May 19, 2008

Our Last Day in Kazakhstan

Nick and I did not do much while we were waiting for Oleg today.  We ate breakfast at the hotel and checked email.  It was nice to have wireless internet again as it was much faster than the dial up we have been using.

Oleg came to the hotel to pick us up at 1:30 and head to the U.S. Consulate.  It was not what Nick and I were expecting.  It was in a large, modern glass building on one of the top floors.  We were escorted by security from the front door and up the elevator.  When we got off the elevator another security guard met us and took us to the waiting room.  We filled out a survey on our experience for the Consulate and then paid the cashier for the visas for Kristina and Victor.  We only waited a few minutes until we were called to a window to complete the paperwork.  The man on the other side of the glass was American and walked us through the remaining paperwork.  It was all the forms we completed with Oleg last night but we needed to sign them in front of the Consulate person.  We were done in a few minutes and were then escorted back down the elevator and out the building.

We then drove to a notary to complete a few more forms and Oleg brought us back to the hotel.  He will pick us up just before midnight to take us to the airport.  Oleg showed us some of the sights as we were driving back.  One of them was a very old and grand Russian Orthodox Church in a park a few blocks from the hotel.  Nick and I decided to go to a restaurant to eat and then to the church.  We found an Italian place where Nick had pizza and I had lasagna.  We walked to the park a short distance further.  It is a beautiful park with pathways lined with big, beautiful Christmas trees.  I am sure it is beautiful in the winter time, but I will leave that for my imagination.

As we walked through the park towards the church we found an impressive monument to WWI and WWII.  The statue was huge, maybe 4 stories high and there were marble walls with writing (in Russian so we do not know what it said, but we did recognize the dates of the wars) and an eternal flame.  We continued walking towards the church.  When it came into view we could see it is amazing.  The colors and architecture are beautiful.  It appeared to be the center of the park.  We went inside and could not believe how beautiful it is.  I will post pictures of the church but we could not take pictures inside. 

There were a lot of people out enjoying the beautiful weather and park.  There are small amusement rides and stands with food and drink throughout the park.  We enjoyed getting out for the walk and seeing the sights.  We headed back to the hotel to start preparing for the airport.

This month has gone by very fast and we are anxious to get home to see our boys.  We will miss many people we have met in Kaz and will always remember this experience.  The best day will be when Victor and Kristina join the rest of us in Florida.  It takes about two weeks for the court to hand down their final decision. Then Svetlana and Mariya finish everything else, passports, visa to go to Almaty, new birth certificates and whatever else they need to get done.  Mariya will escort Victor and Kristina to Almaty where they will stay for a few days.  Mariya returns to Petro and Oleg takes over the care at this point.  He gets them a medical exam and the necessary paperwork from the US Consulate.  Once everything is complete he escorts them to their new family in Florida.  Hopefully we will all be together by the middle of June.

The Hrenko Family

Adoption Journey to Kazakhstan

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Almaty Mountains

Russian Orthodox Church

Russian Orthodox Church

World War Monument