Twenty two hours have passed since we left home to travel to Ust Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan to adopt our daughter. The flights and lay overs were long and we are all exhausted. We landed in darkness, which only compounded our disorientation. We deplane into an airport where we cannot understand any of the spoken word, nor read any signage. So we follow the crowd. We must clear customs and hopefully we are heading in the right direction. We wait in line and listen to the language being spoken. We feel very vulnerable, and the reality of where we are, takes hold. As we speak to each other, people stare at us. We are foreigners and it is very obvious. To say we are extremely intimidated is an understatement. As we are next in line we approach the booth. The staff begin to speak to us as if we will understand them. Their requests are repeated only now with an increase in volume, as if this will make us understand. I hand them our passports and speak in English. I hope for the best. Our pictures are taken and documents are reviewed and stamped. Now they just point in the direction they want us to walk. We cleared customs and are on the way to baggage. I ponder how we will recognize the people who are supposed to be there picking us up. What if they are "no longer available either". Fear and anxiety are at an all time high. We collect our luggage and again follow the crowd. Relief at last as I recognize a sign. Youngs..... Our driver and translator are here....
I can calm down some what. So far so good. We approach, we shake hands and introduce our selves. Bulgan our translator is a pretty Kazak lady with a warm smile and reassuring eyes. She explains we will be going to an apt for a few hours of rest, and they will return in the morning to get us back to the airport for the flight to Ust Kamenogorsk. We exit the airport building and walk thru the dark parking lot to a small compact car. We are 5 people and 3 huge suitcases. We will make it work.
Upon entering the car an older women is sitting in the front seat which is covered in a faux leopard skin seat cover, and there are danglings from the rear view mirror the likes of which would be seen in a bad movie. She is there to collect the final payment for our accommodations while in Ust Kamenogorsk. The crisp NEW one hundred dollar bills. Fifty five hundred to be exact. Anxiety and fear come rushing back. Is this really how business is conducted in Kazakhstan after all of the formal background and character checks we had been subjected to in the preceding months. Hand over alot of money in a dark parking lot in the middle of the night to an old women we have never met. We comply. She counts the money we had already counted numerous times before even leaving our driveway, which now is so far away. She speaks to us and we look to Bulgan for a translation. Bulgan relates that the money is wrong. The old woman says 500.00$ more. My heart rate quickens and I scramble in my mind for an exit plan. We are already at the airport we can just turn around and go home. I stand my ground and tell the old women NO! Money is right. Bulgan translates. She (the old women) makes a call to Nigmat, her son. Bulgan tell us she is calling him. We wait. Christopher watching our every move. I wonder if he can feel our anxiety as I motion to him to remain silent. A loud conversation in Russian occurs and then the phone is handed to me. Nigmat says 500.00$ more is owed. I again hold my ground. I tell him No! He should call Orson. We have paid the entire fee already except for our accommodations. He continues to argue with me. I tell him we will return to the USA, there will be no more money, and I hand the phone back to the old women. She in turn has a brief conversation with Nigmat and then speaks to Bulgan. Bulgan then turns to us and relates, all is fine. We can go now to the apt.
The old lady walks away into the night and we proceed to leave the parking lot. Surreal events to a long day or wait, is it night.
The ride to the apt is quiet as we try to recover our composure. Anxiety and fear have now joined us on our journey and will remain there always lurking in our consciousness. Almaty is very dark at midnight however Bulgan was able to reassure us that all would be alright. She then went on to say she would not be back in the morning if that would be OK with us as she had another job and was only doing this last translation for AIP as a favor because she no longer worked for them. She assured us the driver would be back at 6am to pick us up. We really had no choice but to trust her. The ride to the apt seemed like forever. We arrived by 1:30 am and were helped into the apt. Bulgan again asked if it would be ok if she didnt return in the morning. We said ok, as all we were going to do was go back to the airport and get on another plane. We thought we could handle that. She was sincere in her caring and this was evident when she gave us her cell phone number with the understanding we could call her if we needed her. Little did we know how important her number would be to us later on in our journey....
Friday, September 26, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
A challange to a post about the Government of Kazakhstan and Embassy Officials
Below is a portion of a post from:
http://quest2kaz.blogspot.com/
"Regarding Stephen and his brother (and the Kazak Embassy): If you adopted from Kaz and you only want to hear nice things about the country, please stop reading at this point. Joe and I feel nothing but disgust for all of the people in Kazakhstan that we dealt with throughout our adoption (with the caregivers and our drivers being the only exceptions.) The people we have dealt with have been apathetic and downright cruel. We resent that they asked us to meet with them in July and tore open the scab that was forming over our hearts by telling us the boys are available and that they were going to do "everything possible" to help us adopt them. I nearly cancelled our IVF procedure and thank God that in the end we did not.
Almat (Head of the Consular Section), as you saw from the e-mails I posted, barely answered our questions and recently his help - that was supposed to be "everything possible" - in reality - turned into giving us a contact person who could help us with the adoption. We did not need a contact person - we needed a swift acting Embassy official to insure our safety and complete this adoption a.s.a.p. so these boys could have a chance at life. Sadly, the Embassy had no intention of offering any "substantial" assistance and only proved my first assumption correct: It was all just lip service. Now, they can say "We met with the De Lorenzo's and offered assistance." They can use this quote to answer any reporters who question why they did not step up to the plate. Every single one of the people we dealt with, who had it within their power to help and didn't, make us sick to our stomachs.
Some people say "Oh, you can only blame Orson Mozes and his wife who is the co-owner and Executive Director and nobody else." Orson and Christen are, of course, the only reason we were in this mess to begin with. However, there are many who could have, and should have, helped to make things right once it was apparent that Orson was working with corrupt people on the Kazak end. It is outrageous that Nigmat is still abusing people and that Dr. Natalia, the Director of the Baby House - as well as Almagul are all still going about their evil business while the Embassy is FULLY AWARE of what they are doing! It is shameful. Lastly, I think it needs to be made very CLEAR to PAPs that Heritage Adoptions is using Nigmat. I am sure other agencies are as well, but Heritage is the one I know for sure is using him. BE VERY WEARY!"
I start this post out with my most sincere thanks to God for the miracle of pregnancy God has granted to Dawn and Joe. After all the pain they have suffered on their journey to become parents, their prayers are soon to be answered with the birth of their first child this coming May. Congratulations and may the pain you experienced on your adoption journey be replaced with the lifetime of joy that awaits you both in May.
While Dawn and I have had numerous conversations over the past year or so, I don’t think she will be surprised to read a response to her most recent post on this blog. Dawn and I definitely have a difference of opinion about the government of Kazakhstan and the above post as far as I am concerned cannot go unchallenged, although I do understand Dawn does have a right to her opinion.
Being all comments must be approved by Dawn on her blog, I felt compelled to comment here on my blog. While I do not accept any anonymous comments, I will allow opinions here but not attacks.
I can and do empathize with the absolute agony Dawn and Joe experienced while attempting to adopt from Kazakhstan thru Adoption International Program which was owned and operated by Orson Mozes and Christian Brown.
It is my opinion that Dawn and Joe were victims, as were many others, of an unethical adoption agency who engaged in illegal practices here in the USA.
The government of Kazakhstan is not however, in the adoption business. Thankfully they are gracious enough to allow foreigners to adopt their children. For this I will be forever grateful, and stand vigilant to protect Kazakhstan against what I believe is a biased attack on her government and embassy officials with regards to their role in this issue.
For what its worth, the following is my opinion.
Orson Mozes, Christian Brown and AIP are solely responsible for the reprehensible experience Dawn and Joe suffered through attempting to adopt a child from Kazakhstan. However Joe and Dawn freely chose AIP and did not consult with the Kazakhstan government before signing that contract and paying the fee’s AIP charged both in the USA and in country. Kazakhstan and the Embassy should not be held accountable for one's poor choice of an adoption agency here in the USA.
The laws governing adoption in Kazakhstan are and were in place. They are specific and clear. The government of Kazakhstan has the responsibility to uphold their laws and it is my opinion that is exactly what they did with regards to the child, and children Dawn and Joe attempted to adopt.
I do not feel it is, or was the Kazakhstan’s government’s responsibility to correct the wrongs done to Dawn and Joe by AIP and their staff.
However the government of Kazakhstan did as a country, listen to Dawn and Joe’s issues, investigated their claims, and took positive steps to assist Dawn and Joe attempt to complete their adoption. By Dawns own admission Almat provided them with a contact person, and they were told their “boys” were still there and available for adoption. This information alone is more than any PAP gets from the Kazakhstan Government (Embassy) when attempting to adopt a child.
Again this is my opinion but the guarantee Dawn and Joe were looking for, they did receive from the Kazakhstan government in the form of the above information, and the name of a contact person provided by the government. International Adoption is by nature a leap of faith, knowing and having communication with Embassy Officials would have for me, made that leap a bit easier and crystal clear.
Slamming the government of Kazakhstan, Embassy Officials and Dr Natalia because of the actions and greed of AIP and it's in country staff is irresponsible, and unreasonable in my opinion. We the victims of AIP were lead to believe that the photo listed children we paid agency fee's to hold would be our children. WE signed contracts because we were given fraudulent information from AIP with assurances that conflicted with Kazakhstan law. Again this was not Kazakhstan or the Embassy Officials fault.
Dr Natalia lives in Kazakhstan and runs a baby house with limited resources. Her life, from what I saw first hand is devoted to the care of orphans. While I do not profess to know how she conducts business, I would venture to say that Dawn is not privy to that information either, and merely is stating her perception of her unique experience.
In closing, after my bittersweet experience of adopting from Kazakhstan through AIP, I will forever be grateful to this government for allowing the International Adoptions of her children. Kazakhstan laws governing adoption are fair and just.
The government did listen to, investigate and respond to Dawn and Joe’s issues. They have taken positive steps in an attempt to protect future PAP by regulating agencies and in country staff who are conducting the business of adoption. For this, future PAP owe Dawn and Joe a debt of gratitude. Because of their persistence the government of Kazakhstan set goals to insure a more transparent process which will better protect all involved in International Adoption.
In closing I pray in time Dawn and Joe find peace in knowing the pain they suffered was not in vain, as the new regulations promote and protect International Adoption from Kazakhstan.
http://quest2kaz.blogspot.com/
"Regarding Stephen and his brother (and the Kazak Embassy): If you adopted from Kaz and you only want to hear nice things about the country, please stop reading at this point. Joe and I feel nothing but disgust for all of the people in Kazakhstan that we dealt with throughout our adoption (with the caregivers and our drivers being the only exceptions.) The people we have dealt with have been apathetic and downright cruel. We resent that they asked us to meet with them in July and tore open the scab that was forming over our hearts by telling us the boys are available and that they were going to do "everything possible" to help us adopt them. I nearly cancelled our IVF procedure and thank God that in the end we did not.
Almat (Head of the Consular Section), as you saw from the e-mails I posted, barely answered our questions and recently his help - that was supposed to be "everything possible" - in reality - turned into giving us a contact person who could help us with the adoption. We did not need a contact person - we needed a swift acting Embassy official to insure our safety and complete this adoption a.s.a.p. so these boys could have a chance at life. Sadly, the Embassy had no intention of offering any "substantial" assistance and only proved my first assumption correct: It was all just lip service. Now, they can say "We met with the De Lorenzo's and offered assistance." They can use this quote to answer any reporters who question why they did not step up to the plate. Every single one of the people we dealt with, who had it within their power to help and didn't, make us sick to our stomachs.
Some people say "Oh, you can only blame Orson Mozes and his wife who is the co-owner and Executive Director and nobody else." Orson and Christen are, of course, the only reason we were in this mess to begin with. However, there are many who could have, and should have, helped to make things right once it was apparent that Orson was working with corrupt people on the Kazak end. It is outrageous that Nigmat is still abusing people and that Dr. Natalia, the Director of the Baby House - as well as Almagul are all still going about their evil business while the Embassy is FULLY AWARE of what they are doing! It is shameful. Lastly, I think it needs to be made very CLEAR to PAPs that Heritage Adoptions is using Nigmat. I am sure other agencies are as well, but Heritage is the one I know for sure is using him. BE VERY WEARY!"
I start this post out with my most sincere thanks to God for the miracle of pregnancy God has granted to Dawn and Joe. After all the pain they have suffered on their journey to become parents, their prayers are soon to be answered with the birth of their first child this coming May. Congratulations and may the pain you experienced on your adoption journey be replaced with the lifetime of joy that awaits you both in May.
While Dawn and I have had numerous conversations over the past year or so, I don’t think she will be surprised to read a response to her most recent post on this blog. Dawn and I definitely have a difference of opinion about the government of Kazakhstan and the above post as far as I am concerned cannot go unchallenged, although I do understand Dawn does have a right to her opinion.
Being all comments must be approved by Dawn on her blog, I felt compelled to comment here on my blog. While I do not accept any anonymous comments, I will allow opinions here but not attacks.
I can and do empathize with the absolute agony Dawn and Joe experienced while attempting to adopt from Kazakhstan thru Adoption International Program which was owned and operated by Orson Mozes and Christian Brown.
It is my opinion that Dawn and Joe were victims, as were many others, of an unethical adoption agency who engaged in illegal practices here in the USA.
The government of Kazakhstan is not however, in the adoption business. Thankfully they are gracious enough to allow foreigners to adopt their children. For this I will be forever grateful, and stand vigilant to protect Kazakhstan against what I believe is a biased attack on her government and embassy officials with regards to their role in this issue.
For what its worth, the following is my opinion.
Orson Mozes, Christian Brown and AIP are solely responsible for the reprehensible experience Dawn and Joe suffered through attempting to adopt a child from Kazakhstan. However Joe and Dawn freely chose AIP and did not consult with the Kazakhstan government before signing that contract and paying the fee’s AIP charged both in the USA and in country. Kazakhstan and the Embassy should not be held accountable for one's poor choice of an adoption agency here in the USA.
The laws governing adoption in Kazakhstan are and were in place. They are specific and clear. The government of Kazakhstan has the responsibility to uphold their laws and it is my opinion that is exactly what they did with regards to the child, and children Dawn and Joe attempted to adopt.
I do not feel it is, or was the Kazakhstan’s government’s responsibility to correct the wrongs done to Dawn and Joe by AIP and their staff.
However the government of Kazakhstan did as a country, listen to Dawn and Joe’s issues, investigated their claims, and took positive steps to assist Dawn and Joe attempt to complete their adoption. By Dawns own admission Almat provided them with a contact person, and they were told their “boys” were still there and available for adoption. This information alone is more than any PAP gets from the Kazakhstan Government (Embassy) when attempting to adopt a child.
Again this is my opinion but the guarantee Dawn and Joe were looking for, they did receive from the Kazakhstan government in the form of the above information, and the name of a contact person provided by the government. International Adoption is by nature a leap of faith, knowing and having communication with Embassy Officials would have for me, made that leap a bit easier and crystal clear.
Slamming the government of Kazakhstan, Embassy Officials and Dr Natalia because of the actions and greed of AIP and it's in country staff is irresponsible, and unreasonable in my opinion. We the victims of AIP were lead to believe that the photo listed children we paid agency fee's to hold would be our children. WE signed contracts because we were given fraudulent information from AIP with assurances that conflicted with Kazakhstan law. Again this was not Kazakhstan or the Embassy Officials fault.
Dr Natalia lives in Kazakhstan and runs a baby house with limited resources. Her life, from what I saw first hand is devoted to the care of orphans. While I do not profess to know how she conducts business, I would venture to say that Dawn is not privy to that information either, and merely is stating her perception of her unique experience.
In closing, after my bittersweet experience of adopting from Kazakhstan through AIP, I will forever be grateful to this government for allowing the International Adoptions of her children. Kazakhstan laws governing adoption are fair and just.
The government did listen to, investigate and respond to Dawn and Joe’s issues. They have taken positive steps in an attempt to protect future PAP by regulating agencies and in country staff who are conducting the business of adoption. For this, future PAP owe Dawn and Joe a debt of gratitude. Because of their persistence the government of Kazakhstan set goals to insure a more transparent process which will better protect all involved in International Adoption.
In closing I pray in time Dawn and Joe find peace in knowing the pain they suffered was not in vain, as the new regulations promote and protect International Adoption from Kazakhstan.
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