Out of Kaz, in Seoul

Anna, her father, and her son saw us off from Almaty last night. They were all so sweet. We had problems with Nina's ticket and were told "no open, no open.". We said we are leaving and she is coming with us so "make open, make open.". After 90 minutes, they finally figured it out. They walked us through customs and security just in time to make the flight. We were anxious about Nina getting through customs without extra cash or delay, but is went smoothly (relatively speaking of course). Nina had a lot of problems with her ears during take-off, but she finally settled in and slept. She was great the rest of the flight and during this 2 hour layover in Seoul where she is wildly popular. So many people smile at her and many stop and talk. Of course, they are speaking Korean, we speak English, and Nina only has heard Kazakh. But it is still clear that the Koreans admire her very much, and she likes them as well. We will be boarding in a few minutes for put 14 hour flight back to Chicago. We cannot wait to get her home!