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Another week has passed here in Ulaanbaatar.  I'm still feeling weak and tired.  My teacher said that she had an American student stay at her house for 4 months and for the first month she was really tired.

I keep taking the Univera Ageless Extra, Regenicare and Aloe Vera gel that my sister gave me.  My digestive system feels pretty good most of the time, which is great.  And the more I drink the juice, the lighter my bags get. Two pounds down, twenty-five to go.

There's the 15 hour time difference, the pollution, the severe climate changes and the high altitude. Apparently, at high altitudes the air contains less oxygen; therefore, the body needs to create greater amounts of hemoglobin in order to process the oxygen-thin air.  I guess that's why athletes do blood doping with red blood cells.  That must also be why mountain climbers who go to K2 or Mount Everest have to wait at the lower base camps for weeks in order to acclimatize.  

Weather. The weather has been erratic, to say the least.  Monday was a hot day, around 30˚C, then Tuesday the temperature dropped to below freezing to about 30˚ F and it snowed.  We couldn't believe it when we saw the large flakes start coming down when we were at the VSO office in the afternoon.  So I told Navamani, who's never been in the snow, that we should go outside.  So we ran out there and starting playing around.  Then the "Filipino contingent," as I call them, three fun and crazy volunteers, came out to dance around in the snow.  We took photos and videos of ourselves.  Then, after about 15 minutes of folly, we all ran back inside and continued what we were doing.   It's been warm then freezing cold.  It snowed three days last week.

Language. We have been progressing well with the language, mainly because the teachers, Otonaa and Biamba, are excellent instructors with wonderful personalities.  They both speak English and can really explain grammar well.  Of course, knowing other languages helps me because I can find similarities at times, which helps me to learn.  The Survival Course is more about learning the essentials and not about grammar but Navamani and I ask a lot of questions so the teachers give us plenty of extra information.  Of course, we'd made a lot of funny mistakes.  I have mixed up dog with vegetables and husband, which could cause some really weird looks on people's faces.  Fortunately for me, Mongolians don't eat dog. When I lived in Cambodia, the Cambodians would say that they were more civilized than the Vietnamese because they didn't eat dog.  

Our teachers both enjoyed the course as much as we did.  Yesterday we were all so sad to end the course.  I think the other volunteers who arrived a few months ago might be a little envious, given the fact that we've had much better teachers and learned so much more.  I think Navamani will probably continue Mongolian classes at the school on weekends but I'll have to find another instructor out in the countryside in Ovorhangai.  There's probably a school teacher out there who could use some extra money.

Lucky for us, Bridge International School had arranged for us to take a tour of Parliament House on Friday so we all hopped on the bus and went there.  There are so many Korean students at the school that we had a Korean translator.  One of the teachers translated into approximate English, as well.   I felt very privileged to see Parliament.  We even were allowed to see a session in progress.

Telephone. I finally bought a new cell phone.  It's a really strange looking Nokia phone that looks like a child's toy.  I'm not sure if this model exists in the US.  I was contemplating bringing the cell phone I had in the US but I thought it would be a hassle, given that the electrical outlets and voltage are different here, so I left it.  Then I saw the outlets here, which are universal or have universal outlet extension cords attached to them. If I had brought my phone, I would have only needed to buy a new SIM card.  They only cost about four dollars and come with free minutes. 

The Little Things. There have been some really funny moments this week.  On Wednesday night, one of the Aussie Quartet, a group of 4 Australian women staying at our guesthouse, came into the living room very slowly with a look of concern on her face.  Her belt was undone and she was holding a roll of toilet paper in her hand.  With hesitance, she said to the manager, Aki, a Dutch volunteer, that she wasn't sure if it was the appropriate time to bring up the matter but, "this toilet paper is... rough."  I immediately added, "It'll cut you up. When folded it's got some sharp edges."  Then everyone made comments, like their skin was already chafed from the cold, dry weather and that they didn't need to get chafed "down there."  Someone complained about the internal injuries suffered and that litigation might be in order.  Then we started talking about how stretchy the paper was, despite it being so thick and rough.  You could keep pulling and pulling at it then it would just snap apart.  Whenever anyone entered a toilet stall, they'd see the stretched out roll of paper with finger indentations caused by the force required to pull off a piece.   One person commented that she thought she'd have to call for help because she couldn't manage to pull off a piece.   Needless to say, we all laughed hysterically all night long and even the next day, making extra comments here and there.  Aki got the hint and bought better quality toilet paper the next day. 

Before three of the four Australian ladies returned home the next day, we all agreed that they should buy some of the toilet paper to place in their homes when guests come over just to see their reaction.  We also thought that they could sneak the toilet paper into their children's bathrooms so that they could share in the Mongolian experience.

Food. During our In Country Training we are able to eat lunch for free, courtesy of VSO, at the Ananda Café, which is a vegetarian restaurant very close to the guesthouse. On Monday we ate there then I didn't go on Tuesday because I'd eaten something at school. So Navamani went alone.  She said that as soon as she entered, one of the waitresses said something to her in Mongolian that she didn't understand.  So someone came to interpret and said very loudly to Navamani, in front of all the customers, that when she came to the restaurant with me on Monday, we left without paying. Navamani was so embarrassed!  There was another staff member - absent that day - who understood that our meals were paid by VSO but the waitress wasn't told!  Navamani explained the situation and was eventually allowed to eat.  I'm so glad I wasn't there that day! 

The next day I went to look at cell phones with a school acquaintance, a Catholic missionary, so I didn't go to Ananda Café.  Apparently, everything was okay.  Then Friday we went together to eat.  Navamani told the waitress we both wanted the set menu as usual then waited a long time for our food to arrive.  Twice Navamani went to ask what was happening with our lunch and was told not to worry as the waitress rubbed and scratched her back.  After the second time of being inappropriately handled, Navamani asked me to go see what was up because she didn't want that woman to touch her again.  I was a little scared of receiving the same treatment.  Then the waitress showed up and told us that the set menu food was all gone.  So she said that they were preparing some noodles.  Navamani wanted to leave but I was starving, not having eaten breakfast, and said that I would wait a few more minutes.  10 minutes later, the waitress showed up again to say that even the noodles had all been eaten up.  We were furious.   Some people who were served had arrived after we did. 

We had to get to the office for some meetings at 2 o'clock so we bought some drinks and cookies along the way. A very nutritious lunch, indeed.  Of course, we kept laughing about the "scratchy" lady.  As we were walking down the street, just as I had taken a large gulp of my juice, Navamani said something hilarious about the restaurant, which caused me to laugh really hard and spit out my juice.  The juice also sprayed out my nose and whatever I spat out landed back on my face, hair and clothes due to the high winds that day!  

Finally, that night we got home and bought some instant noodles at the corner market, after much discussion with the shop staff whether the noodles were vegetarian.  We came back to the tiny guesthouse kitchen and joined some others there.  Jorgi, a German acupuncturist who has lived in Mongolia for 9 years, was preparing some vegetarian food. The day before, he had so kindly prepared us a whole list of vegetarian foods, written in both English and Mongolian. So we took it to the Mercury Market when we went shopping, which was very helpful.  Jorgi had some vegetarian soy meat there and told me that he'd let me taste it. He even gave me the package so that I could take it with me when I went shopping. Very helpful guy. Then he made up a whole batch of his food for the entire guesthouse.  Navamani wanted to run away, then she tried to pass off her bowl of food to everyone else with no success.  She was a crazed woman. The food was very weird tasting but we were all gracious to Jorgi and ate as much of it as we could.  I was glad to learn how to cook the soy meat for the future

Moving out.   

At 5 pm on Friday, while we were out touring the various medical facilities we're allowed to use - SOS Medical Mongolia and the UN Dispensary, we received a call and told that we were scheduled to move on Saturday morning.  Apparently, the owners of the apartment we were moving to would come to pick us up at around 2 pm.  So much for advance warning.

When told that we would stay at the apartment for 2 weeks, I mentioned that I was scheduled to go to Ovorhangai Province at the end of next week. I was told that those plans were changed too.  So I may stay in Ulaanbaatar for another 2 weeks, minus the 4-day Summer Conference we're going to somewhere out in the countryside.  We have to take sleeping bags and sheets because we'll be roughing it out there with open pit outhouses and one cold water shower for all 40 people.  Looks like I'll be giving myself a few "wet wipe baths."   I should buy wet wipes in bulk like my sister does for her kids.

Saturday morning we packed and waited for the owners of the mystery apartment to arrive.  Finally, a Mongolian lady we've never met shows up at the guesthouse with her husband and whisks us away to an undisclosed location.  I'm learning to trust just about anyone and everyone here.  I had to wait for the second trip because I had too many bags.  Navamani went ahead and got first choice of the rooms.  Hers has a double bed and a closet.  Mine has a child's bed and no closet or hooks of any kind to hang my clothes.

The owners dropped us off and left us with only one key to share and a really stinky apartment where almost nothing worked.  Only one of the stove's burners works, the wobbly fridge wouldn't stay upright, and the very old washing machine (designed for the developing world) didn't work.  The bathroom stank so badly that I gagged twice and nearly vomited. 

That night I slept on the bed but didn't get under the blanket that looked like a thin mattress so I froze.  I had to get up, find my wool coat and use it as a blanket.  Navamani's double bed has only a twin-size extra-thin mat on top of it.  The other side of the bed is wood.  No room for guests.  She has been so uncomfortable.  But she has the closet.

Sunday we went to eat breakfast at the "luxury apartment" of two VSO volunteers then we all went shopping at the Purple Market (it's a purple building) and the Green Market (a green building) with a Dutch lady who arrived on Saturday to volunteer at the Lotus Children's Center.  Then we went to eat and relax at the Stupa Café.  Their vegetarian bootz are so delicious.  When we brought the others back to our place, we went into a building, got confused, kept changing entrances to find our door then finally realized that we were in the wrong building altogether.  We eventually made it back to Building N.4.  I'll remember it now because the word "WoW" is graffitied in red on the side of the building.  

On Monday Navamani went to celebrate Children's Day with the children of Lotus Children's Center and I stayed home.  I was planning to go to the VSO volunteer room so that I could use the internet but the landlord's mother-in-law showed up with a clothes drying rack and an extension cord for the washing machine.  Then she showed me how to use it.  I stayed home and washed several loads of clothes in one of those semi-automatic washers.  You have to pour the water in yourself on one side to wash then take the clothes out and put them in the spinner to rinse and spin dry.  I was happy until I pulled my pants off the drying rack and they practically stood straight up.  I hope my underwear aren't crunchy too.

LAX – PEK CA 984 and PEK – ULN CA 901. 

It’s 6:28 am in Beijing, China where I’m sitting at The Lucky Shamrock Café in this incredible airport – an architectural wonder.   I can’t believe that I actually managed to fly out of LAX at all.  Trying to wrap up my life in the U.S. and pack for a year in Mongolia wasn’t an easy task.  Everything was pretty much in limbo for a few months until I got the final acceptance from the Mongolian Foreign Affairs Office just last Wednesday, a mere 7 days ago.  Then I had to wait for my visa to be approved, processed and sent back to me before leaving.  So I missed the May 15^th arrival date but just by a hair. 

I will start by thanking everyone who helped make this adventure a reality.  First, CUSO-VSO for having accepted me as a volunteer (with pay) and for being a fantastic organization.  They covered medical exams, vaccinations, airfare, training (wonderful training by the way), and future support, I’m sure.  Special thanks to my advisor, Sarah Pentlow, and Gesa Harmston, visa and travel coordinator.

Let me not forget those who wrote recommendation letters for me:  Michele Ots, my former boss from UNDP Cambodia – and a friend whom I haven’t seen in ages, sadly;  Anne Maria Tafoya, a friend and former LA County inmate… I mean co-worker; and Debbie Franklin, a friend and city councilmember in Banning.

Next, my sister, Nancy, and her family for having housed and fed me for a few months.  It was good to live in Seattle for a while and to see Nancy’s life.  I think I could have been pretty content there had I landed a job.  I tried to start doing freelance work but since it was in a city where I’m not known, it would have taken much longer to work out.  I’d like to thank Finnegan “The Finnster” for getting me hooked on Sesame Street and for playing all those imaginary games with me.  I have to thank Elijah Bear for teaching me some sign language and for all that cuddling.  I apologize to Elijah for spending so much time everyday putting him through the paces to stand and walk.  I’m no physical therapist.   I have to thank Doug for setting up this website and for fixing my computer after Finnegan messed it up.    My sister, Nancy, deserves a gold star for providing endless tech support and for loading me down with 27 lbs of Univera nutritional supplement provisions.  She was worried that a vegetarian like me would suffer in a meat-centric Mongolia.  I am already suffering… from carrying around 27 extra pounds of luggage!

My Madre, Teresa, and stepfather, Mike, deserve thanks for housing me for a few months as well. My mom later provided excellent mail delivery of thinks like checks and my passport.  Oh, and she drove an hour to pick up a year’s supply of my preferred allergy meds from Kaiser right before I left.  That’ll help.

My brother, Robert, and his girlfriend, Roseanne, deserve thanks for letting me stay with them for about 2 months, up until I left last night.  Unfortunately, I am highly allergic to their cigarette smoke, so I couldn’t socialize too much in the living room, preferring the less smoky back room.  I hope they understood.  I have been suffering so much from allergies, which led to bronchitis, sinusitis and otitis.  Not fun.

Terry, for being a fun, adventurous spirit who is always game for an adventure, even on the spur of the moment.  He’s the friend who’s been left to deal with terrible tasks such as putting my remaining belongings in storage and looking after my car.  Oh, and I’m grateful that he accompanied me to the airport so that I could hand him over my car.  Of course, I made him wait around too to see if China Air would allow me to check those big bags too.  I was prepared to start sorting through everything, pulling out the unnecessary objects for Terry to cart back to my storage unit.  They were 2 kilos under the limit. No need to show everyone at LAX my dirty laundry.

The flight from LAX to Beijing was twelve and a half hours.  It’s a great setup.  You leave at 1:40 am, sleep a full night, then wake up for breakfast and land in the morning at 5:20 and in China.   The interesting part was on the tarmac before exiting the plane.  We were told to all sit still to wait for a Chinese agent to board.  He was a health officer, wearing gloves and a mask, carrying a Star Trek-like gun.  He pointed it at each passenger’s forehead to read their temperature!  It was totally freaky.  I was too warm and sweating a bit so I was a little nervous when he came around.  But we all passed.  I told the passenger next to me that I have had terrible allergic reactions lately and have been coughing, so I was really glad I didn’t cough.  He confessed that he too has allergies and sneezes a lot, so he was relieved to have controlled himself.  What a relief for us both.

Since having taken hard hits with the avian influenza and SARS, the Chinese are very vigilant.  Many airport employees are wearing masks.  All the immigration agents are wearing them. At the immigration checkpoints, there are heat-sensing cameras to detect people with high temperatures.  There are signs everywhere to walk slowly.  We even had to fill out a health questionnaire directly related to the swine flu.  What cities and countries have you visited in the past 2 weeks?  Have you had contact with anyone with influenza?  Do you have any of the following symptoms?  Coughing, sore throat, sneezing, fever, headache, diarrhea, or vomiting.  It says that they will take legal action against anyone who lies on the form.  So I truthfully checked the coughing box then made special notes that my doctor cleared me to travel.  I managed to stifle a few coughs while walking through immigration and security. 

Status update.  As I arrived at Gate E01 around 7:08 am to board flight CA 901 to Ulaanbaatar, I was asked to go open one of my suitcases that had been pulled from the mass.  Apparently, I had packed a suspicious looking metal object.  I knew exactly what it was when I saw the x-ray they showed me.  That flask of Canadian maple syrup I purchased in Ottawa specifically for this trip!!  Fortunately, the Chinese allowed me to keep it.  I was sure it would go confiscated just as my cough syrup was by a masked man in security wearing surgical gloves.   

Eight hours later.  3:30 pm Beijing time.  I feel like Tom Hanks in “The Terminal” who spends hours pushing around luggage carts and wandering the terminals of his airport.  It has been sweltering.  I was dripping sweat earlier this morning because the air conditioning was not turned on until about 9 am.  Fortunately, I was given back my checked bag that has my clothes and toiletries in it so I was able to give myself a wet wipe bath and change into clean clothes. I felt super dry on the inside and sticky on the outside.  Despite having brushed my teeth three times and rinsed my sinuses out twice, I still felt gross.  At least I managed to find some reasonably cool spots to sit in at times.  The lounge/ hotel area where Air China took us to wait in so stuffy and extremely hot that I can’t stay in there too long.  They’ve fed us breakfast and lunch so I’ve gone in for those meals but have had to leave to walk around and cool down. 

I did manage to bond with two friendly Mongolians: Bill, a young guy returning from studying in Malaysia for a few years, and Buu, a guy who’s lived in Ireland for five years and is just going home for vacation.  We talked about Mongolian food, culture and language.  We went through my guide book and they helped me pronounce words from my phrase book too.  We talked about foreign films, vampire films, and James Bond films.  If you want to know anything about product placement in films, Buu is your guy.  He knows what car James Bond drives in every scene of every movie.  He can tell you what brand of whiskey people are drinking in American movies.  He wonders why actors in old films drank Johnny Walker but in new films they drink Jack Daniels. Or is it vice versa? The three of us have exchanged email addresses and categorized ourselves under the title: Flight CA 901, Terminal 3. 

Two hours later.  The revised 7 pm departure date was changed to 8 pm.   At 5:50 pm now. Argggggghhhhhh!!!!!  I just finished my third meal here.  I told the others that I hope we aren’t all eating breakfast together tomorrow morning.  Unfortunately, Buu thinks that the flight will be scrapped altogether because there are too few passengers.  

Arrived.  The flight finally took off at 8 pm.  Apparently, the wind in Ulaanbaatar is so bad that flights are often postponed until the evening after the wind dies down a bit.  There was a lot of turbulence but we arrived at around 11:00 pm Ulaanbaatar time, 15 hours ahead of Los Angeles.   I somehow lost Saturday somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  I hope to recover that day, maybe when I finish my assignment.