November 9, 2015

сайн байна уу!

It is officially my first week in Mongolia, crazy I know! I have already been here for about 4 days now and it has been an interesting couple of days. So far I love it! The people are so friendly and even though I have no idea what they are saying to me I already love them. It is definitely a different place here but it has been exciting. My pday was actually supposed to be yesterday however that didn't happen because they called us and told us to come to the Mission Home so that they could drive us to the Mongolian hospital where I had to get x-rays and blood drawn... that was a fun experience. When they did the xrays they didn't even protect the parts they weren't xraying so if I don't die from the radiation poisoning it will probably be from the pollution in the air... haha I am just kidding. They only use coal here so most of the time the air quality isn't the best and we have to wear masks, but so far it hasn't been too bad. 

 

Although I did get sick on Sunday because we had to run a couple blocks to our church building so that we could get there early and greet people so the cold air and everything didn't help. On another note the food isn't too bad, although all the fat they use is going to take some getting used to. My companion and I went to this little restaurant and I ordered this ramen soup and when I got it, it looked nothing like the picture of course and there were these chunks of fat in it... I guess it adds flavor right? Another thing I tried is this candy they call airag (that’s not how you spell it but that’s the Mongolian English version of it) anyway, that is the fermented milk candy that they have that tastes as my teacher quoted, "A petting zoo in your mouth" or "baby vomit", gross I know but now that I have tried it I can officially agree with her. It is definitely not my most favorite thing in the world and it will take some getting used to. 

 

The transportation here is also crazy. We take the bus a lot and I am not kidding when I say that it feels like I am riding the bus from Harry Potter! Sometimes though it is so packed that you can't even move, you pretty much will move like 2 inches but then you will bump into the person next to you and they will stop you. They don't have any laws when it comes to driving so its pretty much do what you want, but somehow they make it work. I am just thankful we don't have to drive here. The taxi system is pretty cool here, its not even really a taxi. You basically just stick your hand out and then someone will stop and give you a ride. If they feel like making some extra money then they will stop for you and then you can bargain with them the price you want to pay.

My companion is so cute! She is this tiny little Mongolian missionary and she is so fun. Even though we don't understand each other all the time we get along great. She has been extremely helpful in teaching me the language and I know that I will learn a lot from her. It has been hard learning the language, not going to lie but I know it will just take time. I am also looking forward to teaching my first English class here. Sister Nelson is actually going to be my teaching companion since we have the same sponsor and are at the same University so it will be nice having someone from my MTC district with me. She is actually in my ward as well so I see her quite a bit. Since this is such a small mission I have actually seen most of my district quite a few times since I have been here so I consider myself lucky. I have missed them so it has been nice to see them the few times I have. 

I haven't taught any lessons with investigators yet, I actually have my first lesson tonight and I am really nervous for it. We met them at church on Sunday and they seem really sweet so it shouldn't be too bad. All I know is that no matter how simple and short my testimony may be, I believe it 100 percent and I know they will be able to see that as well. 

I hope everyone is doing well and that you have a great week! I love you all and will write to you next week!

хаиртай шүү,

кэрбий эгч