so, this weekend has been more than great...on saturday we kind of had a lazy morning and then Hongrav took us to do a little shopping...we bought a puzzle and some cheese to make him grilled cheese...it was fun...he may be the cutest little boy this side of the globe...we had so much fun doing the puzzle...seriously, Hongrav has finally come out of his shell and acting like a typical 11 year old...the rest of the afternoon we just sort of relaxed, and then around 6 (which is kind of early) they brought us dinner...but, this was a special dinner...fried hotdogs...my favorite...so, the only obvious solution to this dilemma was to put the fried wieners in a box...and then put the box in a bag, and throw it away at a more opportune time...around 8 Zooloh came into our room and said "let's go"...we decided to roll with it...they ended up taking us to the place with the great view (Zansai), which was still fun, even though i've now been there three times...afterwards, we went to this Irish pub for dinner...which made me thoroughly confused because i had just put my dinner in a box and hid it in my closet...oh well...i got to eat chicken so i was happy...
the highlight of the night was when Zooloh asked me and AB if we knew what "f**k you" meant and pointed to her middle finger...we both burst into laughter...and then Hongrav started waving his middle finger around...it was a hysterical moment...but Hongrav was quickly scolded by his mother...after dinner we went to Sukbaatar Square and walked around for a bit...their aunt who speaks english came along too...and she told us that our host mother wanted to apologize for not being able to cook for us because she has had to work so much...it broke my heart that she felt like she had let us down...even though our exchanges are few, she is just so kind...i really wish i could think of a better word to describe her...but really, she is that in every possible way...i just wish i spoke Mongolian so i could tell her how much i appreciate the things she does for us...
today is sunday, and we got to spend the day with our family again! they wanted to take us shopping...so we drove to the State Department Store (which is in the center of town...5 story high shopping/touristy mall)...we bought some souvenirs and walked around for a while...and then out of no where they handed us a book on Mongolia and a pair of cashmere gloves...i really was stunned...they do way too much for us...then we went to eat some pizza...which was good, if you like bones in your pizza...the interesting thing is that we all ate the same pizza...and ashley and i both found bones...so, everyone else had to have found bones too...they just all chose to eat them...mongolians...they are so hard core...and just when we thought the day was over, we arrived at the cinema! the movie theatre was surprisingly nice compared to the rest of Ulaanbaatar...the best thing about it, is that the movies are in english...that's right...90 minutes of just english...life is beautiful...after the movie was over, we had kind of forgotten we were in Mongolia...surreal...
we said goodbye and then went to meet up with some of the other volunteers...tonight is Roxy and Eugene's last night! they are headed to Beijing tomorrow, so we needed to say our goodbyes...we ate at a nice Italian restaurant and then went to a pub for dessert...it was a great night...a great day really...
we just arrived at home a little while ago...but as i was brushing my teeth i suddenly remembered that i hadn't thrown the wieners away yet...i had taken them out of the closet this morning so that i wouldn't forget to dispose of it...but, the bag is no where to be found...yep...you guessed it...our host family found it...and now that i have calmed down after laughing hysterically about wieners in a box with ashley, i feel so bad! oh well...not much i can do now...it's still funny to imagine their faces when they found it though...ha...man, i messed up...i guess you could say they caught me red handed...
big gulps...
well i made it back from the Gobi Desert in one piece...we organized a tour with this company called Tseren Tours that we found in the lonely planet book (the most amazing thing ever)...anyway, if you are ever in Mongolia and want to go on a tour, choose this company...they were great! we left wednesday morning with Roxy, Eugene and Roger (our original travel group) and picked up a lady from Australia named Andrea. The company provided us with a driver, van, english speaking guide, sleeping bags, tents, and food...it was incredible...and so much more organized than our previous adventure...
on wednesday we drove to the sand dunes in the northern part of the Gobi...unfortunately, the "sand dunes" were sort of disappointing...it kind of looked like the beach but without the ocean...i really think that we the driver got lost, so they just pointed to some sand and said "we're here!"...it's quite possible honestly...there are no road signs or anything...they use the sun and a compass for the most part...it's really impressive when their navagation skills work...anyway, after seeing the mighty sand dunes we set up camp...our guide (Mogi) cooked us a wonderful meal from these magic food boxes...seriously, the food just kept coming...it lasted the entire three days we were camping...they just kept pulling food out of thin air...mind blowing...after dinner we played some cards and then hit the sack...thankfully, it wasn't nearly as cold as i expected...
in the morning we woke up and headed to an old monestary after we had eaten breakfast...a few hours later we arrived at the monestary, and then spent about another hour driving around town, honking, trying to find the guy who had the key...after much searching, we found him...the monestary was very beautiful, but very small...and our tour was quickly over...then we had to go get some more water to cook with...but it was locked also...so we drove around some more...honking, ofcourse...and finally found the guy with the key to the well...it was a very extended stop...we kept on driving until we reached our final destination, the granite rock formation...the landscape was gorgeous! after another delicious dinner we walked these monestary ruins and watched the sunset...
this morning we packed everything up and headed home...but along the way we stopped at several gers to see if they would let us ride their camels...sadly, there were none...apparently all of the nomads are in the process of moving for the summer...we were real bummed...but we did get to go visit with a nomad family for a little while...in mongolia, it is extremely rude to not accept anything you are offered...especially in the country side...we all sat down and they immediately gave us this sweet bread (which was good) and goat milk tea (which was not so good)...you just had to drink it...during my torment, i discovered that the bigger the gulp, the less terrible the taste...so, if you ever find yourself in milk tea pickle, just remember...big gulps...
overall, it was a wonderful trip...i had a lot of great alone time, surprisingly...i'm sorry this wasn't a very interesting post...Roger was there, so i promise you there were too many laughs to remember...i would have included some, but honestly i am completely worn out...so, i'm about to get so much needed rest...sorry again for the blah post...thanks for caring enough to read...peace
on wednesday we drove to the sand dunes in the northern part of the Gobi...unfortunately, the "sand dunes" were sort of disappointing...it kind of looked like the beach but without the ocean...i really think that we the driver got lost, so they just pointed to some sand and said "we're here!"...it's quite possible honestly...there are no road signs or anything...they use the sun and a compass for the most part...it's really impressive when their navagation skills work...anyway, after seeing the mighty sand dunes we set up camp...our guide (Mogi) cooked us a wonderful meal from these magic food boxes...seriously, the food just kept coming...it lasted the entire three days we were camping...they just kept pulling food out of thin air...mind blowing...after dinner we played some cards and then hit the sack...thankfully, it wasn't nearly as cold as i expected...
in the morning we woke up and headed to an old monestary after we had eaten breakfast...a few hours later we arrived at the monestary, and then spent about another hour driving around town, honking, trying to find the guy who had the key...after much searching, we found him...the monestary was very beautiful, but very small...and our tour was quickly over...then we had to go get some more water to cook with...but it was locked also...so we drove around some more...honking, ofcourse...and finally found the guy with the key to the well...it was a very extended stop...we kept on driving until we reached our final destination, the granite rock formation...the landscape was gorgeous! after another delicious dinner we walked these monestary ruins and watched the sunset...
this morning we packed everything up and headed home...but along the way we stopped at several gers to see if they would let us ride their camels...sadly, there were none...apparently all of the nomads are in the process of moving for the summer...we were real bummed...but we did get to go visit with a nomad family for a little while...in mongolia, it is extremely rude to not accept anything you are offered...especially in the country side...we all sat down and they immediately gave us this sweet bread (which was good) and goat milk tea (which was not so good)...you just had to drink it...during my torment, i discovered that the bigger the gulp, the less terrible the taste...so, if you ever find yourself in milk tea pickle, just remember...big gulps...
overall, it was a wonderful trip...i had a lot of great alone time, surprisingly...i'm sorry this wasn't a very interesting post...Roger was there, so i promise you there were too many laughs to remember...i would have included some, but honestly i am completely worn out...so, i'm about to get so much needed rest...sorry again for the blah post...thanks for caring enough to read...peace
finally...good eats...
today is monday, so i went to the hospital this morning...usually when i get to the hospital my doctor is already in surgery...so i always attempt to figure out where she is by looking on the bulletin board in one of the hallways...if i manage to find her name amongst all the rando letters i don't understand, it's almost impossible for me to decode which operating room she is in...so, i just wander until i bump into her...it is definitely a complete waste of time...but anyway, it took me a rather long time to find her today...and when i did, she told me that she didn't have any surgeries today...so i got to tag along with the head anesthesiologist...which was awesome because there were three brain surgeries today and i got to see two of them...and also, all of the neurologists speak english fairly well, so they sort of guided me along as to what they were doing...i was nervous at first because i knew they were going to have to get through this lady's skull somehow...but, amazingly i was able to watch them drill/remove a 5 inch wide oval piece of skull...a few hours in, the surgeon let me come look through the microscope he was using and pointed out the aneurysm he was removing and a bunch of stuff i'd never heard of...it was crazy...i got to see inside someone's head...weird...and by the way, there is a surprising amount of flesh between your skull and the outside of you head, in case you were wondering...
after work, AB and i set out on a mission...we had told our family that we wanted to cook them an American meal...after telling them this, we then discovered that we don't really know what an "American" meal really is...everything we could think of had cheese in it...and you don't buy cheese here...it's rank...eventually we decided that we needed to make pancakes! and ofcourse smores for dessert...so, after many hours of searching, we found everything we needed...even bacon which was a plus and marshmellows (kind of)...cooking was so much fun...Zooloh and Hongrav (our host sister and brother) helped us with the pancakes and scrambled eggs...and ofcourse i had to make plenty of Mickey Mouse and baby pancakes...they were a hit! we made an entire box and there are only a handful left...and the whole time they played songs by the Pussycat Dolls and we all sang along...it was hilarious...Hongrav was a little hesitant about the bacon at first, but after we made him try it he ate about 9 slices...here are a few photos from tonight...and a really great video of them eating their first smores!
smores from sally sandner on Vimeo.
i love and miss you all!
p.s. hey sharing sister...the world ends in approximately 13 hours...just wanted to give you a heads up
after work, AB and i set out on a mission...we had told our family that we wanted to cook them an American meal...after telling them this, we then discovered that we don't really know what an "American" meal really is...everything we could think of had cheese in it...and you don't buy cheese here...it's rank...eventually we decided that we needed to make pancakes! and ofcourse smores for dessert...so, after many hours of searching, we found everything we needed...even bacon which was a plus and marshmellows (kind of)...cooking was so much fun...Zooloh and Hongrav (our host sister and brother) helped us with the pancakes and scrambled eggs...and ofcourse i had to make plenty of Mickey Mouse and baby pancakes...they were a hit! we made an entire box and there are only a handful left...and the whole time they played songs by the Pussycat Dolls and we all sang along...it was hilarious...Hongrav was a little hesitant about the bacon at first, but after we made him try it he ate about 9 slices...here are a few photos from tonight...and a really great video of them eating their first smores!
smores from sally sandner on Vimeo.
i love and miss you all!
p.s. hey sharing sister...the world ends in approximately 13 hours...just wanted to give you a heads up
a world without marshmellows...
i know it's hard to believe...but mongolians do not eat marshmellows...AB and i couldn't find them anywhere! last wednesday, we made our way to Tsetserleg for 4 days of camping...so ofcourse, marshmellows were critical...i think we went into every minimarket in the country looking for anything resembling smore ingredients...but, our efforts were not completely wasted...we did manage to find peanut butter (truly an answered prayer)...AB and i survived on PB&J...it was great...
anyway, i'll tell you a little about the trip...10 of us decided to go camping (me, AB, Tony from L.A., Alex and Mikey from Canada, Gerrath from D.C., Emma from Holland, Kier from London, Aaron from Seoul, and Stephanie from Seattle)...in order to get to destination, we had to hire a minibus that basically drove across the desert for 10 hours...yes, 10 hours with 13 people in a bus built to hold only 10 (our driver brought some friends)...pain...so painful...keep in mind there are no roads...so you feel every single change in the landscape...i mean, every little bump...i have a permanent bruise from where my shoulder kept slamming into the window...somehow, and i really dont know how, we made it to Tsetserleg...it truly was amazing...one minute we were just driving through nothing, and then all of a sudden we got on a paved road and drove through this little archway into town...weird...we found a beautiful camp site right across the valley from a ger (a real one)...we set up our tents, started a fire and then froze...the temperature is crazy here...i know i've mentioned it before but you just don't understand...i knew it would be cold...its always cold when you go camping...but, this was unreal...and some of the guys with us didn't bring sleeping bags...they didn't really sleep at all...i managed to get a few hours the first night...on Thursday, we woke up to a magnificent day...the air is so clean there (kinda low on oxygen, but clean)...i sat for a while and journaled while watching the nomads work their cattle...God is so good...it was beyond perfect...then we all went hiking! we climbed a mountain and took some pictures...we made it back to our campsite by about 12:30 and then this huge rain cloud appeared...the thunder was incredible...and the wind was picking up quickly so we all went in our tents to be safe...we were just playing cards when BOOM...someone had just thrown a rock at our tent (or so we thought)...then it kept happening but faster and faster...we were screaming like little girls...we opened the tent to peak out and a huge piece of hail came flying in our tent! golf ball sized hail...no lie...i have pictures...i really didn't think the tent was going to hold...it hailed for about twenty minutes...we screamed the entire time...and we all had to huddle together in the middle because if you sat too close to the side of the tent you would get nailed...and it hurt...take my word for it...AB almost broke her finger...after the storm, the valley was gorgeous...it looked like it had just snowed...but, it quickly melted due to the crazy temperature...it rained pretty much all day friday...but we still had fun...the rest of the trip was pretty much typical camping stuff, just with great scenery...we made some friends in the little town of Tsetserleg (since we were the ONLY westerners...the trip back was more than miserable though...we were all sleep deprived, hungry and really sore...but ofcourse, no trip across mongolia is complete until you get stuck in the mud...it was funny...we were all delirious by then...good times
i really think i needed a break from the city...i know i haven't been here that long, but it's easy to get sad in UB (ulaanbaatar)...there are so many things that just tear you up inside...and, really just the air in the city is depressing...its just smoke and dust...and there is sewage and trash everywhere...i can't believe how blessed i am...this world is so different...it was nice to be able to spend the week with just volunteers, swap stories and just share in this experience with each other...anyway, we got back around 11 last night...and i took a much needed shower...marvelled at my amazing chaco tan...and got the best night's sleep of my life...
so here are a few videos from my week...turn up the volume so you can hear the hail...it's insane...the last one isn't that exciting...it's of our bus stuck in the mud...i just thought it was funny...
Untitled from sally sandner on Vimeo.
Untitled from sally sandner on Vimeo.
Untitled from sally sandner on Vimeo.
shout outs:
zach...remember that time we put a squirrel in your bed? and i'd read your blog too if i had nothing else to do and you actually had a blog
becca...adding spice to your life is good...i am proud...and guess what, i galloped and didn't laugh...proud?
par...i'm still looking for that perfect Buddah...
elizabeth...it's time for amy's check up...you know what to do
amy...how are the plans for jagnus moe's coming?
BJ...yes, i just did that...i just watched ellen here in mongolia...she was talking about sea turtles today and how it IS safe to ride them...ride on ferg, ride on...
anyway, i'll tell you a little about the trip...10 of us decided to go camping (me, AB, Tony from L.A., Alex and Mikey from Canada, Gerrath from D.C., Emma from Holland, Kier from London, Aaron from Seoul, and Stephanie from Seattle)...in order to get to destination, we had to hire a minibus that basically drove across the desert for 10 hours...yes, 10 hours with 13 people in a bus built to hold only 10 (our driver brought some friends)...pain...so painful...keep in mind there are no roads...so you feel every single change in the landscape...i mean, every little bump...i have a permanent bruise from where my shoulder kept slamming into the window...somehow, and i really dont know how, we made it to Tsetserleg...it truly was amazing...one minute we were just driving through nothing, and then all of a sudden we got on a paved road and drove through this little archway into town...weird...we found a beautiful camp site right across the valley from a ger (a real one)...we set up our tents, started a fire and then froze...the temperature is crazy here...i know i've mentioned it before but you just don't understand...i knew it would be cold...its always cold when you go camping...but, this was unreal...and some of the guys with us didn't bring sleeping bags...they didn't really sleep at all...i managed to get a few hours the first night...on Thursday, we woke up to a magnificent day...the air is so clean there (kinda low on oxygen, but clean)...i sat for a while and journaled while watching the nomads work their cattle...God is so good...it was beyond perfect...then we all went hiking! we climbed a mountain and took some pictures...we made it back to our campsite by about 12:30 and then this huge rain cloud appeared...the thunder was incredible...and the wind was picking up quickly so we all went in our tents to be safe...we were just playing cards when BOOM...someone had just thrown a rock at our tent (or so we thought)...then it kept happening but faster and faster...we were screaming like little girls...we opened the tent to peak out and a huge piece of hail came flying in our tent! golf ball sized hail...no lie...i have pictures...i really didn't think the tent was going to hold...it hailed for about twenty minutes...we screamed the entire time...and we all had to huddle together in the middle because if you sat too close to the side of the tent you would get nailed...and it hurt...take my word for it...AB almost broke her finger...after the storm, the valley was gorgeous...it looked like it had just snowed...but, it quickly melted due to the crazy temperature...it rained pretty much all day friday...but we still had fun...the rest of the trip was pretty much typical camping stuff, just with great scenery...we made some friends in the little town of Tsetserleg (since we were the ONLY westerners...the trip back was more than miserable though...we were all sleep deprived, hungry and really sore...but ofcourse, no trip across mongolia is complete until you get stuck in the mud...it was funny...we were all delirious by then...good times
i really think i needed a break from the city...i know i haven't been here that long, but it's easy to get sad in UB (ulaanbaatar)...there are so many things that just tear you up inside...and, really just the air in the city is depressing...its just smoke and dust...and there is sewage and trash everywhere...i can't believe how blessed i am...this world is so different...it was nice to be able to spend the week with just volunteers, swap stories and just share in this experience with each other...anyway, we got back around 11 last night...and i took a much needed shower...marvelled at my amazing chaco tan...and got the best night's sleep of my life...
so here are a few videos from my week...turn up the volume so you can hear the hail...it's insane...the last one isn't that exciting...it's of our bus stuck in the mud...i just thought it was funny...
Untitled from sally sandner on Vimeo.
Untitled from sally sandner on Vimeo.
Untitled from sally sandner on Vimeo.
shout outs:
zach...remember that time we put a squirrel in your bed? and i'd read your blog too if i had nothing else to do and you actually had a blog
becca...adding spice to your life is good...i am proud...and guess what, i galloped and didn't laugh...proud?
par...i'm still looking for that perfect Buddah...
elizabeth...it's time for amy's check up...you know what to do
amy...how are the plans for jagnus moe's coming?
BJ...yes, i just did that...i just watched ellen here in mongolia...she was talking about sea turtles today and how it IS safe to ride them...ride on ferg, ride on...
mother tongues and mother nature...
well, saturday morning AB and I met up with our three Canadian friends (Roxy, Eugene and Roger)...we were then joined by these two Germans (Johannes and Berta) and headed off to the countryside! Terelj National Park is only about an hour outside of the city...but the traffic and terrible roads make it a bit longer...AB and i were so excited to spend the weekend with his hilarious people...Roger is such a goober...i'm including a picture of him...he took pictures the entire way there, all the while wearing his Dior sunglasses...oh man...good times...
so we got to the park finally around 11...it was beautiful! you are completely surrounded by mountains...but honestly, my pictures don't do it justice...it truly is breathtaking...and i wish i could tell you how wonderful it felt to get out of the polluted city of ulaanbaatar...it seriously is a blessing to be able to take a deep breath, and not be worried about inhaling toxins...we just kinda hiked around for a while before lunch...found some great views and just took in the scenery...we also made a new friend who you will see in some pictures...we named him Pongo...don't worry mom, i've been vaccinated...and he wasn't rabid...Roger kept us laughing the whole time though...he kept making comments like "i'd roll around too, if i didn't mind getting my fur dirty" and "i'd love to be a dog...but only if i had shoes for my hands"...now keep in mind that Roger is the Canadian originally from China...so, his accent is chinese...and it's incredible...more stories later...
at lunchtime, AB and i were so excited to be served our favorite mongolian meal...cucumbers and sausage (note the sarcasm)...but we got to sit next to our German friends! they definily think americans are crazy now...but, i think they liked us...they are travelling all over the world for four months and even going to the Olympics...really awesome couple...i'm so glad we got to meet them...after lunch we all went to Turtle Rock...it was about 5 miles away from out ger camp...oh, and i forgot to mention how nice our ger was...it was seriously nicer than my first host family...no lie...anyway, at turtle rock we just climbed and took pictures...these two little boys kind of adopted me for a while...they just kinda dragged me places...it was really cool...they took me down this little hole to see some great views...they just kept saying "come on, come on"...and so i went...then they showed me their horses...they just pointed and said "my horse, my horse"...i asked them what the horses names were and one boy said "horse"...ha, i laughed...anyway, we walked back to camp and managed to make it back to camp despite the severe wind storms...the dust comes from every angle...you can't escape it...the dust combined with the wind and sun sort of rips away a layer of your face...lotion is my new best friend...i need to include another Roger story right here...on the way to Turtle Rock, we passed by a tepee...Roger asked what we call those...we told him, and moved on...on the way back, Roger all of a sudden asks "hey, have we passed the tipsies yet?" as i'm writing this, i realize it's not that funny...but his accent just cracks me up...maybe i was just delirious from the sun or something, but we just could not control ourselves...and we made fun of Roger for the rest of the trip...and probably will until the end of time.
at dinner we swapped stories with our German friends and then went back to our ger to play some cards...and then we made the biggest mistake of our lives...we lit the furnace in the ger...i've never been so hot...it's shocking how well insulated those tents are...i mean, wow...we had to open the door and let the fire go out...but ofcourse, that invited in some unwanted guests that kept landing on us all night...but it's not like we slept anyway, because once the fire went out, so did all of the heat on planet earth...it was freezing!i don't know how these nomads do it...so after a not so restful sleep, we got up, ate breakfast, and then went on another hike...it was even clearer today and we got to wonderful pictures...then there was a brief hail storm...random...but after lunch it cleared up and we went horseback riding...Roxy, Eugene and Roger had never been on a horse before so, we took it slow...the horse guy thought we were idiots...but, he let me gallop for a while which was incredible...then sadly we had to leave...
ulaanbaatar is really nasty today...there is so much dust in the air you can't even see the moutains surrounding the city...and now AB and i are about to hit the sack! we are so tired...but, we still can not stop laughing about all the hilarious things that happened this week...i wish ya'll could have been there for it...it was so great...well, AB and i have some more reminiscing to do...goodnight!
so we got to the park finally around 11...it was beautiful! you are completely surrounded by mountains...but honestly, my pictures don't do it justice...it truly is breathtaking...and i wish i could tell you how wonderful it felt to get out of the polluted city of ulaanbaatar...it seriously is a blessing to be able to take a deep breath, and not be worried about inhaling toxins...we just kinda hiked around for a while before lunch...found some great views and just took in the scenery...we also made a new friend who you will see in some pictures...we named him Pongo...don't worry mom, i've been vaccinated...and he wasn't rabid...Roger kept us laughing the whole time though...he kept making comments like "i'd roll around too, if i didn't mind getting my fur dirty" and "i'd love to be a dog...but only if i had shoes for my hands"...now keep in mind that Roger is the Canadian originally from China...so, his accent is chinese...and it's incredible...more stories later...
at lunchtime, AB and i were so excited to be served our favorite mongolian meal...cucumbers and sausage (note the sarcasm)...but we got to sit next to our German friends! they definily think americans are crazy now...but, i think they liked us...they are travelling all over the world for four months and even going to the Olympics...really awesome couple...i'm so glad we got to meet them...after lunch we all went to Turtle Rock...it was about 5 miles away from out ger camp...oh, and i forgot to mention how nice our ger was...it was seriously nicer than my first host family...no lie...anyway, at turtle rock we just climbed and took pictures...these two little boys kind of adopted me for a while...they just kinda dragged me places...it was really cool...they took me down this little hole to see some great views...they just kept saying "come on, come on"...and so i went...then they showed me their horses...they just pointed and said "my horse, my horse"...i asked them what the horses names were and one boy said "horse"...ha, i laughed...anyway, we walked back to camp and managed to make it back to camp despite the severe wind storms...the dust comes from every angle...you can't escape it...the dust combined with the wind and sun sort of rips away a layer of your face...lotion is my new best friend...i need to include another Roger story right here...on the way to Turtle Rock, we passed by a tepee...Roger asked what we call those...we told him, and moved on...on the way back, Roger all of a sudden asks "hey, have we passed the tipsies yet?" as i'm writing this, i realize it's not that funny...but his accent just cracks me up...maybe i was just delirious from the sun or something, but we just could not control ourselves...and we made fun of Roger for the rest of the trip...and probably will until the end of time.
at dinner we swapped stories with our German friends and then went back to our ger to play some cards...and then we made the biggest mistake of our lives...we lit the furnace in the ger...i've never been so hot...it's shocking how well insulated those tents are...i mean, wow...we had to open the door and let the fire go out...but ofcourse, that invited in some unwanted guests that kept landing on us all night...but it's not like we slept anyway, because once the fire went out, so did all of the heat on planet earth...it was freezing!i don't know how these nomads do it...so after a not so restful sleep, we got up, ate breakfast, and then went on another hike...it was even clearer today and we got to wonderful pictures...then there was a brief hail storm...random...but after lunch it cleared up and we went horseback riding...Roxy, Eugene and Roger had never been on a horse before so, we took it slow...the horse guy thought we were idiots...but, he let me gallop for a while which was incredible...then sadly we had to leave...
ulaanbaatar is really nasty today...there is so much dust in the air you can't even see the moutains surrounding the city...and now AB and i are about to hit the sack! we are so tired...but, we still can not stop laughing about all the hilarious things that happened this week...i wish ya'll could have been there for it...it was so great...well, AB and i have some more reminiscing to do...goodnight!
Slideshow...Mongolia
This is Sal's sister...updating the blog on behalf of Sally who is making her way to the countryside as I type. Sal needed my assistance in posting the slideshow...I am not responsible for the content. Enjoy!!! (I love and miss you sal!-yss, Liz)
language barriers and nauseating laughter...
well my first full work week is officially over...it was really interesting, but sometimes boring...the hospital does a lot of the same surgeries, so when all we are doing is watching the same thing over and over, and still no one can explain to us what is going on, we get a little bored...but today was incredible...i got to watch a heart surgery...apparently something to do with the aortic pipe...it was the craziest thing i've ever seen...they did all the normal prep work for any surgery, but then they started packing this guy down with ice...it was really odd...i mean, they basically just tied this rubber apron thing around the patient and shoved as much ice as possible all around him...i asked what the ice was for...i didn't get that great of an explanation...it has something to do with the brain's ability to survive without circulation for a longer amount of time when it is at a lower temperature...so once his temperature was down to about 31 degrees centigrade (someone convert that for me) they began the operation...they cut about a foot long incision underneath his left arm...and then they had to break his rib cage to eventually get to the heart...i wish i could explain how crazy this is...i mean, they had this guy basically in two pieces...it was really awesome to watch them pull open the rib cage...because then, all of a sudden this beating heart comes into view...it's really remarkable...and guess what...you get to see it! they let me take pictures...after work, AB and i went back to this memorial thing we had been to...but we wanted to go again because it was so pretty...the first day we went, there had been some forest fires and we couldn't see anything...its quite breathtaking...literally...we had to climb a bajillion stairs...it was worth it though...we even got to hold this guy's pet eagle...and on the way back (after some interesting bus confusions) we got in our first mongolian fender bender...shockingly, this has been the only wreck we've seen...they drive like they are squirrels on ritalin...but within a matter of minutes, our bus was on its way again...
Projects Abroad took everyone out for Korean food tonight (by the way, the majority of Korean food makes me gag)...there is this girl volunteer named Venus (from Cananda) and for some reason, one of the staff members named Otgoo decided to ask Venus if she wanted more food...except, Otgoo has a very thick accent...so when she asked it sounded like this... "Wenus, are you hungry?"...Ashley and i lost it...we laughed for 10 straight minutes...it was the most ridiculous thing...and poor Otgoo had no idea what we were talking about...man, it was funny...that combined with the extremely gay guy Brandon from L.A. made for one memorable evening...
tomorrow we are heading to the Terelj National Park...it's about an hour and a half outside the city...i'm sure i'll have some great stories, so keep reading!
Projects Abroad took everyone out for Korean food tonight (by the way, the majority of Korean food makes me gag)...there is this girl volunteer named Venus (from Cananda) and for some reason, one of the staff members named Otgoo decided to ask Venus if she wanted more food...except, Otgoo has a very thick accent...so when she asked it sounded like this... "Wenus, are you hungry?"...Ashley and i lost it...we laughed for 10 straight minutes...it was the most ridiculous thing...and poor Otgoo had no idea what we were talking about...man, it was funny...that combined with the extremely gay guy Brandon from L.A. made for one memorable evening...
tomorrow we are heading to the Terelj National Park...it's about an hour and a half outside the city...i'm sure i'll have some great stories, so keep reading!
let there be pictures...
everyone, meet Buddah...
this is...was my bedroom
this was the view from my bedroom
there was definitely a picture of the dalai lama in my room...yep
the bathroom...
slash laundry room...
the toilet...
my host father...
host sister and me
little boy playing in the river...
contortionists...blowing my mind...
yes, she is balancing her entire body with her teeth...
ok, enjoy...peace
inside my head...
so...today is tuesday...my supervisor had to work the 24 hour shift yesterday, so we both got today off...so as i was wondering the streets in the morning rain, i realized i hadn't really mentioned my thoughts on this whole thing...i feel like i've just been reporting...but, even though i feel like this place never stops, i do have more than enough time to think.
this city is unbelievable...i can't even begin to explain the level or poor these people survive in...i really do feel lucky to have this experience...it has completely changed the way i see and think of "poor". Anyone can tell you about why it is good to help the needy and send money to other places, but after coming here i'm afraid that's not enough. To be able to stand in the middle of it...stand on their streets and really see how the world lives...to walk outside and almost immediately be surrounded by 6 year old boys covered in dirt and begging for money...knowing how much you have...knowing how much they don't have...and the amazing thing is, most people have no idea how the rest of the world is...i feel like you have all heard that type of description before...i know i have...but it is so different when you a part of it...i wish i could explain...
as for my personal well being...i'm good...i do miss everyone though...and ofcourse the comforts of home...but i mean, my one month here is so temporary compared to the thousands of people who spend their whole lives here, i can't complain...i got to talk to my mom and sister last night...i said hello and mom panicked...she thought i was calling because something was wrong...i laughed...i love you mom...
and becca...i appreciate you being such an avid commenter...even though it was so delayed...
p.s. my brother asked me to put some song on the playlist for my blog's background music...but this computer doesn't have speakers, so i couldn't listen to it...let's just hope it's not inappropriate...love you joe joe
this city is unbelievable...i can't even begin to explain the level or poor these people survive in...i really do feel lucky to have this experience...it has completely changed the way i see and think of "poor". Anyone can tell you about why it is good to help the needy and send money to other places, but after coming here i'm afraid that's not enough. To be able to stand in the middle of it...stand on their streets and really see how the world lives...to walk outside and almost immediately be surrounded by 6 year old boys covered in dirt and begging for money...knowing how much you have...knowing how much they don't have...and the amazing thing is, most people have no idea how the rest of the world is...i feel like you have all heard that type of description before...i know i have...but it is so different when you a part of it...i wish i could explain...
as for my personal well being...i'm good...i do miss everyone though...and ofcourse the comforts of home...but i mean, my one month here is so temporary compared to the thousands of people who spend their whole lives here, i can't complain...i got to talk to my mom and sister last night...i said hello and mom panicked...she thought i was calling because something was wrong...i laughed...i love you mom...
and becca...i appreciate you being such an avid commenter...even though it was so delayed...
p.s. my brother asked me to put some song on the playlist for my blog's background music...but this computer doesn't have speakers, so i couldn't listen to it...let's just hope it's not inappropriate...love you joe joe
i love warm showers...
i could not say anything more sincerely...i do...i LOVE warm showers...what a blessing...yesterday morning (saturday) i moved into Ashley's host family...it is much nicer than mine was...it's no Ritz Carlton, but it is much cleaner...and they have real toilet paper...and warm water...all the time! i can't tell you how much better i feel...just finally being able to feel clean...
well, we went to the black market yesterday...it was 35 degrees Celsius (that's hot)...our taxi driver dropped us off at this cement wall that had a hole in it...we were a bit confused, but apparently we were supposed to duck and kinda crawl through...very weird...then we had to wander a bit before we found the real entrance...this market was unlike anything i've ever seen before...i mean, everything you could ever want you could find there...and it is all dirt cheap...but, it is a little bit dangerous...mostly just theft though...little boys can run up and cut your purse open so everything falls out...but, generally if you carry your purse in front of you, your ok...my taxi got seperated from the big group so the four of us just stuck together...however, i was the only non-asian...i get enough looks when AB and i are together...but when i look like i'm alone, people are a lot more, umm...un-friendly...this one guy kept shooting me with a water gun...and another old guy (who i'm pretty sure was drunk) came up to me saying things, and trying to burn me with his cigarette...don't panic mom...my friends quickly took care of me...anyway, the market was great! but sketchy...
yesterday was sunday...AB and i met up with a girl named Jodi, from australia, and we went to a park, the river, some memorial site, and a museum...it was a very touristy day...i learned a lot and enjoyed spending time with Jodi...she's good people...and then last night Projects Abroad treated us to a traditional mongolian performance...it was beautiful...there were throat singers and contortionists...hopefully soon i'll be able to post some pictures and/or videos...
today i went back to the hospital...when i arrived i went straight to another surgery, and didn't pass out! i got to inject the medicine to put the patient to sleep (however, i don't know the name of it...communication is limited) my supervisor asked me i wanted to scrub in for the next surgery...i said yes...ha...isn't that crazy! so before i knew it, i was washing my hands and headed into surgery...they put all my gloves on and everything and told me exactly what to do...it was some sort of abdominal surgery (once again, they didn't know the english words) i had been holding open this woman's chest cavity with a metal spatula thing for about 45 minutes, but the smell of burning flesh was just overwhelming...so, i told them "not ok"...and they quickly rushed me out...so, i'm pretty sure i won't ever/could never be a surgeon...sorry parents, mark it off the list...it's still amazing though...just being able to watch blows my mind...i'm slowly getting better at the whole operation room thing...i'm going to ask if they will let me take some pictures on wednesday (i get tuesday off)...ok well, i'm off...
by the way, my new host family is so wonderful...they have a 14 daughter and a 10 year old son...the dad is practically mute...but AB and the kids and i have fun
love and miss you all
peace
yesterday was sunday...AB and i met up with a girl named Jodi, from australia, and we went to a park, the river, some memorial site, and a museum...it was a very touristy day...i learned a lot and enjoyed spending time with Jodi...she's good people...and then last night Projects Abroad treated us to a traditional mongolian performance...it was beautiful...there were throat singers and contortionists...hopefully soon i'll be able to post some pictures and/or videos...
today i went back to the hospital...when i arrived i went straight to another surgery, and didn't pass out! i got to inject the medicine to put the patient to sleep (however, i don't know the name of it...communication is limited) my supervisor asked me i wanted to scrub in for the next surgery...i said yes...ha...isn't that crazy! so before i knew it, i was washing my hands and headed into surgery...they put all my gloves on and everything and told me exactly what to do...it was some sort of abdominal surgery (once again, they didn't know the english words) i had been holding open this woman's chest cavity with a metal spatula thing for about 45 minutes, but the smell of burning flesh was just overwhelming...so, i told them "not ok"...and they quickly rushed me out...so, i'm pretty sure i won't ever/could never be a surgeon...sorry parents, mark it off the list...it's still amazing though...just being able to watch blows my mind...i'm slowly getting better at the whole operation room thing...i'm going to ask if they will let me take some pictures on wednesday (i get tuesday off)...ok well, i'm off...
by the way, my new host family is so wonderful...they have a 14 daughter and a 10 year old son...the dad is practically mute...but AB and the kids and i have fun
love and miss you all
peace
hello family...where's my bed?
well hello finally...so, where to begin...ashely and i arrived to mongolia at about 11 p.m. on wednesday night...after a terribly long flight...seriously, the human body was not built to sit for 14 hours straight...i don't really know how we made it, but we somehow ended up on our way to our host families that night...kinda awkward meeting a family of very shy mongolians who don't really speak english in the middle of the night...anyway, i took my bags to my room and then took a much needed shower...now i know a lot of us have taken cold showers before...but frigid doesn't even begin to describe this...my brain actually started hurting...the bathroom has a washing machine, a sink and a tub in it...its very quaint ;) and there is no shower curtain...so it feels kinda weird, but i mean, what can you do...after my awesome shower i ate some traditional mongolian soup...it was mutton, some onions and chicken broth i think...it was good...they also gave me sausage and pickles...weird...i didn't eat that...
so then i went to sleep...not...i got in bed about 12 midnight mongolian time, which is about 1 in 11 in the morning birmingham time...i just kinda laid there fore about 9 hours...finally i fell asleep around 8 a.m. i fell asleep and slept until 12. Then Projects Abroad came and picked me up along with Ashley, and another volunteer named Roger (Roger is actually Chinese...he picked the name Roger out of a dictionary to make it easier...ha) We went and visited a monestary with a 20 meter tall Buddah...crazy tall...then we walked around, exchanged money, got some water, and met some other volunteers. I really like the people i've met thus far...they are mostly from canada...a few are from the US...one if from Scotland, one from australia, one from europe...and i haven't met any more...after we chatted at the office for a while, we went and ate korean food together...it was delicious!
after dinner they took us home and i took yet another freezing shower...then i helped the youngest daughter with her english homework. Then i hit the sack...but not really...i didnt fall asleep until about 5, and had to wake up at 7:30 to go to my placement (the hospital). I woke up and my host mother made me breakfast...it was fried eggs and bread and coffee...they kept trying to give me cookies...i dont know why...then some guy who i called Tinky because i can't pronounce his name came and took me and Roger to our hospital. I met my supervisor whose name i also can't say...she is an anesthesiologist...she speaks ok english...she draws me pictures a lot...she gave me keys to my locker and to her office and then we went to check on her patients...one of her patients has ovarian cancer and she let me feel the tumor...we operated on her later that day...but before i get to that, i have to tell you about the first surgery...the first surgery was a procedure to fix this man's nose that had caved in...basically, it was just flat and he couldn't breathe...so, they give me a mask and a cap and we go into the operation room...they start getting him prepped for surgery and they asked me to do the manual breathing machine...no prob right? after about 30 minutes of standing with this man's lungs in my hands, i passed out...ha...they hadn't even started the surgery yet...luckily (and my fam knows this) i've passed out before, so i felt it coming on and made it to a chair in time...all the nurses thought it was pretty funny...once i felt better i went back in to watch the surgery...then about an hour later, my supervisor made a hammering motion and said "sally, you leave now"...if you didn't get that, they were about to hammer into this guy's head...i gladly left the room...the surgery lasted 3 hours, but the patient had a functioning nose in the end! Then the ovarian cancer patient came in...i felt a lot more prepared this time...i don't think i realized how close and personal i was really going to be...also, the mask over my face makes me really hot, so i now know to step out every once and a while...anyway, the ovarian surgery was really cool...and i didn't pass out...they ended up having to take out both her ovaries and uterus...never thought i see all that in person...
so, ya...mongolian surgery...my life for the next 29 days...it is very interesting to see how clean/unclean it is...there is a lot of reuse...lots of reused towels and draperies and such...obviously they are washed, but they are definitely old. They mop after surgeries, except the mop is just two pieces of wood nailed together in the shape of a T, with a cloth draped over it...but, for such terrible conditions, they are good doctors...they have all been to school, just like any doctor in the US or anywhere else...a lot of them actually go to Russia for schooling...anyway, i was impressed with their skill...after work Roger, Ashley and I went to get some water and then headed to the office which is where i am now. Tonight Projects Abroad has planned for everyone to go eat pizza (yes!) and then go to karaoke (a very popular activity amoung mongolians)...
well i know that was a lot...i will hopefully be more regular in my updates...this place is very different than i imagined...a lot harder i guess...everything is just hard...the wind, the sun, the lifestyles...but, it is extremely cheap...a half gallon of water costs 0.55$ and a taxi ride costs about $1-2...cell phones are only about $20 (and they are nice)...and food is beyond cheap...usually never more than $5...i will miss that...
ok well i've been on the computer for a while...i'll update soon! Thank you for your prayers...peace
p.s. this is for my friend kimmy...i got of the plane and asked for a boogle...they looked at me and said "slorry, l'estaurant policy"...so then i just wandered off into the desert, hopped on a camel and shouted "bella!" at the top of my lungs...then i saw the door across the hall open, but it was just a mirage...until august
so then i went to sleep...not...i got in bed about 12 midnight mongolian time, which is about 1 in 11 in the morning birmingham time...i just kinda laid there fore about 9 hours...finally i fell asleep around 8 a.m. i fell asleep and slept until 12. Then Projects Abroad came and picked me up along with Ashley, and another volunteer named Roger (Roger is actually Chinese...he picked the name Roger out of a dictionary to make it easier...ha) We went and visited a monestary with a 20 meter tall Buddah...crazy tall...then we walked around, exchanged money, got some water, and met some other volunteers. I really like the people i've met thus far...they are mostly from canada...a few are from the US...one if from Scotland, one from australia, one from europe...and i haven't met any more...after we chatted at the office for a while, we went and ate korean food together...it was delicious!
after dinner they took us home and i took yet another freezing shower...then i helped the youngest daughter with her english homework. Then i hit the sack...but not really...i didnt fall asleep until about 5, and had to wake up at 7:30 to go to my placement (the hospital). I woke up and my host mother made me breakfast...it was fried eggs and bread and coffee...they kept trying to give me cookies...i dont know why...then some guy who i called Tinky because i can't pronounce his name came and took me and Roger to our hospital. I met my supervisor whose name i also can't say...she is an anesthesiologist...she speaks ok english...she draws me pictures a lot...she gave me keys to my locker and to her office and then we went to check on her patients...one of her patients has ovarian cancer and she let me feel the tumor...we operated on her later that day...but before i get to that, i have to tell you about the first surgery...the first surgery was a procedure to fix this man's nose that had caved in...basically, it was just flat and he couldn't breathe...so, they give me a mask and a cap and we go into the operation room...they start getting him prepped for surgery and they asked me to do the manual breathing machine...no prob right? after about 30 minutes of standing with this man's lungs in my hands, i passed out...ha...they hadn't even started the surgery yet...luckily (and my fam knows this) i've passed out before, so i felt it coming on and made it to a chair in time...all the nurses thought it was pretty funny...once i felt better i went back in to watch the surgery...then about an hour later, my supervisor made a hammering motion and said "sally, you leave now"...if you didn't get that, they were about to hammer into this guy's head...i gladly left the room...the surgery lasted 3 hours, but the patient had a functioning nose in the end! Then the ovarian cancer patient came in...i felt a lot more prepared this time...i don't think i realized how close and personal i was really going to be...also, the mask over my face makes me really hot, so i now know to step out every once and a while...anyway, the ovarian surgery was really cool...and i didn't pass out...they ended up having to take out both her ovaries and uterus...never thought i see all that in person...
so, ya...mongolian surgery...my life for the next 29 days...it is very interesting to see how clean/unclean it is...there is a lot of reuse...lots of reused towels and draperies and such...obviously they are washed, but they are definitely old. They mop after surgeries, except the mop is just two pieces of wood nailed together in the shape of a T, with a cloth draped over it...but, for such terrible conditions, they are good doctors...they have all been to school, just like any doctor in the US or anywhere else...a lot of them actually go to Russia for schooling...anyway, i was impressed with their skill...after work Roger, Ashley and I went to get some water and then headed to the office which is where i am now. Tonight Projects Abroad has planned for everyone to go eat pizza (yes!) and then go to karaoke (a very popular activity amoung mongolians)...
well i know that was a lot...i will hopefully be more regular in my updates...this place is very different than i imagined...a lot harder i guess...everything is just hard...the wind, the sun, the lifestyles...but, it is extremely cheap...a half gallon of water costs 0.55$ and a taxi ride costs about $1-2...cell phones are only about $20 (and they are nice)...and food is beyond cheap...usually never more than $5...i will miss that...
ok well i've been on the computer for a while...i'll update soon! Thank you for your prayers...peace
p.s. this is for my friend kimmy...i got of the plane and asked for a boogle...they looked at me and said "slorry, l'estaurant policy"...so then i just wandered off into the desert, hopped on a camel and shouted "bella!" at the top of my lungs...then i saw the door across the hall open, but it was just a mirage...until august
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