Travel Woes
This trip has been unbelievably brutal -- not because I'm alone, but because of all the trip delays. First we got diverted to Astana because we couldn't land in Almaty. We arrived at around 3am. We ended up staying in the airport for over 25 hours since all the hotels were full. We didn't get much rest since they kept saying we might get out, and we had to go stand around waiting for their announcements. There also weren't any restaurants in the airport, and Lufthansa only fed us at 2pm and again at 10pm (bread and cheese).
The upside of delays is you get to know people you might otherwise not. I met three other couples here on their first trip to do adoptions (not in our city, but other cities). I also met Anastasia who grew up in Kazakhstan but who lives in the US now. She was unbelieavably helpful, translating both language and culture for us. She also inspired another couple and I to got exploring Astana, which was a treat since I've heard a lot of things about the city. Turned out to be very nice city, at least what we saw.
Then when I finally did arrive at 2am in Almaty, the coordinator wasn't there because he went home to go to sleep. Anastasia and her parents generously put me up at thier house in Almaty last night because the airport hotel was so freaky. That was a life saver! They had a wonderfully warm and friendly home, a welcome relief from all the other stuff I had to deal with.
I got about 1.5 hours of sleep in a real bed at Anastasia's house, then went back to the airport at 7am to get on a flight to KyzylOrda. Unfortunately the flight didn't end up taking off until 3pm because of mechanical delays. Of course we never knew when it was going to take off, so couldn't really go anywhere. At some point at around noon we got on the plane only to get off the plane again.
I arrived finally in KO tonight, and was wisked off to the BabyHouse to give gifts to them. It was great to see Ethan. I tried his clothes on, and most of them fit. And tomorrow Ethan and I are scheduled to fly back to Almaty -- yeah!!! I could have taken him from the baby house tonight, but didn't think it advisable given my sleep deprivation.
I have no idea what my access to internet will be like in Almaty, plus I'll have Ethan, so if I don't post again soon, that's why.
This is incredibly exciting to be getting Ethan tomorrow. Now the real fun begins!
The upside of delays is you get to know people you might otherwise not. I met three other couples here on their first trip to do adoptions (not in our city, but other cities). I also met Anastasia who grew up in Kazakhstan but who lives in the US now. She was unbelieavably helpful, translating both language and culture for us. She also inspired another couple and I to got exploring Astana, which was a treat since I've heard a lot of things about the city. Turned out to be very nice city, at least what we saw.
Then when I finally did arrive at 2am in Almaty, the coordinator wasn't there because he went home to go to sleep. Anastasia and her parents generously put me up at thier house in Almaty last night because the airport hotel was so freaky. That was a life saver! They had a wonderfully warm and friendly home, a welcome relief from all the other stuff I had to deal with.
I got about 1.5 hours of sleep in a real bed at Anastasia's house, then went back to the airport at 7am to get on a flight to KyzylOrda. Unfortunately the flight didn't end up taking off until 3pm because of mechanical delays. Of course we never knew when it was going to take off, so couldn't really go anywhere. At some point at around noon we got on the plane only to get off the plane again.
I arrived finally in KO tonight, and was wisked off to the BabyHouse to give gifts to them. It was great to see Ethan. I tried his clothes on, and most of them fit. And tomorrow Ethan and I are scheduled to fly back to Almaty -- yeah!!! I could have taken him from the baby house tonight, but didn't think it advisable given my sleep deprivation.
I have no idea what my access to internet will be like in Almaty, plus I'll have Ethan, so if I don't post again soon, that's why.
This is incredibly exciting to be getting Ethan tomorrow. Now the real fun begins!
posted by AttitudeAdopt | 6:23 AM
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