The Mongolian Fortune Teller

What happened to March? I was reading a news article on CNN that was dated March 17, 2011 and I thought, "they have a typo, because it hasn't gotten to March 17, 2011 yet". Then I looked at the date on my watch and it said April 4th. I just can't believe it.

This past school break was the best school break by far. I was so good at keeping busy. Even though it was a school break I went to school everyday the 1st week (it was a 2 week break) and worked about 7 hours a day on a school project. It felt good to keep busy. The 2nd week of the break we had our PCV friends come visit us in our ger. I don't know why they spent the time and money and awful van rides to come to our small Gobi town (I guess they like us or something.)-- but I made sure they had good food and good times (I hope they think so, too).

One of the nights we invited a Mongolian fortune teller into our ger. She used beads to tell us our fortunes. After our fortunes had been read we were able to ask her questions--Here it is, a once in a lifetime opportunity to ask a Mongolian fortune teller any question I want and my mind goes completely blank. I asked the stupid unoriginal questions like, "when am I going to die?", "how am I going to die?", "who will die first, me or Justin?", then I asked, "will my daughters be as cute as yours?". She had brought her little 3 year old daughter with her. She was adorable! So, here's my fortune:

She told me I was a very emotional person, that I have many moods. Also said that I am stubborn when it comes to decision making. She said I will live a good and happy life. I will be healthy all of my life. In three years she said I will have my first child, a girl. Then after that I will have boy, then another girl. She said I'll live to be 85 and Justin will live to be 83, and that I'll die peacefully and naturally. When I asked her if my daughters will be as cute as hers she answered, "cuter". :) Justin wasn't interested in getting his fortune read, but the fortune teller did say to me that she knows he is an exceptionally good husband, he works hard and has a strong mind.

On a different day, we took a walk outside of town to an old Mongolian cemetery. I don't know how many graves there were, maybe 50? Maybe more. Not all of the graves were marked. But there were some graves with impressive headstones. One grave had even been dug up and had been opened. The bones still remained. Kinda spooky.

On a lighter note, the day was a beautiful day and there was a flock of sheep and goats roaming around. It was neat to see a herder close by tending to their flock.

I'm not the herder. Here's the herder:

Here are some pictures of my town, Mandalgovi:
This is of a woman cleaning out her stove pipe. She is putting rocks and sand in the pipe and will roll it on the ground to clean out all the soot. Justin has done this to our stove just recently.

This is a picture of someone's hashaa door (the door to enter their proptery/their yard) and it has "nohoi toi" which literally translates as "dog with" or what we read it as "beware of dog".

Finally, this is a picture of Justin and our friend Rob, who lives even further into the Gobi. You can read more about his Mongolian adventures here. This is what a regular neighborhood looks like (motorcycle and all).

Now, to update from my last post. The biscotti was amazing! Everyone who ever craves biscotti because there isn't such a thing available for them to buy-- or you want to save money-- or you just want to think you're the best baker in the world has GOT to use this recipe. You can change all the fillings with what you desire, but it's just fine as it is. I used walnuts, chocolate chunks, orange zest and pomegranate craisins as my filler this time. Next time I hope to find pistachios. Mmm!
First we had to get crackin' walnuts:

And last, but definitely not least. I made Sticky Toffee Pudding. Yep. I nailed it. Here is the recipe that I used: Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake. I was really scared that it was going to turn out as a 'cake' like the name suggests, but nope, it was a bread pudding type 'cake'. Loved it! And so did Rob. :)

Spring, Spring, Spring, Spring, Spring!!

This has been an awesome break. I can't tell you how happy I feel. The warmer the days get the more my zombie-ways melt. I didn't even realize how stuck in a rut I was. Man, I didn't even know. It's as if I literally am finally waking up. It feels amazing! I have energy and purpose! If only this picture was true:

But, looking at it makes me happy anyway.

Our break isn't even over yet. Some of our PCV friends from the south Gobi, from northern Mongolia, and central Mongolia are coming to stay with us for the weekend. It will be so nice to see them and hang out(in the sunshine!). I want to bake everything for them. I think we'll have biscuits and gravy, oatmeal raisin cookies, some spring biscotti (I'm attempting to make the biscotti for the first time today. I am a little nervous, but it looks oh-so-good!), and whatever else they love. Food is very important to us PCVs, I wish you could sit and listen to our conversations about all the foods we miss and what'd we do if we got to eat it again. Or, when we make something amazing and are eating it for the first time-- that's a funny sight to those who take all the little amazing foods of America for granted.

Here's my biscotti recipe that I will be attempting:

Here's the link to the allrecipe's recipe for Spring Biscotti


By the way, if ANYONE knows how to make Sticky Toffee Pudding, PLEASE, let me know how. I've been looking up recipe after recipe online and I just don't see one that I can fully trust. I need your help on this.

What I'd do for spring...

My mom sent me a sleeping bag liner that has saved my life. Our sleeping bags are really good sleeping bags (claim to be warm up to -15), but I'm a naturally cold person so one sleeping bag at 20 degrees is just not enough. The sleeping bag liner has done wonders!...until I thought it was warm enough to not use it anymore. I tried to convince myself that it's only getting 30 degrees in our ger at night, it's not THAT cold. It should be spring weather, warming up, right?

Nah, the other night I was awake through most of the night because my feet were ice cold and they just wouldn't warm up. I was thinking about all the nuisances that warmer weather brings such as dogs barking the ENTIRE night, spiders and beetles and flies in the ger, sweating, etc. and how I'd take all those bothers and hug them right now.

I'll never complain about the heat again. I promise.

So I've been hibernating all winter...really, it's true. My school is literally a 2 minute walk from my ger (if that even) and all winter long I have been a robot/zombie waking up, trekking to school with my hood on and head down, doing my thing, and trekking back home, where I was still a zombie-slave to imediately making a fire, thawing out a bit, making dinner (which takes a couple hours) then folding myself back up in my sleeping back for another 12 hours of warmth. (Justin was the strong one, grocery shopping every week and running errands.) It was kind of miserable, now that I think about it. But 3 days ago I had an awakening. And I feel free! I went grocery shopping yesterday and was chipper. I had a nice conversation with the ladies at the market and I felt rejuvenated. Since Justin's been the one getting the groceries we haven't had a lot of fruit in our diet (not that there is much selection...just clementines or apples), but yesterday when I came home with my bag of goodies it was like christmas! I bought some yogurt (I was scared to try, because it was already expired, but I needed it so badly), raisins and an asian pear that Justin and I shared (they are kinda expensive to buy more than one at a time). This is a good time to be in Mongolia!

I saw a CAT!!!...but no, not that kind :(

I just put a batch of vegan brownies (not because I'm vegan... I just don't have eggs or milk on me at the moment...but these brownies turn out just as marvelous as non-vegan ones) in the oven and thought I'd take some time to myself and breathe for a minute...which reminded me that I haven't blogged in a long time. So I'll blog while the brownies bake. I have 23 1/2 mins.

We're on school break right now. We've been off all week and we will either go back on Monday, April 4th or Wednesday, April 6th (I've heard different dates, so I'll play it by hear). I have a tendency to mope around and pull my hair out when I get dreadfully bored so I made a plan to stay busy this entire school break-- and I am doing well accomplishing this goal. I've gone to school everyday to tutor teachers and students. Besides that I've given myself some large projects to work on at home. One is boring (school related), but the other is planning our vacation time for this summer. This is no easy thing. We're planning a money budget and time budget and China is very anal about who comes in their country, how they come in and when they leave. So getting a Visa is on the agenda, but mostly I've been researching just how to do this while I'm in Mongolia. I've heard of a lot of people doing this so I know it's possible, but where'd they leave the instructions!? By searching on the internet, I've found a lot of my answers, but time will tell if I've gotten all this right. I'll keep you updated on this vacation process.

I looked on Weather.com 10 days ago and today (according to the 10 day forecast 10 days ago) was supposed to be in the 50's...this would have been the 1st time we'd hit 50 degrees. Now it is still freezing outside and no, not in the 50's. But the 10 day forecast forecasts that we will get in the 50's 10 days from now! I feel like Weather.com is playing games with me...shaking that carrot too far for me to reach. *sigh.

I went to the shower house for the 1st time since November (that tells you how much warmer it's gotten...all through winter I practically hibernated). I took some pictures on our 10 minute walk to the shower house.

Here is our hashaa. Our hashaa parent's house is with the green roof. You can barely see our ger roof to the left of their house.

We walk through a gas station on our way to the shower house. What we saw at the gas station surprised us. First of all, I've never seen a machine so big. Second, I NEVER expected that to be here in Mongolia. Justin says it's for the coal mining going on. They were HUGE!(PS. this was the 'cat' I was talking about...I still have yet to see a real kitty in our town. Makes me sad.)

This is inside our shower house.

Justin waiting impatiently for a shower. (We got there at 11:05-- it opens at 11-- but all the showers were already taken.)

This was inside my shower.

There. Now you know the intimates of my life.

Oh! The brownies are done.

No, wait... putting them back on

So, spring's here. And it looks something like this.

The annual miracle of new life and warmer weather was abruptly crushed by something akin to what the families of the Dust Bowl may have endured. As Ashlie wrote in her previous blog, yesterday was brilliant. The sun was shining, the air was calm, and hope was springing forth in the form of a 44 degree high temperature. Everywhere life was awakening from it's winter slumber and beaming forth. It was the type of day that would make the crippled cast off their wheelchairs and walk. Then there was today.

I first noticed the impending doom from my second story classroom window while waiting on my Saturday tutoring students to come. On the horizon their was building a large cloud of dust. I had a quick vision of the apocalypse and then my students arrived. Near the end of our lesson one of students looked out from the window and astutely observed, "Mohai (ugly)." It was indeed mohai. Sand was whipping across the streets, people were running for shelter and I dismissed class.

On the walk home I didn't see many people. People were huddled together in pairs with their backs against southward facing walls. Other unfortunates like myself scurried across open areas like cockroaches on the bathroom floor of my college apartment. Finally I made it home to the warmth of my ger and wife.

Fast forward to a little later in the day. Ashlie and I were curled up on the bed watching a movie. In the film, the protagonist is gradually becoming insane. I don't know if I've ever been more empathetic to a character. The wind was driving me out of f***ing mind. The ger was raising up a little with every gust. Things were falling from the ceiling and the windows were rattling. One of the panes eventually fell to the floor and shattered. I, with my quick thinking, devised a strategy to begin shouting a string of obscenities that was so powerful it would curtail the wind and alter the atmospheric conditions into a more favorable state. It failed.

So I grabbed the duct tape and covered the hole. I remember in kindergarten learning the saying "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." I guess the lion is here.

I'm taking my clothes off!

This is what I'm missing from back home. Soon most of Texas will be covered by her legendary bluebonnets.

Speaking of soon...I think soon I shall be taking off some excess layers of clothing. (For the past 3 months I have been wearing two pairs of pants, at least three pairs of socks, at least two shirts, a sweater, two jackets, gloves, a hat, a hood and a scarf wrapped around it all covering everything but my eyes-- then to top it, I usually have my sunglass on so no part of my skin is visible) I can't believe that the temperature here got so warm yesterday! After school (around 4pm) I took a walk 'downtown' to pick up some grocery items and I felt naked. My head wasn't covered, my face wasn't covered, my neck wasn't covered. It was just me in my one jacket. While I walked it was very pleasant and I realized it right away because that walk is usually a painful one (the bitter cold burning your skin, the blasting wind holding back your steps, the sand/ snow blowing around). Nope. It was blue skies and sunshine and I broke a sweat in my little jacket. I was sure it was in the upper 20's F. And I was happy! I felt free! I felt rejuvenated, awakened, alive! When I came back to our ger I told Justin all about it and checked the temperature on weather.com. 44 degrees! Forty-freakin'-four degrees! For a while I just stood there saying 'Forty-freakin'-four! Forty-freakin'-four!'. I didn't know what to do with myself. I was just outside thinking it was 20 something, I don't know why knowing it was now forty-freakin'-four degrees changed things so much. But it did. Hope. It gave me hope. The temperature can rise above freezing. I know this to be true.

This past Thursday I accompanied the Cooking Club's teacher again to make cinnamon rolls. I don't know why I get so nervous around her...Well, actually I think I do...One time when I made pizza with my English Club students she suggested I add more oil to my pizza crust-- which personally I didn't think I needed to and I don't think she has ever made a pizza crust in her life or eaten one for that matter...So I guess I'm scared of being criticized by her because I'm a self taught baker (well, she is as well, but she is a lot older than me so has a lot more experience). Anyway, I screwed up on the recipe. I totally left out the water needed to help the yeast activate. However, I did use the milk, butter and egg...so that was moisture enough but the yeast just didn't look right. It wasn't frothing. Anyway, I continued on with the recipe. It ended up being a hit! None of them had ever had cinnamon before. I tried to explain what it was but my Mongolian cooking vocabulary is horrible! So I didn't accomplish anything. They all tasted the cinnamon powder and said that it was 'hot'...like spicy hot. It made me laugh a little. Everything is spicy hot to them. But the Cooking Club teacher said I was a very good baker to the students and also other teachers (they passed around the cinnamon rolls to the faculty). It makes me happy that I can finally be recognized for something. So far they know I can't play volleyball, can't play basketball (which is HUGE here!), don't drink, don't eat meat (which is almost an insult here), my Mongolian isn't the best by far, and I don't like going to parties (which is also an insult to them, but I hate being pressured). I am a good teacher though, and I know that. But I'm not so sure how important that is to them. Baking, though...Baking may have saved my volunteer service.

Ready in 5 Hours- A Mexican Food Recipe

A peak inside Dinner with the Newberrys:

We had Mexican night on Thursday night. It was scrumptious! If you follow our "Ready in 5 hours" recipe your tummy will be a happy tummy, too! We're not boasting it will be ready in 45 mins, and I laugh (actually, I cry) when I remember those nights in the States making those "20 Min Meals" successfully. Nope, this was 5 hours...Wanna know our secret??? We have one burner. Dinner preparation began at 4pm and we sat down to eat at about 9:30. It was all worth it though. We had black beans (they were dried beans we had to soak and boil), rice (not minute rice...20 min rice), chicken fajitas (frozen chicken drumsticks we had to boil/thaw then cut the meat off), pico de gallo, and tortillas....all of this homemade.

The funny thing is that Justin and I labored over this meal not really thinking a thing about how lengthy the process was. But when we sat down at 9:30pm I thought about if we were in the states how the whole dinner making process would go: beans in a crock pot before you leave for work, 4 large burners for boiling rice, chicken, sautéing, and making tortillas...All of that could be going on at the same time! We would have had that same laborious dinner in about 45 mins. Which somewhat depressed me, but..

Eh, what else are we going to do with our evenings?

Ger, Sweet Ger

We're home! It was a great 5 days of not making fires and smelling of smoke. Also a great 4 nights of sleeping in t-shirts and no socks (because the rooms stay heated all night long!) It was great not having to layer up before going to bed.

Speaking of great...It was great to see all my friends. We didn't do much more than eat at amazing restaurants, go to American food stores and lounge around, taking showers-- not bagging coal, preparing lessons, adding dung to the fire, etc.

This was my frist bowl of cold cereal in 9 months! It was really amazingly awesome. I also ate the cup of noodles (pictured) with my breakfast. Gotta eat good while you're on vacay!

We didn't end up staying at Khongor Guesthouse because it is apparently being renovated. So we stayed at UB Guesthouse. It was nice, but I am partial to Khongor. Khongor's beds are magical! But, UB Guesthouses bathrooms are cleaner and nicer...

One of my friends went to America a couple of weeks ago and brought back a bottle of Dr. Pepper for me and Justin. Can you believe it?! Every where they sell Coke we look for Dr. Pepper. No luck. This was our frist sip of the Dr.'s orders in 9 months. It was delicious.

Another one of our friends, Erin, invited us to dinner with her Mongolian friend. It was a great meal and the Mongolian couple actually had a lot in common with me and Justin...same age, same graduation year, started dating the same year, have been married for the same amount of years. It was interesting to compare lifestyles that are so similar yet different to ours.

All in all it was a success! I only got thrown up on once on the bus to Ulaanbataar. Our bus seats 28, yet on the trips to and from UB there were over 40 people on the bus, so we were packed. On the way back we even had a live rabbit sitting on a man's lap waiting to be taken to his ger for supper. This is my last visit to the big city for a long while. Now I'm back at school, smelling like smoke and just not as squeaky clean. But it's okay because summer is on its way, right? :)

Lady Gaga in Mongolia

Our kids are in love with Lady Gaga. The parents....not so much. But Lady Gaga gets plenty of attention here. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

This week we have focused on debating in my classes. The students absolutely love it! I was surprised. I kind of felt like this lesson was just a blow-away lesson. One that would be interesting to learn about, but then abandoned in next year's curriculum. Nuh huh. That's not what happened. The first topic of debate was whether or not a road should be built from our town to the capital city (270 km away). We drew sticks to see who was affirming and negating. Both sides took it very seriously (even though at the end of class we all agreed a road is so important to our town's development). I was so impressed with the points that they made and the X-examination made my eyes tear up. They were really learning and working hard.

After class all the students had left and I was locking up the classroom when I hear someone running back down the hall to my classroom. It was an 11th grade student. She was out of breath but told me how much she liked the debate and that she had an idea. She wanted to improve her English pronunciation and asked if I'd debate her tomorrow evening to practice debate, English, and pronunciation. The topic: That Lady Gaga's influence to society is detrimental. We both took a day to prepare and met back up in the classroom last night. I had a great time. Her points were good: inappropriate for children (which I then said that the fault for that should be on the parents for allowing their children to watch her/ listen to her and there are other things more harmful than her that parents should be concerned about), inappropriate for adults (which I then said that she is the epitome of freedom and independence), etc. etc. But at the end of the debate we shook hands and agreed that we both liked her music and her personality, but she can be a bit over the top.

So, yesterday I took some homemade brownies to school with me. It was quite entertaining. I wanted to share my baking with the teachers. I set the bowl of brownies on the table in the teachers' room, then sat down in the corner watching all of their reactions as they came in and examined the brownies. It was insane!! Each one of them did the exact same thing: poked it, picked up a crumb, smelt it, made a face, touched their tongue to it, asked 'what is this?', then put it in their mouth and smacked it around trying to taste the flavor (while still making a face), then exclaimed 'amar goi!' ('very good!'). Some teachers didn't believe I made them-- where else would they have come from??? Every time they asked what it was I would say 'brownies' in English (there isn't a Mongolian word). But they would shake their head and say 'shokolad belo' (chocolate cake), or 'shokolad bortsik' (chololate fried dough) and I would shake my head and say slowly: 'brownies'.

Mutton tacos...you oughta try it!

This is the last full week in February! Where has the time gone? Next month is supposedly a very busy one for Mongolian English Teachers and their PCVs. At the end of March is the nationwide English test for students and teachers called "English Olympics". The students and teachers study for this test all year long and have a chance to win money and credentials. It's a big deal. And PVCs play a BIG role in not only preparing them, but sometimes creating the test, grading the test, giving the test, proctoring the test... I have been teaching an English Olympic prep course on Friday nights for those interested in coming. For this week's English Olympic prep course, however, I will not be here. I'll be resting it up in UB!

But before I get into that, this is a little peak of what I've been doing for the last couple of weeks (post Tsagaan Sar):

Made Mutton tacos! It doesn't sound very good, and I'm not a mutton eater-- but these were darn good. Closest thing to Mexican in Mandalgovi. Our hashaa family's daughter came over and helped us mince the meet, made pico de gallo, and tortillas. We even found some cheese to shred and put on top. They seemed to really like it! Especially because it was mutton.

I went to a children's modeling show. It was really interesting and fun for the girls! I even got a picture with the models :)

I taught Justin how to sew. It was a big thing in our ger because he has the HOLIEST clothes...but he got them sewed up pretty good!

Justin and I both applied for training jobs this summer for the new PCVs that will get here in early June. This is a big thing to me. I'd love to help these new volunteers transition into Mongolian life and help them succeed once they are released to their own sites. I loved my training last summer and my trainers were awesome. I hope I can do the same for some of them! It's a big deal because if we get this 'job' (still volunteering) we'd be moving into a big city (in an APARTMENT) for half of the summer. Big stuff...having a toilet is a BIG deal! So, cross your fingers for us!

Now about UB this weekend. I am so excited because this is my first break from school (taking personal days off) and I am just so excited to escape the ger life for 5 days.

No more hard plywood bed made for 1 1/2 people with blankets as a mattress! And no more sleeping in a sleeping bag-- heavenly Khongor Guesthouse bed here I come!

No more handling camel poo to make fires and sweeping up its messes!

No more fighting coal and having coal stained hands!

No more fake sinks or water bucket!

No more handwashing or tumpin bathing!

For 5 days anyway :)

I knew it would happen somehow

Remember months ago when I said that I wanted to start up some type of cooking class while I'm here to teach nutrition/ well balanced meals--but also to teach new and different ways of cooking? Well, it's happening...ever...so...slowly. By the time this week has finished I will have made 8 pizzas. Tuesday I taught a cooking class (we made pizza, by popular demand) for 10th graders. Today I am teaching a cooking class (again, pizza by popular demand) to 9th & 11th graders, and tomorrow I am teaching a cooking class to some teachers (guess what we're cooking?! Yep. pizza, again by popular demand-- but also we're baking chocolate chip cookies afterward in this class). Then on Friday it's always pizza night in the Newberry Ger--so 8 pizzas in total. I do have to compliment myself on my hand-made/tossed pizza dough. I tried twirling it on my finger yesterday for the students, but was unsuccessful (at flattening and making the dough in a circular form), but quite successful at making the students laugh and making a fool of myself (which is okay, sometimes). I've already had several of my recipes (cinnamon rolls, choc. chip cookies, biscuits, pizza, meat/fruit pies) translated into Mongolian and distributed out to teachers because they heard that I bake. It makes me feel good that I CAN actually contribute something here (besides teaching styles/methodologies) because I was starting to feel like somewhat of a failure because I don't play volleyball or basketball (the MAJOR sports here, if you don't play you're definitely not in the 'in' crowd).

Well, it snowed again last night. I saw on the weather forecast that Saturday the high will be 31 degrees. It is oh-so-close to being above freezing, but it just can't seem to topple over that mark. Anyway, it hasn't really been able to get much above 20 degrees yet, so I'm really looking forward to this 31 degrees.

Spring!

...is still not here. Though I was very hopeful yesterday on my walk to school as I noticed how muddy my shoes were. I was dreading and wondering how I was going to clean them up before walking into the school building (because Mongolians keep their shoes immaculate!) when I realized "hey...there's mud...I see mud!!" I haven't seen mud or any type of liquid outside in months! Then, when I got home from school I had to go out into our ping to get more fuel for the fire. I came back in and noticed a spider walking across my ger floor. I had two feelings invade my body: to kill, then nostalgia. It has been so long since I've seen any life other than people & domesticated animals. But, my hopes of spring were soon smashed (along with the premature spider) when Justin came home and let me know it had just started snowing outside. Soon, though...Spring will come soon.

Tsagaan Sar Day 5

Last night after coming home from my Tsagaan Sar visits to mine and Justin's school teachers' homes I went to our hashaa family's house. It was about 9pm and hashaa mom was piling pound after pound of meat into a large box. She explained to me that her children are going back to UB tomorrow (this morning) and they are starving college students. The meat wasn't wrapped up in anything--just large slices of randam parts of a sheep piled up high. At the top she put a bag of about 100 frozen buuz leftover from Tsagaan Sar. I really watched in awe. I was watching her put her love into that box as well as frozen raw meat. I let her know that my mom would do the same, that our worlds are similar but different at the same time. It was nice to be there for that family moment.

Well, today is day 5 of Tsagaan Sar. Wait, what? Did I tell you that Tsagaan Sar was only 3 days? HAHAHAHA....silly readers and silly me for thinking that. Today I went to school and was welcomed to different teachers' rooms/offices as if they were their homes for Tsagaan Sar. I got to greet them all! I sat with them, ate and drank cup after cup of airag (fermented camel or horse milk) in each room. This holiday has many beautiful traditions. I love how welcoming and hospitable they all are--but the food and drinks alone have scarred me. I have taken and eaten out of respect for 6 days (Don't forget Tsagaan Sar Eve, so really this is day 6) of eating sour dried milk curds, camel, goat, horse and cow milk fat, boiled sour yogurt, fermented milk from all 4 animals in sour, clumpy, stringy, thick, chewy forms with floaties, hair, chunks and froth. I can see why Mongolia is one of the more difficult countries for PCVs to live. Not because of safety because it is VERY safe and friendly here--but for their food and drink. I don't think they know that fresh milk is okay to drink. It has to be set out to sour, then boiled, aired out for days and days before it is noteworthy to them. Wait....did I mention that I am an American who didn't like fresh store bought pasteurized milk in the states? The day of the milk's expiration date was one day too spoiled for me. I have only gagged twice in the passed 6 days and I don't think anyone saw me. But Mongolian food really takes some decades of getting used to. I'm still not convinced that all Mongolians like their own food--just that they feel obligated to like it because it is their culture to and tradition. I don't know, that's just my thought.

So a much needed vacation is in order! In less than 2 weeks Justin and I will be meeting some friends up in UB for a weekend of R&R&F (food). I can't wait to sink into that comfy heavenly bed in the Khongor Guesthouse and just lounge around with friends.

So, for the 5th/6th/or whatever day Happy Tsagaan Sar!

сайхан шинэлээрэй! (sahan shinleray!)

This is Tsagaan Sar as I (Ashlie) know it.

Tsagaan Sar Day 1:

Today (it is now 5pm) we finished our 1st day of Tsagaan Sar. It all began last night. We were invited to our hashaa family's home to help them decorated their 'boow'. It is made with layers of fried bread, then topped with white food, or dairy products such as airal (dried milk curds), oodum (top cream of the milk), and sugar.



Okay, nevermind-- it all REALLY started weeks ago when they made 1,000 buuz, pronounced like 'boadz'(meat filled dumplings)--we blogged about that last month. Then this weekend they boiled the 'fattest' sheep in our ger (our stove is bigger than theirs). There is a lot of preparation that goes on for this 1st day of Tsagaan Sar....



But, now onto today...It should have started at about 6am for us because it is a tradition to watch the sun rise-- to watch the new year begin. However, Justin and I couldn't get ourselves up until 9am. We ironed our dells (Mongolian traditional clothing) and cleaned our home. Then we went to our hashaa family's ger to celebrate the morning with them. The first thing you do when you go to someone else's home for this holiday is to greet the eldest person(s). I was very nervous for this part. There are certain greetings you say and places where you put your hands, etc. Here is a video of Justin greeting our hashaa father and mother, and pics of me doing the same:



Then a snuff bottle is passed around...


After the greetings we had many buuz, salads, and meat. Also many drinks were passed around the room: airag (fermented mare's milk), milk tea, wine, wiskey and vodka. Remember how I told you that each family puts one coin in a random buuz and the person who eats that buuz is lucky? Well, I had the pleasure of biting down into that coin this morning! I thought it was a bone and couldn't decide if I wanted to say something or not...then I realized what it was, that it wasn't a bone at all, but the very coin that would bring me wealth this year. Picture me, a volunteer worker, being wealthy this year. It's hard to believe, but I can't wait!

Then after much eating and talking we all got on the floor and played with shagai (sheep's ankle bones). We played a horse racing game with the ankle bones. It was really fun. I love this family!




Now, because Justin and I were guests in their home (when you visit other people's homes for Tsagaan Sar it is tradition to give them small gifts for visiting), we were given gifts. I received a beautiful jewelry set: ring, earrings and necklace, and Justin received a traditional Mongolian framed golden engraving. These were very nice gifts.

That was house one. Now we were off to another family member's home (Day one of Tsagaan Sar is reserved for family). There were so many people in this little ger that it was a little awkward at first, but after a while we felt the love. We were served drink after drink and food after food... We stayed for about an hour and a half before we were onto the 3rd and last ger.


Much of the same repeated itself. We were served many, many drinks and buuz. We sat and talked for a while...mostly smiled. I liked being able to see all these different people and take a peak of their rich culture. At one point I really felt like a fly on the wall, just watching in amazment at these nice people taking these weird foreigners into their homes and treating them like family...then I realized someone was talking to me and felt lost and confused.


This day has made me realize (again) what a beautiful culture this is. It is so different from the one I know, but this holiday is a great holiday and a great chance for me to realize what a different place I am in right now. Sometimes I get caught up in school and not exposing myself too much to Mongolian traditional life that I forget I'm half way around the world from what I know. This holiday (re) opened my eyes.

Now, two more days to go...