Day 9-August 9

This was the time for touristy things...We spent all our time with Chris & Stephanie and Mitch & his wife (all running the feeding centers here) and got to see a little bit of this place.

Tim found out a few days ago that they have a Russian Orthodox church in UB and asked Keith if there was any way we could go see it. We were supposed to go see the Buddhist temple, but a lot of it is outdoors and it was pouring yesterday. The church was beautiful, as expected. It was really neat to get to go to an Orthodox cathedral in Mongolia - it was absolutely spectacular inside, so ornate!



At lunch we got to try horse meat finally... we had horse kabobs! It was actually really good - tasted a lot like a well seasoned, tougher steak. I feel guilty saying this but...I really liked it! I also got Adam a shirt they sold there "Mongolian say: Meat for men, Grass for animals" amusing since he loves to rock his "Animals Taste Good" t-shirt. I have to say though, except for the horse meat, lunch was a bummer, everything here has mutton and cabbage in it. In fact, the whole country smells like mutton & cabbage-I do not lie! And when I say 'mutton' I mean, they cook sheep that are so old they can barely stand up, it has this horrible, strong, smelly flavor/taste. It's pretty rank, and in every meal! I am actually beginning to crave cucumbers and oranges!!! We've been unable to eat the fruit here, since most of it is washed in their tainted water supply, it's just best to stay away from it, unless it's cooked, which is still tough since it's not in most dishes!

We did some walking around the city, and while in one of the shops I met a man here from the states (running across a white person is very rare) who had gone to UT! Quite the coincidence! In a square was this awesome monument type thing - it was the body and part of the neck of a guitar coming out of the ground. It was already cool, and then when we walked around to the other side, I found out it was dedicated to the Beatles!! There were statues of the four of them on the other side - SO awesome. It was pouring though, so I didn't get a picture... so I'm hoping we get to go back to get one. I know, I know... I'm a dork (but Adam would be pumped to see it)!

After that we went to a cultural show where they did their special Mongolian throat singing (you should look it up on You Tube, surely they have some on there... it is CRAZY!! Or maybe I'll be really cool and post a link someday...). They also had traditional dancing, lots of music with interesting instruments I've never seen before, AND contortionists!! They were incredible! Crazy that people can actually bend like that, and their arms were SO strong - and they were these tiny little girls! Crazy.


We had Mongolian BBQ after that, Amusing since it's a Chinese thing, but whatever. It was here I had my first (and hopefully only) up close and personal run in with a Mongolian drunk. I had to use the bathroom, and asked Mitch (who's about my Dad's size) where it was. He decided to go ahead and go to, so Jenny & I followed him downstairs to the bathroom. Once we got down he said he could hold it and for me to go ahead, which I thought was a little weird. What I hadn't noticed was the restaurant shared the bathrooms with the bar next door and the hallway was teaming with drunks. As soon as I came out of the bathroom, a man grabbed my butt, and started pulling me towards him. I kind of froze I was caught so off guard, thankfully Mitch yelled something in Mongolian, grabbed me by the shoulder and steered Jenny & I to the stairs while the man yelled. I was so stunned that something that MIGHT happen in a bar back home, is considered a very normal occurrence here. Stephanie said it happens to her almost 3 times a week. I can't tell you how many drunks we've seen here, as early as 11am-one was even riding his donkey!! When we left the restaurant, there was a man going to the bathroom against the front of the building, and no one seemed to care, or even notice. This place is so bizarre. I was happy to get home and fall into bed, my head swimming with all the thoughts of Mongolia.

Day 8-August 8

We started our morning in Erdene Dalai, and had quite the experience with breakfast. They don't really believe in plates here in Mongolia...and trying to 'treat' the Westerners, they made us hotdogs with mayo and coleslaw for breakfast, along with huushuur, a Mongolian meatpie of sheep stomach and onions. Now, I'm not terribley keen on American hotdogs, let alone Mongolian hotdogs, not to mention there is something really disturbing about eating one in the desert that road with you in a vehicle for hours (not in any kind of cooler) and is being served with coleslaw and GOBS of mayo at 7am!!!! I passed. I did accept some tea and huushuur. It was....not very good. Kind of like how all the other food here is not very good. But I ate one, so there!

We spent some time in the village with the people before heading back towards Ulaanbataar---there is nothing like it here!
As we headed out and said goodbye, I really wished we could stay out in the desert for a few more days, of all the places & people the desert culture was my favorite by far. I definately plan to come back. Down the road, not to far, was a herd (?) of camels!

As you can see, this was very VERY exciting--we even petted some of them (the ones not running around and making hissing noises, the smaller ones!) Camels are very cool but gosh do they stink!!!

We got back in the car and continued our ridiculous 8 hour drive back to Ulaanbataar (remember, this is like driving rail road tracks non-stop at 45mph ALL DAY!!) As you can imagine, there are no rest stops in the middle of the desert, and unfortunately, nature still calls. Even more unfortunate is the fact that the desert is a very very open, barren place, and we were sharing nature calls with 11 guys.... Nothing bonds women together much like walking until you're a dot and doing your thing in the desert, on sand. This was really really akward and uncool, but I would rather go in the desert then most of those outhouses anyday!!!

Several hours outside the city, we stopped at Snake Mountain to stretch our legs and climb around (obviously this was the guys idea). I have to admit, while I am no outdoorsmen (outdoorswoman?) this was breathtaking-I even climbed halfway up the mountain!!! This was the view from the top...

It doesn't look like it, but it was very tall (this is the tiny side we climbed up) and kind of steep....

Below, there was a pool of water with a herdsman and his horses-out in the middle of nowhere in the desert, crazy!!

After about 2 hours, we piled back in and heading back to the guest house in Ulaanbataar in time for a shower before bed and some blogging!!!

Day 7-August 7

Our next village stop took us to what seemed the ends of the earth-Delger Hangai. The village is about 2000 people and it is literally in the middle of nowhere. The only functioning well is 3 miles outside the village, and they walk every day to fill their barrels. The village can't afford to put in local well because of the cost, $14,000-which I've been stuck on for days... When we arrived at the feeding center the kids sang songs for us - it was so sweet! They weren't shy either, they really belted it out! I loved it. They are so sweet and adorable. Then they all got together with several of us (about 5 of us, and 25 of them) and played a little game of "Sambo Says" (sound familiar?) - it was so funny, the kids loved it! I lasted until the 5th 'Sambo says'---it's tough when you can only guess what they're saying!!!

Then we went outside and played with the kids -this was my absolute favorite village we went to. The kids were so excited to see us, pulling us by the arm to do things, asking us to paint their nails (even the women - it was great!). And then I got out the camera - they were SO into having their pictures taken (all the kids have been, but they really loved it). One little girl who was about 13 maybe (it's hard to tell ages of the kids around here) was like my shadow - followed me everywhere and was obsessed with taking pictures with my camera - it was so cute. The children here were full of giggles and proud when they could learn a phrase (through our interpreter, Stephanie) and then say it to us, like 'thank you'. The children here in the desert are much more trusting, and more playful. It's more that their parents have trouble caring for them, and not as much like the capital where parents drink their income away. One girl in particular whose nails I painted (she was about 13) had gnarled hands, with some kind of skin problem. And when I took her hands and began to do her nails, she watched very closely and the corner of her mouth began to turn up. When I finished I said " Ta байх гоо сайхан" (Stephanie had to tell me several times how to say it)she looked up in surprise, smiled and thanked me. She walked away, looking at her shimmery nails and smiling. Stephanie explained most of the children rarely hear "you are beautiful" (what I told her, in Mongolian) or "you're special", stuff that seems trivial, or even silly to us. The impact, though, is huge! My parents have always told me how pretty and wonderful they thought I was, and I was always heartbroken to hear when they were disappointed, because words have such a profound impact. To only ever hear "you're worthless" and be pimped out by your parents (such as the kids forced to work at the dump, or the many kids who are spotters for their parent's thievery) would darken your soul. It just makes me so sad to know this children rarely get to see the face of love-to live without that seems inconceivable. The people at the centers put a lot of care and time into the kids, but with so many children, they can only make so much of an impact.


We finally left, and it was even more heartbreaking to leave them, because I feel like I really connected with some of the girls there. They waited outside our van and kept waving to us, over and over and over - the little girl who I had complimented especially (and kept smiling at me) so I hopped back out and gave her a hug bye - I love her!! She was so precious. I almost cried (again) leaving them. The drive back to the first village was sad for me... I really loved the people in Delger Hangai.

Day 6-August 6

We got up and drove another 4 hours to the village of Erdene Dalai. In the middle of nowhere, in the desert, was this beautiful Buddhist shrine. I am amazed by the artistic approach and care that goes into all things Buddhist here. As we made our way there, we also saw a bunch of creepy vultures on the side of the 'road' (the word road is a huge exaggeration). They. Were. ENORMOUS!!! Imagine a large lab sitting, and that's how big these vultures were... at least. They were so creepy - and if you know of my fear of birds anyway, you would know exactly how creepy they were!! UGH!!

When we arrived at the village, we went into the church (the only registered Christian church in the Gobi) and the kids were in there - hanging out and singing. They were singing "Lord I Lift Your Name on High" in Mongolian and doing hand motions to go along with the words - it was SO neat. Then, this beautiful little girl (maybe about 7 years old) did a traditional Mongolian dance for us - she was all dressed up in gorgeous traditional garb and very serious about her performance. It was the coolest thing - she was such a little performer at the time, and then ended up being one of the most shy.

Afterward, it was time for the kids to go over to the 'feeding center' (the building behind the church) and have lunch. While they had already cooked lunch, we did get to help serve it to the children and be apart of their blessing before the meal, which was really neat.

The Gobi children were alot different from the city kids. While the kids in the city were sweet, and happy, the boys were quick to fight and you often heard "I'm going to kill you" being spat at another child over something as simple as someone losing a game. In the Gobi, kids were giggling more, intrigued by these white 'eagles' (they call white people eagle because they think our noses look like beaks!) and trying to figure us out. After lunch we passed out gifts for the kids, gal loon baggies filled with goodies for them, an important gift since many of these kids possess nothing of their own. I sat down along with the other girls and our nail polish of sparkly pink and bright green, taking some of the more trusting girls by the hand for a manicure.

Soon the little girls were giggling and talking to each other, choosing their color and blowing on each other's nails. In the grass, boys were playing soccer with the guys, some were being tossed around, and others playing a game of tag. Tim & Joey did their best at balloon animals, making dogs, swans and swords--all instant hits. The language barrier seems to melt when it comes to play....We were able to have the face painting a little better put together this time, since Julie drew up a template with about 8 options for them to point & choose. It's funny the things that seem so common and obvious to us. This children had never seen nail polish, never blown bubbles, and never ever had a balloon.

Everything was a new lesson & a new treat. Watching them chase each other blowing bubbles, or gasp & giggle every time a balloon popped, you almost didn't notice the severe wear in their clothes, the scars and cuts from so much labor at the age of 6, or the fact that almost no one had bathed anytime recent. Another interesting thing about the Mongolian people, is how much they still adhere to tradition and superstition. There were several times with the children, especially in the Gobi, where we would mistake a small boy for a little girl. Evidently, if they have a young child die (especially another boy) they will dress their next son as a little girl until they're about 6 to confuse the evil spirits. You also saw both little boys & little girls with very, very long hair. They don't cut the children's hair for the first couple years, as a good luck measure. Then, when they girls are 6, and boys 5, they shave their heads completely. Everything here has a specific meaning behind an action or a story for explanation. Such a different world! For dinner, we had a meal locally prepared for us. Noodle something and fried goat's stomach--with onions! I tried it, I ate it, I would probably pass it up next time. The food here is definitely not something I'm fond of. (It in fact is quite disgusting and I will be happy to eat some good Italian when I get home!)After hours spent with the kids, we packed up and went back to go to sleep for the night, a new village destination set for the morning,

Day 5-August 5

Before heading out to the Gobi, we stopped off at an old Buddhist temple from the 1200s that is now just a museum. It was incredible to get to see, but a little creepy too. Parts of the inside were really ornate and beautiful, but a vast majority was very violent and almost evil looking. Art on the ceilings depicted men being gutted and tortured, one area even had this depicted in silks, hanging from the walls. After our tour, we all hopped into our 'nice' Russian jeeps and headed out to the Gobi, a 4 hour drive to our first stop. We drove 4 of the most bumpy hours I've ever experienced in my life - I can't even explain how bumpy this ride was, and I was one of the lucky ones in the middle! The best I can do is to have you imagine going 45mph over railroad tracks A-L-L D-A-Y L-O-N-G. The 'roads' are just one lane dirt paths, and the only 'directions' people have are by looking around and remembering. A tough thing, since it all pretty much looks the same!

We stopped at our Ger camp- we were all so excited to stay in a REAL Ger - finally!!

We hung out, played cards, and the boys were complete idiots (should I be surprised?) and decided to hike up to the tallest hill in view right as a lightening storm was rolling in. And then it started pouring - so badly, you couldn't even see that there were hills in the first place. I was a nervous wreck (also not surprising), and they finally made it back (soaked) about an hour later. I was so glad they made it back fine, and then I was so mad... I hate worrying like that!

We turned in pretty early, as we were completely exhausted (as I have been every night by around 9). Keith (the guy who brought us on the trip) came by and warned us we might want to shake our beds out before we got in them, because he found bugs in his... so we did, and thus the start of the one of the most miserable nights I have EVER experienced! There were bugs EVERYWHERE - they kept getting on the beds with us, falling from the ceiling (we could hear them thudding on the floor continuously, and occasionally making a soft thud... which we realized meant they had landed on our bed, not the floor). With tears in my eyes, in my genuine Mongolian home on my tough-girl trip, I was desperately wishing for a Hilton to materialize across the way! Trying to talk myself into it being something I could do for one night, I put in ear plugs, covered my nose & mouth with a bandanna, pulled my hood on my sweatshirt tight, french rolled my pants and resolved to keep my shoes on. I would doze off a little, then wake up to something crawling on me, and one time, biting - I would sit up immediately, brush it away and turn to find at least 10 more on the bed. Then, my adrenaline would be rushing and I would be hot and not able to calm down... just lay there. listening. thud. thud. soft thud . thud. something tickling my arm . HORRIBLE!! We finally got up (the other 2 girls I was rooming with, who initially told me 'it's fiiiiine' but freaked too) and left the Ger (which, by the way, smelled like wet, dirty dog - well, actually... wet, dirty sheep - but I'm sure you can imagine the dog smell a little easier) and just walked around. Finally we saw one of the Mongolians that came with us (Bear - he is AWESOME) leave his Ger and drag his entire mattress out into the mud to sleep. They were now not only crawling on him, but actually biting him. We felt much less like weenies with a big, burly Mongolian not able to sleep in there either. I casually asked 'so...any chance we can get the jeep keys?' He laughed, already guessing our plans for the jeep. He opened it up for us with a little bit of laughter. Jenny & I totally bailed on the Ger and slept there for the rest of the night (this was about 1am, so we did give it a good try, seeing as we went to bed around 9:30!). We had never been so excited to sleep in a car in our lives!! We thought we were going to get a lot of crap about it for the rest of the trip, but instead, the guys were like, "Ya, that was smart - that was a good idea." AAGGHH!!! This became our bed for the Ger portion of our Gobi trip.

I may not have made it through the night, but I'm proud to say I gave it a really good try, and I'm not afraid to recognize my limits (especially when they've been severely breached!!!!)

Day 4-August 4

My Tuesday began at 6am today. After some much needed coffee and toast, I was able to capture this wonderful picture that's the view from outside my room. The walls everywhere are fences around the properties. In Mongolia, having a fence is a trump card. You can have the proof you bought the land, but if someone else comes along and fences it before you, they own it. The round tent you see in the picture is a yert, here they call it a ger. Many people use them as homes, though they are only ever 10* cooler or warmer than outside-nothing but a large tent-type structure. At wealthier homes, many people have yard guards living in the gers, to keep people from breaking in and stealing. In other yards, you see multiple gers for multiple families on one property.

After breakfast, we headed out to the grocery store to get some juice boxes to take as a treat to the kids at Mitch & Baljamaa's feeding center by the dump. The grocery store really was a lot like our grocery stores back home...until you round the corner. There, staring at me, was a large collection of sheep heads and sheep hearts. Not something we through in the cart! We headed out to the 2nd feeding center that Mitch & Baljamaa run. This one was out by the city dump where the kids are unable to go to school because their parents have them work in the dump for $1-$2 a day sorting through the trash to find recyclables. The kids were older then the other center, about 10-15 and really spent little time at the center aside from lunch. Mitch had raised enough money together to do some construction at the center, making concrete walls and a sections for the kids to bathe since they're covered in so much filth. After we helped serve lunch and played with the kids-painting nails and passing out gifts, we headed over to see the conditions these kids are living in by working at the dump. This was the first time I cried. When we pulled into the dump we saw a 10 year old run and jump onto the back of a running dump truck and climb up the back. He immediately started sorting through all the trash and when the truck began to dump they didn't wait for the kid to jump off, he just tumbled out with the trash. Around the dump, kids were scattered everywhere. The smaller ones were playing in the trash while their siblings
worked.

We made a drive outside the city to the Orphanage summer house they rent for $150 a month. Out in the country, the kids are able to run around and play without running the risk of being hit by a car or being in as much filth. The kids at the orphanage were almost totally different then the city kids. Most of them had been in the orphanage since they were infants, abandoned roadside. Brought up by the 3 ladies who work there, they get more consistent parenting, balanced meals & plenty of time to run and play. The majority of the kids were little babies & toddlers, the oldest was about 9.

Most of the little ones were napping when we arrived, like little dolls. We were able to tour the house and meet the workers before playing with all the children. The balloon animals were a major success, thanks to Tim & Joey, although the kids were small enough that throughout the afternoon there was a pretty steady *pop* *pop* as they kids squeezed or bit the balloons while they played.

Face painting went a lot smoother than in the city, with drawn up templates they could point at & choose.

At one point I could no longer hold it, broke down, and used the 'outhouse'. These are basically 3 sides of metal, tied together with a deep hole beneath a squat board, lots and lots of bugs down there. N-A-S-T-Y. But, I survived. (barely) God bless hand sanitizer and baby wipes! After spending the afternoon playing with the kids, we drove back to the city for a second English lesson. After practicing quick introductions, one of the students, who was about 18, suggested we discuss our dreams, "because dreams are a good thing, right?". No one had really prepped us for what would be discussed, and we found this a bit strange, but went ahead and talked with them. When it came time to leave, it was explained to us that the concept of having a dream or life goal is very new. Until about 3 years ago, no one even understood the concept. They associate Americans with dreams & life goals, and wanted to hear about them, because it's so foreign to them to have a plan for their lives since Communism hasn't been gone for long (it's still not really gone, it's just not the official government, but the party is still often in power). With the lesson over, we headed back to the house where we were treated by Mitch making us all some gumbo, and spending time talking to the four of them about their life in Mongolia.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) we are heading out to the Ghobi, so it will be awhile before I'm able to update. Goodbye from the other side of the world!!!

Day 2-August 3rd

Today we piled in the van to enjoy some Western breakfast at a popular restaurant owned by a Cuban man & his wife from Camaroon. The potato pancakes were a big hit, along with an icy diet coke. We then headed to one of the feeding centers to see what they do, help out & play with the kids. When we arrived, I was amazed to see a tiny building with a big yard. The enter center was about the size of my living room. Evidently, even when you own the property it is really really difficult, especially as a foreigner, to get the clearance to tear down and build something new---so they have a small pieced together building with no running water. Here, they feed anywhere from 10-60 kids every day, generally for only about $15. When we arrived the kids were shouting in Mongolian, "oh no! so many teachers!!" We took a very brief tour, and met the woman who does the cooking, then turned our attention to the kids. As soon as they spotted cameras, many were striking "American" poses, arms flexed, or rock & roll hands. One of the men who runs the center began telling us about some of the children there.

One boy who was no bigger then an average 10 year old was 15, another about the size of a 6 year old, was 12. Their growth and development had been horribly stunted from lack of nutrition, and many times food in general. When we brought out the face paint, we had their undivided attention. Girls were asking for flowers, hearts and kitty faces, while the boys wanted 'tattoos' like our friend Joey. Soon all the boys had flamed bellies and big anchors on their arms, proudly showing them off. It was amusing that even without being able to speak, they could communicate with us, pointing out others paintings or clasping their hands for "please ONE MORE!!" When lunch was about to be served, we joined them inside to help plate the food and pass it out. I was expecting rice and a few vegetables, but it was 2 scoops of rice, and 3 different dishes with it, a full and colorful meal. After lunch, we were able to give the kids coloring books, puzzles and balls, they were very excited when they could tell us "thank you", one of the English phrases they've learned. What's even more amazing about the free center is that the couple who runs it is only a few years older then Adam and I, with two small kids. They knew all the kids by name, and were so happy to get to show us what a difference a little help in that community really makes, especially when these kids have little else. I knew alcoholism was bad in Mongolia, but Mitch (one of the Manna employees) told us 80% of Mongolian men are alcoholics, and since birth control is not widely taught or accessible, many of the women have too many children for their un-employeed alcoholic husbands to provide for, and many children are left in gutters to die or be taken. This is exactly what happened to their adopted daughter Mishka when she was 7 weeks old. They also told us that here in Mongolia, the child mortality is 40%--4 out of every 10 children won't make it to 18. By stepping into these communities and providing these children with what their families can't, Manna is literally saving lives.

After our afternoon at the center, we went to one of the churches where they give free English lessons, mainly to teenagers and young adults. We sat around, and practiced conversational English--but their questions weren't quite what you'd expect. A few "are you married?" and "what state are you from?" but mostly it was "do you play guitar?", "what's your favorite band?", and "do you like The Beatles?". At one point someone began to sing "Yellow Submarine" and everyone joined in, a very good way to spend an evening! Tomorrow we are supposed to go out to Mitch's feeding center and then to the orphanage they're running to play with the children and do some construction. Good night from Mongolia, and good morning to you in Texas!