Day Five Hundred & Seventy-six

Day Five Hundred & Seventy-six
Monday, January 2nd 2012

I spent Christmas Eve with the Omnogobi volunteers in DZ. I brought some of the Rose's Lime Juice that my grandmother sent me to make drinks lovingly referred to as “One of Anne's” which are essentially glorified vodka gimlets. Ben even brought a little Christmas tree that we decorated, & we had a White Elephant type of gift exchange where I got the coolest toy gun imaginable, complete with lights & sounds. I named it “Chimeegui” (which means “Be quiet" in Mongolian).

Sadie & Brian returned to the Gobi today. These past three weeks have certainly been a challenge without Sadie here, but I'm really glad she's back. One major improvement in my life that has happened is that Darhuu & I sewed a winter del for me (well, Darhuu did most of the sewing) which I basically live in now, it's that warm. Because our classroom is so cold, teaching has been less-than-ideal & I've been wearing my winter coat, scarf, & gloves indoors all day. However, with my new del, I can now be warmer, & still look decent. Mongolians also get a big kick out of the fact that I wear a del, & whenever I go anywhere I hear passersby saying in Mongolian something to the effect of “That foreigner is wearing a Mongolian del!”

Ben came to stay in Sadie & Brian's ger over the weekend, since his living situation has been rough the past half year or so. His director seems convinced that foreigners aren't able to live in a ger, & even though Ben lived in a ger all last year & all last winter, his director moved him into the student dormitories where he has been bothered nonstop by students who take some sick pleasure from pounding on the door & running away. (They do that to me, also. Or at least they did until I told their homeroom teachers & got them yelled at.) Luckily, Ben has found an apartment to move into.

When Ben arrived, Oka (Darhuu's live-in nephew) had accidentally taken the ger key to the aimag with him, but since Oka didn't realize he had the key with him until the next day, we literally turned Darhuu's house upside-down looking for it. Darhuu finally motioned for Ben & I to follow her outside with a tool that resembled a hammer in her hands. I couldn't help but laugh a little bit because the idea of a tiny Mongolian woman breaking into a ger in her front yard was hilarious. All apologies to Sadie & Brian, their sturdy lock, & the clasps through which the lock was laced, because these things were thoroughly destroyed in the process. However, Santiago, Sadie & Brian's beloved dog, was trapped inside (& Oka didn't return for a few days!) so it was all for the best.

New Year's Eve was lovely. Ben & I went to Darhuu's house, & even though the power was out, I love going there to sit by Darhuu's coal-burning stove to warm up & talk with her. The space right in front of the stove has unofficially become my spot, & Chicago & I sat there for hours. Darhuu made potato buuz (a small Mongolian dumpling-shaped dish, whereby flour is wrapped around a filling & twisted in a complicated “Mongolian pinch” that I haven't yet mastered). I decorated Chicago with some of the glowsticks my parents had sent in the mail a while back, & everyone was very entertained by him. The power came on right before midnight (a great sign for the year to come) & the neighbors even lit off fireworks. It was a really wonderful way to bring in 2012. We even had “One of Anne's” cocktails each & cake!

An incredible package arrived this week from my grandmother & grandfather (on my Mom's side of the family). They sent the most beautiful Italian scarf, which is almost too pretty to wear here. They also sent precious American things like popcorn, pancake mix (just-add-water, how perfect, since it's sometimes tricky to find eggs or things like that here), assorted nut mixes (even chocolate covered ones), tea, a big bag of dried banana chips, flavored coffee, & some other food-making mixes (like a self-contained bag of alfredo noodles, & even a nice meat-free gravy mix). Even though it didn't make it in time for Christmas, it really brightened my week. What a great thing to receive right at the end of 2011.

Well, 2012 has kind of hit me like a ton of bricks! Aside from the moments of pause I take whenever I have to write the date, I can't believe a new year is already here. The fact that I'm leaving Mongolia is becoming more & more of a reality, so close, but it seems so far away. The winter is literally upon my small village here in the Gobi, as I awakened yesterday to a blizzard raging outside. The thought of summer keeps me going, the dream of sitting on the dock at the lake cabin again, taking a road trip with one of my best friends, Rachel, and the knowledge that I will soon be reunited with people I love.