Our Adoption: Friendship Day in Kazakhstan

Today we went to visit D early this morning so we could go see the Friendship Day celebration downtown by the river. Friendship Day is held every May 1st and celebrates all the different cultures in Kazakhstan. Everyone is very friendly today and you hear a lot of “Happy 1st of May”! They blocked off several streets downtown where the celebration would take place. When we walked up to the stage area, you could see all the kids and adults in costumes getting ready for the event; lots of colors and flowers! A little after noon, the Pavlodar officials showed up and the show began. It was sort of like a parade; each group of performers marched up in front of the main stage for their turn to dance and sing. The main stage had big speakers and video screens so the crowd could see and hear everything. Balloons and streamers shot up into the air while each group performed. It was really great to see this in person; we took several videos that we can try to upload when we have better Internet access. The last group to perform was a bunch of little kids with flower hats – all dancing around and singing; super cute!! After the parade, we crossed over to the park and river where vendors were selling bubbles, kites, etc. The water fountains were streaming in the background and smells of cooked shish kabobs filled the air. It seemed the whole town was there enjoying the nice day and festivities. Down by the river, they had an arm wrestling competition in action – where can you see that nowadays?! The river was very beautiful and even had a sand beach. We’ll have to come back for a day just to take pictures! In the streets by the park, there were Gypsies selling rides on a camel and some donkeys. Cort was disappointed that they were for children only! After buying some trinkets from the vendors, we stopped for lunch at an authentic Russian restaurant with another couple here adopting; it was very good! When the check arrived for lunch (in an ornately carved wooden box), they also brought a guestbook; so of course we left a message. You’ll have to check it out if you’re ever in Pavlodar! There was so much to see and experience, we actually ran out of batteries in all our cameras!! This seemed like a busy day for us since we are used to long afternoons at the apartment; but such a good change of pace.