Adoption Listservs

Single Mothers by Choice

FAS Adopt listserv for families that have adopted children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrom. More chat groups for FAS

Russian Phrases (stolen from Catalina's blog)

1. Preevyet ("hi" - much shorter and easier to say than hello which is zdras-vootye)
2. Dobre den / ootra / vecher (if you prefer something more formal - "good day, morning, evening")
3. Kak dela? ("how's it going?")
4. Normalno (standard answer to #3 meaning "fine")
5. Kak zavoot? / menya zavoot... ("what is your name? my name is...")
6. Eezveneetse ("excuse me")
7. Mozhna? ("may I?" then just pantomine what you want to do)
8. Ya nee puneemayo ("I don't understand")
9. Skolka? ("how much?" you can add 'sto-eet' to the end to add "does it cost?" but pointing together with just the one word should get your point across to a vendor who wishes to sell you something)
10. Ya hachoo ("I want/would like" - for ordering in a restaurant)11. Na starovia ("to your health" - when toasting for the umpteenth time, just before you pour that N=X glass of vodka in the nearest plant)
11. Shto eta? ("what is it?" not polite to ask when dining at someone's house - especially if you add "the heck" to the middle)
12. Spaseeba ("thank you" - if done enthusiastically with a smile will label you as a goofy American!)
13. Doh sveedanya ("goodbye")
14. Pivo ("beer" - one for the guys), afterward, if needed, gehday twalyet? (self-explanatory)16. Eedtee sooda ("come here")
15. Eta ("that one" useful when pointing at the pastries)
16. zdes / tam ("here" or "there" - add to eta if you didn't get the pastry you wanted)
17. Moe sin / maya dochka ("my son" / "my daughter")
18. Ya loobloo tebya ("I love you")

State Department's to do list for living abroad

The State Department has a great list of things to do when you'll be traveling for a long time. I've edited it to keep it brief and specific to our needs, but if you want to read it in its entirety, you can.

This material was originally written for employees and family members assigned to an American Embassy or Consulate abroad, but most of it is practical advice that would be useful to anyone living outside of their own country.

Before boing overseas, make a list of the following and leave with a trusted contact at home:

• Passport numbers and dates of issue
• Bank account numbers
• Credit card numbers
• Insurance policy numbers
• Car registration, serial, and license numbers
• U.S. driver’s license numbers
• Social Security numbers (including children’s)
• Current prescriptions, including eyeglasses
• Contents and location of safe deposit box(es)
• Assets and debts
• Names and addresses of business and professional contacts

Put the following into your safe deposit (making copies of the items if you will need them at post, and get one if you don't already have one):

• Copy of will(s). Do not put original of will in safe depository. Originals should be left with lawyer or executor.
• Power of attorney (one of the originals)
• Birth and marriage certificates
• Naturalization papers
• Deeds
• Mortgages
• Stocks (or leave with broker in case you want to sell)
• Bonds (or leave with broker in case you want to sell)
• Insurance papers - life, car, house, medical, and household effects (HHE)
• Current household and personal effects inventory

In addition, do the following:

• Execute a current power of attorney
• Make sure your wills are up to date, too
• Consider getting an ATM (automatic teller machine) card for your bank account that can be used all over the country. Make sure both spouses know the PIN (personal identification number).
• Put checkbooks, bankbooks, credit cards, some travelers checks, and a small amount of cash in a safe (but easily accessible) place.
• Keep a list of regular billing dates for all recurring expenses -- insurance, mortgages, and taxes. See the sheet I used to track this
• Be certain your emergency contact person is capable of dealing with an emergency. Make duplicates of all personal address lists.
• Discuss with your immediate and extended family what to do in case of an emergency.
• Give them the emergency telephone numbers for your agency.
• If you have children you're leaving at home, choose a surrogate parent and supply that person with a current power of attorney for medical or other emergencies in the event you need them to care for your children unexpectedly.
• Keep immunizations up to date and recorded in your yellow shot card.
• Plan for pets.
• Learn some of the local language to help you in an emergency.
  In the local language, write your personal information, emergency contacts, and essential telephone numbers and put this in your wallet to carry with you at all times.
• Learn the location of the closest hospital, police station, and friendly embassy in the regions where you will be staying.
• (The rest of this document is geared toward emergency evacuation for people residing in the country, so I didn't include it).

Fellow mommy blogger Jennifer M (thank you!) also recommended that you create a document that is in both English and Russian with the following information:

• your name
• your in-country contact's name, address, and phone number
• contact info for your state side coordinator and your travel agent
• Kaz travel insurance (not the private stuff obviously, but just contact info)
• your airline phone number for the Almaty office, your layover city, and the states
• basically any other pertinant contact info you think is important.

Make a copy for each piece of luggage and have each paper laminated (I didn't do that part and was just fine). Right before you zip up your bags, stick your sheet in right at the top of each bag. Not only will you have all your contact information very handy, but if a bag gets lost, the finder will be able to get in touch with your in-country people.

Baby's food & sleep needs

Food & fluids:

Baby:

• Birth to 6 mo: Bottle-feeding/formula: 2-2.5 oz per pound
• 6 months to a year: up to 8 oz per feeding
• Give babies 4-8 oz of water per day.
• Formula for infants (2.5 fl oz (75 ml) of formula each day for every 1 lb (450 g) of body weight. Babies younger than 1 year rarely need more than 36 fl oz (1065 ml) of formula each day.

Toddler: 1-2 year olds, daily:

• 1,000-1,300 calories;
• protein needs: 1 gram per pound;
• Fluids for toddlers: 1.5 oz ounces per pound per day, mostly in thre form of milk, formula or water but limit milk to 24 oz per day (whole milk/Sears) and less that 4-6 oz daily of juice for a child between the ages of 1-6 (tooth decay/ADA).;
• ideal balanced nutrition: 50-55% carbs; 35-40% fats; 10-15% proteins.

Sleep:

• 6-12 Months: 14 hours a day (nap plus night)
• 1-3 years: 10 to 13 hours
• Preschoolers: 10 to 12 hours
• 6-9 years: 10 hours
• 10-12 years: over 9 hours, up to parents to judge
• Teens: 8 to 9.5 hours
• Read more at http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/sleep/sleep.html

Transitional issues for when you get home:

• The International Adoption medical program of the University of Minnesota's Transition Issues: Sleep for International Adoption Children This addresses what to do during the first weeks home when the exhaustion of jet lag may be the cause of sleep interruptions for both parent and child.

Welcome to a work in progress

This is a test of a resource for myself for when we are in Kaz. There was just WAY too much to put on my Mission: Adoption blog! Most of this I'll print out real small and take with us. But I also thought this may be something you would also like to use as a resource.

Kazakh Adoptive Families is a great resource and I dont want to replicate it but I wanted something with what I wanted, and knew where I could find, thus... here it is.

The order of the posting is pretty random in terms of dates, so please use the side bar that organizes the topics. A lot more info to come. Some will be copyrighted materials I can't share which is why I'm making it private.

Let me know if there is something specific I should share or gather for you.

AND PLEASE DO COMMENT AWAY!

Setting Blogger to English from Russian

While traveling in Kaz, your blog may change to Russian! How do you change the language?

Go to your blogger account (account is счет/Password is пароль).

On the very top top of the page on the right side, click on the first blue word after your email (Dashboard or possibly "Приборная панель").

Then you have file tabs (like 3 files laying on top of each other. Select the middle one (Settings or possibly "Параметры настройки"). There are 8 subcategories - select the third one (Formatting or possibly "Форматирование"). The 6th one down is Language "Язык". Select English (Английский). Hope this helps!

EMERGENCY when in Kaz

Ambulance
For a municpal ambulance in Kazakhstan, call 03 or 79-73-73, 79-84-40, 79-85-71, 79-79-81 (ask for the head doctor of the shift). For a private ambulance, call the VIP Hospital at 619-710, 611-280, 621-280, or 621-288 (adults only) or the International SOS Clinic at 581-911 or 8-300-744-1111.

Medical facilities
Medical care in Kazakhstan is extremely limited. Shortages of essential medical supplies are common. Most expatriates go to the VIP Hospital in Almaty (ph. 616-789, 613-888) or the International SOS Clinic in Almaty (11 Luganskogo St, Almaty; ph. 7 3272 581 911 - 24 hrs, 913-030, 8-300-744-1111 - cell) or Atyrau (River Palace Hotel; 55, Aiteke bi Street; ph. 7 3122 586 911). Both the VIP Hospital and International SOS offer 24-hour emergency care. For a guide to other medical facilities in Kazakhstan, go to the U.S. Embassy website. Many doctors and hospitals will expect payment in cash, regardless of whether you have travel health insurance. Serious medical problems will require air evacuation to a country with state-of-the art medical facilities.

Pharmacies
Many drugs are in short supply. There is a list of "essential drugs" which are regulated by the state, but the quality of other medications is not assured. If you need medication, you can call the InfoService on Availability of Medications at 003 or 532-934, or call Pharmacy #2 at 73-12-69 or 73-07-07.

In the case of a life or death emergency involving a U.S. citizen call (8-727) 250-4901 (011-7-727-250-4901 from the U.S.) during business hours. After hours or on weekends, call (8-717) 270-2200 (011-7-717-270-2200 from the U.S.) and ask for the duty officer.

If your family needs to contact you because of an emergency at home or because they are worried about your welfare and cannot reach you directly, they may call the State Department's Citizens Emergency Center at (202) 647-5225. The State Department will relay the message to the U. S. Consular Section nearest you. The American Citizen Services Unit will attempt to locate you, pass on urgent messages, and, consistent with the Privacy Act, report back to your family.

Embassy of the United States of America in the Republic of Kazakhstan:
Hrs: Mon-Fri 9:00 a.m. -6:00 p.m., execpt American and Kazakh National Holidays.

Ak Bulak 4,Str. 23-22, building #3,
Astana 01001
Astana, Kazakhstan
Phone: +7 (7172) 70-21-00
Fax: +7 (7172) 34-08-90
email: info@usembassy.kz

The U.S. Embassy Branch Office in Almaty:

97 Zholdasbekov St.Samal-2
Almaty, Kazakhstan 480099
Phone: +7 (7272) 50-76-12
Fax: +7 (7272) 50-48-67

Consular Assistance to American Crime Victims can help American crime victims with issues such as:

• Replacing a stolen passport;
• Contacting family, friends, or employers;
• Obtaining appropriate medical care;
• Addressing emergency needs that arise as a result of the crime;
• Obtaining general information about the local criminal justice process and information about your case;
• Obtaining information about local resources to assist victims, including foreign crime victim compensation programs;
• Obtaining information about crime victim assistance and compensation programs in the U.S.; and
• Obtaining a list of local attorneys who speak English.
• Consular officials cannot, however, investigate crimes, provide legal advice or represent you in court, serve as official interpreters or translators, or pay legal, medical, or other fees for you.