The longest miles

Mee and I with our house keeper and friend Luba


Kaz cowboy on our way to airport

After a final visit with the Niblet, we started the insane trip back to the states. The only thing that could make this trek more difficult are 1. being sick (check), 2. knowing that we will be doing it again in less than two weeks (check) and 3. making it without our daughter (check and mate).






The flight from Kokeshetau nearly killed both of us. We’ve both been sick and the cabin pressure nearly popped our heads clear off. On top of that, the temperature on the plane -- no exaggeration -- was about 7000º F. OK, that is a bit of an exaggeration but still. While Mee removed nearly all of her clothing and still nearly cooked her brain, the other Kazak passengers didn’t seem to mind the heat at all. In fact, some even asked for blankets. I think this may provide some insight as to why they like to keep our little Chloe wrapped up all the time.













We spent the rest of the next twenty or so hours flying or waiting to fly in various airports -- and being sick. Frankfurt was easy, we even found a McDonald’s which was a nice albeit embarrassing comfort.

We're now back in the good ol’ U.S.A. and it feels great. After a month of being in a foreign city where very few people spoke English, it filled me with a certain joy to be inundated by advertising in the airport. We were also reminded of that “great” American work ethic. After departing the plane, all 400 or so passengers need to go through customs. I gather it is customary for the customs agents to take their lunch break at the same time and get really perturbed when it’s interrupted by pesky work. After a few minutes of waiting in line, the government employees shuffled to their stations and we were on our way again, though not before listening to the ugly grumblings of fat, entitled American travelers complaining about the littlest things. For me this was a bit much to take in light of the realities of the city we had just left.

So we are back at home and I seem to have developed a serious case of ottitis (ear infection) that will require some antibiotics to remedy. I should be all cleared up just in time for our next trip.

We will be on our way in about ten days and this trip should only last about ten days. The plan requires us to head back to Kokshetau, pick up the baby, spend a couple of days waiting for the next flight back to Almaty where our girl gets a medical, meets with the American Embassy to prove to them that she is not, in fact, a terrorist (don't have a clear idea of exactly how this is to happen ...), and then we should be good to bring our baby home with us.

Special note: When we left for our trip, we needed to clear out almost all of the food in the fridge so that we wouldn’t return to any nasty surprises. This also meant that we would return to a house with no food in it. Well, my sweet sister (who lives 100 miles away in Milwaukee) found time to come down and put some food and snacks in the house and leave a vase of flowers on the dining table. I can’t tell you how amazing this was. Mee and I were completely blown away by her thoughtfulness. I am a very, very lucky brother.