February 10, 2008 - Laugh, Cry & Scream!

I hope you all had a happy Tsagaan Sar [Lunar New Year]. I know I did. This year was different from last year in a lot of ways, but not in the way of my del. I wore the old greenie again, which marks its fourth and last appearance. (Last on my mission, that is. When I get home I’m planning on wearing it around town, carrying a burlap sack and shouting “Shil abiya” everywhere I go).

Last year, the first day of the holiday was a Sunday, the day after I got transferred for the first time into a new branch with my first Mongolian companion and I’d only been in the country for less than two months. This year the holiday fell at the very end of my second to last transfer in a branch that has become just like family to me. We went to 5 houses on the first day, and I managed to only get fed 12 buuz. That, my friends, is a miracle.

Mongolians usually go around visiting all of their relatives on the first three days of the New Year, and the first day you have to go visit your most elderly relatives, so the Selenge missionaries went and saw all of the undur nastai members that day. This one old lady in our branch has leg cancer and can’t leave her apartment. She can’t talk very well, but she seemed really happy to see us. We were talking amongst ourselves at one point, and Khosbayar, a branch missionary who was going around with us, joked to Elder Hardman that the wool on her del was that of the roast beast sitting in the middle of the table. Out of no where, the old lady yelled “Khudlaa!!” (Lie!), and we all got quiet and kinda scared. Then Khosbayar timidly said, “I-I was just kidding,” and after a few seconds the old lady said “Oh!” really loud and started laughing. Whew!

Zone Conference was amazing. It was cool to check out Darkhan, but no camels!!! We were there for two days for interviews and then the conference, but the rest of the time was spent running to the photo place (we don’t have one in Selenge) and to the zakh to get some new shoes for my companion.

We watched the video of President Hinckley’s funeral for the first part of Zone Conference. It was sad and happy at the same time. I loved President Tingey’s story about the elevator. [Remember Cheryl lives on the 5th floor with no elevator.] They said we’re going to show the video to all the church members at a fireside later. It really does help to get a little bit of closure. I want to watch it again to see if I can spot Brad or Greg or Aunt Sharon.

I have become thoroughly convinced that whoever it was the wrote the song “God Be With You Till We Meet Again” was a sick, twisted person who delights in making others break down and cry when they otherwise would have been fine. Yesterday we said goodbye to three important people in the Selenge Branch: Erdenebat and Tuvshinjargal officially start their missions today and Elder Gantugs officially finishes his. On Saturday we sang the song to end our last district meeting together, and by the end of it the two Mongolian elders were the only ones who hadn’t choked up to the point of not being able to sing (Mongolian men don’t cry).

Then we sang it again on Sunday in Sacrament meeting after the three of them bore their final testimonies (Elder Gantugs cried!). Later that night we met at the church to help them load up the taxi taking them to the city. As everyone said their goodbyes someone said, “Should we sing a song?” and my companion instantly shouted “O My Father! O My Father! I can’t take that other song one more time!”

Elder Gantugs’ companion, Elder Khosbayar, has been called as the new branch president. I could pretend like I don’t know what’s happening with me this last transfer since we won’t get the official call until Wednesday night, but President Andersen just told me in my interview that I would be staying in Selenge until the end of my mission and that I will be training again.

It’s going to be fun, but I’m really going to miss Sister Bayarmaa and anyone else who ends up leaving our branch. It’s so much different out here in the khuduu. In the city there are 10 different branches and you see people and other missionaries all the time, but out here it’s just you and the branch. There’s stuff going on at the church everyday, and you just get so close with everyone.

The closeness extends beyond the branch as well. I started teaching English to a new group of students at the local high school, and as I was writing something on the board I heard a student say, “Oh yeah…1st building, 5th floor, door number…20.” I realized that he was saying the location of our apartment, and I was about to whip around and ask him how he knew that, but two things occurred to me: one, if I did that he would know that I understood him speaking in Mongolian, and two, it wasn’t that big of a deal because for all I know he lives in that same building and the town really is just that small that everyone probably knew after a few days that there was an American girl living in one of the Tumur Zam buildings.

Here’s another quick English story. We were talking about movies in class last week. I had them name all the different kinds of movies and then for each kind of movie, I had them come up with a verb. For comedy we had “laugh,” for documentary we had “learn,” but they were stumped on horror. After they couldn’t come up with anything I wrote “scream” up on the board, but they’re faces remained blank. Usually one student or another will know the word or will look it up in the dictionary, but they all just sat their silently pondering and trying to think of what it meant. It was so quiet and still in the classroom as they thought and their faces were so intent. I considered not doing it for a second, but then I thought the moment was too precious, and I let out a quick, girly scream. The students jumped back and gasped and then started laughing. They’ll never forget that word now!

Time’s up! Later!