Quick Update

by Kara


A quick update on life here... The domestic violence seminar I got funding for and have helped organize is starting tomorrow! The trainer arrived today from UB (by finding a car at the last minute because the bus didn't run today due to bad weather) and we'll begin tomorrow morning at 9am. (Which means we'll probably actually start at 10.) It's a two-day seminar and we should have around 35 attendees. On Wednesday we'll be having more meetings and hopefully meet with the new governor to talk about this issue and talk about opening up a shelter here. Here's hoping and praying it all goes well. I'm really excited for it to actually happen! 


It's still winter. If you're on facebook you've read my unending complaints. But really, it's April 25 and the high for today was supposed to be 31 F degrees and we received another couple of inches of snow. I mean, come on! I'd like to go just one day, one day, without having to see a dead, frozen dog on my way to work. (Sorry mom, no, I can't rescue them.) Instead of wishing for summer, I've started counting down the days until I'll be in the US. I'm not even hoping for a really hot Washington June, I just want to have temperatures above 30 degrees and not have snow. I hope that's not too much to ask.


So ya, 36 days until I'm sitting comfortably on Korean airlines, being served complimentary food and drinks (which will not include mutton) by beautiful flight attendants, and watching movies for hours on end until I arrive at Seatac airport. I'm really looking forward to seeing friends and family, being a part of my best friend Shivali's wedding, eating tons and tons of amazing food, and taking a break from my work and Mongolia for a while. I just hope I haven't forgotten all of my Mongolian by the time I come back here.


Other than that I've been pretty busy at work writing many grant proposals. Writing them myself has actually become a lot easier for me - it's trying to get my counterparts/coworkers to write theirs in Mongolian and have ours match that is the real struggle. I finally brought in a translator of sorts to help in a couple of meetings, which has been very useful. The first time he came in, as he left, he looked at me with an expression of seriousness and sympathy, and said, "Wow, I think your job is very difficult." (re: the language barrier) I could only respond with, "Yes, yes it is." I don't mean to sound like too much of a downer, but geez, Mongolian is still a really, really difficult language. And I think it always will be for me.


The other highlight of last week was that Sun and Jin finally reunited. Yeah!! Thank you LOST writers.


That's all for now. Here's some nice animal pictures for you to enjoy.

Our little crazy cat Mishka in her new favorite toy, a box. We had a near death experience one night when she nearly strangled herself on that piece of string though. Seriously, I almost had a heart attack. Mishka was strangely unaffected by the whole event and went back to playing. The string has since been cut off.

Awww, there she is again. Isn't she cute? She sleeps in strange positions that often resemble high dive poses.

The most recent batch of puppies living in the abandoned building outside of our apartment building that I've become overly attached too.

Okay, this isn't an animal, but it gives me that same warm and fuzzy feeling that cute puppies and kittens do. It's delicious food! These are just the appetizers from an amazing meal our sitemate Sarah cooked. The best part was the spinach artichoke dip, covered in tomatoes, on the left. Do we have spinach or artichoke in our town? No. Does Sarah let that stop her? No. Thank you America for producing such items in cans.