Court Day 1

First, let me start off by saying how very hot it is. Yesterday is was 38 degrees Celsius (over 100 Fahrenheit) and today it’s 34 outside. We’re very glad that we spent our longest trip here when it was a bit cooler.

Our first day of court was today! We had heard many different things about how court could be so we weren’t totally sure what to expect. I will outline the process here in the hopes that it might help someone else coming to Taraz later.

We went to the courthouse, which was pretty packed with people. When it was our time we were escorted into a small court room with a few benches and a small desk for the judge. After waiting a few minutes, we were escorted into another court room which was slightly bigger. The judge would arrive in a few minutes. The whole thing reminded us of waiting in the doctor’s office and then getting called back into one of the little exam rooms. When the doctor is ready, they come in. Kind of the same thing here.

We all stood for the judge when she came in. All said, there was the judge, her secretary, the prosecutor, us and our translator, the doctor from the orphanage, the MOE lady, and one of the ladies from the Guardianship Council. We were told that any time we answered a question for the judge we needed to stand.

The judge made some brief opening remarks. She said this was just a day to talk and to get to know us, kind of like a preliminary procedure. The “real” court procedure would be later. I was asked to stand, and the judge started asking me questions. There wasn’t anything that I hadn’t expected, just the typical stuff. Why are you adopting, why Kazakhstan, do I make enough to support the family, who will watch the kids, what about religion, why the child we chose, did we know her medical problems, and stuff like that. When you answer the questions, be sure to face the judge and not your translator!

After I was done, the judge asked the others if there were any questions. The prosecutor stood up and asked why we wanted another girl when we already had three. I answered, and everyone seemed okay with it. On a side note, when we hear the term “prosecutor” we tend to get a bit nervous I think. This prosecutor was a thin girl, maybe 21 years old, and it would appear that this wasn’t her dream job. I am sure there are others that may be more aggressive, but this one didn’t have a lot to ask. I think her role is to represent the state, and as she has no real vested interest she didn’t feel the need to press us. My whole point is, don’t worry about it.

I was asked to sit and Kara to stand, and she was asked just a few questions. After Kara was done, the doctor made her statements, followed by the MOE lady and the Guardianship Council lady. Then we were pretty much done.

Tomorrow we meet again for a second court date. We go to the court at 10:00, and then to the baby house at 11:00 with the judge and all of the people that were present today. The judge will watch us interact with Symbat. (We’re told that she will watch us for all of about 2 minutes… we’ll see.) After that we go back to the courthouse, wait for 30 minutes, and the judge will deliver her verdict. We are hoping she grants our adoption!

The process overall has been somewhat nerve-wracking, but the judge here seems favorable to international adoptions. She was nice enough in our meeting today. You can tell that she is strict and insists that everyone follow the rules (she chewed her secretary out for mixing up our paperwork with the Robey’s), but she was polite and professional to us. I don’t see any reason to get too nervous about being in front of her, as long as you have your answers ready and know why you’re here. The prosecutor may ask questions, but her presence almost seemed like a formality, that she had to be there. (They have other prosecutors as well, so it may be random as to who you get.) Everyone else in the room is there on your side.

Tomorrow will be the big day! Hopefully by this time tomorrow we’ll know that the little Kazakh girl we’ve come to know and love will be our little girl!