We Know Where We're Going (we think)

There's some news. We found out our dossier is at some ministry in Astana. Better though, it's been suggested that we go to Aqtobe (or Aktobe) because our agency coordinator believes this is the region that most suits us.

Of course I immediately said, "Yes, sounds great! Aktobe will be so exciting."

Now she was kind of quiet and then said, "Great, we'll get your paperwork out there..." And explained why Aktobe was a good place for us to go. I think, in hindsight, she was a little surprised by how excited I was beyond the fact that I was excited to know where our son is, and that things were really moving now. I think she was wondering-- why is this crazy person so excited about going to Aktobe? She knows I'm a research freak, the type that amasses books, reports, websites, etc about everything, so I'm sure she assumed I knew about all the regions in which the agency worked in Kazakhstan.

I did, or so I thought. I thought Aktobe was Aktau, which is on the Caspian Sea. I have a thing about seeing water. I don't particularly like water sports, or even swimming, but I like to see different bodies of water. So Aktau would be great- right on the Caspian Sea, and when would I get a chance to see that again? Unless we go back with little boy for a visit when he's older and can carry his own luggage.

I immediately started doing research. Aktobe of course, isn't Aktau. They're not even near each other. Aktobe isn't on the Caspian Sea. In fact, the guidebook we have describes it as "a drab industrial town"... Wow, sounds a lot like where we live now, except our town is mostly post-industrial. Then I saw the average winter temperature was -18 C. All right, now that's nothing like home.

After reading all that I came across, I decided Aktobe will be a great place to go, even though it's not on the Caspian Sea, and it's a bit farther than slightly off the Silk Road. There's a museum in the city with an English speaking curator. It's not too far from Russia (not really a plus, but it's something). There's a really good Armenian restuarant, and we've never had Armenian food. It was part of the territory of the warlords of the Little Horde, and was the home to thirty-six "Heroes of the Soviet Union" including a cosmonaut. There are also two Russian Orthodox churches, so Father Victor will be happy to know we won't miss Divine Liturgy while we're away.

Most of all, it's where our son is. That's enough to make it worth the trip.

Slightly Off the Silk Road

I'm very wordy. I always have been, and my short time in academia didn't help. Despite my verbosity I've never been very clever with my use of words. I could never come up with snappy titles for papers, conferences, or one liners. So trying to decide on a title for a blog was a trial. I saw a few good ones in use by other families, but seeing how they were already taken..Having almost been an historian (a dissertation short of a Ph.D) and currently a homeschooling mother of three, I searched my store of historical knowledge, thinking I could come up with something intellectual, if not particularly witty. Whether I've been successful is another matter.
Our family has adopted once already. We brought our youngest daughter home from China this January. However, since the idea of international adoption came into my head, I felt called-- drawn if you prefer a less religion-laden term-- to Kazakhstan. I had a picture of a sweet, dark haired little boy in my head (though we have a bio son who could fit that description). So this time, we're off to Kazakhstan, braving the mountain of complex paperwork, the need for exact and unsmudged notarial seals on everything, and the long stay in country that we were too afraid to take on in the beginning of 2005 when the idea of international adoption was first presented to us by friends with four kids of their own.

So I sat down and thought. And thought. And thought some more. No luck. I thought back to our less-than-stellar China blog (less than stellar because I was too lazy and distracted to keep it up once we got in country). That had a good name. Mad in China- taken from the English name we were planning to stick our daughter with, and the fact that she looked really angry in the referral pictures we got.. Mad in Kazakstan? Nah. That didn't make sense. Borat's Boyz? No, he'd probably sue us, because you know, people who mock others often don't have a sense of humor when it comes to getting teased themselves. Besides, our son might not be too pleased with that when he's older.

Then it hit me this morning. I was looking through a tour book of Central Asia. A few of the other countries-- notably Kyrgyzstan-- had the historical sites with which I was familiar. Then I remembered something a co-worker of my husband, who had toured the 'Stans a few years back as well as traveled extensively in Asia and North Africa had told me when I excitedly announced we were adopting and would be in Kazakhstan for at least a month-- "Kazakhstan is boring."

"But it's on the Silk Road," I objected.

He just looked at me, and shook his head, "Not really."

I was apparently thinking of Kyrgyzstan. Kazakhstan is off the Silk Road, to the north. So I said quite happily to our twelve year old daughter this morning, "I have a name for the blog. Off the Silk Road."

She didn't like it and said, "How about Slightly Off the Silk Road?"

So there it is. As chance would have it, our youngest daughter was born in Yunnan Province, which is slightly off the "Southern Silk Road" that ran from China to India. Not a bad bit of coincidence.

(DISCLAIMER: All historical and geographical facts stated in this post might not be 100% accurate. For example, neither place is really "slightly" off its respective Silk Road. Like the Frank Hopkins story that inspired the movie Hidalgo, a little exagerration is sometimes needed to make a story really good.)