On the last episode of Ruopoli Baby Comes to Town, we were waiting patiently (sort of) to hear our region.
Well ladies and gentlemen, as of Tuesday afternoon, the first red velvet curtain has finally lifted. We have our region assignment.
Drumroll please!
Our sweet baby is waiting for us in…
the fine city of...
Aqtöbe!
It’s pronounced Ock-TOE-Bee. (Or maybe Ak-TOO-Bee. I need to double check that!) It sounds a little like October, which is our favorite month.
Aqtöbe or Aktöbe (est. pop. 320,000) is 6,141 miles from Charleston. It is located in northwestern Kazakhstan, northeast of the Caspian Sea and southeast of Samara, Russia, on the Ilek River. It was founded in 1869 as Aktyube (“White Hill”.) The name is a reference to the heights on which the original 19th century settlement was located.
The city grew rapidly with the expansion of metallurgical industries during World War II. Currently their major industries are chromium mining and oil production. It has 2 universities, 2 museums, 2 theatres, a mosque, several other churches. Learn lots more about it here.
Our dossier will arrive at the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Aqtobe within the next 2 weeks. Then the MOE will issue our Letter of Invitation (LOI) to us. For Aqtobe, the average time frame for a LOI to be issued has typically been 8-10 weeks after a dossier gets there. The LOI will tell us exactly when we need to arrive, which has typically been about 1-2 weeks from the date of the LOI. So that puts our time frame at about mid-May. As summers are ferociously hot and winters bitterly cold in Kazakhstan, they say that spring (April to June) and autumn (September to October) are the best seasons to be there. Perfect!
So it's Aqtobe or bust! Aqtobe. Gotta get used to saying it. It is a word that will be tripping off our tongues for the rest of our lives. It will become fondly ingrained into our vocabulary and our minds. It is a little corner of the world that will become ours for many weeks, and where many powerful memories will be made that will live in our hearts forever. The genesis of our family will be in Aqtobe.
It is so nice to finally know. We are buzzing with excitement!
Sorry it took a whole day and a half to post the news, but I had already written the previous post and didn't want the the sentiments to go unexpressed or be out of order. :-)
28 comments:
Hoooooraaaay!!!!! So happy for you and Frank!!! Get yourself ready to go it is an even bumpier rollercoaster ride than you have been on so far!!!! Fun, fast, and has a lot of loop de loops!!!
Yippeee!!! This is fabulous news. I am so happy for you guys. 10 weeks will fly by, and as we all know times change all the time, so get ready.
Hugsxoxxo
Sandi
I just read your previous post, I just thought, you are so lucky to have such a good agency to be in the position to refuse a region... But this was fast... and I am very happy for you :). Time will really fly from here. Congratulations!
Congratulations!
Getting our region assignment was such a huge thing to me. It was the one step so far that brought me to tears of joy and wonder. I now can't imagine that there was a time we had never even heard of Uralsk!
All the best,
Erin
-travelling to Uralsk in April
AWSOME!!!!! You will be there before you know it! Spring is the best time to go!
HOORAY FOR YOU!!!!!!!! After reading your last post, I am so glad you have positive news and a an actual PLACE to focus on, learn about, and know that little Ruopoli haibibi is waiting. Sounds like the perfect place for a Ruopoli to come from...Aqtobe...I can already see the future Halloween costumes. Time will superfly and you will have your sweet baby in your arms before you know it.
WhoooHooo! Suppper News! Now you have to figure out how to pack everything. In a blink of an eye you will be on a plane & all the paperchasing will be a distant memory!
Well, THAT is good news! Aqtobe in May - doesn't sound too bad! Have you been following Christi's blog? She just returned from there with her daughter. This is really great! I am so happy for you!
Oh, congratulations! This is fabulous! The roller coaster ride just took an "UP" swing! :^) I'm really, really, really happy for you guys. And May/June sounds like a great time to be in northern Kaz. (Better than the depths of winter!)
CONGRATS! that is AWESOME!
That is where lil Z was just adopted from. She is ADORABLE and Christy was SO HAPPY THERE. she raved and raved about the LMI in country people there.
May is perfect! I hope we go in May/June, but, then we dont know.
congrats!!!!!!
Great news! So glad things are moving along and you are getting closer to your kiddo!!
(and as someone who was in Northern Kaz in the dead of winter I'm a bit envious of your expected May trip - it should be gorgeous weather!)
Jodi
Huzzah!
There once was a (boy/girl) from Aqtobe
Who went by the name of Habibi.
In the blink of an eye,
S/He flew through the sky,
Back home to South Caroli-li!
Poet, I am not.
Ecstatic for you, yes, I am!
Congratulations! What great news - you've made my day!
Yippee! I'm so excited for you guys! We were in Uralsk in May/June 06 and it was perfect weather! What a great time to be in Kaz.
Woot!!! That is awesome and so exciting!! Now, tome to get started on that packing list;) May/June seems like the perfect time to be in Kaz!! Congratulations!!!
ps - out of curiosity because we are still learning all about the regions, which one did you initially say no to and why? Would you be willing to email me at kjmichel525@gmail.com and let me know? I would appreciate the input! Thanks:)
Hey Guy,
This is the Blair family that is using LMI too. We got a call from Andrea on Wednesday to tell us that we are going to Aqtobe too around late May or June. Congratulations to you guys so I guess it time to start on the packing part.
Jeremy and Jessica
Congratulations! I see that you'll likely have some company. It's nice to have other families in the same region at the same time. :)
That's wonderful! Be sure to read Christy's posts carefully, she had great things to say about Aqtobe and the LMI staff there. Congratulations!!
Shannon
OH MY GOODNESS HOORAYYYYYYY!!! This is EXCITING news!! Oh my oh my we are THRILLED FOR YOU!!! Sending you our love!!!
Fantastic news Regina & Frank! It is right around the corner now!!!
Wonderful!! I'm so glad to hear you've been assigned a region. Have you gone back and re-read every single blog from Aqtobe, this time not to look at the children so much, but to learn about the place? :-) Congratulations!
Been following your blog for awhile - love your writing - super congrats are in order, we can't wait to read about your travels!
Kristy
Yay! Congratulations! I can't say that I'm not disappointed that I won't be seeing you in Semey - but from Christy and others have been posting, Aktobe sounds incredible. You'll have a great time - and the best part... your child is there!
P.S. Are you sure it isn't pronounced "Ak U be"? I've heard others who speak Russian pronounce it with a "u" sound. You'll have to let me know.
I'm so happy for you! Woohoo! It's so exciting to know where you are going so soon. We found out our region right before we left! Go figure.
Well after the last post/messages that certainly was a happy surprise.
Congratulations on the next phase of your journey!
Eileen & Pat
Congratulations! We are so happy for you!
Regina and Frank, it's been amazing to follow your journey. I feel so invested in your haibibi too that the tears just popped right out of me! Happy happy happy days ahead for you!
Steph
www.ourjourneyto5.blogspot.com
Congratulations! It won't be long now! We are looking forward to reading all about your journey to Aqtobe to find your little one. Very exciting!
Congrats! what exciting news!!!!
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