Robin here. When we arrived at the orphanage today, we saw that the children were outside helping with fall clean-up. They must have seen us drive up in the car because by the time we made it to the Group 5 room, Kristina was already there taking off her outside clothes. Since no one was there, we had a chance to get a grand tour with Kristina as our guide. She was very proud as she pointed out the large children’s bathroom and where the toys and clothes are kept. There was a stand alone clothes closet in the bedroom that we believe holds the girls’ clothing for special occasions like the bonding period. This is where Kristina chose her outfit for the day. She actually changed her mind and replaced the first dress she had on with a denim jumper instead. This made me happy, as the first dress was too lightweight for the cooler weather we’ve been having and I was afraid one of the Mama’s would make her change it once they saw her.

We are looking forward to a great day tomorrow when we take Kristina shopping for clothes, to a restaurant for lunch and then back to our apartment for a few hours. It will be our first glimpse into how well we can entertain her for the ten days that we’ll have her prior to our departure for Almaty. I think we have plenty of toys, games, gadgets and videos to keep her occupied – I least I hope so…

We learned of the children’s schedule recently and we’ll do our best to follow it as closely as possible to help make Kristina’s transition less stressful for all of us.

8:00 – Rise and shine, Make Bed, Dress
8:30 – Breakfast and Clean-Up
9:00 – Indoor Activity, Video/TV or Outside Play
10:00 – Fruit Snack
10:30 – Music, Dance or Art Instruction
12:00 – Lunch and Clean-up
1:00 – Two Hour Nap
3:00 – Up from Nap and Make Bed
3:30 – Snack
4:00 – Go to the Playroom
5:00 – Various Activities, Reading and Play
9:00 – Eat Dinner (We won’t be eating dinner that late!)
9:30 – Clean-Up, Brush Teeth, Get Ready for Bed
10:00 – Lights Out (We’ll be moving that up a good bit as well)

For the most part, each day is the same – even weekends. The orphanage provides for the children as best it can. Still, it is not a home and a family. And, with few exceptions, the routine does not vary much. The children get a shower once a week -- perhaps more often in the heat of summer. And, they have little choice in what they eat or wear. The saddest sights for me are the little boys wearing girl’s clothing. It is not uncommon to see boys in pink tights, tops with flowers or girls sandals. They dress the kids in what’s available and what fits. The boys however, seem oblivious to it all…