After 40 days in Astana, we finally finished our required visiting/waiting period and were allowed to return to Almaty yesterday! It turned out to be an enjoyable last day in Katie’s birth city as we cleaned the apartment and finished packing our things. To our amazement, we were able to eliminate our largest bag, making it much easier to get through the airport and into our hotel.
Our day was made even more enjoyable by the nice visit we shared with our friend Aygul. We had some leftover groceries and supplies that we offered her, so she came by the apartment. For an hour and a half, we talked, laughed and played with Katie. It was really a blessing that God brought her into our lives while in Kazakhstan; it made us feel completely at home by having a sister in Christ to spend time with.
After Aygul left, we took one last walk through the park to relax and remember the fun times we had while in Astana. Kevin had been wanting to buy some cotton candy from one of the street vendors, so we finally got bold and tried it. What a treat! For the mere 36 cents it cost, we should have done it more often.
Finally, we returned home, gave Katie a bath, and got the last few things packed. Erken showed up right on time and gave us back all our documents and passports, including Katie’s birth certificate. Because Kazakh birth certificates come in small booklets, we first thought it was Katie’s passport, but when we realized there was not picture of her inside, we asked Erken and he explained what it really was. It had really got our hopes up because all we’ve been able to think about is getting her passport in time to make our flight.
The ride to the airport was nice and relaxing. We were able to see some of the parts of the city that we had only seen once before when we arrived in the city. We were also able to see a little more of the airport than when we arrived. It is an incredible, brand new building finished in glass and marble. (We will post some pictures of it very soon, so keep checking the website.) After checking in, we headed to our gate. It wasn’t hard to find since there were only two gates being used for the whole airport at the time.
When it was time for boarding, everything went smoothly. Katie was in an especially good mood because of all the new sights and people she had never seen before. Unfortunately we didn’t get bulkhead or an empty seat in our row (like Jen and Jesse) but we did have a very pleasant man sitting next to us who was Scottish. As soon as he saw Katie, he started talking to her and telling us all about his two sons at home. He even got out his wallet and showed us pictures. It was really nice being able to talk to someone; in fact, it seemed like half the passengers were either American or spoke English.
The flight when off without a hitch. Katie took her bottle on the way up and the way down. While we were in the air, she slept for a little bit, then woke up and smiled at all the people around. She really enjoys being the star of the show.
We landed in Almaty right on time and easily found Marina and our driver. In the car, we began talking to Marina about the progress of Katie’s passport and our flight plans. Although we had talked to Marina on the phone many times during the past week, it was much easier to understand each other in person. When we told her that Erken promised he would be getting Katie’s passport the following day and sending it down to Almaty, she seemed doubtful that it would make it in time. We told her that we understood it could arrive at late as 6 pm, but she informed us that we were wrong; it had to arrive by noon. (Agh!)
Instead of panicking, we started discussing our other flight options. We thought that at the worst case, we could take a flight out Tuesday, but Marina quickly told us that wouldn’t work either because the American Embassy is closed on Monday. Instantly we thought, “Why would they be closed on a Monday; there’s no holiday in Kazakhstan.” Soon after, we realized it was not closed because of a Kazakh holiday, but an American one; Independence Day. We felt pretty stupid about this.
Finally, we arrived at our hotel where we’ll spend at least the next two nights. When we arrived, we found out it is not the same hotel that Jen and Jesse are staying in, but it is just as nice. For the first time, we really feel relaxed and comfortable in a new environment, plus the bed is much more like in America so we’re sure we will sleep well tonight.