A Happy Birthday

For the last three weeks, I've been busy with work at Ulaanbaatar University, the small private school where I'm teaching English. The school is conveniently located right across the street from where I live. I'm really enjoying it! But more about that later. First I've got to update you on one of the most important holidays of the year, my birthday!

I turned 24 on Tuesday, the 19th. I was having dinner with a couple of Japanese friends, Shino and Ruth (Ruth was my classmate during the Mongolian language course, and sadly, has now left Mongolia) and someone told them it was my birthday, so they made it into a little celebration. Also, two packages had arrived from home, and we all enjoyed opening them together and seeing the wonderful care packages my family had sent.

Then Sunday, the young people at my church caught a bus and went together to a sledding/ski hill outside of town. As you can see in the pictures, it was a gray, smoky day, but the weather has warmed up considerably and a good time was had by all. It was yet another adventure for me, and I especially enjoyed getting to know a couple of friends a little better. Also pictured, is the loooong sledding slope. Riding two-by-two on little old-fashioned wooden sleds down that long, rock strewn slope was dangerous! I'm still nursing several small wounds gathered in a string of crashes. However, we all got our exercise, walking back up the hill all afternoon and eventually, trying to keep warm as the snow soaked through our shoes.

After sledding, I just had time to go home and clean up to prepare for '
dinner out. I had invited practically all of the young people I've gotten to know in the last weeks, Mongolian and foreign and I didn't know what to expect. I was surprised when quite a little crowd turned out and it transpired that everone knew everyone else from some connection or another. The group in the picture are some of my fellow English teachers at the University, (there are about seventeen of us, in total; Eva, who is from Hong Kong, and I are the two foreigners.)

Finally, I had to add a picture showing off my new haircut. I cut it
myself first, then went to a salon to have it straightened out a bit, and the hairdresser took off a substantial few inches more! I was really sad to see all of that hair go, but I guess it grows back. Those were just some of the fun things I got to enjoy in what has been a couple of very full weeks. I'll write more about teaching shortly.