brother. Quite a bit has happened, as we countdown the days to coming home.
Life here is pretty funny on some days and bittersweet on others. Like yesterday, we went bowling, more like Joe took everyone bowling at the local bowling center. We have become close friends with the Lead Peace Corp Volunteer
in this area and she, along with three other friends came bowling. So did Alena and three other kids from the orphanage. One of the volunteers is a Georgia State Graduate named Jennifer, who has only been here four months.
What a great time. It was so special for the kids, as they have never bowled until we came. One of the girls yesterday, who's name is Svetlana, has a birth defect that has hindered her ability to walk. The story goes, her mother dropped her off as an girl because she was not healthy. Come to find out she had a tumor on her back that had grown and hindered her ability to walk. After two operations, one that the orphanage director got support for, she now walks with one crutch instead of two. As of yesterday, she had never participated in any activities due to her legs. Yesterday was the first sport she had ever
played and on the way back to the orphanage she cried tears of joy.
Things that we take for granted, like toilet paper, are non existent here. I needed to use the toilet and asked Alena to take me. She took me to the girls bathroom that they use and to my surprise there was no toilet paper. Just newspaper. Yes, they use newspaper. This piece had big advertisements on it and was torn as they needed it. I can not imagine what the ink does!! It is really wild. At least it was a real potty. Here there are potty's that are only holes in the floor. You roll up your pants and well, you get the idea. I have not tried to master that and use only above ground toilets. So far so good!
We are anxious to get home. It is amazing to be here and impact these kids lives. One we will never forget. However, we miss our dogs, friends, and family. And Joe misses work.
We know we are here for a reason, as we believe God is in control. So we check off the calender everday and savor the time we have with Alena and our new friends.
As usual, thanks for checking. We will update as much as we can. Hopefully the Kazakhstan wireless network will be up and running before we go. Take care.
Joe is sitting next to me, critiquing the blog and he wants me to put.....GO BUCKEYES!
We love you all.
Joe, Kelly, Jonathan, Jameson, and Alena
Joe's blackberry went down on Nov. 30th and we have not been able to send the blog update to my brother. Quite a bit has happened, as we countdown the days to coming home.
Life here is pretty funny on some days and bittersweet on others. Like yesterday, we went bowling, more like Joe took everyone bowling at the local bowling center. We have become close friends with the Lead Peace Corp Volunteer
in this area and she, along with three other friends came bowling. So did Alena and three other kids from the orphanage. One of the volunteers is a Georgia State Graduate named Jennifer, who has only been here four months.
What a great time. It was so special for the kids, as they have never bowled until we came. One of the girls yesterday, who's name is Svetlana, has a birth defect that has hindered her ability to walk. The story goes, her mother dropped her off as an girl because she was not healthy. Come to find out she had a tumor on her back that had grown and hindered her ability to walk. After two operations, one that the orphanage director got support for, she now walks with one crutch instead of two. As of yesterday, she had never participated in any activities due to her legs. Yesterday was the first sport she had ever
played and on the way back to the orphanage she cried tears of joy.
Things that we take for granted, like toilet paper, are non existent here. I needed to use the toilet and asked Alena to take me. She took me to the girls bathroom that they use and to my surprise there was no toilet paper. Just newspaper. Yes, they use newspaper. This piece had big advertisements on it and was torn as they needed it. I can not imagine what the ink does!! It is really wild. At least it was a real potty. Here there are potty's that are only holes in the floor. You roll up your pants and well, you get the idea. I have not tried to master that and use only above ground toilets. So far so good!
We are anxious to get home. It is amazing to be here and impact these kids lives. One we will never forget. However, we miss our dogs, friends, and family. And Joe misses work.
We know we are here for a reason, as we believe God is in control. So we check off the calender everday and savor the time we have with Alena and our new friends.
As usual, thanks for checking. We will update as much as we can. Hopefully the Kazakhstan wireless network will be up and running before we go. Take care.
Joe is sitting next to me, critiquing the blog and he wants me to put.....GO BUCKEYES!
We love you all.
Joe, Kelly, Jonathan, Jameson, and Alena
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