Day One in Karaganda

Another delayed, late night flight took us to Karaganda. We landed in the most modern and sleek airport we’ve ever seen…which is quite a contrast with the town itself, we’ve since learned. Oxana, our interpreter, and Vadim, our silent driver - greeted us right away and took us to our apartment. It was familiar to us from the moment we stepped inside, as it’s the same apartment as the Morningstars, whose blog we followed during their trip this spring.

We spent the morning unpacking, went to the grocery store (where Oxana was a lifesaver!) then headed to the baby house to meet Valeria. We were excited and anxious to finally meet her.

When they walked her in, we almost didn’t recognize her because she is so tiny. They brought her over to us, explaining that we’re her new “Mama y Papa.” She was quiet, taking it all in, and sat calmly in both of our laps. We then walked up to a small play room and I enjoyed the way she clung to me so tightly. She was a little shy at first, but in a few minutes she became playful and giggly.





We played with her for 2 hours… which admittedly did seem quite long, being our first day, and because we had to stay in one room the whole time. It was a lot to absorb in one day, draining and exciting at the same time.