Russia to Susannah: Nyet!

Yesterday, the country of Russia gave me the Heisman. I was officially refused a tourist visa by the Russian embassy in UB. The whole thing was crazy and comical. I hate to say it, but my skeptical and somewhat negative view of Russians that I have gained here in Mongolia was reinforced. I had hoped to take a trip over Easter weekend to visit a friend in Moscow.

The consular official I met at the embassy spoke to me in English, and explained that I needed a Russian invitation from a hotel or tour agency in order to obtain a visa. Fine, this part I already knew. He told me that I could accomplish this through a tour agency in UB. When I asked him where I could find an appropriate tour agent, he said that there were "several in UB," and that he "didn't get paid to answer that question." Awesome! Clearly, he's not really that interested in helping me. So we set out to find this mythical tour agency, and by a stroke of immense luck, found it quickly thanks to the help of some good Mongolians. Guess where this agency was located? Across the street from the Russian embassy.

The Mongolian ladies in the agency were quite nice, and after talking with them and filling out the application, they assured me I should be able to obtain a tourist visa within a few weeks. So far, so good. About an hour later, the Russian consular dude called me on my cell phone and asked me several questions about my application. This sort of freaked me out, so we went back to the tour agency, only to find the ladies all wound up. Apparently, some of my answers over the phone were not entirely consistent with the paperwork they had submitted, so the man refused my visa, and accused them of lying to him! The items of debate were miniscule, and quite frankly confusing. I won't bore you with the details, but I can tell you they were administrative, and could be fixed if the embassy were more forthcoming with instructions.

So, no Russian passport stamp for me. But that's ok, I really felt like God's hand was involved, and it just wasn't meant to be. I've read and heard horror stories about people who obtained a visa, traveled to Moscow, and then were refused entry at the airport for similar administrative nonsense. I would much rather be refused now than after I've spent money on airfare, etc.

After it was all over, I laughed about it with my translator and Mongolian staff. We talked about how different Mongolia is now compared to the years of Russian communism. They told me how they were taught songs in grade school about how Russia was their only true and good brother, and were also taught that Americans were militant imperialists. I could only marvel at what that kind of mind-controlling society is like, and thank God that I live in a wonderfully free country. I feel like such a patriot!

The Del

Yesterday I took 4 of our older kids to the park for a photo shoot of them in their new dels which were hand-made by ladies on our staff. The "del" is the traditional Mongolian outfit which is mostly worn by herdsmen in the countryside and by city folk for special occasions. It's likely that some of our kids have never had a del before, but soon they will each have their own. From left to right, meet Otgonsukh, Tsetsegee, Purevjargal, and Zulaa. Don't they look great?

THANK YOU TOKYO!!

Last weekend I traveled to Tokyo to visit my friend Tomi, who moved there last year with her job. I didn't realize how much I needed it, and it did my soul some good. To me, Tokyo was like a cleaner version of New York City. I crammed as much civilized experience into 72 hours as I possibly could. I think the #1 attraction to visit was the warmer weather. It was incredibly refreshing to be able to walk around outside with no snow, no hat, and just a light jacket. I think we could have done just about anything and I would have been happy just for the weather.

Upon arriving at Narita airport, all foreigners entering the country must be fingerprinted and photographed, a new security procedure (a very high-tech little gadget sits on the counter at passport control). The first thing Tokyo Tomi and I did was to stop off at her apartment before heading to dinner at Outback Steakhouse (woohoo!). She lives on the 26th floor of a new building, in a corner unit, with floor to ceiling windows and a fantastic view of the city. At night it truly looks like Manhattan. She also has a view of Mt. Fuji, which was an unexpected surprise for me.

My goal for the weekend was to eat as much as possible (I'm back on a Lenten diet now), be outside as much as possible, and learn a lot about Japanese culture, of which I am fairly ignorant. Tokyo Tomi is fluent in Japanese, so it was really easy to get around. We ate steak, mexican food, donuts, Starbucks, and of course Japanese food. I had some sushi and tried a few traditional items like octopus balls. We went to a museum, saw a movie (ticket cost = $18, theater experience = priceless), and walked all over the place. By far the funniest thing that happened was when we took a rickshaw ride. Our driver was a very nice young man, and we were joking about how it must be harder to pull heavier Americans than the typical Japanese person. When we asked him if we were hard to pull, he replied, "No, I've pulled sumo wrestlers before and you're lighter than them." Oh great, I'm glad to hear it.

Having been in Mongolia for almost 9 months, I experienced a little culture shock in Tokyo. I was mesmerized by the stupidest things, like the moving sidewalks in the airport. For a few days, I felt normal again, as shallow as that might sound. The trip was well worth it, and so I say, "Arigato Tokyo!"

Here's some more photos: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=m1glqs2.42yx3kt6&x=0&y=-4oucdq

Happy (Asian) New Year!

So far one of the biggest benefits of being here in winter has been celebrating Mongolia's new year holiday, called Tsagaan Sar - literally, "White Month" holiday. It's celebrated at the same time as the Chinese new year, but with completely different customs and traditions. I thought I would share a little about it, and an album link with some photos from the last few days.

Officially, Tsagaan Sar is a 3-day holiday, however, many people celebrate for up to a week. The main purpose is for families and friends to visit each others' homes and greet one another. The basic procedural customs are the same everywhere you go. First, you must greet each person in a specific manner, using a specific greeting. The eldest are always the hosts, and the most honored. After the greetings are finished, it's common for people to pass around their snuff bottles, which must be received with the right hand in a specific way. It's just for show - you sniff the opening of the bottle, but there's usually no snuff in it. Here's a great example of an older lady holding out her bottle as described:

Then the eating commences - there are specific Tsagaan Sar foods that everyone serves (kind of like turkey at Thanksgiving). You start with milk tea; then potato, beet or carrot salads; then you slice off a piece of meat from the sheep sitting on the table; then the main item is steamed meat dumplings called buuz (pronounced like "boats"). There will be a variety of other things offered, like candies, soda, and fruit.

My favorite part is the traditional Mongolian singing. After eating for a little while, the hosts and guests are free to sing. Mongolians love to sing, and I love to listen to them. If my internet connection weren't so dadblasted slow, I would attach a video so you could hear some of it. Our church celebrated together (without food) on Sunday night with an open mic. A lot of the traditional songs are about their mothers, or the country.

Perhaps the most unusual part of the whole deal is that the hosts give the guests gifts. The guests can also bring money or gifts to the hosts, but it's not necessarily expected. Families spend a lot of money on this holiday, because they are essentially feeding and gifting people for a week. Many families take out loans just to pay for it (sound like Christmas in America??). I felt guilty accepting gifts from the Mongolians, but they enjoy it and it's part of their tradition. I wore my one Mongolian-looking item, my leather jacket with a traditional pattern. Most people dress up in dels.

I love the hospitality of this country - it is a strong custom for Mongolians to invite people into their homes, without question, even if you're a stranger. Celebrating Tsagaan Sar in individual homes was like participating in the intimate family gatherings at our Thanksgiving. If you want to see a few more photos, here's a link: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=m1glqs2.bcrzah8q&x=0&y=f36iyd

Winter survival lessons

I am so happy it's February, I just can't tell you. I'm also proud that I have made it through January, the coldest month of the year, and the coldest month of my life. The Mongolians have been telling me, soon it will start getting warmer. But in my mind, I'm already telling myself, "It's February! It's definitely warmer outside already." It's kind of a little mind-game I play with myself to try to psyche myself out into believing that -15 is way better than -20. Truthfully, the weather is not warmer yet, but I will be exultant when it starts to reach back up to zero. How sick is that?!

I've lived and traveled in "cold" climates before, but nowhere else on earth I've been to compares to Mongolia. Yes, Canada is a pretty good comparison, but there's one major thing my friend Todd has access to in Calgary that I don't: skywalks. I have: sidewalks. Anyway, I'm not intending to complain, rather I thought I would share with you some of the lessons I've learned that have helped me survive this coldest winter of my life.

• Standard silk or cotton longjohns don't cut it. You have to wear thick, double-layered, lined longjohns that make it difficult for your jeans to fit over them. This has limited the number of wearable pants for me to about 2, at least when I go outdoors. It also has the effect of feeling like you're walking around in ski pants all the time.


• My old method of scarf-tying is inadequate. In England, I could wear a regular slip-knot style around my neck. Here, everyone wraps them around the neck and lower face multiple times. It's very Christmas Story.

• Plenty of body lotion and lip balm must be applied frequently throughout the day. Otherwise, my skin starts to look and feel like fish scales, and my lips crack in the corners.


• Sometimes skating is better than walking. Snow and ice are rarely cleared from the streets and sidewalks, so it's easy to slip. You see a lot of people (and especially kids) skating along in their shoes. I'm not going to jinx myself by telling you that I haven't slipped yet. I'll wait until winter is over.


• Only go outside to run errands in the afternoon, the warmest part of the day. Early mornings and evenings are painfully cold. It's hard to even breathe in through my mouth without immediately coughing, unless I have a scarf covering my mouth.


• Eat less. Being inside most of the time, I'm less active and it's starting to show. I've started doing a yoga/pilates workout that someone gave me on DVD.


• No point in wearing any makeup. I have to cover most of my face when I go out, and after about 5 minutes outside, tiny ice droplets and water collect on my eyelashes. I figured that out the one time I wore mascara and arrived at church with black stuff smeared all around my eyes.

Well, of course I could go on but you get the idea. Perhaps the most important thing I've learned is that Mongolians are tough people. I have gained a new appreciation for how difficult it is to live here. Maybe that's why there are only 2 million people in the whole country! When temperatures can drop to -40 in the winter and exceed 100 in the summer, that is rough. And the funny thing is, they all say Spring is the worst because of the sandstorms!! Geez. I can't wait.

Serving

One arm of our ministry here in Darkhan is reaching out to some of the elderly and poor in the community. We try to assess their most critical needs, and provide assistance where possible. Sometimes we give food, other times medicine, and sometimes we just visit with them to let them know that we care about them. Yesterday I spent the day doing just that, visiting about 5 or 6 homes and talking with them. In reality, I did little of the talking. I mostly listened to our staff in charge of this ministry, Norjin, talk with them. It's both a humbling and edifying experience.

This man has sold all his animals in order to buy enough coal to make it through the winter and keep his house warm. His wife had a stroke when she was 55 years old, and has spent the 10 years since then bedridden. Although only 65, his wife looks more like 85. They survive on a small amount of government assistance.

This lady is in her 50s, and yet has crippling arthritis. Her hands are gnarled and almost useless. She lives in a ger, and is helped a little by her daughter. After talking with her, we decided to send some of our older boys to work in her yard and help her with things she is unable to do. I love that we engage our own kids to help in the community.

Visiting with these sweet people always challenges me. It's not enough to pity them - Jesus calls us to actually help them. "...I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40