I’m blogging about the various cities in Kazakhstan, in hopes of giving adoptive families a quick snapshot of their children’s birth city. Hopefully it will become a source of information for families hoping to adopt also.

Taraz was formerly known as Zhambyl – so if searching the Internet it may be worth entering both variations to obtain information. Taraz is located in Southern Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan borders it. It is a large and fairly modern city. Long ago it flourished as a stop along the Silk Road. Taraz has a rich history and you should take the time to explore the city, its museums and even amusement park! I spent 2 to 4 hours a day walking the city and exploring the various parks, museums and department stores. We found Internet cafes, pizza shops and grocery stores without any problem. The bank exchange was located across the street from the Hotel Gasovick. Taraz even has a bowling alley and even a gym for those who enjoy working out.

If you’d like to join a very active and growing group – to meet families who have adopted from Taraz or are in the process – please join http://groups.yahoo.com/group/taraz_adopt/ - it is a great resource for families about to adopt and a wonderful way for families to stay connected once they have completed their adoption. The moderator of this group keeps it active by posting a picture weekly along with an update from the family on how their son or daughter is doing.

A US based humanitarian aid group that is “stationed” in Taraz and Shymkent is Interlink and can be found at http://www.interlinkresources.org/ - please visit their web site for the various projects that they are working on in the baby home and children’s homes! They were a vital part of our adoption and have DVDs to share – we watch many while we were there in 2004! We are really blessed to have been introduced to such a great group of people partnering to improve life for those in Kazakhstan.

Hopefully you’ll be able to click and work the link below of a video clip (14 minutes long) of the outside of Umit (baby house) in Taraz:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9201366914111221918&q=kazakhstan

I found this link on a favorite of most families who have adopted from Kazakhstan – Susan’s site – which by the way has a Taraz specific page at:
http://kazakhadoptivefamilies.com/cities/zhambyl.html