Day Fifteen or...

It's not Delivery, It's "Gupse"!

Cameron woke up in the middle of night with a sore throat. Which means the nasty little cold has made the rounds of the whole family

Breakfast this morning for me were bliney's and Tropikanka. Tropikanka is a fruit salad with bananas, oranges, apples, and kiwi with yogurt on top. Tom had a fried egg.

After picking up Katya, we stopped at the store to pick up our photos. Marina had to go to the Dept of Ed to help someone use the computer to do some of our paperwork. So, we hung out in the hotel room for most of the day.

We also talked to Marina some more about the gifts we need to get for court officers and what we will be asked in court. Apparently the lead prosecutor always asks the family if they own their own home or if they are paying for it. Mortgages are a rare thing in Kazakhstan.

We had lunch, played, took a nap, and then Katya watched the end of Mulan. Marina returned at 4:00 p.m. We all went to a store that has artwork made from birchwood. Katya picked out a small lacquer box and a Matroishka doll (nesting doll). Then it was on to the Shelter to say goodbye to Katya until tomorrow.

Both Tom and I are tiring of the hotel food. I asked Marina if they sold pizza at the pizza place to go, and she said, "Sure!" So, we stopped there and got a Margarita pizza to go, cheese pizza with tomatoes on top.

We returned to the hotel room, where the pizza was quickly devoured.

Tomorrow we plan on looking for the KZ auto decals to put on our cars. We're going to put a couple away, in case Cameron and Katya want to put one on their cars when they are adults.

To Channary, Adam and Zachary: Katya is in a large classroom with chalkboards on the walls, there are 26 students in her class, and each student shares a desk with another student. Katya shares hers with a boy. She has lessons in math, social science, biology, Russian liturature, Kazakh language, and physical education. She doesn't know how many teachers are in her school. Katya likes to play hop scotch and do gymnastics for fun. They watch TV in the evenings, mainly Russian and Spanish soap operas. Only the principal has a computer at her school. Katya has many friends, at the Shelter and also at school. Katya says she is looking forward to coming to the U.S., although she is finding English difficult and she is shy.