Sunday

I took it easy today - just did some washing and knitting and then walked up to the State Department store for a little grocery shopping. On the way home I stopped at the German bakery to buy some of their homemade dog biscuits. I was talking to the German woman who owns the shop about the sad situation for dogs here in Mongolia, and she told me that people have kicked and thrown rocks at her dog while she was walking her on a leash! Can you imagine someone doing that to your dog right in front of you? She never lets Bella, her golden retriever, off the leash. It would be insane to do that here. You'd probably be risking your dog's life.

Christina

Yesterday, while Skyping with Peter, I got a call from Christina, a teacher recruited by Anita, who arrived in UB recently and is starting work at the Goethe Institute. We had talked while she was still in Ann Arbor and made promises to get together as soon as she was available. She is still in those early days of confusion, adjustment and doubt, and needed to be able to talk English to someone and to get out of her apartment for a while, and I was happy to oblige. She didn't know where her apartment was, in the layout of the city, so she had to call another teacher and try to figure out where we could conveniently arrange to meet. That done, I offered to take her to the Black Market and show her what I know about UB.

I had my taxi meet her at the Chinggis Hotel and then we proceeded to the Black Market where delights and surprises awaited us. For me, the biggest surprise was that I found myself bargaining with one of the merchants without having the slightest intent to do so. What happened was that he had written the price of the item I was looking at on a piece of cardboard and I couldn't tell if the first digit was a "1" or a "7" so I was pointing at the number and sticking fingers in the air, asking "is this a one or a seven?" Well, it so happened that the price was 18,000 togrog, so he thought I was bargaining the price down to 17,000. He apparently agreed and wrote 17,000 on the cardboard and was giving me 3,000 togrog change back from my 20,000 togrog bill when I realized what had happened. I laughed to myself, but refused the third 1,000 togrog bill from him. He must have been bewildered at the transaction, but I wasn't going to try to make 66 cents from someone who works as hard as he does and stands on ice-packed ground outside in the cold all day long.

We went into the food market building, the only part of the Black Market that is under a roof and marveled at the array of food (dried kiwi, anyone?) and also how it was displayed. Salads, dried fruit, meat and candies are all displayed out in the open: unsealed, unprotected, and uncovered. I was dying to try the dried kiwi, but my FDA-precautioned self told me not to. I did buy some of the dried yogurt that comes in attractive decorated disks, but those are for my doggies. I thought they might enjoy the dairy product and the hard disks ought to be good for their teeth. They have enjoyed all the cheese I have given them so far. And speaking of the dogs, I have found a tiny bit of hope for them. I have happened to arrive at school a couple of times just as the garbage truck has arrived there and found the garbage collectors going through the bags and picking out bones and other goodies for the dogs to enjoy. Lucky for them the garbage truck comes by every day. Now compare this to the people I have seen who deliberately pick up a rock when approaching the corner of the parking lot where the dogs congregate.

After our shopping and sightseeing was done, the taxi dropped Christina back off at the Chinggis Hotel and I went home. We made tentative plans to meet at the German bakery soon and I could show her my neighborhood. It was a good day.

New experience

I had a new experience yesterday. The teacher at the school who is pregnant, Enkhmaa, will be gone for a year's maternity leave and the director, Enkhjargal, is interviewing people for her replacement. He asked me to interview a candidate to determine how good her English is. If someone had taped the interview, it could be shown in business schools as a perfect example of what NOT to do. Her husband was in the room with us (why? I couldn't say) and when I asked her a question she couldn't understand, he translated it for her. Sometimes he had to repeat her answers to me so that I could understand them. Needless to say, she didn't get an approval rating from me. She must have thought it was the strangest interview she had ever been on, though, because I asked her questions that I ask my classes to get them to talk. These questions include: "If you could have one superpower, what would you choose?" and "If you could make one law that people would have to obey, what would it be?" Certainly not your usual interview questions, but I assumed Enkhjargal had covered that aspect of the process and it was up to me to get her to talk.

Self Indulgence

I saw a sign on a business nearby advertising foot reflexology and massages and figuring the price would be reasonable here, I decided to treat myself today after classes. After pointing to "foot massage" on the price list, I was led to a room in the back to change into an outfit provided for me. The masseuse brought in a wooden bucket filled with warm water and some herbs that I soaked my feet in. Then she proceeded to massage my back, arms, hands, legs, neck, scalp, toes and feet. I have never had such a massage. She did some very interesting things crossing my arms over my chest and pulling me up, twisting me to each side, or bending me forward & pressing on my vertebrae. At the end, when I was lying on my back in the recliner, she leaned forward, put all her weight on her hands and pressed on my pelvic bones. It felt soooo good. This went on for an HOUR and only cost me 15,000 togrog, or about $10. Unbelievable. And this was for a foot massage! I wonder what would have happened if I had requested a back or a body massage (which were both more expensive than the foot massage). I kept thinking of Peter and how he would absolutely love this. I am trying to remember some of the things that she did so that I can treat him to a back massage approximately like this one.

Packages & Mail

My sincere and continuing thanks to those who have sent me packages in Mongolia. My sister, Jo, has been responsible for relieving me from the monotony of my admittedly-self-imposed restricted menu by sending me noodle mixes, tuna and other goodies. The package was brought to me at work, so I felt compelled to open it there, but when I saw the array of treats inside, I was careful to cover the Oreos and chocolate with the noodles so I wouldn't have to share them. There were things I was willing to share, but not my Oreos!
Mary sent me a box with a stash of treats, 2 travel books that I somehow missed reading when they came out, and a couple of other surprises, all gratefully received and appreciated. Bill sent me a Valentine's package of dried fruit.
The continuing mystery is why some things are delivered here to the school and some are not. It doesn't seem to matter whether things are sent by the post office or by another carrier. The pick-up spot for the packages has differed, also. Sometimes it's one post office, sometimes its another.
This morning when I got to school, I was given 2 package delivery slips and told I needed to pick up the packages before noon. No explanation was given, just that that was what the postal carrier said. I looked at the slips and recognized one as the package I was expecting from Bill, but I wasn't expecting anything else, so I examined the 2nd slip more carefully. My name wasn't on the slip, but the strange thing was that the package was sent from a company in Chesterfield, MO, just a few miles from where my mom lived until recently. This led some credence to the possibility that it really was for me, but closer inspection revealed the name of the intended recipient, who isn't me, although the destination address of the school was correct. Strange coincidence, but true.

Possible copyright violation?

I've been intrigued by the number of 2009 movies I've been able to watch on TV, including Julie and Julia, and An American Affair (starring Deep River, CT's favorite daughter, Gretchen Mol), but the ultimate show occurred today. I was flipping through the channels and recognized the Robert Downey Jr. version of Sherlock Holmes that came out around Christmas. The surprise was the message that was shown during the broadcast: "YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DISC AND ITS CONTENTS. This disc is digitally watermarked to identify you. Do not loan, copy, rent, sell, give away or otherwise transfer to any third party for any reason."

Grocery shopping

I stopped at the Minii today to pick up just a few things. Of course you know how that goes. After I found the things I came in for, I took a look in the beverage aisle. I'm always thirsty here because of the dryness. So here's the selection of things I brought home: Orange-carrot-lemon juice, sea buckthorn juice, Aloe vera juice, hawthorn juice, apple-lemon-coconut juice, and one additional bottle that I haven't been able to translate yet. I'll take it to school and find out what it is. I'll report in with my reviews of my taste testing.