So, Where's the Baby? (Part 2)

Well, it seems the traditional thing to do on one of these adoption-related blogs is to post a map of the place you're headed off to. I know most of my friends have beat the pants off of me on the Facebook geography quiz challenge, so you probably don't NEED a map of central Asia in order to remember where Kazakhstan is, but for those of you who've never heard of the country, here it is...

Our agency currently works in several different regions in Kaz: Almaty City, Almaty Region, Shymkent, Taldy-Korgan (northeast of Almaty) and Qostanay (in the northern part of the country). So we're currently waiting to find out which region we'll be assigned to. Any guesses?

Fun facts about Kazakhstan: it is the birthplace of the apple (this is where they evolved). Also, Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country in the world! Kazakhstan has had a long and fascinating history, from its experiences as a stop along the Silk Road, to the influx of Islam in the 9th century, to the arrival of Gengis Khan a few centuries later, to the experience of being a former Soviet state... it's a pretty amazing place. It's been a region of nomads and famous horsemen, with a rich cultural history. It's also been the home of the Soviet space program and Soviet nuclear testing. Overall, we're pretty psyched about being able to visit this part of the world. (Although it will most likely be the dead of winter while we're there... not quite as much fun for a couple of biologists like Russell and me who would love to see plants, animals, etc.)

So until we hear from our agency about where we'll be headed, we're busy preparing. Russ is trying to get another chapter of his PhD done before we leave. I'm teaching my fall classes. I'm also starting a research project on genetic diversity of hill prairie plants. This research project is what I'll be doing instead of teaching next quarter, once the baby is home. This weekend, Russ and I went out to collect plants from local hill prairies...some of them are really beautiful this time of year!

We're also still collecting odds and ends for the baby's room. Two of my favorite things so far: a mural for the wall called "Our World" (from Oopsy Daisy art) and a stuffed monster called "Oliver". The mural was an awesome find... I love it because of all the random places to include on a map of the whole world, the artist put the St. Louis arch (we're in the greater St. Louis area) and a yurt in Kazakhstan. Very cool. And I love Oliver because he was designed by a 4-year-old boy who described him as a monster who who loves pink and who is growing his hair out. Oliver wants to be a princess when he grows up (hence the crown). He has no arms, but as the designer puts it "That's okay, because everyone is different." Seriously, how can you NOT love that?
Finally, to the commentor who asked about our agency - we've been really pleased with CHI so far!