a week of feeling weak

this whole "immobilization" thing is rather tricky when i don't have a car and have to walk everywhere. what makes it so tricky is how stubborn i am. i want to just say that the 10 minutes it takes me to walk each way to school isn't going to damage my ankle any more. but then i realize i'm just being stubborn, prideful, and rather foolish. it takes every bit of humility i have to take a taxi instead. i hate taking a taxi when it's less than a kilometer for me to walk and traffic is so bad that it isn't even any faster to go by car. i hate looking like some sort of lazy, spoiled american who would rather pay to sit in a car than walk a short distance. i hate it that i'm not getting any exercise. i hate it that i feel trapped in my house except for necessary outings. and i just hate feeling so weak. but i remember the promise that HIS strength is make perfect in my weakness. i know that he is using this time of limited mobility to teach me - not sure just what the lessons will be, but i'm trusting Him.

all's well that ends well

this week was a bit unusual for me. i spent thursday afternoon at the hospital here. don't get freaked out. it wasn't an emergency. i've been having increasingly bad pain in my ankle since last spring. i was hoping i could wait it out until thailand in january and have it checked out there, but it became absolutely unbearable. i had heard good things about a new, private, korean run hospital, so that's where i went. it was a surprisingly pleasant experience, and thankfully i got a diagnosis. unfortunately the diagnosis wasn't good. i have an old fracture that has been causing inflammation in my tendons and ligaments. the doctor doesn't seem to think that i'll ever have 100% recovery because i waited so long to have it treated. however, he suggested i wear a brace and try to be as immobile as possible for a few weeks. he said that i could hope for a decrease in pain with this treatment.

the tricky part is trying to be immobile when i don't have a car and i have to teach all week. usually i walk back and forth to school a total of 8 times per week. i'm going to try to cut that down to 5 times and hope that helps. i'm also going to just force myself to sit more while i'm teaching. i prefer to be up and about checking on students as they work, but for the next few weeks i'll have to cut that down significantly.

so to explain the title of this post...i had a kind of crazy week but classes this afternoon went really, really well, so i'm happy - even with a bad leg!

on the run coffee

mongolia is a country that seems to be just beginning to adopt the concept of going to a cafe for the mere purpose of chatting with friends and sipping something hot. i get the sense that for most mongolians eating is more about practicality than socializing. or maybe i just haven't made friends who like to go out to restaurants. hehe

anyway, one of the aspects of american life that i miss the most is being able to go to a cafe and just sit for hours either reading or talking with friends. there are a few places in ub that make this possible but most of them are expensive or not really cozy enough to make me want to spend any amount of time there. in the past few weeks however i have found 2 places that i would actually want to return to with a friend. one of these is called "cafe amsterdam", and it was filled with foreigners (not so great) but it was also filled with light from many windows (super great) and serves a fantastic panini (amazing). if you ever come to visit me in mongolia, i will definitely take you to eat and chill out here.

the other such place is called "on the run coffee". it's a cafe attached to a big hotel, and it was quiet and cozy. my friend muugii had gone there before and told me about it. we decided to check it out last thursday, and i'm so glad we did. the walls are painted a deep orange color and we sat in dark red, comfy chairs. the light was dim and warm, and i felt like i could sit there for hours. unfortunately i had a class to teach at 4:00, but at least i know i can return some other time. here's a picture of muugii enjoying the peace and quiet.


ps. i got a new wallet after we had coffee :)

a bump in the road

this week someone stole my wallet, my bible, and a large roll of packing tape from my purse... while i was in the school office! i was in the same room and someone had the nerve to take it when i turned my back. thankfully everything in my wallet can be replaced pretty easily and i didn't have much money in it. i think for me the worst part is just knowing that someone at the school did it when i was in the room! i have always said that if anyone ever steals my bible they obviously need to read it more than i do, so now i guess it's actually come true. please ask that whoever took it will read it and get to know the Author.

friday night

thursday's classes went really well. i'm so relieved that even my lowest level students were able to accomplish the main objectives of the lesson. it gives me hope for the rest of the year. if thursday's class had bombed, i think i might be afraid of slowly pulling out all my hair in the next few months. hehe

in other news, i had a great day off. i spent the morning watching a movie and chatting with my boyfriend. then i ran some errands and did some shopping. i scored a pair of really great earrings, and i'll probably wear them tomorrow. :)


tonight i came home and made some delicious borscht for dinner. for those of you who might not know what i'm talking about, it's a vegetable soup made with beets. mine happens to be a glorious purplish, red color. i used a mini-food processor to chop up all the vegetables into tiny pieces. this made my soup a really uniform texture and so fun to put a whole spoonful into my mouth.


and as always muji is ridiculously adorable and irresistible. i love seeing this face everyday.

week 3

this week has been a lot better than last. my students and i have spent a lot more time laughing together, and i've been seeing a lot fewer blank stares when i ask them a question. tonight i meet with the group of students who have the lowest level of english though, so i might take back my previous statement in a few hours. hehe