Travels with Marm and Mooner

Our visit from Marm and Mooner (our niece Amanda) couldn't have been more wonderful -- at least for us. We think it was pretty good for them, too, despite nights without toilets (not even outhouses), a few rounds of carsickness for Mooner and delayed flights. Mooner did get to learn of a use for scotch tape. All tape here is simply called "scotch" (not a Mongolian word), and it is used in the way that Americans use duct tape -- to hold together absolutely anything. And while for years we've appreciated the adhesive qualities of the stuff, we were unaware until we travelled to Harhoran, of its curative properties. When Amanda was car sick, our driver told her to put a piece of scotch over her belly button and her carsickness would go away. Indeed it did! Whether it was from having already eliminated the contents of her belly or from having covered her belly button with tape, we don't know. But she took it all in stride. I'm sure any of you who suffer from carsickness will be scrambling to the nearest "House of Scotch" to stock up at this point. Please let us know what miraculous results you are able to achieve!

The first thing we did after they got to UB was get back on a plane and fly back to our town. We knew it would be a very short visit, and the additional flight was pushing it, but I really, really wanted them to see where we live and work. I wanted them to get a feeling for our lives here; to be able to picture in their minds places and faces when we talk about things after we get home. On our second night, our friends and colleagues welcomed them warmly and gave them gifts, and everyone told Mom that she looked very young for her age. Some of the high school students I teach at the library each week came, and we sang a couple of Mongolian songs and some of the songs I've taught them this year. Mandy especially loved listening to them singing "Imagine." It was so sweet.

The next day, Boldsaikhan, a friend of ours, took us around town in his car. Boldsaikhan (Bogii), is the man who runs Anna Home, a residential home for kids whose parents aren't alive or can't take care of them. Some of the kids he actually found living in manholes by the streets of our town (a relatively common situation in the country). Mandy was completely smitten! She and Mom both decided that they'd like to try to do something for the kids, and I know that any help at all would be hugely appreciated. Their biggest project right now is to get a well dug. It's going to cost many thousands of dollars, but they are trying to grow their own vegetables, and without a close source of water in this very dry country, they can't be successful. That being said, if any of you would like to support Mom and Mandy in trying to make something happen from the US side, please let them know!

After 2 1/2 days in our town, we flew back to UB and were met at the airport by a tour company guide, ready to take us to Harhoran, the former capital of Mongolia (back in Chinggis's day). We spent 4 days on the road, surrounded by more mountains, horses, sheep and goats than I've seen in all of the last year. Also, much more GREEN!!! This summer has been the wettest that locals can remember in the last 10 years, and the valleys and mountainsides are carpeted with grasses, sage, and lovely little wildflowers. We drove for hours, seeing nothing but those mountains, valleys & animals, scattered gers and the occasional herder on his horse.

The most beautiful part about Harhoran is its lovely monastery, which dates back hundreds of years. Like almost all the other monasteries in Mongolia, it was largely destroyed when the Soviets came in and tried to wipe out Buddhism. But parts of the original buildings remain, and all have been restored as closely as possible to their original designs. We had a chance to observe local folks sitting with lams (monks), receiving blessings and advice on family and personal matters, ie when to get married and what to name their children. Many Mongolians still go to lams regularly to solve such matters.

The other really awesome thing we got to do on the trip was ride camels! I had been hoping to try camel riding ever since I came here to Mongolia, and both Mandy and I finally had the chance. And for those of you who like to ride horses, I gotta tell ya, camels are SO much more comfortable to ride. They move so steadily, plus they kneel down to let you on and off. Course, their temperaments are a little more sketchy

(though neither camel ever spit at us), but they were wonderful to ride. The experience was made even more wonderful by the fact that our camels were being led by two young herder boys who asked us to sing an American song, then sang a beautiful Mongolian song for us as we walked along. The ride took place in a pocket of semi-desert on the way to Harhoran, with sand dunes and all, making it feel very much like an authentic "Lawrence of Arabia" kind of experience (except with Mongolian music).

Another pretty special part of the trip was that we stayed in gers every night. One night we stayed with a family near Orkhon Lake. Mom, Dad and 3 year-old daughter all had the intensely ruddy cheeks you would expect for people living in the elements every day. They were a herder family of very modest means without any kind of permanent structures near their ger, not even an outhouse. And they all slept on the floor with Jimmy and I, letting Mom and Mandy have their beds. The mosquitoes and flies were thick as thieves, the wind whipped mercilessly, water had to be hauled from the lake 1/2 a mile away, the ger was spartan, at best, and yet the family seemed very contented with their lives. It was the kind of experience that always makes me appreciate the fortitude and resourcefulness of these folks even more.

On another night, we stayed in a tourist ger camp where we were treated to an exclusive performance by a local group of musicians and dancers. The 4 of us were the only audience, and the show began a full 2 hours late, but it gave Mom and Mandy a good taste of the beautiful and unique style of music here in this country. We even got to hear throat singing (which sounds nothing like a human voice), watch a contortionist, and see a lovely young girl perform a traditional dance. It was such an intimate performance, and completely worth the wait!

After returning to UB for a day, we got on a train and headed north to visit our summer host families. The love was positively palpable. My eej and Marm greeted each other like long lost sisters, and spent the whole visit giggling together and hanging on to each other. It was the sweetest thing! Even with no more than the word "hello" in common, their communication needed no translation. It truly felt like we were all one family. It was definitely the highlight of my time with Mom and Mandy. We also stayed with Jimmy's family for a day, and his sister Mongono showed Mandy how to make buuz. Her patience was remarkable --making buuz the "right" way is truly an art form here, and "sub-par" buuz are not served to guests. And, believe me, making buuz look right is not easy!

We spent our last couple of days together in UB, poking around in shops and hanging out with other Peace Corps & VSO volunteers. I loved that many of my friends here got to meet my family: I loved showing them off to each other! Other volunteers have told me about family members visiting (especially moms) and hearing lots of complaints about the many "inconveniences" one must often deal with here, but not MY mom and niece! Mom and Mandy's tolerance was one of the nicest things of all for me about their visit. I knew that they would both be able to roll with stuff here, but they not only rolled, they rolled gracefully and without a single whimper. I felt so proud of them!

So, I couldn't have been happier with our time together. The only thing that would have made it nicer, of course, would have been to have them here for 2 months instead of 2 weeks. But I won't be greedy! I'm so thankful to both of them for having made the trip, and especially to Mom, who paid for all Mandy's travel expenses as a graduation gift. They both have plenty of photos, so feel free to ask them to share!