Amy & Steve's Excellent Adventure: Nice day for a walk

Today we decided that we would all meet for lunch. Big day here as Steve and I pulled ourselves together for our outing. Our attire for the last week or so has been sweatpants and a tee shirt. As you can see I haven't been in many photos. There is good reason for this. I haven't worn makeup or styled my hair for a while either. So we dressed up in our jeans and pulled ourselves together for our lunch outing. Maria came over to watch Megan and Steve and I bundled up to set out for our walk. Maria doesn't speak a word of English so it is an adventure to try to communicate to her Megan's schedule. We couldn't have picked a more beautiful day for a walk. It was Saturday (although everyday here feel like Saturday!), the sun was shining and it was a balmy -10 F. People just don't seem to mind the cold around here. You bundle up and go. (I wish I would have put on my long underwear) Next time I complain about the cold weather in Buffalo I will just remember our time in Kokshetau. Most families here only have one car per household so you either walk or you take the bus. It is funny as I sit here typing this Steve and I are both sitting on the couch in shorts and a short sleeve shirt. Like we stated before in a previous post, the government controls the heat in our apartment and it is blasting warm. We have the windows open too.

So we met Inna, Patty, Teresa and Teresa's mother Bertha for lunch. Bertha just got here from Miami and will travel with Teresa home next week. Bertha only speaks Spanish so lunch was interesting as Inna was translating the menu to us in English and then Teresa would translate it to her mother in Spanish. It was nice to see everyone as we all have been in our houses for a couple of days now and haven't seen each other. After lunch we walked to the market to pick up a couple of things. Big happenings here in Kokshetau.

Megan continues to be a very good girl. Last night she slept from 8:45 pm until 9:00 this morning. I hope she takes after Steve with her sleeping! We also gave her a bath today and she didn't cry at all. I think she is beginning to like the tub. She also has discovered carrots which she gobbled up. She couldn't get enough of them. Well that is all for now. We hope to hear on Monday about our return date to the USA. We will keep you posted.