cross-cultural papa, part vii...

in my post a few days ago ("part v") i mentioned that, although receiving the news that our twin latvian girls also have a 2-year old sister hit me like a sledgehammer, i wasn't quite sure why it impacted me like it did.

alright - i'm guessing that some of you may be thinking, "duh, moron, of course news like that is going to hit you hard," but the issue was that i knew i wasn't impacted because of what you might think would be the cause: how can we afford this? how are we going to get approval to adopt three when it seemed like we just barely qualified for two? where are we going to put the extra bed? does this mean i have to pay for three weddings someday?  :)

photo by geinene carson

cross-cultural papa, part vi - the prequel?

just wanted to share this video as part of my family's adoption story - my good friend clay parker accompanied us to the airport when we first picked up the girls for our month of hosting them, and put together this fantastic snapshot of what those initial moments were like. we've treasured this video privately until now, but at this point we're happy to share it with the rest of the world...

p.s. i know that i said that in my next post i would elaborate about a bit of clarity i had concerning my emotional reaction upon hearing that the girls had a 2-year old sister. apologies - i intend to make that my next post... seriously... 

cross-cultural papa, part v...

it's been just over a week now since we had to send our twin girls back to latvia at the end of our month of hosting. i've fully intended to write another installment in the "cross-cultural papa" series, but two nights ago the anticipated content of that post was completely turned on its head. or maybe i should say - obliterated with a sledgehammer...

cross-cultural papa, part iv...

this week my family and i put the 4-year old twin girls we'd been hosting for the past month on a plane back to latvia. as i anticipated what it could be like, i thought i might have a lot to say about it here. but i don't. not now, anyway. i'm a bit numb, more than a bit tired, and feel the need to sit in this moment for a while.

cross-cultural papa, part iii...

and now we find ourselves at the end of week three-of-four with our latvian twins.

so much has happened relationally in our family even in times of little happening event-wise...

• certain fears have diminished in the girls even as their trust has grown in us (and somehow maybe even humanity? that sounds rather lofty, but we've noticed that as we've turned out to be a safe place, they've translated that into others being safe as well). 
• our dog solomon - once a source of panic at the very sight of him - is now beloved to the point that he may wish these little girls weren't quite so fond of him. 
• latvian words for "i can do it!" that seemed to emanate constantly from their mouths any time we tried to help have now been mostly replaced by silent smiles of contentment as they've found peace in our assistance. 
• though not always without some struggle, the girls have begun to try some foods that, at first blush, they've been quite suspicious of. let's just say that in previous weeks that wasn't going to be a practical option without the jaws of life and a straightjacket. 
• displays of affection have been at an all-time high, and you can be sure that i've drank deeply.

cross-cultural papa, part ii...

my second week as a cross-cultural papa has come and gone, and in about another day we'll have reached the halfway point of hosting our precious 4-year old twins. only about four days ago my wife and i first dared broach the subject with each other of the girls' return to latvia, and even then only the briefest of words were exchanged. i feel as if putting them on the plane just might kill me...

cross-cultural papa, part i...

the anticipation in the air - palpable. the eyes of 60-plus adults and children singularly-focused, peering through a glass wall and down an obstinately-empty airport corridor, waiting with bated breath for the first sign of their little ones - most of whom they'd never met. the mass instinctive gradual creep toward the corridor doorway begins, even as the pleas ring out for people to keep their distance, to give space to not overwhelm the soon-arriving little ones.

and then... emotion unbridled.

souvenirs...

in the midst of preparations for my family and i to host a pair of 4-year old latvian twins (you can get a bit up to speed reading my wife's blog here), i took the opportunity to do another sweep through a few piles that tend to accumulate on my side of the bedroom. this is the spot where various mementos of my travels and tours inevitably find a temporary home in the midst of my unpacking. airline ticket stubs, concert set lists and advertising flyers, business cards, travel itineraries, magazines with one more article i intend to read, accounting paperwork, area maps, post cards, and other sundries make up these mini memorials.

kyrgyz memories 10: potpourri photography 2...

... and to wrap things up (unless another story pops into my head about the tour that absolutely must be told... or something like that), how about some more images?

beautiful... i visited this waterfall last year as well

these ladies were posing for photos inside a yurt on display in the capital city

dustin in full effect (sporting a hat from the international university of central asia)

kyrgyz memories 9: hawaii in kg...

you read that correctly: while i was in kyrgyzstan, i went to hawaii. it's actually quite close to the border of kazakhstan. yeah, i wasn't aware of that, either...

welcome to hawaii... yep, that's how hawaii is spelled in kyrgyzstan

on one of the sundays i was in kyrgyzstan, our group had a bit more available time during the day because our commitments didn't begin until later in the evening. so, on our way to the capital city of bishkek, our translator had us stop off to check out "hawaii." having been to hawaii myself a few times, i was intrigued to explore this not-really-a-theme-park-but-more-than-a-place-to-stop-and-eat spot. what i found was more than i could have imaged...

ladies and gentlemen, i give you: hawaii (kg version)