It has been quite frustrating to be honest. Our Agency coordinator here is said to be great at her job (which is the only saving grace right now). All four of us (K&J as well as Deepak and me) are very frustrated about the lack of personal touch with the in-country co-ord here in Aktobe. There is definitely no attempt at relationship building on any level. She seems to be more of a behind the scene kinda person, supposed to be great at what she does. But dare you ask a question...umm...like its freakin' Wednesday night here and we are supposedly due for court on 'maybe Monday maybe Tuesday. Hopefully. Nothing is for sure'. This information again was not offered but we had to ask repeatedly to get. And we dare not ask for an update it seems - all four of us are pulling out our hair at the way the conversation goes and quotes quoted or how we are spoken to. Grrrr! Of course since I'm usually the one who voices the opinion Im the bad guy given the most attitude.
We are all on tenterhooks here and let's just say quite frustrated. The good thing is we like Aktobe, we like the people here, LOVE the food here, and the saving grace is we get to meet our sons each day.We are also very happy about the wonderful relationships we have built with the staff at the orphanage. That is why we are all more upset about this I think, because that is not how Kazakh people are. They are nice and warm and polite and helpful. Ah well. Ive vented now. But it would definitely be a much nicer experience if the person who is supposed to be your contact in country would make an effort to make you comfortable and be nice to you, keeping you informed. Make an effort not just on the paperwork side of things but on the human aspect as well-after all this is the most human based work one could ever do, isn't it. With a child, families and such delicate relations involved, being one of the toughest journeys in life one would undertake.
We are all on tenterhooks here and let's just say quite frustrated. The good thing is we like Aktobe, we like the people here, LOVE the food here, and the saving grace is we get to meet our sons each day.We are also very happy about the wonderful relationships we have built with the staff at the orphanage. That is why we are all more upset about this I think, because that is not how Kazakh people are. They are nice and warm and polite and helpful. Ah well. Ive vented now. But it would definitely be a much nicer experience if the person who is supposed to be your contact in country would make an effort to make you comfortable and be nice to you, keeping you informed. Make an effort not just on the paperwork side of things but on the human aspect as well-after all this is the most human based work one could ever do, isn't it. With a child, families and such delicate relations involved, being one of the toughest journeys in life one would undertake.
Totally understand your frustration. :( we were there once too and for the exact same reasons we no longer have any contact with our agency or personnel who helped in our adoption. I was the bad guy for voicing opinions and it sucks! Hang in there because the end result as you know is well worth the frustration and the wait. Take lots and lots of pictures and if you can video as well. We thought we got a lot and now looking back I wish I had more. Enjoy all of the enjoyable things, like you said, the people are amazing and so friendly... Even though we didn't speak Much Russian we had plenty of conversations and were really impacted by many people we met doing regular ordinary things like buying bread. I miss that part of Kazakhstan to be honest. :) Very soon you'll be on your way home and all the frustration will be a memory. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for continuing to post, we aren't able to travel back for a while yet but love how blogs such as yours keep Kazakhstan alive for our daughter, she loves to see other Canadians bring home more Kaz babies (In my daughters case Kaz Kids) :)
We have a good relationship with our Canadian agency rep (who is also Kazakh) but I think because she has lived there for so many yrs and understands people there she is great with communication and always kept us (and still does if she knows something) in the loop. We are VERY fond of Liana from AH. She always went above and beyond the norm and pushed whoever needed to be pushed or requested to get things done. Hats off to that girl! I would trust her in a blink. Its just that the rep here is very good at her job just not so much on the communication front. Which leads to our frustrations. I think after yesterday's long conversations with both, we are on a good page now with our rep here in Kaz too making sure she knows our expectations and what can help us feel better. To just share any info however small it may seem and even if there isnt any to just let us know that for now there is no update. I hope we can maintain good relations at least with our Canadian rep because we really do like her and all that she has done for us and how she has 'managed' us esp when we were in Canada. :)
ReplyDelete