This past Sunday, we were able to visit in-person the town and the maternity hospital where Lily Grace was born. When we came to Kazakhstan, we had no idea that we’d have an opportunity like that, or even be able to find out what town she was born in, so when we were given the name of her birth town and realized it was only 45 minutes from Karaganda, the city where we’re based, we asked if we could arrange a trip there. Our coordinator generously offered to take us there herself, along with our travel companion family whose son was also born in this same hospital.
On our drive out, we were able for the first time to see the land around Karaganda – our introduction to Kazakhstan’s vast steppe region. It has its own peculiar beauty, with a vast open sky stretching in all directions, the grasses a golden flax color, all different lengths and choppy, and an equally muted silvery gray sky. (It looks much more interesting in person that in these bad shots taken from our speeding car!) After experiencing this landscape for ourselves, it was clear how this area has been the land of the horse for millennia.
We were struck by the importance that mining is to this region of Kazakhstan, with frequent mining operations popping up out of the horizon every so often along the drive. They mine coal in the Karaganda region, and most of the small villages dotting the outlying areas are supported by the coal mining industry.
The town at which we finally arrived was pretty small, but had it’s own maternity hospital which services many of the villages and towns in that area. We drove up to a 6-7 story Soviet style building and were only able to park and take pictures of the outside, without going into the actual hospital. (We had already been told that would not be possible.) So we walked around the grounds and took pictures at every possible view and I (Tonya) walked down the drive to the entrance gate, imagining the woman who had driven through those gates carrying Lily Grace, and then leaving without her. We can only imagine the mixture of emotions she must have felt.
We drove back, grateful for the ability to in some way, touch this part of Lily Grace’s unknown journey. We hope that by sharing photos of this place with her, one more piece of a puzzle of her life will be able to come together and help her understand part of the story of how she came to be in our family.
Tonya and Steve
On our drive out, we were able for the first time to see the land around Karaganda – our introduction to Kazakhstan’s vast steppe region. It has its own peculiar beauty, with a vast open sky stretching in all directions, the grasses a golden flax color, all different lengths and choppy, and an equally muted silvery gray sky. (It looks much more interesting in person that in these bad shots taken from our speeding car!) After experiencing this landscape for ourselves, it was clear how this area has been the land of the horse for millennia.We were struck by the importance that mining is to this region of Kazakhstan, with frequent mining operations popping up out of the horizon every so often along the drive. They mine coal in the Karaganda region, and most of the small villages dotting the outlying areas are supported by the coal mining industry.
The town at which we finally arrived was pretty small, but had it’s own maternity hospital which services many of the villages and towns in that area. We drove up to a 6-7 story Soviet style building and were only able to park and take pictures of the outside, without going into the actual hospital. (We had already been told that would not be possible.) So we walked around the grounds and took pictures at every possible view and I (Tonya) walked down the drive to the entrance gate, imagining the woman who had driven through those gates carrying Lily Grace, and then leaving without her. We can only imagine the mixture of emotions she must have felt.
We drove back, grateful for the ability to in some way, touch this part of Lily Grace’s unknown journey. We hope that by sharing photos of this place with her, one more piece of a puzzle of her life will be able to come together and help her understand part of the story of how she came to be in our family.
Tonya and Steve
3 comments:
It's interesting learning more about the steppe region and surrounding areas of Kazakhstan. Take as many pictures of the Karaganda (people/place) as you can. Be sneaky if you need to. It'll be fun to look back on them next year and in the future, and I'm sure Lily Grace will appreciate seeing where she was born when she's older. If you post them here, you can publish the blog in book when you return home. It makes for a nice keepsake (baby book). :) Glad to hear all is well. Look forward to your next update.
Melanie
What a blessing to actually visit Lily Grace's birthplace. All the things you are doing while you are there will help her understand her roots as she grows up. I am looking forward to hearing more of the details when we get together, and I'm sure you will have oodles of pictures to get a better bird's eye view of Kazakhstan.
It's getting close now for her to officially be Lily Grace Young!!!
Love you,
Mom
Tonya - Just a note to say that I miss you and can't wait to meet Lilly in person. And learn a little more about the teas of Kazakhstan. Take care. What a blessed little girl!
jamie
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