The Country of Kazakhstan

I don't have anything new to report, so I thought I would give some basic facts about the country of Kazakhstan. As I've mentioned before, Kaz's people come from very diverse ethnic backgrounds. The most recent statistics I could find (from 2007 on the kazakhadoptivefamilies website-link is on the right side of the page) break it down as follows:

Kazakh 59.2%
Russian 25.6%
Ukrainian 2.9%
Uzbek 2.9%
Tatar 1.5%
German 1.4%
Other 6.5%

Yes, this does total 100%; I'm a CPA remember? Anyway, the Other category includes as many as 100 different nationalities.

About 47% of the population is Muslim, 44% are Russian Orthodox, and the other 9% are Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Judaists.

The official state language is Kazakh. However, about 2/3 of the population speaks Russian, which is also used in everyday business. I am told most of the caregivers in the orphanages speak Kazakh. I am also told it is practical to learn some Russian since this is what I will hear most. I purchased a Russian CD and book from another adoptive Mom which teaches phrases needed most while adopting. I have not listened to it much yet but it seems pretty easy to use. Russian seems like a very difficult language to learn but I'm hoping to learn some basics that may help while in Kaz. But, I will have a translator with me at the orphanage and to help get around to the restaurants, the grocery store, and to shop and see the sights. I will also be provided a driver every day to get back and forth to the orphanage, airport, court, etc.

The currency in Kaz is tenge. Current conversion is 1 USD = 128.46 Tenge. It's always interesting dealing with different currency when traveling. But luckily I have a handy electronic converter I bought for a previous trip. Again, I'm a CPA so I rely heavily on calculators everyday!

Major trade partners with Kaz are of course, Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Germany, Ukraine, and good ole' USA. The major exports are oil, chemicals, wool, meat, coal, and grain.

The government system in Kaz is a hybrid that combines both parliamentary and presidential systems. Kaz became an independent sovereign state after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Their Constitution was formulated in 1993 and approved in 1995. The economy declined in the mid and late 90's but the economy has been gaining strength in recent years. There is good website aboutkazakhstan.com (link is on the right) that gives a good overview of the country.




The cities where my agency works are listed below.

Astana (the capital of Kaz)
Almaty (the former capital, and the city where I will enter and leave Kaz)
Semey
Taraz (shown as Zhambyl on the above map)
Shymkent
Aqtobe
Esik (not shown on map but is close to Almaty)
Karakastek (not shown on map but is close to Almaty)


As you can see, these cities are located all over the country. So, I could end up in any part of Kaz. As you know, I am anxiously waiting to find out to which city I will travel so I can research and gather as much specific information as I can about the city. Right now, Almaty requires 3 trips. This city was closed to adoptions for a while so apparently they are backlogged at the moment. It is 3 trips because families are having to wait up to a month after bonding before getting a court date. This would put families wanting to do one trip there for several months. This would definitely be a hardship for me so I have requested not to be assigned to this city unless absolutely necessary; in which case I would somehow make it work. Other than that, I could go anywhere.

Please continue to pray for me and my little boy in Kaz!

Progress is Slow

I did find out yesterday from my coordinator that my dossier has left the MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in Astana and is now at the MOE (Ministry of Education) in Astana. However, she was also able to find out that families that were 5-6 weeks ahead of me are just now being assigned a region. If this timing holds, it could be another 5-6 weeks before I know to which region I am going. This pushes things out further than I was hoping, but I am glad to know that dossiers do seem to be moving. (I was starting to wonder!)

Once I am assigned a region or receive a referral, whichever comes first, then my dossier will go to the MOE in that region and they will issue a LOI (Letter of Invitation). From most of the message boards and blogs I've been reading, it seems most families are getting their LOI about 2 weeks before they must travel. However, although regions move at their own pace, it could take another couple of months for the region to issue the LOI.

So, I have decided to try to stop guessing which month I might travel. It's too disappointing when it gets pushed out. I'll just trust that God has a plan for me and that my son is just not quite ready for me yet. Thanks to Mom for the reminder to stop worrying and start trusting! Also, ALL of my family, friends, co-workers, etc. have been soooo supportive and sympathetic. I feel so blessed to have such great people in my life!

Referral or Travel Blind?

Well, I received some discouraging and then encouraging news from my agency this past week. I emailed my coordinator to see if she had any news because I truly thought I would be assigned to a region by now. My dossier has been in Kaz for about 7 weeks now. She said that summer always slows down because of people on vacations, etc. But she also said it has been the slowest summer that they have ever seen; figures!

On a conference call with the agency a couple of days later, they mentioned that referrals seem to be coming in faster for some strange reason right now. A referral is when you get a picture and maybe some medical information on a specific child before you travel. Kaz does not "hold" referrals so there is no guarantee that this child will still be there by the time you arrive in Kaz. Now, historically, traveling blind has always been faster. This does not seem to be the case at this moment. My agency also says that only 5% of their families lose a referral, which is a statistic I think I can live with. I also found out that you don't have to necessarily choose one option over the other. I can just do whatever comes up first. So, my coordinator is looking into the current referral situation to see if I can be put in the queue for a referral while I'm waiting to travel. Fingers crossed!!

I also spent this past weekend registering for my baby showers. It's pretty overwhelming when you realize everything you need for a baby; even a baby that will not be a newborn. Boy, they come with a lot of stuff for such little people!!

I'm planning to work on setting up the nursery over the next couple of weeks as well. I'll post pics when it is done.