Lipstick and Officialdom

Early next week, before my court date, I will have a mandatory interview with a social worker at the Department of Education (which is the government branch responsible for adoption).  This is a fairly formal, though routine interview, and it requires a little preparation, somewhat like a job interview.  I have been 'briefed' on what to expect both by one of the interpreters, and by other adopting parents.  It seems that the social worker's questions revolve around three things that they wish to know: 1) What is your motivation for adoption, and will you treat this child as if born to you, 2) Can you provide a good home for this child, including spending time with them, providing a nurturing environment, providing financially, accessing adequate child care, and providing necessary health care, and 3) Do you respect Kazakhstan as a nation and culture and know something about this society?  Questions that others have been asked include: Why didn't you have a child via pregnancy?  Why did you choose Kazakhstan to adopt from?  What is your income?  How long will you stay home with the child before returning to work?  Do you have any relatives who need organ transplants? (This interesting question stems from the fear, found in other countries as well, that children will be adopted for their organs).  And in the category of knowledge about and interest in Kazakhstan, people have been asked to name the President, describe the symbolism of the Kazakh flag, say something in Russian, and describe Kazakhstan's political and economic contributions to the world.  Thus, a little bit of Internet study might be a good idea!  I have heard of people who, not knowing the answers to some of these questions, simply told their interpreter to make something up, counting on the likelihood that the social worker doesn't speak English!  I have never heard of anyone 'failing' this interview, although I was told that sometimes when they aren't satisfied they ask the applicant to come back for a second meeting (but this has not happened to anyone I know),

Both the Department of Education interview, and the court hearing, are considered formal events, and I have brought dress clothes for this purpose.  I have also been told that it is important, especially for single women, to meet Kazakhstan's standards of (heterosexual) femininity for these events.  Thus, I was instructed that I had to go out and buy lipstick!  So on Sunday, my coordinator, Gulnara and I went to the department store to find me some pink lipstick. This is probably the first lipstick I have bought in my life!  Then of course, Gulnara wanted me to try it out in the store, and concluded in typical Gulnara fashion that I wasn't doing a good enough job, and decided to apply it for me.  If you had told me 10 years ago that I would one day be in a department store in Karaganda, Kazakhstan having lipstick applied by a Kazakh lawyer, I'm not sure I would have believed you!