My Ike story

For the second time in my life, I was out of the country during a domestic crisis (I was in Honduras on 9/11). When Hurrican Ike hit home, I was in the Caribbean, in the country of Trinidad & Tobago. I had been there the week prior to the storm on a business trip, but ended up staying a couple extra days thanks to Mr. Ike and the closure of the Houston airport.

Although I was distracted by the events at home, I wanted to take advantage of my first Caribbean destination, so I toured around each island a little. Click here to see a few photos. I thoroughly enjoyed the locally famous shark sandwich, called "bake and shark," as well as "sea grapes" right off the trees on Tobago's beach. My driver and tour guide in Tobago, Clifford, was so friendly and gave me an informative tour of his little island in his Japanese SUV. This car spoke Japanese to him, but Clifford doesn't understand Japanese. It was awesome.


I stayed in one of the nicest hotels I've ever seen, the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain. It was brand new, and very contemporary. My shower was a frosted glass cube in the middle of my room. The outdoor pool on the 4th floor overlooked the ocean. I actually felt a little guilty being there while devastation was being wreaked back home! My overall impression of T&T was that it's very beautiful, but a little expensive and longer travel than some of the other touristy Caribbean islands. Not sure it would be top of my list to return to as a tourist.

Home (at an undisclosed location)

Thanks for the many prayers for my safe travel. I arrived back in Houston safely, on time, and with all bags, on Wednesday night. A far cry from my harrowing trip to Mongolia last May. My first inhalation of humid air was truly sweet! I'm starting to adjust, unpack and settle in.

I'm enjoying some quality time with my parents, and looking forward to going to church on Sunday. In the meantime, I've got a jillion things to do, including hosting 4 Mongolians next week who are coming to Texas for a 2-week trip. Right now I'm without a cell phone (which is kind of liberating), but all things in due time.

See you soon!

Going home

It's 10pm on my last night in Mongolia. My bags are packed and I'm ready to leave at 7am tomorrow morning. I said all my goodbyes today, to our staff and our kids. I'm familiar with the mixed emotion of bittersweet - I hate saying farewell to the kids, but I'm really excited about going home. I spent a little time reflecting tonight, and I scanned through my old blog posts. I'm amazed at how rich my experience has been.

Last April, I kicked off my blog with some expectations on my perspective changing. And although it's absolutely true that living in another country does change your perspective, I've recently been agonizing over whether I will succeed in making changes in my life back home. What purpose would this whole experience serve if I merely returned to the exact same way of life I had before? I know what things I want to change, and now I'm praying I will have the faith and determination to truly change them.

This past year has been a gift from God, and I'm happy to say that I feel like I accomplished my primary goals. I've seen spiritual growth in the women I've discipled, and I've spent lots of quality time with our kids. My first blog post last year included a group photo of our kids. It seems appropriate to end with another - and this time, I got to be the photographer. Thank you for taking this journey with me!

Countryside kindergartens

Our organization is all about children. Everything we do is based first and foremost on a foundation of caring for children. This past week I had the pleasure of visiting 4 little towns surrounding Darkhan where we support kindergartens for children who otherwise would not be able to pay to attend. We provide money to help support the teachers and feed the kids healthy meals. My sweet friend Norjin is our staff in charge of this ministry, and I got to accompany her as she made her rounds to the towns of Baruun Buren, Sant, Orkhon and Khotol. We were treated with overwhelming hospitality and gratitude, and I got to visit many of the kids in person. All of these children are from poor families, and the kindergarten meets critical needs for the family - the kids get education and nourishing food, and the parents are able to work during the day. This little group was prepared for our arrival, all decked out in Mongolian garb!

Cool kids

The weather was nice enough this week to play outside with the kids. I took the younger boys out to the field to play soccer on Wednesday. We practiced their English while walking - I've taught them a short conversation that includes 3 simple questions: "Hello, how are you?" "What's your name?" and, "How old are you?" They know most of the responses but sometimes get them mixed up or leave out words. Like, I will ask them: "How old are you?", and they might respond, "My name is ..." But I'm proud of how hard they try. They always make me laugh, too. I was standing near one of them (the one holding the ball) while he was playing soccer goalie, bored while the other boys were at the other end of the field. He just randomly started screeching like a crow for a couple of minutes. They are great entertainment.

By the way - as nice as it looks in this picture, today the snow is back on the ground in full force. I woke up this morning and thought "drats!" when I looked outside.

Where does the time go?

Hard to believe, but this is my last week in Mongolia. I'm flying home on April 2. After ten months and over 50 blog posts, my time is up. I've already started reminiscing, and I'm looking forward to sharing my experience in person with friends and family. April is going to be a busy month, preparing to go back to work in May. From the long list of things I've learned and loved here, I thought I would share my "Top 5 Favorite Things About Mongolia" (in no particular order):

• The famous hospitality of the Mongolian people. Mongolians are very friendly, and will open up their home to strangers, treating them like friends. I've lost count of how many gers I've visited, enjoying the unique company and foods served.
• The also-famous Mongolian sky. It feels like the sky is just bigger in Mongolia....you may laugh at that, but I've never seen better stars anywhere, and despite the cold winter, many days are sunny and blue. One night recently I saw Orion, absolutely clearly. I had never seen Orion before. It was amazing. Last summer I liked to lay outside on my back in the country and watch shooting stars, too many to even count.
• Traditional Mongolian music. Singing is in Mongolians' blood. Everyone sings. I love the traditional throat-singing, and listening to the traditional instruments like the horse-head guitar. Hip-hop is popular here too, but I just can't get into a Mongolian version of Snoop Dogg.
• The unspoiled vastness of the country. The size of the country (BIG) versus the population (small) makes Mongolia one of the greatest "wide open spaces" on the planet. It's no surprise that it's becoming a tourist hot-spot, especially for those who want to get far away and breathe some really fresh air for a little while. Fascinating fact: many dinosaur bones and dinosaur eggs have been dug up in Mongolia, and there's probably more to be found.
• It's American-friendly. I've traveled to over 15 countries, and in most of them I've met people with a chip on their shoulder toward Americans (valid or not). Not once have I ever heard a Mongolian hassle me about America.

Now, before you get excited, this is not my last blog post. I'm sure I'll have a few more things to share over the next week, and possibly shortly after my return. Stay tuned!

Special visit

Today was a great day. I visited one of the housemothers at her home after we finished bible study this morning. Her name is Lhagva, and she's been a widow for 8 years. Her husband died at the age of 40, and although she's quite resilient, she misses him. I've gotten to know Lhagva well over the last 10 months, and I wasn't going to leave Mongolia without going to her home. She surprised me when I found out that she lives in a ger, rather than an apartment. She does so by choice, and it's a very nice ger by Mongolian standards. She made us a nice meal of khuushuur, which are fried meat pies typically made for special occasions.

I got to look through her old photo albums, fascinated by the old black and white photos of her parents and deceased husband, most of them during Communist times. She has the best stories of her childhood, and we really enjoyed each others' company. Before I left, she blessed me with a couple of very special gifts. One is a wooden box made by her father (now deceased) from trees in her hometown. The other is a 1911 Mongolian/Manchu silver dollar that her father also gave her. It was hard for me to accept such a treasure from her, but she wanted to thank me for spending time with her and the staff over the last year. She told me that "many things have changed in her life" since I've been here. Primarily, God has become very real to her. I'm amazed and speechless at God's grace and thankful to know such a cool lady!

Say thanks to your local garbage man

This is a typical sight in my stairwell. One thing I have grown to appreciate while living in Mongolia is the American sanitation system. Don't take your local garbage men for granted! The Mongolian system is much less sanitary, and I've learned to live with trash on the ground everywhere, including lots of animal bones. There is a group that very much likes the Mongolian system, and in fact survives on it - packs of stray dogs. The free range cattle also feed off the trash laying around. Nice.

Die, Winter, Die!

I can't believe it, but today it got up to almost 60 degrees. A week ago, it was still in the 20s and 30s, and there was snow on the ground. In a matter of days, all the snow has melted and it looks brown outside again. Of course, there's a lot of slush and mud on the ground, too. It's almost too fast to believe - after months of bitter white cold, it's unreal how fast it disappears. As if to mock my winter weather misery, overnight it's warm and sunny, saying "what were you so upset about?"

I realize it won't last. We'll still get some snow and cold temperatures, but I'm glad most of winter is over. Any new snow probably won't stick for long. I've switched to a lighter coat, and hung up my big heavy sheepskin for a while. The days are longer, kids are playing outside, and I can open up my windows again. It's such a relief.

Incredibly, I've only got a few weeks left here. I'm hoping the weather stays nice most of my remaining time. Die, Old Man Winter!!

Siblings

This is Shurenchimeg, 15, and her brother Bayrtsogt, 13. They came to live with us in 2000, after their father abandoned them in UB. Their parents got divorced, and these two went with their father. Unfortunately, he was homeless, and after wandering a while, he finally left them in UB to be picked up by the police. I'm glad to say they found their way to us. Each of them are very talented and smart kids. They both distinguish themselves as excellent English students. And last night, I taught Shurenchimeg and the other girls in her age group how to dance the Texas two-step. We had so much fun dancing around their little apartment listening to country music!

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

The World is Flat!

This story is one of those that I never would have believed if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. It really typifies the name of my blog. This week my translator Chimgee took me to one of her favorite little shoe stores. Like many shops around here, you would never know it existed unless someone showed it to you. Chimgee claimed they were selling hand towels with the word "Texas" on them. My curiosity sufficiently aroused, I went with her to see what she was talking about. To my complete and utter amazement, I found they were selling Texas A&M 12th Man towels from last November's A&M vs. Texas football game. The nice couple who run the shop graciously agreed for me to take their picture:


All I can say is, this is one of the oddities that results from the increasingly global import/export business. I asked the couple where they got the towels, and all they knew was that they got them from someone in UB. I then explained that Texas A&M was my university, and that I knew these towels. (In fact, I even brought my personal 12th Man towel from home, and it's sitting here on my bookshelf!) Since they assumed they were nothing more than hand towels, I entertained them by explaining their true purpose. I even twirled one over my head to demonstrate. They got a good laugh out of that.


It's one thing to see American sports logos on shirts, hats, etc., but these towels??! As bizarre as this story is, I guess it's not totally uncommon in this "globalizing" world. I would recommend a good book called "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman, if you're interested in more examples of how small our world is becoming. Oh, and - Gig 'em!!

Igor

Meet Igor, who just turned 17 last Saturday. Igor is Roma's younger brother, if you recall my previous post about Roma. They each go by their Russian names. Their deceased father was Mongolian, and mother is Russian. Igor invited me over to celebrate his birthday, and I was happy to join in. In this picture, we're having a little height contest.




The first couple of years that I met Igor, he sort of looked the same. Then, from 2006 to 2007, it was like he went from kid to young man overnight. Here's a picture of Igor and Roma from several years ago:



For his birthday, we ate a rice dish with beef and potatoes, pickles and beets. Igor was given some sweets as a gift. Then the boys got hold of my camera and took a lot of crazy random pictures of themselves. Of course, I'll keep them.

Late Christmas gift

In addition to the innumerable blessings I have received over the past 8 months, I just had a visitor from home! My friend Ravi stopped here for a couple of days as part of his multi-country trip to India, China and Mongolia. He was excited to see some new countries, and I was excited to see a familiar face. Although a short visit, we did a lot. I warned him ahead of time that it was the coldest part of the year, so he came prepared with appropriate gear. However, at some point no amount of extra clothing can keep you warm in -10 to -20 degree temperatures. Nonetheless, we braved the outdoors for short periods of time, including the main attraction in UB, Sukhbaatar Square. There is a new parliament building with a gigantic statue of Chinggis Khan.

Once in Darkhan, we visited a nearby camel herd and were invited inside the herdsman's ger, as is the custom in Mongolia. We were given camel milk tea, a treat even for a Mongolian! Despite Ravi's aversion to dairy, he graciously tried a little. I guess I'm getting used to Mongolia, because I drank nearly all of mine.

We also visited most of our children, and Ravi talked to them about India and showed them pictures. The kids were fascinated, and especially liked his pictures of the Taj Mahal.

Ravi can boast that he braved Mongolia's coldest temperatures, and in fact while he was here there was even a severe weather warning. That means that even the Mongolians were staying inside! Now that he's gone, I'm officially in hibernation in my apartment until further notice.

Mystery machine

The Mongolian word for car is "machine." I have no idea what kind of machine this is. I saw it in UB recently. Despite doing a 360-degree inspection, I saw no make, model, or other identification. I think it sort of resembles a VW beetle.