Kaput kaluska

A "kaluska" is a stroller and today mine utterly died. Its wheels were falling off in the street. So I slogged to a specialty baby store and paid $52 for another one - more of the "umbrella stroller" variety. Sigh. Again, I couldn't figure out how to negotiate with the help until an English-speaking woman walked by - who was from Moscow - and helped me with the purchase. Turns out my old stroller was Russian-made (no wonder it didn't last) and the new one is Chinese-made so we'll see how long that lasts.
Anyway, we finally fly out Sunday afternoon back to Almaty. We just bought our tickets an hour ago. Pray we don't get fogged out! Our adoption coordinator was delayed 24 hours out of the Almaty airport cuz of the fog. Yesterday got a real lift: my parents had sent me a package 3 1/2 weeks ago regular airmail and it actually got here! I am already 1/3 through one of the paperbacks they sent me and am reveling in the new Langenscheidts Russian dictionary. Shared the Hershey's kisses with some college students I took out last night for dinner. Veeka polished off one trail mix bar as soon as I opened the package and has already started on no. 2. Yum, yum, she says.
Hopefully with the modem my dad sent me I can send posts from my hotel room in Almaty. Today it's snowing and snowing and snowing.