So many markets, so much time

It seems everyone we speak to (English speakers) asks us if the market we go to is the "Old" market or the "New" market. This was a mystery we needed to solve, so we walked with Jean & Marilyne to what we hoped was the new market. Well, we made it and it was worth the trip. The indoor part is much bigger and the outdoor bazaar is much cleaner & wider than what we've seen before. Honestly, you can buy anything at the bazaar. Taxi parts, toilets, area rugs, traditional Kazakh clothing. We were laughing that Lyle should buy a Kazakh robe & wear it to work. He already has the traditional hat and so does Ryan.

Ryan had taken a break from crawling & pulling himself up for a couple of days but was back at it yesterday. We just had to pretend we were going to start chasing him & then he'd take off. We were really impressed when he pulled himself up at a child-sized folding chair (which we anchored down so it wouldn't topple over). He was pointing a lot yesterday, especially to the TV and windows, saying "Da". He has such a cute little voice.

We went for dinner last night with our usual group. There was no one else in the restaurant and the BB-Q chicken had to be brought over from the restaurant next door (?). Since we were waiting a little, the staff gave us a tour of the building. The upstairs is used for wedding banquets and decorated in a traditional style. They let us pose with the bride & groom manequins and put on their fancy headwear. The chicken was really good, but really expensive. We prefer $6 rice pilaf and $2 borsch.

So, court is set for tomorrow at 4:00 (Thursday). We should be having a rehearsal with our
co-ordinator later today. I'm not sure if we'll get to see Ryan tomorrow since our visit runs 3-5. Maybe we can get some time with him earlier in the day. I guess we could go to the Baby House right at 3, but we'll be wearing our dress clothes. Maybe we'll go pick up some Kazakh robes to wear over top.