things i'll miss

i've been packing up my physical things here in mongolia for a couple of weeks now. i like to get an early start when i am moving so that i can just enjoy being with people instead of being in a frenzy of packing and sorting in the last few days before i leave. i'm not always so good at packing up emotionally before i go, but this time i'm trying to be more intentional in that way. so here's to emotional "packing" and a list of a few of the things i'll miss about mongolia. i promise more lists to come. (this is for my own benefit more than anyone else's, so that i can look back at this blog later and remember good times. hehe)

i will miss:
*the smell of mutton that seeps into every piece of money and wafts from my wallet when i open it
*the fact that i can buy a piece of gum, weigh myself with an old scale, or choose just the right banana from a vendor on nearly every street corner if i want to
*the feeling of success i have when i can communicate exactly what i need from a shop clerk
*the view of fresh snow on the mountains in may followed the next day by perfect sunny weather
*cheap taxis everywhere
*the game my friend muugii plays when she comes over (covers the peephole on my door, so i can't see out, but i know it's her!)
*knowing that my friend melanie and her sweet family are just a few hours away
*singing in mongolian on sunday afternoons