Family Visit

The time with Curtis’ Family seemed to come and go so quickly! Last Saturday morning Curtis and his mother were sharing their first hug in almost two years and by Friday morning we were saying goodbye!

Curtis and his mother were so happy to be reunited! Our good friend also joined us on this joyous occasion to welcome his family into our “new” hometown. It was crazy to them that this “foreign” environment was our home, but we have lived here for almost two years now. I can imagine that it was a surreal experience to step into such a foreign place and find that your son & his wife are extremely comfortable with their surroundings 

Overall, the time with his family was even better than expected! They really seemed to enjoy being part of our lives for a week. Meeting our friends and just hanging out in our world! Here is the lowdown on our week together. Starting with a picture of our first meal together at the turkish restaurant across the street from our apartment.

After having lunch together and catching up a bit, we let them have some rest and then headed to a good friend’s home for dinner. After dinner it was difficult for them to stay awake, so we talked a bit and then took them back to their hotel conveniently located very close to our home, only a five minute walk!

Curtis’s mom stayed with us so we could have some more time alone with her. They were all amazed by how nice our apartment was compared to the surrounding areas, such as the staircase leading up and the condition of the building. But it is pretty normal to have rundown buildings here with really nice apartments inside of them. Usually the condition of the building does not determine what’s inside 

The next day Curtis took his mom to the local fellowship that we attend while I hung out with Grandma, Aunt Diana, Aunt Sabina and Uncle Allen. We had a nice pancake breakfast and then we went out to look at the tulips which were perfect by the time they arrived!

Tulips are the national flower here and wild tulips grow in the mountains, but I was told that this is the first time that they have planted such a large amount of tulips in our city. It is absolutely breathtaking!

The tulips are all located around this giant tulip fountain. It is not quite as beautiful as the real tulips, but it was a nice place to sit and relax for the morning.

When Curtis and his mom returned we walked out to the bazar and saw some more interesting sites together.

Then Curtis took half the group to walk around the bazar while the other half relaxed at a park nearby. After that we met up with some friends at an Uzbek Restaurant for dinner. Chris and Diana tried fermented mare’s milk for the first time. And Curtis gave a “traditional” toast to give the family a feel for the culture 

The next day we went to a local park that is quite charming.

There is a huge monument at this park in memory of those who died in World War II.

We also took some photos in front of the monument, in an attempt to get into the local newspaper in Curtis’ hometown. Hope it works grandma 

After that we went to a small local restaurant and ordered some Квас – a popular fermented drink that is served only in the spring and summer here.

The next day we had an open house at our apartment in order to introduce our closest friends to Curtis’s family. Many of them said that this was the highlight of their trip because they got to meet our friends and really get a feel for what the people here are like, that is my favorite part too 

I think Uncle Allen had a lot of fun too   We were laughing so hard about this picture.

It was such a great opportunity to introduce them to our friends and to introduce our friends to them 

The next day we headed out to the English Center to show them where we work!

After we had lunch with our team, we headed to the cafe to make them some coffee!!

They enjoyed their coffees. While I enjoyed making coffees 

After enjoying some down time in the cafe we headed out to do conversation club with the students. First they did it with the regular conversation club crew and then with our students

That evening we needed to relax, so we went out to one of our favorite restaurants Madlen.

We have a great mall in town with an indoor ice skating rink, so we decided to go there the next day to hang out. And to eat lunch in the food court.

The last thing we did was one of the best things. Aunt Sabina really wanted to eat horse meat and we were trying to find it at many different restaurants because I have never cooked it. But late wednesday night, the day before their last day here. These wonderful girls called and offered to give them a wonderful before they left!

They made us all the National Dish! It was a really wonderful meal and a great end to our time together.

Aunt Sabina was so happy!

It seemed like the time we had together really flew by! But it was so good and it seemed so complete. We were really able to show them a lot and spend a lot of good times together talking and laughing and just enjoying each other’s company and learning about each other’s lives. I really appreciate the fact that Curtis’s family came all the way out here to see us and I think that we will all remember this time for the rest of our lives. It was such a special time that we had together!

And now, only about two more months till we are home to see the rest of our family and friends!!