to all them mom's....

simply life

4-6-08
“Have you seen the herd of yaks hangin out in the river?”
This is a quote from myself, as a part of normal conversation with one of the other volunteers in my town. ‘The River’ is a place in our town that looks like maybe at one time it had water in it, but my guess is that it’s been a while. I love seeing herds of animals in my town. Right now we have a herd of goats and sheep, a herd of cows, and our newest addition, a herd of yaks. Maybe it is the fact that I had never even thought about yaks before I came to Mongolia, but I find myself loving yaks. They are such awesome animals. I was walking to my friends house, past the grazing yaks, when I decided to try and answer my own question about the kosherness of yaks. I walked up to the yaks, trying to look at their hooves, but also keeping my distance, as my knowledge of yaks’ temperament is minimal. It looked to me like they have a split hoof, but it was hard to tell. As I continued my walk, I simply contemplated the fact that I just walked up to a yak and that I was passing yaks as a normal part of my life. Every time I think like this, I can not help but smile. J


I used my friend’s washing machine today for my laundry. It has been around 10 months since I’ve really used a washing machine for a full load of laundry. I have been washing my clothes by hand since I got to Mongolia, which is actually surprisingly harsh on clothes. Washing machines here are different than in the states. They are not hooked up to water and require a little bit more work than what we are used to. But using this washing machine is MUCH easier than washing by hand. I find myself actually enjoying the extra physical work certain tasks take here. There is something more satisfying about working hard. I love to have a hard day’s work. This can be anything from busy at my job to washing clothes and my apartment. I love that feeling at the end of the day when your body is tired because you have worked it throughout the day. Right now, I lie here in my bed, my body is tired from doing laundry, cleaning my home, and the workout I did in my extra room and my hands are dry and tired from wringing my clothes and washing them. I think, in America, we get too used to things being easy and convenient. There is so much more satisfaction in something that you have really worked hard for. Part of the challenge of Peace Corps is adapting to another way of life. You begin to do things differently, and I wonder if these things will stay with me throughout my life. In America, my cooking consisted of whatever was quick, where here; I enjoy a night of chopping vegetables, and making soup over the course of an hour or more. In America, doing laundry was annoying, though so easy, where here; I actually enjoy the feeling of doing my laundry. It is more difficult, but also satisfying, and actually a good time to think. In America, “I need to wash my hair” is the typical joke of an excuse to skip out on a date, where here; it is a valid chore that needs to be done. Here, I will tell someone I am cleaning on Saturday and what this means is that I am going to clean my home, and then I am going to take a tub bath. I know that I definitely hold a warm shower in a special place in my heart, along with the availability of a variety of fruit and vegetables, but I also know that these are luxuries that I can live with out. It will be interesting to see the little ways that my life is changed after living here. The things that I miss about America have nothing to do with most conveniences that we have in America, and more to do with certain atmospheres. Only time will tell what I will miss about Mongolia. (and I still have another year to enjoy it, before I start missing it)

mmmm......

mmm.... yak’s milk
My counterpart just brought us yak’s milk/yogurt. It is soooo good. I think this means the beginning to delicious dairy products again. Hurray! Spring is here!
Better yet, it’s almost summer!!! (kinda)

Here’s a question for the rabbis....

Is milk from a non-kosher animal also non-kosher?

Are yaks kosher?

Thought provoking

Eight steps to enlightenment
‘Awakening the Buddha Within’
Tibetan wisdom for the western world
By: Lama Surya Das

The following is a series of quotes taken from the above book. Some are by the author and some are by other people. I tried to remember to write down when it was by somebody else, but I know I forgot a lot. You’ll just have to go read the book! Seriously, I recommend this book to anyone and everyone! It is one that I plan to read over and over again. For now, enjoy the quotes. I do not necessarily agree with all of them, they are just things that caught my eye and made me think.

Spiritual energy is healing energy; when any group gathers with a dedication to something greater than one’s finite, individual self, the accumulated energy is almost palpable. Sangha

The spiritual life is the search for answers. Who am I, why am I?
“to be enlightened is to be one with all things”
“we are all lit up from within as if from a sacred source”
It’s a fact: you are not going to find truth outside yourself….. The only place you are going to be able to find truth is in your genuine spiritual center” Truth is found by living truly- in your own authentic way.
When you genuinely become you, a Buddha realizes buddhahood
You become a Buddha by actualizing your own original innate nature. This nature is primordially pure. This is your true nature, your natural mind.
Buddhism says yes, change is possible. It tells us that not matter what our background, each of us is the creator of his or her own destiny.
How does the Buddha feel? Completely comfortable, at peace, and at ease in every situation and every circumstance with a sense of true inner freedom, independent of both outer circumstances and internal emotions.
What we seek, we already are. Everything is available in the natural state.
Often raising the right questions- your own head, deep-down, burning questions- may actually be more important than having the right answer, should there ever be one.
Dzogchen- The natural great perfection, “one instant of total awareness is one instant of perfect freedom and enlightenment”
Leave everything as it is and rest your weary mind, there is a nirvanic peace in things left just as they are.
Don’t follow past thoughts, don’t anticipate the future, and don’t follow illusory thoughts that arise in the present; but turning within, observe your own true nature and maintain awareness of your natural mind, just as it is, beyond the conceptual limitations of past, present, and future”
The inner truth, the inner teacher, the absolute guru- not just to know and experience reality with the rational, logical computer brain, but to know with the intuitive heart. That’s something you can really rely on: finding truth within your won experience
Let go, open your heart, unfold your spiritual sails, open your angelic wings, and soar on the wind. Enjoy the infinite.
How wonderful! How wonderful! All things are perfect exactly as they are!
“As long as you stay unconscious, asleep at the switch of your own life, true happiness will prove elusive”
“Wisdom is self-knowledge: wisdom is truth manifested as clarity of vision. Wisdom sees that light and dark are inseparable and that shadows are also light”
“Buddha said- we should all keep the reality of death in the forefront of our consciousness so we can better prioritize our daily activities and thus better direct our attention to that which is most significant and meaningful”
“each of us becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, the proverbial accident waiting to happen”
The thought manifests as the word;
The word manifests as the deed;
The deed develops into habit;
And habit hardens into character;
So watch the thought and its ways with care,
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings…

As the shadow follows the body,
As we think, so we become
-from the Dhammapada
“wisdom tells me I am nothing, love tells me I am everything. Between the two, my life flows”
“if it feels like love, but it’s not wise, its not love”
Love everyone, even if you don’t like them.
“truths are many, but truth is one”
“when you accept yourself, the whole word accepts you”
“everything is empty, like a dream. But it’s not like an empty room; it’s a sparkling sunlit day, and the sun is filling all the spaces”
“Enjoy this natural great perfection, things just as they are”
“something made greater by ourselves and in turn that makes us greater” –Maya Angelou (about work)
“the value of anything is always the value we vest in it”
“I firmly believe that your true vocation of calling is knowing yourself and being yourself”
“awakening to this present instant, we realize the infinite is in the finite of each instant” –Zen master
“forever is composed of nows” –Emily Dickinson
We all have all kinds of thoughts, but that does not mean we are defined by them.


Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.
Do not believe in anything because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason, and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.
-The Buddha


Rely not on the teacher [person], but on the teaching.
Rely not on the words of the teaching, but on the spirit of the words.
Rely not on theory, but on experience.
-Buddha


We live in illusion,
And the appearance of things
There is a reality.
We are that reality.
When you understand this
You see that you are nothing.
And being nothing,
You are everything.
That is all.
-Kalu Rinpoche

a warmer day...

2.18.08
I have thought before about the effects of weather on people, and today this was brought to my mind, as I noticed the significantly warmer air, the sun out, and a women standing outside praying. I have seen women throwing milk on the ground and praying before, but while watching this women, I realized I hadn’t seen this since fall. As I walked through the still Tsagaan Sar deserted market yesterday, I notice that though many of the shops were still closed, there were more young people hanging out in the market. It is the change in weather lately that brings people back out of their houses and gers to enjoy the feeling of the sun and their hands and ears not freezing. I was walking to work, when I first noticed this praying women and as I proceeded across the street, I continued to notice the changes in the physical conditions outside and in the change in the atmosphere. Today is an abnormally warm day, compared to the past few months, and I am pretty sure it will be very cold once again. So, in the midst of the knowledge this warmth is not going to stick around, I take my time on my walk to work. I notice the ice that has been on the road since the first snow is slowly turning to slush, the people walking around town are walking slower, and are more lively. It is possible that it is just my own change in energy due to this warmer weather, but I think it has affected everyone around me. I continue to work contemplating the effects of weather, referring to past thoughts of the effects of weather on crime in the United States, something I have always silently wondered about, but really don’t know the answer to. As I always do, I walk in the street in the best position for absorbing the sun’s warmth, I finally cross and my thoughts are interrupted by “meow…meow…meow”. I turned looking for what could be only the 3rd cat that I know of in my town. I didn’t see anything and was about to continue my walk when I heard it again. This time I look up in the direction of the sound, only to find a furry and dirty orange, white, and brown cat sitting on the tree branch. I look up at him wondering if he is stuck or just enjoying the weather, as I am. I stand there watching the cat as he stands up, looks down, turns around, turns back, sits down and meows again. I want to help him, but there is really nothing I can do. I look around to see if anyone has noticed this cat stuck in a tree, thinking to myself, ‘this is something you only see in story books. At this point in the story, the firemen would come with their big ladder” but I am not in a story book, there are no firemen and no one around seems to care that this cat is stuck. I look to my right to find two men fiddling with their motorcycles, and to my left, I am surprised to see a couple goats walking. Whenever I see animals walking through the town, I can’t help but let out a gentle laugh at the difference between here and “home”. Of course I keep watching the goats, only to realize there are not just a few, just as I turned to finish my walk to work, I notice more goats coming around the corner. I smile to myself and stand there watching as about fifty goats and sheep cross my path with their herder walking behind them with a small whip in his right hand. After they pass, I take one more look at the cat, and continue my walk, smiling inside at the random things that happen on a daily basis. It is not normal for a herd of goats to walk through this part of the town, at the same time it is not that unordinary. There are times when I am crossing the street, where we recently got a traffic light, (we now have 2 in our town) only to find a few cows in the center divider. Sometimes I forget that I live in the countryside, then these moments bring me back. Things here became normal really quickly, but it will be interesting to see what I think when I go back to concrete California.

TSAGAAN SAR!

about the deel picture.... the 'pocket' is the part above the boos (the green thing) and you stick things in from the side. people hide EVERYTHING in there! cameras, phones, gifts, bottles of vodka, etc...

2-11-08
I have officially completed my first Tsagaan Sar. I found that right before certain situations, I got slightly nervous that I’d do something wrong. I have heard that Tsagaan Sar will still continue until all the buuz are gone, but the official holiday is over. On Thursday, I was at my home, not doing much, when I got the text that read “The Catholics want to know if any of us want to go to the hudoo with them to celebrate bituun.” Sounds funny, I know. Let me explain. ‘The Catholics’ are a small group of people, possibly the only other foreigners living in my town. They are all a little older and are Catholic Priests and Sisters. They are incredibly nice and amazing people. If I recall correctly, 2 are from Italy, 1 from Argentina, and 1 from Mozambique (possibly spelled wrong). I have used the word ‘Hudoo’ in a few blogs, but for those who forget or don’t read regularly, it is the Mongolian word for countryside that has made it’s way into my normal vocabulary. Even in English. Finally, Bituun is the day before Tsagaan Sar begins that is kept for family time. It is not usual to invite a bunch of foreigners for Bituun, but I jumped on the invitation, eager to learn and experience something new. I got ready to go to the hudoo, slightly worried that I would be really cold because it was my first time wearing my new deel (Mongolian traditional clothing). I made sure to stop to get something for the family before all the stores closed. Finally, I put on my deel and walked to my friend’s house. We met up with Catholics, this time consisting of just 2 of them, and loaded ourselves into the car, ready equipped with our amazing, Peace Corps issued Alaskan sleeping bags. (I love that thing so much, I’m like a walking advertisement) The car load was a Priest, a Sister, and 4 Peace Corps volunteers, two of which were slightly ill. (sounds like the beginning of a joke) We started twisting through the Arvaikheer roads only stopping at a house to pick up a TV wrapped in Animal skin and fur (finally I get a small hint of what people do with it. I always see them sold at the market). At this point, one of my fellow Peace Corps who is visiting from The City (Ulanabataar) feels privileged to have already experienced more Hudoo than in the year and half he has lived in Mongolia. Living in Ulaanbataar is very different from living anywhere else in Mongolia. It’s like comparing living in Los Angeles to living somewhere up north, where there’s cows and stuff, maybe Humboldt… I don’t know, never been there). Anyway, after picking up the TV, we proceed to the road towards UB. At some point we veer off the road and start following the path ‘clearly marked’ by previous tires (towards zoonbayanulaan). I admire G (the Priest) for driving in Mongolia, I know I couldn’t do it! We drive for a while on a bumpy road made mostly of rock, surrouded by the beautiful country and snow covered mountains (or large hills), while G tells us how he met this hudoo family. He was driving with some of the sisters and saw a man on a motorcycle stuck in the mud. They helped him out and have been friends since. The family brought him a few gifts and calls him every so often, always asking when he will come visit. The family wasn’t doing so well for a little while, the Sisters gave them a cow, they made money from that and now they seem to be doing pretty well. While listening to this story and other chit chat in the car, I can’t help but realize that we haven’t been on any kind of path for a while and we have turned around a few times. G tells us that we are looking for a man on a motorcycle who is supposed to come meet us and guide us to where we are going. We keep our eyes peeled but don’t see anything, but animals (cows, horses, yaks, goats, etc) and mountains. Nobody has cell phone service, so we can’t call. G heads in the general direction that he thinks it is (directed from the family’s summer home). Finally, we see two men with motorcycles, one can’t get his started. G asks them in his admirable Mongolian and finds out where we are supposed to go. We drive up to an area with 4 gers and a bunch of animal pens and meet the family who we will be staying with. G goes with another man to help the guy on the motorcycle and we sit in the ger struggling with our bad Mongolian. A little while later, G returns and we begin the Bituun rituals. Learning time. G explains to us that the reason everyone stays with their families on this night is because it is the last night of the year, there is no moon, and there is negative energy that is being pushed out, so the year will begin on a fresh and postitive start. (my version of it) We begin folding the blue scarves (same one as when I first arrived) in thirds and greet everyone in the ger in the traditional way. This is with two arms out, blue scarf in hands. The older person puts their hands on top of the younger persons, you lean forward and sniff or kiss the cheek of the other person while saying a Mongolian greeting for Bituun. Little did I know that there would be A LOT of this over the next few days. Then we sit down, the men pull out their snuff bottles and pass them around, while the woman of the ger begins with the ritualistic serving. First, the plate of rice is passed around (everyone takes a pinch), then the flour mixed with some other grain and a little sugar, next is the plate of .. (I never remember what it is called, but it is made from the stuff that gathers on the top of milk when it has been sitting), followed by a bowl of candy, and a plate of aruul (milk curd, which I really didn’t like at first, but now I love it). These are the ‘white foods’ and it is white foods month. Also, included in that mix is su te tse (milk tea, which I also didn’t really like at first, but love now) and a plate of meat with a little bit of fat. Next comes the salads, buuz, and airag. We were told that after we have eaten buuz good, we will go greet the people in the other gers, but he failed to mention that each ger would bring over a plate stacked with buuz. The first of everything is always put on a plate and added to the Buddha shrine on the North side of the ger. This family was very kind with teaching us some of the traditions that we didn’t aleady know. After to were stuffed to the brim, we sat and passed around a small amount of Mongol airag. I found it funny, when the Priest sitting to my left mentioned that to me that Vodka would help with the digestion. He is right, but I don’t know many Priests and wasn’t expecting it. After a while of sitting we stepped outside and walked to the ger two gers over. We walked in, only to find a goat hangin out in the ping (the part before the door, used to freeze food, and hold firewood). We entered the ger and repeated all the same traditions, from greeting with the blue scarf to the passing of snuff, white foods, and mongol vodka. We sat and chatted for awhile, and found out there were 2 english speakers in the group. This family was soooo nice and inviting to us. I don’t remember if we ate more buuz there, but we probably did. Then we returned to the other ger to sit and pass airag. Each time we sat, the snuff bottles were passed. Just as our stomachs began to really digest the night, some of the people left the ger and we all set up to sleep. We rolled out our sleeping bags on the floor and slept. The ger was extremely warm and I was in my warm sleeping bag. I had trouble sleeping, nothing new. In the morning, we woke pretty early, and took our time getting ready to go to the other ger (this day was my birthday, for those of you wondering what I did for my birthday). On the first day of Tsagaan Sar, everyone greets each other at sunrise. We sat in the ger and waited for the sun to come over the mountains. Once the sun was in the right spot, we walked to the ger we had gone to the night before. We started with greeting each other with the blue scarves, sat and passed many snuff bottles, and white food plates, along with salads. The buuz came out, airag, mongol vodka, wine, and vodka were all passed around. This time we also had Mongol Beer, made of… I don’t know, but it has raisins floating at the top of it. The drinks that are served for Tsagaan Sar are the same as a wedding, but are different in the way they are drank. Tsagaan Sar is nice, it is much more relaxed. We talked to our new friends, took a TON of pictures, and sat for a while longer. We ate a ton of buuz, but this family had prepared 2000 buuz, so we really only made a crack. In the gers, wearing whatever layers we have put under our deels, including the burning fire, and the body heat, it would get soooo hot. So, at one point, I slipped outside to put one of my layers in the other ger. I walked to the ger, and there was a goat standing in front of the door. Now, I haven’t been around many goats in my lifetime, so for all I know they could be silently vicious animals, maybe a guard goat or something (it could happen). I stood there looking at him, inching my way closer to see how he’d react, when the door to the ger I’d come out of opened. It was one of the English speaking gers, she saw me and I asked if goats are mean. She didn’t quite understand so she came to me, saw the goat, took one step close to it and it ran away. He was cute though. She came in with me as I shed my layers and we again joined the group. Not much later, a goat came running into the ger, when he showed he didn’t want to leave, they decided to feed him some scraps they had been saving for the goats anyway. This family wanted us to stay longer, but The Catholics had another Tsagaan Sar obligation. They gave us Tsagaan Sar gifts of bread and aruul (because that’s the custom. The host gives the guest a gift as a thank you for coming)As we filed out of the ger to get our things, I watched the goats return to their pen in perfect line. It was amazing. We said goodbye and thank you after giving our gifts to the head of the family. We loaded ourselves in the car, and it was cute how everyone came outside to say goodbye, even to wave as we drove away. We were invited to come back during the summer, and I fully intend on going back. I’d also like to get this family like a football from America or something. I think they would enjoy it, and they were so incredibly kind and hospitable to us. This situation shows the general attitude of Mongolians.
Upon getting back to Arvaikheer, I am dropped off at my home, climb my stairs, my stomach feeling much better than the night before, and head straight for bed, I need a nap. I find myself referring to Tsagaan Sar as an eating marathon because these traditions that I have described are repeated at every house you go to. I guess, in a way, I am lucky that I don’t know too many people, I don’t know that my stomach can handle it.
I wake up just before it is time to start heading to another house for Tsagaan Sar. This is a little bit of a different experience because it is people that I know and one of them knows excellent English, but it is all the same foods and drinks. They are very nice, and we eat a ton…. Again. Once we are stuffed and have enjoyed each others company, we get ready to go.
After a little while at home, I head to an Americans house to hangout with our ‘city friend’ and he expresses how much he has enjoyed our Tsagaan Sar experience. I also have enjoyed this, but I am happy that I am in the Hudoo (which I’m not really, but compared to the city, I am) because I have more of an opportunity to experience the culture. I am shocked to find out that he has been living in Mongolia for a year and a half and has never been to a wedding, or even a Mongolian’s house. Life in the city is completely different than out here, and cultural immersion is much harder. Also, in The City, everyone seems to be trying to be Western. I did notice that many of the younger people wear deels and I think that this tendancy to stray from the cultural aspect of Mongolia is sad. This is an amazing country with amazing people, customs, and culture. I’ll admit, I get a little smile when I see young Mongolians with a deel and LA or Yankees New Era hat tilted to the side. This is the effects of MTV. (Not to mention that they probably don’t know who the Yankees are, or anything about baseball for that matter. Many will know Los Angeles, but not anything about it) It’s also funny to notice that it seems to be the cool thing to do to wear your boos (belt on a deel) low.
My second day of Tsagaan Sar was filled with three house visits, all consisting of the same rituals, with slight variances. My first house of the day was the home of my director. I got there, and I was the only one visiting at the time. She explained some of the Buddhist symbols to me, answering some of my questions, and then I sat down. It was funny because she seemed to be Americanizing everything for me. But I wasn’t sure if it was just because I was the only one visiting at the time. She poured me a glass of milk tea. While I was eating some salads and buuz, she poured a glass of airag, and I sipped it, getting ready to hand it back in the mongol tradition, when she placed another cup on the table in front of me, explaining it is Camel’s airag. And then a shot glass of strawberry vodka stuff. It looked like Margarita mix, but it was Vodka with a hint of fresh, yet sugary strawberry flavor. I did not expect it to be strong, but it was. It would be great as a Margarita for those who don’t like Tequila, but would need a little juice added. She asked me how to pronounce it, thinking her sister got it from America. I didn’t know. (how would you pronounce XUXU?) Later talking to a friend, combined with what my director said, I figured out that she had gotten it in Beijing, and it was pronounced Shushu. While I was visiting, a group of people I had never met entered the home, along with one of my coworkers. Every sat and began the Tsagaan Sar rituals. My director began preparing things in the kitchen and called me in, asking me to sit and offering me hot chocolate or coffee. I politely said no, and that I’d like to sit with the Mongolians. She liked this, but it was funny to her, and she felt the need to share it with everyone in the room. I didn’t mind. She followed it by telling them that if they speak slowly, I can understand. This lead to conversation and a great time for me to practice my Mongolian. After a while, they all left, and I stuck around a few minutes to tell my director, again, what I keep telling my coworkers. I really enjoy learning and being a part of Mongolian cultural activities. At this point, it was time for me to leave, I digested for about an hour before I had to go to my next house (my translator and friend). This was with all the Americans. It was all the same foods and rituals, beginning with entering a room of Mongolians that I have never met, pulling out my blue scarf and greeting everyone, beginning with the oldest. When it was time to leave this house, it was time to go to my 3rd and last of the day. This was a Mongolian friend that I have made. We again, did the same rituals; greeting, white foods, airag, plate of meat, vodka, wine, buuz, etc. This time we had a little scotch to go with the meal, and I tried Yak tongue. At first I was not much of a fan, then she brought out another plate that was warm, and I actually kind of liked it (that’s puts me at Yak heart and tongue, as the yak eating goes thus far). Kosher? I don’t know. They are almost like cows, so maybe they are a kosher animal, but it defiantly doesn’t have any of the other things making it kosher. After this house, I hung out with the Americans for a little while and went home. The 3rd day of Tsagaan Sar was not so Tsagaan Sar-esque. I didn’t visit any houses. I simply got ready for the next day (today). Today, I had Tsagaan Sar at work with my work people. We each brought food and we had all the same Tsagaan Sar foods, but less ritualistic. (no flour, or white food plates) I brought American food. When I took deviled eggs out of my bag, my director was a slightly skeptical, I could tell, “eed eed” I said as all the Mongolians say. Each person tried them, and they were the first thing gone from the table. They LOVED them. I was slightly worried because I don’t use much mayonnaise (which Mongolians love) and I add spices (salt, pepper, season salt and red pepper), but it went over well. The other thing that I brought was Peanut Butter cookies which everyone loved. Success. I don’t know what it is, but I get a little nervous before certain situations. This was one of them. I was nervous that they wouldn’t like the food, that I was expected to bring more than I did, and that my gift for the gift exchange wasn’t what was expected, and even that I would be the only one wearing a deel (weird, I know). But as usual, everything went well. They loved the food, the gift was appropriate, and everyone except my director was wearing a deel.
Now I am sitting at my home, writing about the past few days, not even sure what’s happening next. As far as I know, tomorrow is a work day, but I also know that I’m in Mongolia, so I should be ready for anything. Contrary to popular Peace Corps belief, I never once had to eat Sheep butt, the sheep butt sat on the table as part of the set up, next to the stack of bov (bread stuff) piled with candy and aruul. According to my fellow Peace Corps volunteers, Tsagaan Sar seems to go on for longer than the said 3 days, we’ll see what happens.
For now, Tsagaan Sar has become one of my favorite holidays, along with Passover (in Israel AND American), Thanksgiving, and Israel Independence day. I have enjoyed the holiday, but I am seriously ready to get back to work. Work has been very slow lately because EVERYONE was getting ready for Tsagaan Sar and had to prepare buuz and food. “how many buuz did you make?” is a common question this time of year. Also, Tsagaan Sar has given me extra motivation to practice my Mongolian!!!!

I hope this blog finds everyone in good health and high spirits. And I wish everyone health, happiness, luck, and success in the year to come. Going by the Chinese calendar this is the year of the earth rat and is said to result in good livestock and productivity.
Sakhan shinjeelare to all. (it means have a good new year)

I almost forgot to add one more thing:
As if Mongolian children are not cute enough! Mongolian children running around gather candy from whoever will give it to them wearing a deel to their feet is the most adorable thing ever. All little kids are adorable, but there’s something about puffy red cheeks and doing the Mongol kneel in a Mongol deel and even taking sips of a bowl of airag bigger than their face that will put a smile to anyone’s face. Next year I will be better prepared. There is a tradition for children to knock on doors and people give them candy and/or money. I was not ready for this. I got some kids knocking and I stepped outside and talked to them, not really sure everything they were saying, just figuring they were looking to visit someone for Tsagaan Sar, but got the wrong house. A few asked me if people were here, and I said no and they left. Then, on my way to my way to visit my director, I was leaving and some kids asked if they could come in, I said, no, I was on my way out. They looked a little mad. So, when I got to my director’s house, I asked about this. She told me that she gives them candy and a little bit of money. Now I will know for next year…

Shabbat Shalom