Another year has come and gone here in Mongolia. You back in North America have another 8 or 9 hours to go, so Happy New Year to you all! I spent the evening quietly, just watching movies and enjoying the new coffee press I found today at the UB Mart. Plus, all the exquisite tea there is to be had here! I discovered this amazing Korean tea that is ginger (my favourite!) and for some reason has peanuts added to it. I initially thought them to be bits of ginger but after drinking quite a few cups and crunching on them discovered I was wrong. Who puts peanuts in tea? Koreans, I guess. Never would have thought of that.

There was the usual display of independent fireworks here. Randomly going off and any given time. I had a man behind me this afternoon at the checkout who was so impatient to get past me and while I was walking out with my bags of lemons and apple juice he was pouring out some of his apple Fanta and pouring in some vodka. No wonder he was so impatient! That's one of the major reasons I have decided to stay home today. Those vodka drinkers can get, well...I guess I should know. That's why I have a self imposed ban on myself in regards to vodka!

I caught a ride home with an unlicensed taxi. Those guys are nice. The only issue is if they try to ask me for my phone number and then I just pretend I have no clue as to what they are talking about. We usually just give up talking at all as most have little to no English. I know enough to give myself directions home. I can't spell the words proplerly, this is phonetically speaking, but chiggora is straight, barrone is left, and zoon is right. At least I can tell them if they're going the wrong way. And, I think NO is a universal word. Still, when people ask me if it's okay I automatically resort to French, then for some reason Spanish. Then, I just shake my head and say "za".

I'm a little disappointed because what I thought was going to be a town made of ice is actually an ice skating rink with a few clear brick of ice to mark the parking lot. Rats! It was labeld in English "Ice Town". There are quite a few sculptures around town though and you know they will stay! I can't remember the last time it got above -20! I still have to wear two pairs of pants and sorely wish I had some boots, decent boots to keep my feet warm.

My house keeper today was asking me about how in North America people really hate people who wear fur? I said yes, but they have never lived in a climate like this and could never understand how necessary it is to stay warm. My down filled jacket is frozen all the time! When I walk it sounds like the snow crunching under your feet. That can't be right. It's actually kind of tough to stay warm because you're cold, you get on the bus and you get hot due to all your clothes, and a bit sweaty because there are so many people around. Then you get off the bus, and are kind of wet, so you are freezing because while the sunlight is there, it's fleeting during your walk to your destination. Then you get to where you're going and you're boiling! You end up kind of stinky at the end of the day, no matter what you do.

The people here do have a distinct smell. I can't say it's bad because I am, or used to be, one of those earthy types, and to me it smells like the outside here. The people from the country side do have a more pungent aroma than the people from the city, but that also depends on what they do here. You also can smell the difference between families that use dung for fuel or coal. That depends on where they live. If they live near a coal mine, they all use coal. Otherwise, it's dung. The thing I don't get is the whole tooth decay thing. Most people's breath, well, I can't lie, it's bad. It seems the parents wait for the young teeth to fall out before they make any efforts towards oral hygiene.

I have begun to hate and love this place. Did you know that on every sidewalk here there is one strip dedicated solely to "skating" on? People here are so ingenuous and hearty. Nothing gets them down. There's always an answer to everything and they are always smiling no matter what the weather. While I can get a bit irritated due to the space issue, everyone is here to help.

Happy New Years! Have a fun night and try to manage to keep those resolutions this time!

I was robbed! For my first time here in Mongolia I got robbed. I had had a very strenuous day. I missed my bus stop and then got stuck in a traffic jam. I got off that bus and boarded one heading the other way. We were still stuck in traffic in an area I have never been before. The bus soon turned into a travelling sardine can again and I decided to just get off and walk, no matter where I was. As it turned out I got off at the correct stop and made my way toward the State Department Store.

I had to head to the Happy Shop to return a movie that was marked as other than what it was. They exchanged it for me and I got some more to tide over my evenings here. I then headed to the department store. I had a few errands to run which of course took me to many different floors. I thought I was done and headed to the grocery store there. After waiting in line for what seemed an hour (everyone is stocking up for New Years) to purchase four items I remembered I needed something back up on the third floor. I found what I was looking for (an extension cord) and went to pay. When I went looking for my wallet it was gone! I frantically searched high and low on my person and in my bags for it. It was no where. I decided to head back down to the grocery store to see if I left it at the cashier. As I was heading my way back downstairs something was lobbed through the air, down the stairs and laned at my feet. It was my wallet! I grabbed it and looked inside. All the money was missing (over 250,000TK, about $300) but my VISA and Canadian driver's license was there. No doubt the jerks were watching me look for my wallet and were waiting for the opportune moment to return it to me. I feel a bit grateful to have it back with my credit card but still. I was robbed!

I was forced to take a second trip to the bank machine in order to pay for my cord and decided I'd had enough and it was time to go home. After one quick stop at the Korean store I flagged down a driver and headed home where I was safe and sound. I have now decided to keep my wallet not in my purse, but my jacket pocket with a zip. It astounds me that I didn't feel a thing and wonder if I'd been cased. It is always busy in the store and people are constantly bumping into you. My camera was safe though!

Cat, or rather Miss M, has taken to refering to herself in the third person. I have a new found respect for my mother and the work she does. I have been crying for four day due to the death of my puppy. I can't imagine the life of women who do the work my mother does, dealing with death in such a profound and real way every day. I haven't touched or felt a real dead body until Gobi. I'd always been sheltered from it. Wow. Bless all you who deal with that on a daily basis. You truly do so much for us. Love you!

I had a puppy for a whole of two weeks before she died. Today was our two week anniversary and I had to take her to the vet, again. It was discovered she had distemper and needed to be put down. I never would have thought that after only two weeks I could be so upset but I guess I really enjoyed her presence. I can't imagine having to say good bye to Farley if I cried this much over a dog I'd had for little amount of time. So, I had to say goodbye to Gobi today.

I did have a wonderful man help me today though. I had lost the list of taxi phone numbers that Enkhee had given me so I went to the store to try to call one. This wonderful man took us there, came in with me to the vets, helped the veterinarian put her down and made me leave the room. I, of course, was in tears. After she was put down they put her in a box and told me that it is Mongolian custom to take the pets to Zai San. I thought they meant the agricultural college near my place to be disposed of in a hygenic manner. No, you have to hike up the mountain and just put them there. We made her a little bed and put her to rest on the hillside. The nice man came with me and hiked up with me. He went above and beyond what any person would or should have to do. Especially for a stranger. I gave him 10,000 TK for all his trouble. He didn't want to take it but I forced him to. He just thought he was driving some white girl to the vet and ended up doing so much more. Mongolians are such a helpful people. If I were in Toronto, no perfect stranger would have helped me like that, well, at least I don't think so.

I looked up distemper on the internet and she definately had all the classic signs. The coughing, the infected looking eyes. It said that they run a temperature but it's usually gone unnoticed because it spikes. All the other times she'd been to the vet they said her temperature was normal. Today, it was through the roof. I also learned that as long as humans are vaccinated from the measles, they are immune. Distemper and the measles are similar viruses.

Albeit, I had to cancel my vacation plans due to Gobi's illness but there are lots of things going on around here. Plus, I can get caught up on personal errands. There is an ice town being built near my place that looks really neat. Ice sculptures are springing up all over town. They will most definately last here! It's quite cold. It's so dry here, even the snow is dry!

Last night we had a farewell dinner for the principal, Mr. Mark. He has resigned and will be leaving next week when Christmas vacation begins. I will miss him. He's a really great guy. I brought my camera to the occasion and forgot to take pictures, of course. He's headed back to Canada and for that, I am jealous. However, I have one week left until I leave for Bali, so it's not so bad!

I have lost another student. Edward went back to the U.S. with his father so now my class is holding at 24. Mr. Mark has developed an attachment for my class and they have too. They really respect him. Hopefully the new principal will be as revered. When my class learned of my upcoming trip to Bali they somehow decided that I was leaving and never coming back. I have planned a field trip in January to reassure them that I will be returning. We will be going to the International Intellectual Museum. It's a short trip but I have heard well worth it. They have these brain teaser toys. It should be good and all the students are excited about it, and apparently the parents are too due to it's scholastic value.

It is dark and cold here. It's dark still at 7 am. I mean, pitch black. I have noticed that the school is starting to get a little sleepier in the mornings. Things are just a little slower moving. On average, it is -22 celsius in the mornings and get's up to about -16 during the day. Due to the fact it is a dry cold, it's not as bad as you'd think. I still worry about coming months.

There is one thing about these Mongolians that I can't figure out. Why their fly's are always undone! I have a hunch it's due to the layers they wear under their pants, but I've given up telling them. As soon as they do it up, it falls back down.

The school has turned the soccer field into an ice rink. It's awesome but only a few of my students have ice skates. Ice skates are yet another investment I am unsure about making. I do so fondly remember making trips as a child to the local skate rink and it would be nice to be able to use it for gym class some days.

I have been diagnosed here with severe dry eye syndrome. It is due to the climate and apparently many people here suffer from it. I have to put this gel in my eyes to keep them lubricated. Initially I was putting it in at night and I was told to keep my eyes closed for an hour. I would kind of go into a bit of a panic. I am not the best sleeper in the world, well I'm good at sleeping but just not good at falling asleep, and the thought of having to keep my eyes closed like that makes my insomnia worse. So, I just put a bit in at a time throughout the day instead. While my eyes are still irritated looking they don't feel like there's tiny shards of glass in them anymore.

There is one week left of school and the winter talent show is on Wednesday. My student's play is coming along nicely. I had a short panic mode thing as I had no Santa suit for my Santa! One of the parents pulled through though and bought one for us. I was so relieved! All our props are ready and I have been forcing the students to leave their costumes at school so they don't forget them. Trust me, this trip to Bali will be well deserved!

I had quite the experience on the bus last night. Apparently in Mongolia there is no maximum capacity and we were packed in beyond what sardines must feel like. I elbowed some poor guy in the head and was pushed by other's elbows and bodies. It got so hot and felt like I would be crushed. I felt a panic then too. My arm and stomach hurts from the experience. My feet were not on solidly on the floor and felt out of control. I did not like it. Add in the crazy bus driver and it was an excrutiating experience.

What a week it's been so far, and it's only Wednesday! Mr. Mark is leaving as of next week. Our new principal will be coming, most likely while we're all away on holidays. It will be interesting to see what we all come home to. Plus, we all know that means another staff meeting. I confessed to Mark yesterday how much I hate them and he said he hated them too, so I didn't feel so bad.

Four of my boy students very nearly got suspended today and also have been requested to undergo mediation with some girls in the fourth grade due to some play ground shinanigans. This week has been hectic. I had the boys go to the principal's office and saw Mark in action. He was quite the thing to see! He was so into the discipline that I actually, on some level, found it a bit comical. I do appreciate him being the heavy and scaring the pants off the kids, but watching it made me want to laugh a bit too. The kids all lined up against his office wall, cowering and in tears. Him, a large tall presence, standing over them asking them if they liked to fight. "You! You like to fight?" "Yes, sir." "Well, then, why dont' you fight me? Come on then. What's wrong?" The thought of my 8 year old student trying to wrestle with what must have seemed like a sumo to them, well, you get the picture. I hope he knocked some sense into them. I also had to devote some class time to the whole idea that if someone else is doing it you don't have to, and the old idiom that two wrongs don't make a right. One of the other teachers thinks they're all squirrely because they know they are leaving school and are upset by the idea of three weeks vacation. My kids said to me one day "You're leaving, on a plane?" I had to say "Yes, I'm going to Bali for Christmas vacation." They responded "You're leaving and never coming back! Hey everyone, Miss M is leaving and not coming back!" The pure panic was upsetting. I promised I would return.

We also have the winter talent show coming up and are deep into rehearsals. My kid's show is shaping up, but the main character has changed three times! Finally a girl stepped forward to take the part when I told them that we couldn't do the play otherwise. Plus, I can't find a Santa suit for my Santa and we still have to make the moon and the sleigh out of crappy card board boxes.

On the plus side, my eyes were finally looked at this week by an eye doctor and apparently I suffer from severe dry eye syndrome. They said it's common among women and well, older women. Plus, the climate change. It is very dry, cold, windy and dusty here. I now have special drops as the over the counter ones were doing nothing for me and this goop I have to put in my eyes at bedtime. Blessed be the relief of eye gel! It's only been one day so far and I haven't seen or felt any amazing improvement, but soon. As I taught my kids, cross your fingers and knock on wood for me!

As with the holidays, come the holiday festivities. The staff is attending a farewell dinner for Mark this Friday at a nice restaurant I initally went to with Mark and Colin. It was good. Then, we have a fancy staff party the following Friday to kick off the holidays and celebrate the new year. The invitation states formal attire. Yeah, like I have anything like that to wear! It should be fun though. It's being held at a restaurant fairly close to the school and one I've always wanted to eat at.

I'm much looking forward to my time in Bali. I will wear nothing but my bathing suit for 2 weeks!