Greetings from Almaty! We are in the early hours of an overnight layover at the airport, and (hallelujah!) have discovered real coffee & free, highspeed wireless, in the same spot! No more Nescafe. No more 15 minute waits for a page to load. Ahhhhhhhhh.....
The preliminary hearing went well today. Our judge met yesterday with Aliya's birth mother, who consented to the adoption. We saw a picture of her (specifically, a photocopy of her drivers license), and she is a pretty young woman with classic Kazakh features. The judge told us she was "a very nice girl," but not in a position to raise a child. We learned that she and Aliya's father are both students at one of the Kostonai universties, and we learned a bit about the circumstances of her decision. It is nice to have a little piece of the story to share with Aliya someday, and the judge said we could get a copy of the photo as well. When we go back, I plan to bring a letter for Aliya's birth mom, thanking her and telling her a little about us, with the idea that we can leave it up to our coordinator to decide whether or not its a good idea to try and get it translated and delivered.
The judge interviewed us both, and told Olyessa we were nice people, and wished us luck. We finalized our courtdate for 4PM on Dec 25th. The funniest part was when she asked Sal if he intended to have a 3rd wife (he stammered in reply) and then told me, with a wink, that I better keep an eye on him. Again, I blame the dimple.
Then, we got to have a quick visit with Aliya before catching our flight, and she was out of the infirmary, and we finally got to hear a laugh out of her for the first time in days. So it was a happy way to leave (though I got all choked up at the end).
Lastly, our sick fellow-traveler is steadily improving. His situation has made the last few days of our trip quite surreal, and has left us both a bit emotionally exhausted. He has a long road of recovery still ahead of him, and he and his family could use the prayers & positive vibes of anyone who wants to send them.
We have another 36 hrs of travel ahead of us, and can't wait to get home. Love to you all -Tam (& Sal)
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4 comments:
Tam and Sal -
I'm so glad to hear that you're headed home after such a long journey. What a huge range of emotions in a small span of time! I'll be thinking about you and praying for your return trip in December. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful story with all of us.
Laura C
I can't imagine how intense this trip has been. Thank you for sharing it all with us. Your little Aliya will be home soon!
Angela
Wow - what a blessing to have some history for Aliya, she will surely love that when she is older.
Have a safe trip.
Kim
What great news that you will have a chance to share a little bit of Aliyas history with her. I am glad precourt went well.
Thanks for the update on the family, I am glad he is getting better.
I hope you have safe travels home.
Sandi
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