September 28, 2007 - Winter's Coming; Bizarre Happenings

Well it is now officially not summer anymore. We had, I think, two days of fall and are now diving right into winter. I think I’ve got DAS, y’all. DAS is the exact opposite of SAD (Seasonal Affectedness Disorder), which is where lack of sun and cold weather bring on depression. I’m flippin’ excited! Hey, when I signed up for this crazy Mongolian adventure it wasn’t to lay out in the sun all day! I didn’t realize it until now but all summer long I’ve had kind of an unsettled feeling. Now that it’s getting cold, dark, and miserable again, things are starting to look up.

Then again, with the cold, dark, miserableness of it all, it’s getting harder to get around to all our appointments. The only road that goes to one of our areas is under construction so everyone’s been bypassing it on this crazy dirt road that is more like a ditch. During the summer there were usually quite a few brave taxi drivers (or at least those with cars so worn-down that this road couldn’t do any more damage to it that hadn’t already been done) who were willing to take us out that way, but now with it getting darker earlier we’re pretty much out of luck. We can walk, of course, but that’s 30 minutes of hiking in the dark with the drunks when we could spend 15 minutes in a warm taxi and possibly get a contact from the driver.

Yesterday we were trying to head out that way and this man pulled over in a fairly nice car. We got in the back and saw that his young girl was sitting in the front seat. “There’s no way this guy’ll go out to Bayankhoshuu,” I thought to myself. We chatted for about 3 minutes in the evening traffic. He wasn’t interested in meeting with the missionaries, and he really wasn’t interested in our dirt path ideas so he let us go without any charge. We got back on to the street, waving our arms around for a taxi and less than a minute later this man pulled over in a fairly nice car. We got in the back and saw that his young girl was sitting in the front seat. “There’s no way this guy’ll go out to Bayankhoshuu,” I thought to myself. We chatted for about 3 minutes in the evening traffic. He wasn’t interested in meeting with the missionaries, and he really wasn’t interested in our dirt path ideas so he let us go without any charge. We got back on to the street, waving our arms around for a taxi and…hold up. Am I repeating myself? No, that actually happened. Two guys in nice cars with young daughters in the front seat didn’t get us to Bayankhoshuu last night, and we ended up finding another taxi and splitting it with a bunch of people who were also heading out that way. I think from now on we’re just going to walk.

This past week, once again, I was having trouble finding one of my classes at the university I teach at. They’ve changed my schedule on me like 10 times, and they never tell the students and it’s always a hassle just trying to get to class, let alone teach it. Anyway, I went to go into what I thought was my class but there was another teacher already in there teaching. I quickly shut the door and gave my companion an exasperated look. Just then the door opened. It was the teacher popping out to ask what the matter was. The thing is…that’s exactly what he said: “What’s all the matter?” This guy…this Mongolian, was speaking at me in English with a British accent! It was all I could do to not start laughing in his face! It was the most bizarre thing I’d ever seen! I was so startled I started speaking in Mongolian, asking where my class was. Then he was like, “Wow! You speak wicked Mongolian! ‘Ow long ‘ave you been ‘ere?” It was too much. I grabbed my companion and ran way from the Monglish man as fast as I could and found the class on my own.

In other news, we started meeting with an AWESOME family this week. They’re a missionary’s dream come true: a father, a mother, four children ages 13 to 2, and they’re looking for direction and a change in their lives! The father is the one who was initially interested, and he just wants to do what’s best for his family. It’s all I can do to not jump up in the middle of the lesson and hug all of them and say, “This is it! This is what you’ve been looking for!” Thank goodness for self-restraint, eh folks? They say they’re going to come to church this Sunday, and I spend all my spare moments praying that they do.

Well, my companion celebrated 1 month on the mission yesterday, and this next Thursday marks 1 year for me. I guess [insert favorite time-related proverb], huh? Hope this letter finds you warm and well.