My birthday fell on the day before Tet, meaning I had to teach. Although I had to wake up at the wee hours of the morning to teach, it was worth it. My kids may be rowdy but they are precious. After four hours of teaching and playing pass with my beach ball, during break, Carolyn and I returned home and took off to District 1 with her mom and her mom’s friend. We ate lunch a quaint café and walked around downtown until we had to board the bus so Carolyn could teach later that night. After Carolyn’s last shift our staff took us out for a birthday celebration. We ended up at a coffee shop not too far away from school. While we were getting ready to go in, two of the guys left, only to come back with roses and a very large cake. The rest of the night was spent with conversation and frosting eating contests. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate my birthday!
After we had eaten our cake I dared Thomas to eat a bear made of frosting. He would only eat one if I did.
The day after my birthday I woke early to catch a flight to Kazakhstan where Kari and James are adopting their daughter. After MANY hours of traveling, I arrived in Pavlodar! The night flew by and the anxiety of meeting my niece the next day, set in. Surprisingly, the next day went a lot smoother than I thought it would. Ava greeted mom and dad with a huge smile which faded only for a second when she saw me. She was definitely confused but I reeled her in with the Ratatouille coloring book I had bought for her. From that point on, Ava and I were great friends. I cannot even describe to you how amazing my week was with her. I feel so fortunate to have had such an opportunity to meet the girl that will soon be blessing the rest of our family back in the states!
When we weren’t visiting Ava, we spent our time eating at Kari and James’ favorite restaurants, watching The Pretender, or spending time with their friends. Despite the BELOW FREEZING temperatures and the long travels, my week was unforgettable.
We celebrated James' birthday, made a traditional Russian food (Manti), and snuggled.
The end of my time here is quickly approaching and it is evoking a lot of emotions. I only hope that in these last few months, I can make every moment worthwhile. In the past few days we have been blessed with opportunities to have dinner at a friend’s house and to take pictures in District 1.
Taking pictures downtown with Phuong and Trinh!
