laura's visit

what a great time laura and i had while she was here! pictures follow this post, so you can skip to those if you want and then come back and read some more. :)

the Father's timing in my life is so perfect, and he brought laura to me exactly when i needed her. my first year in mongolia was a lot harder and lonelier than i had anticipated. the events in recent months at my local fellowship have rocked my world in ways i couldn't have imagined were possible. there have been a small number of people who have helped me process it all, and laura is one of them.

laura is a friend who isn't afraid to ask tough, deep questions, and doesn't let me get away with surface-y answers. her visit to me in mongolia, just a few weeks before i return to the states for the summer, was just what i needed. she helped me think about my experiences here and sort through the good, the bad, and the ugly. being able to do that in person is something i definitely don't take for granted. being able to do that before i'm bombarded with life in the states is a blessing beyond anything i deserve!

and of course, we just had a good time together. :) laura brought over several movies that i've been wanting to watch for a while, and it was awesome to sit on my bed and watch them together. we spent one night in the countryside in a ger and a couple of nights in darhan at my friends' house. we walked around, shopped, ate, laughed, and drank lots of coffee. i can't even express how refreshing it was to have her here, to share some of my life with her, and to introduce her to some of my favorite people here. the Father is so good to me, and i'm thankful for the friendship he gave us with each other.

and now for a few pictures...

mongolian princesses?

i convinced laura to get pictures taken wearing traditional mongolian costumes. i think the results are pretty hysterical.

viz garcan okhduud

these girls are going to spend 3 months in virginia this summer through a program called interexchange. i helped them practice for their visa interview, and they had just gotten their visas this day. as you can see they are pretty excited. :)

haircuts

laura and i both got our hair cut at a salon here. less than $7 each and i think we look pretty good. we ate yummy chicken for lunch afterward.

pink cafe

one of the great things about having a friend visit is that it gives me a reason to eat out and not look like a weirdo for eating alone. this cafe is almost entirely pink and red. this picture was taken using a setting that only picked up those two colors, so you can see what i mean. :)

ger camp

we spent one night in the countryside. it was quite an adventure. we stayed with a real countryside family and ate meals in their ger with animals coming in and out. laura's bed broke in the middle of the night and we tried to build a fire, but ended up nearly choking on smoke. needless to say, i'm a city girl at heart and prefer a life where i don't need to make my own fire to keep warm. hehe

zaisan monument

laura and i at the zaisan monument overlooking ub. it's a great place to go to get a view of the whole city.

countdowns

i have begun counting down to the three most exciting things that are coming up for me.
1. my dear friend laura's visit here....she'll be here on may 13th.
2. my last day of mongolian language lessons....june 3.
3. my flight to the states for the summer....june 12. :)

here's the problem with countdowns though; it's hard to feel content here in the meantime. and the last couple of months have been pretty tough anyway.

there's been a lot going on in my mind lately about relationships and the fact that currently almost everyone i care about lives on the other side of the world. there is a mongolian phrase that has been entering my thoughts along with all this relationship stuff.
"dotnii naiz" it basically means an intimate, comfortable, be totally yourself with kind of friend. i don't have anyone like that here in ub, and it's been a pretty lonely year. i am longing for a "dotnii naiz" here in mongolia. and counting down until i get to spend time with my "dotnii naizuud" (that's the plural) in america this summer!