Borat Schmorat

Ok, let's just get this out of the way. Yes, Kazakhstan is the same country that the movie character Borat is supposedly from. Go ahead and giggle, but just know that this country and its people are nothing at all like they are portrayed in the film!

Funny, I was sitting in my doctor's examining room several weeks ago, waiting for him to come back in to tap my knee, listen to my heart and complete the required Kazakhstan-specific health form that verifies that I'm not expected to die anytime soon and should theoretically be around long enough to raise a child. I could barely overhear him in the hall talking with a nurse about the strange form. I wasn't paying much attention -- just thinking about how I would redecorate the hideous green room and feeling a bit like a gift horse being looked in the mouth -- until I overheard someone say the word Borat. Clear as day. A half-smile crept across my face, and I felt simultaneously amused and indignant. I remembered back to our first reaction when Frank and I were researching all the international adoption programs, and instantly decided that we wouldn't even consider Kazakhstan because everyone would tease us about Borat. But we have come soooo far from this association now that we almost forget why some people smile when we first say "...from Kazakhstan."

So here's the deal: The Borat comments still mildly amuse us at this point, but get it out of your system now because there will soon come a day when we will poke you in the eye, tweak your nose and go all Three Stooges on you. With love of course.