Tamara's Region

Tamara's Region...

This morning Tamara again woke up early... 7:45 am except this morning there was a twist.

Bruce decided to get her out of the crib as I was still sleeping. Our little precious angel decided to wake Mommy up the way she wakes her doll. She tried to open my eye by poking it. Ouch! OK stop laughing I can hear you all the way from Georgia. lol

I of course jumped out of bed... a first for me getting such a greeting. Bruce was chuckling.. and standing far enough away so I couldn't show him my appreciation. lol Tamara was pleased.. she got what she wanted... Mommy was wide awake. ;o)

Anyway that's how my day began. I did the normal potty, wash, dress , feed routine with Tamara. Then Daddy played with her for a while so I could shower and dress. We were being picked up at noon today. Anna stayed to watch Tamara.

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We had to go to Tamara's birth region. To her family's village to pick up her birth certificate.

This is something I was hoping we could do. I really wanted to see where her family was from. So we headed one hour south of Tbilisi.. to a small town / region. We were pleasantly surprised by what we found. The ride there was a beautiful drive and her town which I can't pronounce never mind spell was adorable. Unfortunately my camera was on a video setting instead of picture.. not sure how that happen so I don't have too many stills to share right now. Hopefully when we get home I can use one of my other programs, other computer and make it work? If I do I' will of course post the pictures and or video. As for the spelling I should get that with the translated Birth Certificate.

Upon arriving to the town we found the office building we were looking for. The certificate was not available until after their lunch break so we went for a walk. Found a sweet little cafe and had some Turkish coffee, really yummy bean bread and some sort of cookie / pastry which had a filling with the consistency of peanut butter but I was told it was boiled whole milk? Don't understand it but they were very good. And obviously no nuts as I am still here.

The people in her town are very nice... seriously nice. I kept looking for someone who might look like Tamara and guess what? Most of them did. I would say 30-40% had wide set eyes and the flatter then usual nose bridge with a longer nose. Most of them had her coloring. The children were all adorable and the adults were pretty good looking and extremely polite, friendly and a little curious in a polite sort of way. I guess they don't get to see many Americans here? It was obvious when we were at their hall of records and they fondled our passports longer then usual. The other employees watched from a far and the woman helping us seemed as if she was trying to breath in the American dream? She too was extremely nice to us.

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I think as Americans we often take what we have for granted. I would recommend that everyone take at least one trip overseas and if possible mingle with the natives. It is an experience that will change you forever in a positive sense. It is also extremely important that you respect their culture, religion , way of life. We are their guests and need to behave that way. Never try to change someone. If you spend enough time with the natives you will find that most are perfect the way they are. More then likely they will have just as many questions about our way of life as you will about theirs. They seem to think that America is as it is portrayed in movies. We too pass judgements on cultures based on what we hear and see in the media.

So close your eyes and spin that globe... find a place you've never considered as a vacation spot. It will enrich your lives and the lives of those you visit.

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OK.. where was I? Oh yeah... after our cafe break we hurried back to the Hall of Records where we soon had Tamara's new Birth Certificate which lists Bruce and I as her parents. ;o)

Pretty cool huh?

Tamara is officially Tamara Katarina K_u_g_r ... Yay!!!

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After acquiring the Birth Certificate we had to hurry back to Tbilisi to start the process for her passport. Got there just in time... it should be ready tomorrow morning.

Then we have to take all our translated copies to the US Embassy for her VISA.

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Below are some pictures of our journey...

Cattle crossing the 2 lane / 2 way high way.

The Rancher? Is that what you'd call this guy? Or is it a Georgian Cow Boy?

2 More Georgian Cow boys.

River running under the highway... very pretty in person

Farmer ... horse and buggy.. waves from a far.

Mariza our facilitator and Nina our translator in from of the Hall of Records building.

We had a very nice day with them today. And watching them in action was amazing... even with the language barrier we could tell they were super efficient in what they do.

Thanks Girls ;o)

Along the way... Georgia has very rich soil... lots of farming in this region.

Heading back to Tbilisi

This is Tbilisi's Micky D's ... happy to report we haven't seen the inside yet.

Our home away from Home .. below. Nice building with 24 hour security.

As you can see it was an adventurous fun day. When we returned to the apartment Tamara came running with open arms. What a sweet heart.

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A note to international adoptive parents in the process. Make sure that you are comfortable with your agency and in country staff. This whole process is a huge leap of faith. Being in a forge in country you really have very little choice then to trust the in country staff. Prior to choosing the agency check their references and then follow your gut instincts. It has saved us thousands upon thousands of dollars doing it this way. We as it turns out are extremely fortunate. We found a wonderful sweet daughter and have had a great in country experience so far. Georgia as far surpassed our expectations on every level. Yes we still have construction workers banging away from dawn to dusk but so what? I'm happy to put up with some banging so our neighbors have a better, nicer home. A small price to pay for progress.

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If any of you travel to Georgia any time soon you'll be amazed at the amount of construction projects going on. I'd say another 10-15 years and Georgia will attract more tourist.

We hope to be among them

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