yesterday was probably the first day that it "warmed up" to above freezing. i wore my big winter boots to class, because there had still been some ice on the sidewalks the day before, and i didn't want to fall. on the way home from class, i noticed that the ice had almost all disappeared. with much excitement i decided NOT to wear my boots to the event i was going to last night.
my sisters can tell you the rest of the story, and i'm sure most of you can guess. :)
just in case you can't guess, i'll give you a hint. it wasn't above freezing last night and my butt is rather sore this morning. hehe
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
back to "routine"
will life in mongolia ever be totally routine for me? sometimes i think the answer to that question is yes, and other times it is decidedly NO. today i feel like there would be one simple way to make my life seem easier and more "routine". here's a not so simple story explaining what that "solution" is:
i've been back to language school for a week now. last semester, there were 3 small mongolian classes meeting at the same time, and we enjoyed a coffee break together halfway through our 3 hour lessons. i always needed those few minutes to only speak english, have a chance to catch up with my teammates and just generally have some social time. this semester it's just me, my teacher, and my friend jen who studies with us 3 mornings a week. you can guess what a difference it makes for me when there is no one else to talk to for 3 hours and even during "break" time i'm still communicating only in mongolian. today was one of the days when jen wasn't even there, and by the end of class i though my brain had turned to complete mush. all i wanted to do was come home and take a long nap. here's why that didn't happen:
my bathroom light has been broken for about a week. this afternoon i knew my friend odko was coming to fix it, so i had to wait for him to call. he came around 2:30, figured out that he needed to buy another part for the light, went to the store, and promised to return by 4:00. in the meantime, i got a message from my cell group leader, mandy. last night we had agreed to meet at a certain bus stop today at 5:00 to go to her new house together. apparently it's hard to find her new place, and she didn't want me to get lost. anyway, mandy sent me a text message asking if i could meet her somewhere else. i asked her what bus i needed to take in order to get there, and she said she'd just meet me somewhere else instead, because i guess she didn't know which bus i needed either. so i need to leave here in about 5 minutes and go wait for her at the bus stop. here's why i don't want to do that:
it's cold today. muji kept me up until 2 last night because he thought it was a better idea to run around on my bed than to sleep. it's cold today. i really just want to put on my pj's, watch a movie, and eat kettle corn. cell group is in mongolian, and as i already mentioned, my brain has turned to mush for the day. and did i mention that it's cold today? hehe
so it all comes down to one very simple thing. (please understand my sarcasm here. hehe) if i had a car all my problems would be solved because i wouldn't have to leave my house in 5 minutes and stand in the cold at the bus stop!
i've been back to language school for a week now. last semester, there were 3 small mongolian classes meeting at the same time, and we enjoyed a coffee break together halfway through our 3 hour lessons. i always needed those few minutes to only speak english, have a chance to catch up with my teammates and just generally have some social time. this semester it's just me, my teacher, and my friend jen who studies with us 3 mornings a week. you can guess what a difference it makes for me when there is no one else to talk to for 3 hours and even during "break" time i'm still communicating only in mongolian. today was one of the days when jen wasn't even there, and by the end of class i though my brain had turned to complete mush. all i wanted to do was come home and take a long nap. here's why that didn't happen:
my bathroom light has been broken for about a week. this afternoon i knew my friend odko was coming to fix it, so i had to wait for him to call. he came around 2:30, figured out that he needed to buy another part for the light, went to the store, and promised to return by 4:00. in the meantime, i got a message from my cell group leader, mandy. last night we had agreed to meet at a certain bus stop today at 5:00 to go to her new house together. apparently it's hard to find her new place, and she didn't want me to get lost. anyway, mandy sent me a text message asking if i could meet her somewhere else. i asked her what bus i needed to take in order to get there, and she said she'd just meet me somewhere else instead, because i guess she didn't know which bus i needed either. so i need to leave here in about 5 minutes and go wait for her at the bus stop. here's why i don't want to do that:
it's cold today. muji kept me up until 2 last night because he thought it was a better idea to run around on my bed than to sleep. it's cold today. i really just want to put on my pj's, watch a movie, and eat kettle corn. cell group is in mongolian, and as i already mentioned, my brain has turned to mush for the day. and did i mention that it's cold today? hehe
so it all comes down to one very simple thing. (please understand my sarcasm here. hehe) if i had a car all my problems would be solved because i wouldn't have to leave my house in 5 minutes and stand in the cold at the bus stop!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
the best vacation ever
wow, it's been over a month since i last posted. and what a month it has been!
i just got back from the vacation i have dreamed of for years.....THAILAND!!!!!!
in college i had friends who told me stories about either visiting or living in thailand and i was captivated by their tales. thailand became my #1 dream vacation destination. (ok, it was actually tied for #1 with paris. hehe) i began compiling a list of all the things i wanted to experience in thailand, and i was able to do almost all of those things on this trip. riding an elephant will have to wait until next time though!
as inigo says in "the princess bride" -'let me explain. no, there is too much. let me sum up.' here are a few pictures and stories to give you a glimpse of my dream vacation.
it all started with a few days in korea visiting my dear friends from college, virginia and sally. these two girls treated me like a princess and were so good to listen to my stories about my first semester in mongolia. they shared their lives with me as well. i think that if i didn't know i'm supposed to be here in mongolia, i would seriously consider applying for a job at the school where they work. :)
after spending a few days in korea, i went to bangkok where i stayed with another good friend from college. louisa and i did some sightseeing in bangkok and then went to the beach for two nights. the #1 experience on my bangkok dream list had been a visit to "the oriental" hotel since i've read about it in travel+leisure magazine for years. i wanted to be able to say that i had sat on the hotel's terrace overlooking the chao praya river while the sun was setting. louisa was kind enough to indulge me in my fantasy, and we enjoyed delicious fruit smoothies there one evening.
louisa and i also spent two fabulous days at the beach south of bangkok. we pretty much had the beach to ourselves as we weren't in a major tourist spot. it was the most peaceful part of my vacation, and i could have stayed there for several more days.
after bangkok i made my way to chiang mai for about a week and a half before our teacher's conference. the highlight of my time there was a visit from my sweet friend and former roommate crissy. we explored parts of chiang mai on foot and rented a motorbike to explore the mountains outside the city with more speed. :) one day we went to a monastery on top of the mountain and then went on further to a hmong village. another day we got up in time to see the sunrise and then found a coffee plantation in time for a morning cup just when we needed a boost for the rest of the day. some of the places we discovered on the motorbike were dreamier than any that i could have imagined. this is a monk's retreat we found in the hills above the hmong village.
crissy and me in our helmets. pretty sweet, huh? haha
crissy and i said goodbye on the day the conference started, and i spent the next week enjoying the company of over 500 other teachers who are serving with elic. it was awesome to sing together and hear from the Word. we heard reports of what the Father is doing in countries across asia, and it was encouraging to be reminded of Who called me to mongolia. He used the time spent at the conference to show me some surprising things about myself. most importantly he brought healing to brokenness i had been holding on to for a long time. i have returned to mongolia feeling more like myself and closer in my relationship with him than i have in years. HE IS GOOD!
so i guess that seems like a lot of explaining when i meant to just sum up. hehe. i hope you enjoyed the brief glimpse at my vacation. if you want to see more pictures you can check out some albums i have on facebook. :)
~amanda
i just got back from the vacation i have dreamed of for years.....THAILAND!!!!!!
in college i had friends who told me stories about either visiting or living in thailand and i was captivated by their tales. thailand became my #1 dream vacation destination. (ok, it was actually tied for #1 with paris. hehe) i began compiling a list of all the things i wanted to experience in thailand, and i was able to do almost all of those things on this trip. riding an elephant will have to wait until next time though!
as inigo says in "the princess bride" -'let me explain. no, there is too much. let me sum up.' here are a few pictures and stories to give you a glimpse of my dream vacation.
it all started with a few days in korea visiting my dear friends from college, virginia and sally. these two girls treated me like a princess and were so good to listen to my stories about my first semester in mongolia. they shared their lives with me as well. i think that if i didn't know i'm supposed to be here in mongolia, i would seriously consider applying for a job at the school where they work. :)
after spending a few days in korea, i went to bangkok where i stayed with another good friend from college. louisa and i did some sightseeing in bangkok and then went to the beach for two nights. the #1 experience on my bangkok dream list had been a visit to "the oriental" hotel since i've read about it in travel+leisure magazine for years. i wanted to be able to say that i had sat on the hotel's terrace overlooking the chao praya river while the sun was setting. louisa was kind enough to indulge me in my fantasy, and we enjoyed delicious fruit smoothies there one evening.
louisa and i also spent two fabulous days at the beach south of bangkok. we pretty much had the beach to ourselves as we weren't in a major tourist spot. it was the most peaceful part of my vacation, and i could have stayed there for several more days.
after bangkok i made my way to chiang mai for about a week and a half before our teacher's conference. the highlight of my time there was a visit from my sweet friend and former roommate crissy. we explored parts of chiang mai on foot and rented a motorbike to explore the mountains outside the city with more speed. :) one day we went to a monastery on top of the mountain and then went on further to a hmong village. another day we got up in time to see the sunrise and then found a coffee plantation in time for a morning cup just when we needed a boost for the rest of the day. some of the places we discovered on the motorbike were dreamier than any that i could have imagined. this is a monk's retreat we found in the hills above the hmong village.
crissy and me in our helmets. pretty sweet, huh? haha
crissy and i said goodbye on the day the conference started, and i spent the next week enjoying the company of over 500 other teachers who are serving with elic. it was awesome to sing together and hear from the Word. we heard reports of what the Father is doing in countries across asia, and it was encouraging to be reminded of Who called me to mongolia. He used the time spent at the conference to show me some surprising things about myself. most importantly he brought healing to brokenness i had been holding on to for a long time. i have returned to mongolia feeling more like myself and closer in my relationship with him than i have in years. HE IS GOOD!
so i guess that seems like a lot of explaining when i meant to just sum up. hehe. i hope you enjoyed the brief glimpse at my vacation. if you want to see more pictures you can check out some albums i have on facebook. :)
~amanda
Thursday, January 3, 2008
new year's eve
new year's eve was a lot of fun here in ub. first my teammates and i enjoyed tacos (with home made flour tortillas) and a few episodes of "the office". then andrea, gillian, and i met up with some other people and went to the main square in town to watch fireworks and experience some of the mongolian mayhem.
here we are on the outskirts of the main square. gillian and i are holding remains of fireworks someone set off earlier. once we got closer to the center of the square it seemed that we were the only three people without our own fireworks. mayhem indeed!
the blur you see on the left side of this picture is the breath of the person who was taking it. just to give you some idea of how cold it was.
there's an outdoor ice skating rink at the south end of the square where a good number of people were skating their way into 2008.
here we are on the outskirts of the main square. gillian and i are holding remains of fireworks someone set off earlier. once we got closer to the center of the square it seemed that we were the only three people without our own fireworks. mayhem indeed!
the blur you see on the left side of this picture is the breath of the person who was taking it. just to give you some idea of how cold it was.
there's an outdoor ice skating rink at the south end of the square where a good number of people were skating their way into 2008.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
ice skating and skating with words
saturday night some friends and i went ice skating in our neighborhood. there are ice skating rinks set up all over the city, and it's about 80 cents to rent skates and use the ice for an hour. i learned yesterday that it isn't really possible to stay on the ice for a full hour without having my face get nearly covered with a thin layer of ice. there are little shacks by the rinks where a person gets skates and should also come in to warm up every 20 minutes or so. i've learned my lesson and will definitely take advantage of the little wood stove next time i go skating. my goal is to go once a week for the rest of the winter.
this morning i had to tell a friend that i won't be attending her cell group. the day and location of her meeting don't really work for my schedule. not to mention that she speaks no english, and i don't speak enough mongolian to really be a fully functioning member of her group. at first she seemed ok with it but then she started lecturing me. this was rather difficult for me to take on several levels. i felt like a person who was trying to ice skate for the first time and couldn't seem to find her balance. thankfully i was able to talk with another friend about the situation and was assured that i am free to make my own decisions and she shouldn't have been pressuring me. even so, i don't know how much of my sense of being out of balance was solely based on language and how much of it is just different personalities and cultures.
here's to skating all winter! hopefully i will skate more in the literal sense than in my communications with friends. :)
this morning i had to tell a friend that i won't be attending her cell group. the day and location of her meeting don't really work for my schedule. not to mention that she speaks no english, and i don't speak enough mongolian to really be a fully functioning member of her group. at first she seemed ok with it but then she started lecturing me. this was rather difficult for me to take on several levels. i felt like a person who was trying to ice skate for the first time and couldn't seem to find her balance. thankfully i was able to talk with another friend about the situation and was assured that i am free to make my own decisions and she shouldn't have been pressuring me. even so, i don't know how much of my sense of being out of balance was solely based on language and how much of it is just different personalities and cultures.
here's to skating all winter! hopefully i will skate more in the literal sense than in my communications with friends. :)
Saturday, December 29, 2007
christmas pictures
this year was my second ever christmas away from my family. even so i was blessed to spend christmas with my friend melanie's family, and they are becoming more and more like family for me here. her kids are 3 of the most adorable kids i've ever seen, and their sweet playful personalities make them so much fun to spend time with. here are a few pictures for you to enjoy:
Monday, December 10, 2007
it's officially winter here
how can i be so sure that it is winter?
because my eyelashes froze on the way to school this morning!!!!!! as you can see my hair froze, too.
Monday, December 3, 2007
thanksgiving
i have so many reasons to be thankful this year. perhaps one of the biggest reasons is that i could spend the past two weeks with my family in kentucky. it was SUCH a blessing to celebrate my sister's wedding, thanksgiving, and early christmas with them. here are a few specific things i am thankful for from my trip to the states:
* lacey and john's wedding was on saturday the 17th. my flight arrived late on wednesday night the 14th, and i had been nervous about feeling the effects of the long plane ride and jet lag. before i left mongolia i asked several people to ask the Father to give me extra room on the way over, so i could stretch out a bit and hopefully get some rest. not only did he give me extra room on the way to kentucky, but he gave me extra room on the way back to mongolia as well! the extra 5 inches of "economy plus" make a huge difference. :)
*lacey and john's wedding day was beautiful. their relationship is a beautiful testimony of how the Father can bring two people together when their hearts are set on him. my sister was glowing all day, and i have rarely seen a groom who adores his bride more than my new brother loves my sister. :) here they are after the ceremony:
*our family has 5 girls and a baby brother. john's family has 5 boys and a baby sister. this made the choice of bridesmaids and groomsmen a no brainer. it was a joy to be in a wedding with my sisters. and i think there will never be a more beautiful and well-matched bridal party - if i do say so myself. you can decide for yourself though:
*our family lives about an hour north of nashville, tn. every year the opryland hotel there does an amazing christmas light display. it is a holiday season tradition for us to go and look at the lights. we were able to do it this year on the friday after thanksgiving. even though the lights are almost the same every year, i still love to see them. just like thanksgiving without turkey isn't quite thanksgiving, the christmas season without seeing the lights at the opryland hotel isn't quite christmas for me. i was so blessed to go with my family this year. here we are minus lacey and john. (they were probably on the beach in hawaii at the time we took this picture, so i doubt they really missed seeing the lights. hehe):
* lacey and john's wedding was on saturday the 17th. my flight arrived late on wednesday night the 14th, and i had been nervous about feeling the effects of the long plane ride and jet lag. before i left mongolia i asked several people to ask the Father to give me extra room on the way over, so i could stretch out a bit and hopefully get some rest. not only did he give me extra room on the way to kentucky, but he gave me extra room on the way back to mongolia as well! the extra 5 inches of "economy plus" make a huge difference. :)
*lacey and john's wedding day was beautiful. their relationship is a beautiful testimony of how the Father can bring two people together when their hearts are set on him. my sister was glowing all day, and i have rarely seen a groom who adores his bride more than my new brother loves my sister. :) here they are after the ceremony:
*our family has 5 girls and a baby brother. john's family has 5 boys and a baby sister. this made the choice of bridesmaids and groomsmen a no brainer. it was a joy to be in a wedding with my sisters. and i think there will never be a more beautiful and well-matched bridal party - if i do say so myself. you can decide for yourself though:
*our family lives about an hour north of nashville, tn. every year the opryland hotel there does an amazing christmas light display. it is a holiday season tradition for us to go and look at the lights. we were able to do it this year on the friday after thanksgiving. even though the lights are almost the same every year, i still love to see them. just like thanksgiving without turkey isn't quite thanksgiving, the christmas season without seeing the lights at the opryland hotel isn't quite christmas for me. i was so blessed to go with my family this year. here we are minus lacey and john. (they were probably on the beach in hawaii at the time we took this picture, so i doubt they really missed seeing the lights. hehe):
Sunday, November 11, 2007
wha? wednesday? wedding?
can it really be that i am flying to america on wednesday and my younger sister is getting married on saturday??????
here are some things i'm looking forward to in the next 2 1/2 weeks - in no particular order.
*hugging my family
*kissing my family
*seeing lacey in her wedding dress and getting to be there for the big day
(ok those three are definitely the top things in the list, the rest are in no particular order)
*starbucks at the airport in beijing
*shopping in stores where there is more than one size of each piece of clothing
*zaxby's, pf chang's, and panera
*grass
*driving
*country music radio stations
*seeing extended family at the wedding
*barnes & noble
*slightly warmer weather
*THANKSGIVING DINNER WITH MY FAM (ok so this one should be one of the top of the list!)
now for a few things that i'll miss from mongolia.
*sunday morning fellowship and singing
*my kitten
*learning new ways to communicate everyday
*my teammates, fellow students, and teacher
here are some things i'm looking forward to in the next 2 1/2 weeks - in no particular order.
*hugging my family
*kissing my family
*seeing lacey in her wedding dress and getting to be there for the big day
(ok those three are definitely the top things in the list, the rest are in no particular order)
*starbucks at the airport in beijing
*shopping in stores where there is more than one size of each piece of clothing
*zaxby's, pf chang's, and panera
*grass
*driving
*country music radio stations
*seeing extended family at the wedding
*barnes & noble
*slightly warmer weather
*THANKSGIVING DINNER WITH MY FAM (ok so this one should be one of the top of the list!)
now for a few things that i'll miss from mongolia.
*sunday morning fellowship and singing
*my kitten
*learning new ways to communicate everyday
*my teammates, fellow students, and teacher
Monday, November 5, 2007
fall back
mongolia chose not to do daylight savings time this year, so we didn't "fall back". however i'm suddenly wishing that i could fall back to about age 7. i remember my 7th birthday very clearly. i had a party in our yard and lots of my friends came. i wore a new dress and felt like a princess. all that mattered was making a good wish and blowing out the candles on my cake.
fast forward to my life today. i just had one of the most painful conversations of my life with a friend here. earlier today i was challenged to be "the bucket" in the Father's well. basically i need to realize that he has all the resources i need for life and ministry, and i am only able to scoop them up and use them for the good of those around me. a few hours ago i was wishing someone else was nearby with their bucket to pour it over me. what resources did i need? courage, grace, mercy, love, gentleness, patience, humility, forgiveness, and more love - because it is the best resource of all.
i am challenged to look for the people around me who need a good wash with the Father's resources.
fast forward to my life today. i just had one of the most painful conversations of my life with a friend here. earlier today i was challenged to be "the bucket" in the Father's well. basically i need to realize that he has all the resources i need for life and ministry, and i am only able to scoop them up and use them for the good of those around me. a few hours ago i was wishing someone else was nearby with their bucket to pour it over me. what resources did i need? courage, grace, mercy, love, gentleness, patience, humility, forgiveness, and more love - because it is the best resource of all.
i am challenged to look for the people around me who need a good wash with the Father's resources.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
muji's favorite spot
can you see that this cat is the perfect pet for me? he loves alistair (my computer) almost as much as i do. hehe
Sunday, October 21, 2007
g12 conference
this weekend was probably the best one i've had since i got to mongolia. i traveled to darhan with my teammate, andrea. darhan is my old hometown in mongolia, so it was a relief to be there and know exactly where to find things. darhan has about a tenth of the population of ub, so it is also very peaceful there. the lack of people also means a lack of pollution, so i could actually breathe this weekend. :)
all of those things aside though, it was the g12 (ch. small group) conference that made this the best weekend yet. i was able to sing with hundreds of mongolian brothers and sisters - there is nothing sweeter to me than joining them as we praise our father.
here's a video of us singing. do you recognize the song? it's been translated into mongolian but the first two words of the chorus are in english. can you hear us sing "rain down"? :)
next to singing, the highlight of the weekend was building relationships that help me feel more like i belong to a family here. a few weeks ago i was invited to a g12, and the girls were so sweet. a few of them were at the conference and invited to have dinner with them on friday night. here we are at "santain cafe". it's a favorite of students in darhan, and i used to eat here when i lived in darhan 5 years ago. :)
all of those things aside though, it was the g12 (ch. small group) conference that made this the best weekend yet. i was able to sing with hundreds of mongolian brothers and sisters - there is nothing sweeter to me than joining them as we praise our father.
here's a video of us singing. do you recognize the song? it's been translated into mongolian but the first two words of the chorus are in english. can you hear us sing "rain down"? :)
next to singing, the highlight of the weekend was building relationships that help me feel more like i belong to a family here. a few weeks ago i was invited to a g12, and the girls were so sweet. a few of them were at the conference and invited to have dinner with them on friday night. here we are at "santain cafe". it's a favorite of students in darhan, and i used to eat here when i lived in darhan 5 years ago. :)
Sunday, October 14, 2007
new places and people
yesterday was the kind of saturday that makes life in a city so much
fun. my teammate, andrea, and i went for a walk to a part of the
city neither of us had ever explored before. we were looking for a
russian market that apparently doesn't exist any more, but it was a
beautiful day and we enjoyed people watching along the way. we
stopped at a few places on the way that seemed interesting - one of
the nicest hotels in town, the mongolian ministry of defense, a
fabulous cooking store, etc. it felt good to be able to wander and
have nowhere i HAD to be.
fun. my teammate, andrea, and i went for a walk to a part of the
city neither of us had ever explored before. we were looking for a
russian market that apparently doesn't exist any more, but it was a
beautiful day and we enjoyed people watching along the way. we
stopped at a few places on the way that seemed interesting - one of
the nicest hotels in town, the mongolian ministry of defense, a
fabulous cooking store, etc. it felt good to be able to wander and
have nowhere i HAD to be.
then we decided to sit for a while in the big square in the middle of
town. not long after we parked ourselves, a 6th grade class
descended upon us to practice their english. we were surrounded by
smiling, laughing kids who asked us where we were from, if we had
husbands or kids, and most importantly if we knew kobe bryant (the
basketball player) or anyone in hollywood. hehehe they reminded my
why i fell in love with mongolia in the first place. the kids here
are so much fun, and i can't resist those sweet smiles.
next we stopped for "coffee" and a look through the mongolian lonely
planet guidebook to plan future weekend adventures. then it was off
to a restaurant called "millie's espresso" that is a popular place
for foreigners. andrea and i were going to meet a girl that i had
just met through facebook. i never cease to be amazed when social
networking websites like that actually result in a face to face
meeting - even though it's never happened before for me.
anyway, in typical mongolian fashion, millie's was closed by 7 on
saturday night. sheesh, didn't they know that us 3 foreigners wanted
to meet and eat there? haha so we decided to meet at another place
called "ub delicatessen" that is also popular with foreigners. now
for those of you who don't know much about traditional mongolian
food, i'll give you one word that sums it all up: MUTTON. there is a
reason why a few places are more popular with us foreigners than
others. no mutton on the menu. :)
we all enjoyed our non-mutton meals and the chance to connect with
someone new. andrea and i had a good time walking home and
experiencing the city with the faint glow of a few streetlights. it
felt good to spend the whole day outside of my apartment. i need to
have more days like that where i make myself a part of the city.
here's to more adventures!
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