Adventure to Erdenet

Some of our team recently took a van out to Erdenet. We struck out on our adventure at 7 a.m. on April 4.  It was a 6 1/2 hour drive there, and an 8 hour drive home (due to driving in the dark, wanting to avoid potholes and crossing cows and oncoming traffic which happens quite often here, and having a flat tire).   After arriving in town, our driver pulled over and asked a local where there was a good place to eat.  A woman directed us to...

So, Erdenet, a city of less than 100,000 in northern Mongolia, provides Korean cuisine.  It was delicious and nutritious! 

On we went to see the city.  Some of our teammates are considering teaching in this city.  I went along to get to know my teammates and Mongolia a little better.  It was nice to get a different view of Mongolia than just the busy city life we experience daily.  Yes, we've been to a ger, we've travelled out into the country, but this was a different area for me to see; also, Erdenet is the 3rd largest city in Mongolia, and I was curious what it had to offer and how it had developed since it was established in 1974 mainly because of a copper mine industry. 

For more info on the city itself, go here.

We were meandering around the city, seeing shops, a theatre, a sports complex, ATM's and banks.  These are all points of interest to someone who might move to the area.  There were two important places we were having trouble finding: schools and churches.  So, our driver stopped to ask a young boy and girl in front of a Mormon (yes, established in Erdenet) after-school activity center.  They willingly hopped into our van to lead us to a school and church within a block of one another.  Now, if these were my children, I'd be infuriated that someone invited them into their van and carted them around the city as tour guides.  But, this is Mongolia.  And this was a Mongolian driver asking Mongolian children, so I stayed out of it and watched the culture in action. 

Here's our new teammate (just arrived in late February), Barb, sitting across from me in the van.  We had seats facing one another.  Beside her was our young tour guide who led us right to where we needed to go.  We shared some candy with him, and I gave him a small bag of cheese I hadn't eaten for breakfast.  He willingly accepted both.  After taking us across town, our director gave him 500 tugricks (worth a little less than 50 cents) and he and his sister had to walk back across town to get back to their starting point...about a 10-15 minute walk. 

Young girls all over the world love to hang in groups.  Acceptance is such a need in our human heart, isn't it?  These girls cheerfully sang out, "hello" in English.  When we tried to strike up a conversation in English, though, they just smiled.  However, I asked them how old they were in Mongolian...9 and 10 years old.

On the edge of town is a new Buddha statue.  There are MANY steps to the top, and the statue itself sits atop a building which hasn't opened yet.  The idol is HUGE.

Here, a ger and van can be seen off to the left, as well as people in the front. 
This gives a view as to the size of this statue idol.

Perhaps some day our team members will have an encouraging influence on the children pictured earlier.  May each of them come to know the Father.

Our Diverse Study

I love my weekly study of the Word with women.  There is something amazing about the Mongolian culture.  There is an open attitude to diverse ages meeting together for just about anything.  I have to share this awesome picture which shows women ranging in age from 19 to 62. 

One woman I met when we had a party for English speakers in our building.  We posted an announcement on the first floor last fall, inviting anyone in our building to our party for English speakers.  "If you can read this, you may come!" was part of the invitation.  Now, we've enjoyed stopping in at each others apartments for quick visits and she comes to study almost every week. 

Another woman in this photo sat down next to me one Sunday at church and we struck up a conversation.  She is a dear friend, now.  We see each other almost every Sunday and sit together.  Her husband died several years ago when her four children were ages 5-12.  She has experienced the faithfulness of her heavenly Father. 

The youngest woman and I met at a friend's birthday party.  We have only been meeting together for about a month and she just recently became a sister.  She is hungry to grow and learn more.

Lastly, the only American in this photo is a new teammate with our organization.  We are so happy she and her husband have joined the team. 

This day two weeks ago was a blessing as we talked about the details of the upcoming Easter holiday and what those details mean to us. 

Today, only two of these women could come, and one came at 12 noon and the other came at 3:30.  Today, two different studies, two different women, two different stories, one Savior who loves us all.

Samaritan's Purse Heart Project

Last week, we had a visitor from Rochester, Minnesota, the city we've recently moved from.  She was accompanying a Mongolian child and mother back from Mayo Clinic in Rochester.  The woman from Rochester is in the black sweater on the couch, next to me.  The Mongolian mother is in the pink sweater.  The other Mongolians are from Samaritan's Purse.  We were so excited to meet Eegii (in the pink sweater).  Her son has had a heart surgery AND a hip surgery at Mayo Clinic, Rochester.  

What a privilege, then, to take Eegii along with us to fellowship this past Sunday.  We hope our relationship continues with this sweet woman.  We were especially thankful to a friend who accompanied us and translated, since Eegii's English is sparse and our Mongolian is "survival level."

Last week, I spent time with one of our office ladies for the organization we are with.  She has also gone to the U.S. as a translator for Samaritan's Purse patients.  She commented that S.P. is like a strong arm reaching down into a deep, dry well to pull desperate people up and give them a helping hand and hope. 

Imagine that your child will only live another year unless he has a desperately needed heart surgery.  You have no husband and no job; you and your son live in a ger alongside another ger in a fenced-in yard.  The other ger houses a few other family members who share their food and resources with you.  You have no money to go to the doctor, let alone get an expensive surgery that isn't even done in your country.  The hope you have is overwhelming when you find out your son qualifies to go to America for this surgery, and all of your expenses are paid!  A church hosts you in America.  A loving family welcomes you into their home for many weeks.  You hear the good news from your host family through your translator.  Your life and your child's life is changed forever...and I do mean forever. 

I am excited to consider being a host family for Mongolians in the future when we live back in America! 

Conversation During a Manicure

I recently painted each of my fingernails a different color.  I have a lot of colors to choose from, and sometimes they look different on nails than in the bottle.  The plan was to do our organization's office ladies' nails the next day, and I wanted them to see what their choices were, and how they actually looked on the nail. 

The office ladies are two Mongolian women who guide us through life here in Ulaanbaatar.  They work for our organization and do everything from securing our paperwork for living here, help us with language difficulties, collect our mail from the post office, help us with purchases that are a little more difficult (i.e., plumbing or electrical supplies) and most recently, one took me to the "uuschin" (hair stylist).  I have had three haircuts in UB, and have always taken one of the office ladies along with me to get a good explanation communicated.

Anyway, back to the day of the manicure.  I showed the ladies their choices and we laughed about my multi-colored nails (which I decided to keep like that for the next five days!).  They each made their choices, and our time of visiting was a good, bonding time.  We talked about language, our children, and our futures.  One of the women was bemoaning her husband's absence.  He had been gone since July to study in Finland.  She was missing him so much!  But the studies had to be completed before he came back since it was all for his job, learning to be a pilot.  We were painting her nails for his return in two days.  Since then, he has returned and it was a happy reunion.  Can you imagine your spouse being gone from July until early December?

The simple things in life can be used to encourage and bring friendship.  Bake some cookies with a friend, go shopping, get a haircut together, or do your friend's nails.  What seems to be a temporal activity can be used for eternal fruit.

A Good Friendship

We had a recent trip up to the Russian Monument, Zaisan, a famous site we've been to before, but a fun place to visit every so often.  You can see the whole city from side to side.  Ulaanbaatar is a long, skinny city that runs like a snaking river through the valley between two ranges of mountains. 

We have become good friends with this dear family.  I met Enebish (the father) in February 2011 when I was meeting with a group of friends at a restaurant.  Enebish heard us speaking English and he came up to me and asked if I'd teach his wife English.  I met his wife, Munkhtsegtseg, who was also at the restaurant (the woman in this photo holding their son), and we made plans.  Their two daughters are also in this photo.  We have had many meals together, and on a recent Sunday, we ate together at their home, then they drove us all out to Zaisan.  It was a cool, windy day, but the friendship was warm. 

Kevin and I stand with part of the monument behind us.

Nearby the monument is a children's park where a child can ride this toy train.  Here, their son enjoys a few moments.

This Buddha statue stands at least 40 feet tall.  It glints in the sun.  I was recently reading in Deuteronomy 4.  The Israelites were reminded to NOT create any graven image to worship, since it would only be of their imagination, because God did not show Himself in the midst of the fire.  It is joyful to share with others of a God who can see and hear and respond!

Another work of art at the Zaisan area.  For many, it is more than just art.

Reactions of the Heart

Yesterday, my friend Nara (the woman I met at the UPS counter one year ago, this month) and I went on an errand.  We were searching for a fabric store so I could get a little piece of fabric (50 X 50 cm) to create a corner for our fitted bed sheet since we have to "enlarge" that sheet to fit our new apartment's ultra-huge bed!  It was Sunday at 6 p.m. and the fabric stores we found had all closed.  We walked for 40 minutes on this search.  However, I DID get a strip of elastic for a mere 300 Tugriks (about 24 cents) to help with the project. 

Why am I writing about a seemingly non-descript event?  Well, I'm glad you asked....

As we walked on the busy sidewalk, we were talking, exchanging words in English and Mongolian.  We were enjoying our "tutoring" of one another and very absorbed in each other, not our surroundings.  As we talked, we were facing forward, but one moment, I turned to look Nara in the eye.  Out of my peripheral vision, I saw a man right up close to my back, in fact, he was digging in my backpack and I hadn't felt a thing!  Yikes!  I whipped around and caught his hand.  Our eyes met, and he quickly turned away and went slinking away in embarrassment and defeat.  My heart was angry with him.  I couldn't think of a single thing to say to him in Mongolian.  As Nara and I checked my bag to make sure nothing was missing, we talked about what I could've said to him.  "Yamar buduuthlek yume bey!" would be, "What a rude person you are!"  I practiced it a few times out loud with Nara and she laughed, "Ahh, that's perfect!" 

Since then, I've thought about the event over and over.  I have thought, "How could I have been a light that shined in a dark place?"  Even though my human side really wanted to chew him out and make him "lose face" (be embarrassed in front of the crowd), I have also been thinking of how I should've responded.  I've also thought about how my reactions show my heart more than my actions.  How life-changing it could be if I'd respond with "Yesus chamdt hartai" ("Jesus loves you").  I need to be prepared.  Reactions in a foreign language are more difficult than in my mother tongue, because the words don't come naturally...they must be thought out...how do I put them together?  And that's hard to do in a split second.  However, I'll be rehearsing a different phrase than I originally intended.

What is a "Culture Day"?

In schools across America, they might experience a "Culture Day".  This usually means they go to an opera, museum, or dance presentation to experience their culture on a field trip.  It might mean that each student dresses up to represent a different culture.  They might bring food from their original ethnicity for others to try.

In our present situation, when we say, "I've had a Culture Day," that doesn't always mean a good thing.  It usually means, "I've been irritated by the culture and I'm trying to become non-irritated."  Sometimes it can mean, "Wow, I learned something valuable about the culture."  So, here's a few recent "Culture Days".  Fortunately, it takes several of these items to pile up into one day now for me to feel like I've had a truly bad "Culture Day".

-I don't realize how easy it is for me to pass money to a vendor with my left hand (oops!  Bad!) or to put the money in between my pointer and middle finger to hand it over (another "bad").  It is similar to "giving someone the finger" in the U.S.  Granted, I don't even notice when I handle money "improperly" sometimes, but I'm sure the vendor ALWAYS notices, right?  Would we not ALWAYS notice if someone walked by giving us the finger?  So, I'm trying to be more cautious and conscious of this.  However, I've been alerted twice in the past week by a teammate that I did each of those things.  Ergggh!

-When walking through the crowded market, it's totally normal to have someone slide their hand into the middle of my back if they want to get through.  They do this to everyone.  Words are not used.  And, culturally, I'm used to saying, "Excuse me," but that's not necessary here.  Sometimes, I say "Ochleray" ("sorry") to signify...."sorry, I need to get through" and that seems to be okay.  I'm still trying to figure out if that's a crazy word to use in that scenario, but for now, it seems to work.  I also, quite often, press my hand gently into someone's back to move through some congestion.  I feel so smug when I get it done successfully.  I hope I don't forget this summer and do this in Walmart!

-Taxi drivers.  Ahhhh, they are a culture of their own.  I have so many taxi driver stories.  A recent "bad" culture day about a month ago included TWO taxi drivers on the negative side and a third one who made up for the other two.  All in one day.  I was in a hurry to get to a school.  I was late, and caught a taxi.  He drove for about a kilometer, and then informed me that we'd be stopping for some benzine (gas).  What!?!  The question in my mind was, "Why in the world did you pick up a customer if you need to get gas?  Get the gas FIRST, then pick up customers."  Ahh, but that is not their thinking.  Their thinking is, "Catch the money while it presents itself, and infringe on the customer's time to sit and wait to get gas."  After all, it is totally acceptable to be late in Mongolia.  But, I'm American, and it's very hard to set aside my American mindset.  I called the director of the school to tell her I'd be late and asked her if I should get out of this taxi and get another one.  "Oh, don't worry...just get here when you can!" was her reply.  So, the knot left my stomach. 

After school was finished, I caught a second taxi.  He decided to run an errand with me in the car, too!  What?  Two in one day?!  He drove to his apartment a few blocks away to go get his coat.  Again, the question in my mind: "Why pick up a customer BEFORE your errand?  Go get your coat and THEN get a customer.  I could be on my merry way in another taxi rather than waiting in front of this apartment building."  Before he got out of the car, I pointed to my watch and said, "Hoyer minute (2 minutes)."  He shook his head.  Several minutes later, I was still waiting, and I got out of the taxi and caught a different one. 

This third taxi driver was a breath of fresh air.  He had a 10 year old daughter in the back seat, and he chatted away with me in Mongolian and English as we each asked and answered questions in each other's languages.  It was actually fun and soothed my seething irritation. 

-Another cultural experience: many areas of town do not have drainage.  Usually this is no problem because of our low precipitation.  When we get snow in the winter, it's snow flurries.  Maybe twice this past winter was it enough to actually remove with shovels; it is usually removed with little brooms.  It is too cold to precipitate very often, and we are in a desert-type land.  However, spring has come, and we had two days of rain (and not even torrential rain), and now there are little lakes around town.  Out by the school I work at, there's a lake on the road.  So, one must be careful how one walks around town.  I have been splashed by passing cars as I travel by foot.  A teammate shared yesterday how she had to walk on a cement structure to get through a flooded area, and how humurous it was that there was quite a line of people gathering to walk across that area (I'm assuming one way, so there had to be a "taking turns" situation...which is another whole story).

-Okay...taking turns: Kevin and I were at a phone store, getting our service extended so we don't lose our phone numbers over the summer while we're in the U.S.  Fortunately, we found a man who knew some English, and I told him what I knew we wanted in Mongolian (and he laughed at my pronunciation...another cultural irritation since I don't laugh at their English pronunciations which are incorrect!).  However, during our transaction, at least three people came up, butted in line, and asked this man questions.  Finally, I put my hand out and said, "Ogweeeee! (NO!)" and pointed to the man helping us and then me as if to say, "Can't you see, we are doing this transaction...don't interrupt him any more."  The man who was interrupting backed away.  Again, I felt satisfied that I had confronted the culture just a teensy bit and been able to take care of a need.  I can understand that there is interrupting here and line cutting all the time; but sometimes I have just had enough of it.  That was one time.  I tolerate line cutting all the time.  I also have learned how to graciously assert myself since it's considered the culturally appropriate thing to do.

-"Thank you" is not needed.  But I do it all the time.  Every time I leave a taxi, I say it.  Every single purchase, I say "Byerkthlaa" ('thank you') and smile.  I get a smile back almost every time.  As I watch the Mongolians, it is very normal to make a purchase, hand over the money, and walk away.  No thank you's needed.  That is one thing that I think speaks to the Mongolians.  I want them to know I appreciate their help.  I have some "regular" vendors now at the market.  They greet me when I walk down their row.  We wave and exchange greetings, "Sain Bain Ooo (Hi! How are you!)."  "Byertay (Goodbye)."  And, of course, my "thank you's."  One day I was fumbling with all my bags (remember, I'm shopping with NO shopping cart, and can only buy what I/we can carry home on any one trip); one of my favorite fruit ladies, came around her vending area and held some bags and helped stuff items into my backpack.  What a sweety.  So, some culture days are satisfying. 

But, it's all unique.  It strains my brain many times.  I often get a knot in my stomach when things go against my expectations.  It is something I must give up.  It is a sacrifice of love for my Mongolian friends whom I'm here for.  All of this forces me to remember that I have been bought with a price and I am not my own. 

I share this about culture, because my next post will be about a relaxing cultural day.  Boy, did we need it!  Countryside...here we come!  My goal is to post it within three days...so check back for some great pictures and a narrative of our day in the country, away from the hustle and bustle of the city!

While Kevin Has Been Away

Kevin left three weeks ago to have some medical attention in the U.S.  I didn't feel that I should go at this time since he was able to travel alone, and I wanted to stay in UB to continue the work we have here.  I will get my 3-month U.S. trip starting in mid-May.  Until then, I want to stay faithful to opportunities here.

Here are just a few things I've been involved in the past three weeks (and Kevin comes home in 30 hours!):



Our neighbor who has three little girls, was having overnight house guests.  Their apartment is one bedroom, so I took the girls overnight.  They even had their baths here.  It was like having my own three little girls back in my life...only these girls are bilingual!  They jabber away in Mongolian and then quickly switch over to speaking English with me (they call me "Sister Pam"). 

 

Here the girls are, hair wet from baths, smelling beautiful, and reading their Mongolian bedtime story which I had purchased from a bookstore here.  This book is about the Easter story.



The girls enjoyed another bedtime story told by "Brother Kevin" on skype.  What a fun treat!



I began a 9-hour per week job with a small "experimental" school here in town.  It's a public school with the goal of teaching all of their classes in English.  Here I am, seated in the front row, far left, with the teachers of the school.  Matt on the very far left is also with our organization, and he and another man have also been hired.  The three of us are responsible to meet with all of these teachers throughout the week to converse with them in English for their practice.  We are also giving them methods to integrate into their classrooms so their students can speak more English in class.  We have already been developing some wonderful relationships with these very sweet teachers.  I'm sure we'll have many opportunities to share about the light of life which gives much hope!  Behind the teachers, you can see the students of the school.  The school presently only has 40 9th grade students, and they plan to add one grade each year. 



Last week was an exciting ceremony for the school.  The media came to cover the event.



The Prime Minister of Mongolia, the Director of the Ministry of Education, and officials from Cambridge in England were all on hand to sign documents to forge a partnership of English learning at this school in Mongolia.  It was quite an exciting event for the Mongolian school. 



Afterwards, we enjoyed some finger foods.  The woman in the back has spent time with me practicing her English.



Later that week, I enjoyed some leftover Indian food (from an Indian restaurant), with some sauteed chicken and peppers.  The tortilla was made by a neighbor who has a small tortilla-making business to help pay for family expenses. 

  In all of the activities of the day, I keep my eyes open for opportunities to speak of the Light...the one who came that we might have life...and have it abundantly.  There are opportunities almost daily.  I am thankful to be here at this time of our lives.  I don't know how long it will last, but for now, it's one step at a time.

Smoke Gets In My Eyes




The smoke in the air is from the ger smoke...gers being heated by burning coal and wood.  When the temperature, cloud cover, and wind is "just wrong"....here's what we get.  It smells like a campfire outside. This photo was taken out our apartment window.

 


Here's the same location shot at the same time of day, but on a day when things were much more "right".  It's so nice when the air is more on the clean side!  Some day I will post an even better picture where you'll be able to see the mountains off in the distance. 

   Life is a lot like these pictures!  Sometimes smoke gets in our eyes and we just don't know the direction to take.  Other times, everything seems very clear.  I spoke with a young Mongolian woman tonight who is facing ridicule from her peers at work because she is "like the Virgin Mary".  The men brag about their sexual prowess and the women sometimes chime in.  It is very acceptable to have affairs and trysts here.  However, those who have a clear view of life, understand that giving a piece of yourself to many people only amounts to a broken person with broken relationships.  Just because a person has a clear understanding, doesn't mean that it's easy to go forward.  So, we must encourage one another daily to run the race set before each one of us!

Chinggis Khaan Monument

We enjoyed our second visit out to the Chinggis Khaan Monument (in America, he's known as Genghis Khan, but the cyrillic alphabet is spelled Чингис Хаан, which is pronounced, Chinggis Khaan--the Kh, being a back-of-the-throat "hay" sound with a bit of "clearing of the throat" sound).

Here's some photos from our January 1 trip out to the monument. It was a very cold day, so the ice sculptures weren't having any problems keeping their shape!  However, our relationship with Saraa and her family was warm!



Here's (l to r): Saraa, me, and Munktuya (Saraa's mom) in front of beautiful ice sculptures.  Notice the monument in the background and see the face of Chinggis Khaan up close in a later photo.




Saraa and her family, minus her older brother who studies in China.




An up-close shot of one of the ice sculptures.




A traditionally dressed Mongolian couple with a rather icey relationship.




Notice the people at the bottom of the photo and this puts the monument in size perspective!





Inside the monument, we took a photo of Saraa, her mom, and sister, in front of the huge leather Mongolian boot. 

 


Once inside the monument, you can walk up many steps (similar to going to the top of the Statue of Liberty) and go outside to stand in front of the chest and head of Chinggis.  Khaan means king.




Kevin captured this photo of the Great Khaan as the sun was setting on the first day of 2011.
 (Our photo date was incorrect for a couple of the photos because of a battery mis-hap!)




My unedited feelings after coming in from a 15 minute walk in -27 degree weather.



We're Famous!



Chocolate from Germany--easy to obtain all kinds of chocolate here--from the very good to the downright tasteless, waxy stuff.  What fun to look for the good stuff, though.  Even though I haven't seen chocolate chips here (except at the American stores--and for a pretty penny...I mean tugrik), we make chocolate chip cookies here by taking a "chip off the old block" of chocolate.


Speaking of taste...a famous quote could be changed to go something like this, "If the chocolate doesn't taste good, it is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot."  And a thought I've had is, "Make them thirsty...don't drown them."  To think more on these thoughts, read Mt. 5.13-16

Kneading Dough, Kneading Seeds Into Hearts

Javkah and Byermaa make pizza in our kitchen for the first time.

I recently met a Mongolian woman who teaches at a university here in town.  We met at a "Monglish Club".  This is held at a restaurant and is open to the public, encouraging Mongolians to speak English with English speakers.  The English speakers we met were mostly from the Peace Corp, and some were from other English teaching organizations.  Not all were Americans.  Some were Australian, British, and Euoropean.  Since being introduced to this club, I've made a new word for whenever I say Mongolian words wrong..."Manglish"...meaning I've mangled their language. 

Anyway, back to the Mongolian woman I met!  Her name is Amraa, which means "rest".  Most Mongolians will automatically tell you what their name means, which is quite helpful since we've been learning vocabulary.  So, if I wish you a good rest tonight, I say, "Saihan Amrarai" which I actually do say quite often when friends leave the apartment at night.  It means, "Please have a good rest."

Again, I diverge! 

So, the night I met Amraa, I found out that she had learned her first English from the son of the president of the organization we teach with, several years ago in Western Mongolia (we are directly east of that location by a 20-ish hour drive!).  She raved about how she was so thankful that she was taught English and she is forever grateful to our organization.  It was quite a wonderful meeting.  I also found out she makes beautiful Kazak bag designs. I ordered one from her that night, guaranteeing we'd see one another again to make the purchase.  As it turned out, I ordered three more after that for gifts.

During the exchange of the three gifts, Amraa reminded me that we had talked about how her hobby was this Kazak craft and my hobby was cooking.  Would I like to teach her and a few friends how to make pizza?  Yes!  We decided on a date, and this past week the date came, and so did they. 

Amraa brought four friends with her, two of them teaching colleagues.  Kevin joined in with us and one of her friends was a man who actually wrestled at the stadium at Naadam this past summer.  Only the best of the best get to wrestle at the capital city's Naadam. 

All five of the visitors had varying English abilities, but all could speak and understand a good amount.  Amraa and the man were most fluent.  They ended up rolling out dough with me and the lowest English speaker, while the other two played Yahtzee with Kevin at the table 10 feet away.  The man looked at a poster in the kitchen which had a verse on it.  "Are you both Christians?"  The conversation continued and seeds were planted.  Questions were asked.  Some by me.  Some by them.  There was interest and consideration for one another.  It was a conversation which I sometimes didn't know which way it would go next, but I kept asking for advice from Him as I listened and before I spoke.  He gave me direction.




We took this picture before adding cheese so we could see the fancy design created by Amraa (left).  The yellow and red are thinly sliced peppers.

 We ate pizza and shared more of our lives with one another. Before leaving, Amraa suggested that Kevin and I come to her house to learn to make buuz some time. I think it will happen.
These are friends to remember as we interact with them.



Hot out of the oven...the pizza is ready to eat!

Oh, by the way, the pizza was made from browned ground beef and onion as well as a sausage which looks like our summer sausage, but is made with beef and mutton.  It's not bad, but it still has the after taste of mutton.  The Mongolians love mutton like we love beef...because that's what they were raised on.  A couple flavors that some Mongolians don't like: tomato sauce and cinnamon...and we've decided again, that it's because they weren't raised on those flavors.  The pizzas which were topped by the Mongolians had half the sauce that I would normally use...ahhh, something for me to note for future pizza meals with them, right?

Mongolth Heeth Jacken (Mongolian Language Small)

Today I met my friend from UPS to talk. We talked about how different words are used in English, then also talked about the word "sacrifice" and how that relates to our spiritual needs. I asked when we should get together again. We usually either get together on Monday evenings or Wednesday lunch hour. This week it was postponed until today, Friday, lunch hour. She said, "Well, what are you doing Saturday and Sunday?" I thought, "How strange...we're getting together today...why again so soon?" I asked what she had in mind. She reminded me that I had offered for her to see a good movie I have, one of spiritual significance.  So, we'll be doing that this weekend.

Then, a woman (Amaraa) who made some things for me that I'm buying, met us at the same restaurant (it was planned). The two women didn't know each other, but got to meet. Amaraa asked me about my hobby of cooking (we had talked previously that I like to cook). She wanted to know if I'd teach her and some friends how to make pizza. I commented that Nara (from UPS) has been wanting to learn to make pizza, so the three of us set a time for Dec. 13 in the evening. I've been thinking of starting cooking classes, so maybe this is the beginning!

Then, as I left the place where I met these women, I took the elevator. It was full when I stepped on. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that a woman to the side of the elevator was galking at me BIG TIME. I finally looked over there and saw that it was our jujor* from our last apartment! I just loved her so much! But she speaks NO English and my Mongolian is sparse! I looked at her and smiled big and waved. When we got off the elevator I said, "Sain Bain Oo!?" (How are you?). She replied: "Sang sang, sain bain oo?" (Good, good, how are you?). Then she said, "Hahn Been vey?" (Where do you live?). I'm sure she has thought we left the country, since we moved away from the apartment. I told her where we moved to, and then I tried to think of something more to say. I know dumb questions like "how old are you" which just didn't fit this scenario! So we walked together to leave the building and she said a long stream of words and I looked at her helplessly. She said, "Mongolth heath, anglish, jacken." Which means, Mongolian language, English, very little. I responded, "Beech bas." (me too!). I was so aggravated! We walked together for another minute or two on the sidewalk, in silence, but knowing we liked each other. It was time for me to cross the street to my bus stop, so I said "Byerstay....tentsen da ta ta been." (Bye! Nice to see you!). She smiled and waved (probably didn't understand what I said! baaaaaaaa!).

Today, I also received a text message from a student teacher who is under one of the teachers who takes our workshops. I had proofread an essay she had written back in September. She had revealed her heart deeply, concerning her father's extramarital affair and her great fear that she would never be able to trust a man to marry her and love her and not leave her. I had written some notes back to her and hoped we could meet together. Since the proofreading, we've been to the classroom where she teaches twice, and gone on a field trip with her class once. Today's text was asking for more English help. We have plans to get together on Thursday next week.

I reflected on all of this while making supper back at home. I had this pressing feeling that I need to study the language more. But, then, I thought of how I had booked three appointments with English speakers in the past two hours, so how could I even imagine that I'd also have time for meeting with non-English speakers? I still want to study more, but the pressure was relieved from my heart as I thought of my purpose of being here and how it can be fulfilled quite nicely with all the contacts who can speak MY language! And, I'm still learning little bits of Mongolian every week by spending time with them.

*jujor: a worker for an apartment building who keeps the hallways clean, takes the trash out, etc.  The word for a Mongolian janitor, which is assigned to a specific building.

Yes, I'm Still Alive!

Dear Tami (and others who are wondering if we're still alive in Mongolia, since I have slowed down on my blogging!):  I can't totally pinpoint why I haven't been blogging as much as usual.  I think partially because I'm more busy with people (a good thing), and because sometimes things happen that are fabulous, and good, but I don't know if I should blog about them since they are the result of personal conversations, ya' know?  English teaching is going great, and we love our students.  I'll blog about that soon!

A fun relationship that is developing:

Our daughter had a car accident in Rochester.  The car was in our name, and it had to be totalled-out (nobody was hurt...just one of those things that would cost more to fix than the car was worth).  Since the car title held our names, the title had to be sent to us in Mongolia.  We took care of the necessary paperwork (that in itself is a full blog, but it would be quite boring; suffice it to say that it's interesting looking for a notary and then to find one on the first floor of our apartment building once we found out how to spell and say the word in Mongolian, and then to communicate with her as to what we needed).

Once the paperwork was all in order, I had to hunt down the best way to ship the title, etc., back to the U.S. safely.  I decided on UPS (yep, you've got it--the big, brown trucks which are also in the U.S.!).  Papers in hand, I went to the office which I had "accidentally" run across about four days earlier while shopping in our area--so the office is only about a 15-minute walk from our apartment.  While working on the transaction, I struck up a conversation (in English!) with the two Mongolian women behind the counter.  They were very business-like and distant until I complimented both of them on their use of English.  The conversation turned into a social event for them.  More talking continued.  (Don't worry, I was the only customer in the office).  There seemed to be an interest in improving their English, and I offered to get together with them on a casual basis (not lessons...just conversation and discuss new words and culture).  They both brightened and gave me their "name cards" (business cards) and put my phone number into their phones. 

Since then, Nara and I have gotten together three times.  Mongolians have trouble with pronouncing "p", "v", "f" and "w".  We work on that together and end up laughing.  She teaches me a new Mongolian word or two when we get together, and we usually laugh at my pronunciation, too! 

Yesterday, we had our third time together.  She invited me to a "black tie" event that she's been planning...the 10th Anniversary of UPS in Mongolia.  So, the three of us are going to this fancy event in a couple weeks.  I'm so excited!

What's more exciting is the conversations we have.  May this relationship, a result of a car accident, be one of those things that show He works "all things together for good."

A Mongolian Evening

Last night we visited a couple that we've recently met; the wife knows a lot of English and the husband knows very little.  This gave us an opportunity to speak in Mongolian to try to include him, yet we sometimes mixed Mongolian with English and charades!  They also had their neighbor friend over since her husband is out of the country right now (she's in the purple and black v-necked shirt).

We had a wonderful, simple Mongolian meal.  It included boiled carrots and potatoes (the best potatoes I've had in a long time!); shaved pieces of beef which had been boiled; a plate of cut up tomatoes; rice; some mantoe bread (dough which has been steamed)...it was rolled in the shape of a cinnamon roll, but steamed (not baked) and no cinnamon and sugar.  We told them about cinnamon rolls and the wife went to the cupboard and got cinnamon and sugar out.  I was surprised, as many Mongolians do not like cinnamon.  Kevin unrolled the steamed dough roll and sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on it, then rolled it back up.  They were interested and tried it themselves.  "Mmmmmm..." was the reply. 

We stayed for two hours and enjoyed talking about a book this man has recently written and had published concerning the history of Mongolia and how there is evidence of the Word being around in Mongolian history many centuries ago. 

Their daughter (around 11 years old) played some beautiful selections on the piano.  She has been taking lessons for four years, and I thought she was doing wonderfully for the period of time she's taken.

We then walked home in the dark at 8:15 p.m.  There was much activity in the city, still, but it seemed so late with it getting dark so early again.  It was a mild temperature--perhaps the last evening like this until next summer. 

Today it turned cold, and there were some hours when it was sunny and nice, and other hours when it was rainy and cold.  I think this is all due to being at this higher elevation, and being nestled in between two rows of mountains. 

I am asking for a content attitude no matter what the weather.  I can take notice of the weather, but I want to not grumble about the cold.  When I say, "Oh, it's so cold," it's not like I'm informing someone around me of something they themselves haven't noticed.  So, I want to focus on other things than the weather.  Set my mind on the things above...not on the things that are on earth. Col. 3

A Multi-cultural Experience

These are wonderful Mongolian women, introduced to us by a Wisconsin student who was at a Colorado conference with them; here we are, eating a snack from a Nebraskan friend!

Last month, our daughter, Danielle was married.  We visited with one of the groomsmen and found out he had been at a conference during the summer, and he had met two Mongolian women who live in UB (Ulaanbaatar--where we live!).  So, he gave us their email addresses and we had them over at the end of August.  Here, we are, eating "Moose Munch", a snack given to us by my parent's neighbor in Nebraska.  We had mutual encouragement when they visited us.  These are vibrant women who desire to grow in their walk.

Shooooooooopping!

We went on a shopping trip today. Anyone who knows Kevin, knows that he only likes to shop if there's something to specifically "bag"...and it needs to happen quickly. He likes to "shop" (say with a staccato voice). He does NOT like to shoooooooooooooooop.

In less than a week we go to the U.S., and we still have a few things we need to purchase. So, we went to Narantuul Market today, because they have good buys on everything. One of our Mongolian language teachers said, "If it's at Narantuul, it will be the cheapest price in town." It's the Walmart of Ulaanbaatar. The difference is, Narantuul is an open-air market with tents and cubby holes all over a cemented slab and there are pick pocketers and hundreds of sellers and hundreds more buyers. One buys their individual items from each idividual seller. You can bargain a price, somewhat (more on that later). There are men roaming through the booths selling cokes in cups (like at a ball game), and dirty children with wide eyes looking up at you with a big question mark on their face (who's that white face?). There are drunks passed out on the outer edges of Narantuul. As we walk in or walk out, we do so quickly (ahhh, just the pace Kevin likes!) and we hold our bags and wallets close to our sides. We look confident. I don't feel totally confident.

Today was our fourth time to this market. Each time it has gotten easier. Today was our first time to go just us two! Before, we've gone with Mongolians or other Americans who are more seasoned than us. Today, we could ask prices in Mongolian, understand the answers, ask for larger sizes, smaller sizes, different colors, say yes, no and thank you. Kevin was interested in a Mongolian jacket. After his purchase, the lady said "Thank you" in Russian! We walked away laughing, realizing that she thought we were from Russia rather than America! We knew the Russian word since Kevin had spent a few weeks in Russia in 1998 for a teaching experience. The more we're here, the more we find out that Americans are few here; many of the caucasians are from Russia or Australia.

Then, just for fun, we looked at some "Western style" suit jackets. I took a picture of Kevin receiving "full service" from three or four different vendors who kind of swamped him with their wares. "This tom jacket"... ("tom" means large); "Yamar onkte vey?"... (what color?); "Horden toven myunk"...25,000 Tugricks (price)... and, to me, "Mush Goi?" asking "Very nice looking?!"... and of course I answered, "Team....sacken!" (Yes, handsome!)...and on and on. He had all of these people hovering around him offering him different jackets to try on. In the end, he didn't find one that fit right and we left with a fun memory. I'm sure the vendors were disappointed.



We went on to purchase a few more items. We were getting low on money, and we knew we needed to take the bus home. We had walked and it took about 40 minutes without our newly purchased load. Now, the bus only takes 600 Tugricks for the two of us...a mere 40-ish cents total, but we were truly getting low on money! The final purchase was to cost 32,000 Tugricks; we had 31,900 T, but needed 600 for the bus. I pulled out the 600 Tugricks we needed for the bus and asked the lady if we could purchase it for 31,200. She looked at us like we were cheapies...what was the small amount more, anyway? I fanned the 600 T in front of us and said, "Avtobus". Her face broke into friendly warmth. She understood. Sure, she'd take the little less. I must say this happens often...with living on cash! I'm always spending up to the last tugrick when needing to get many things. But there's certainly a lot of flexibility among the salespeople...not quite like Walmart where the price is THE PRICE!

We were home 2 1/2 hours later (this includes that 40 min. walk and the 15 min "avtobus" (city bus) ride. Kevin had weathered a shoooooooopping trip and I was able to "shop" (spoken in staccato, mind you).

I "heart" Mongolia!

This is our daughter sending her thoughts through the miles....so cute!

Business in Mongolia

Tonight we have another friend coming over for conversation. We hope to direct it to important topics. She has opened up a new restaurant recently, and we went to visit. She serves all the regular Mongolian foods and also created a plate of layered items which she asked us to "name". The items were: cooked, grated carrots and potatoes, pieces of cooked chicken, topped with a layer of mayonnaise, and grated boiled egg. We decided it looked like a mountain with snow on top, and sprinkled with yellow flowers, so we named it "White Mountain", Tsaigon Olth.

Here she is, proudly cooking in her "guanz" kitchen. (A guanz is a very small 'fast food' traditional Mongolian hut/restaurant. In America, it would be comparable to a small town cafe with 5-10 tables).














The business next door to the guanz is a little store which sells all kinds of luxuries (candy, toilet paper, soap), and necessities (toilet paper, soap, onions, chicken broth cubes). We have met this store owner and she has come over with our friend who owns the guanz. We hope to continue to have a good impact on both of their lives. Isn't this an adorable store? Both of these ladies are trying to make a living with their new businesses. We hope they succeed!

Hot Pot

Have you ever had "Hot Pot"? The one we had this past week was with a couple we've met through our curriculum director here in Mongolia, an American who has lived here for 13 years. She and this couple are like "family" to one another.


The couple is a Mongolian woman who teaches language and her Laotian husband who has been a doctor in the past and does other business here in Mongolia. They have a 20 year old daughter who studies in the U.S., but she's home for the summer.




"Hot Pot" is a soup broth base in an electric-wok-type of container in the middle of the table. We selected the meat we wanted (beef) and put it in a "sieve" type of ladle that allowed the meat to sit down in the boiling broth.


Then we added all kinds of veggies after the meat was cooked (greens, onions, celery, cilantro), and then boiled it for a few minutes then transferred it to our bowl. It's the Asian style of fondu, I think! After the meat and vegetables have been put in your individual soup bowl, you add some broth into your bowl and add some Asian "glass" noodles and peanut sauce and you have a bowl of yumminess!

Besides the great food, we had great conversation and encouragement as we spent time with these friends.



Here's some ground up peanut sauce that, at first glance, looks like raw ground beef. Be not deceived! It's tofu, peanuts, and some spicy sauce; float this in your bowl of soup and you've got extra flavor going on! I think Rachael Ray would say "Yum-O". I know I did! And, I got my week's supply of vegetables in this one meal!