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!