We've decided to stay!

Since it's one delay after another, we've decided to just buy a little place of our own and stay. I'm looking into starting my own business, and giving the little babas a run for the money. All I need to do is set up a t.v. tray, put a bowl of sunflower seeds on it and sell them by the shot glass full. I could also sell individual cigarettes from packs, individual matches, and push out individual pieces of gum. You see these ladies on every street corner, but what amazes me most, is the number of people walking by who actually stop and buy these things. I'll leave the jars of ?jam to them. Maybe I'll get creative and sell individual squares of toilet paper since I haven't seen that yet.
Rylan's passport arrived Thursday night, but then the real drama begins. The man who was supposed to take it to the Consulate in Astana on Friday is apparently in jail, and the airline he owned went into receivership 2 days ago. That means Rylan's passport did not leave Uralsk yet. We had hoped to fly out of here on Wednesday, but since even if it gets to Astana Monday, there are no flights back until Wednesday night. And everything has been delayed or screwed up in some way, so it's too risky to plan to leave then. So unfortunately, we won't be leaving for Moscow until next weekend at the earliest, and home - well - maybe the following week.
We spend as much time as we can outside, because it's a lot more interesting than the hotel room. Grandma and Baba will be proud of me - Rylan's packing on the pounds and his hair is growing! I'm sure by the time we get home he'll be walking and have his driver's license.
Hopefully this coming week will bring better news.