Winter Blues

I would like to take a moment to apologize to those of you that have been our constant readers on this Mongolian Adventure. The past month or so we have failed to post updates on our lives. The reason for this is a combination of work and winter.

It is hard to convey what a long winter is like to people who have never experienced it before. This winter set in with snow falls in mid-September and permanent snow in early October. By the end of October the temperature was permanently below freezing and has stayed there ever since. The long months of winter are ones where we can’t go outside for any length of time.  November was bitterly cold. December wasn’t too bad, but January was quite cold with a number of days where the temperature didn’t rise above zero degrees Fahrenheit. 

By the time February rolled around, I found myself excited about the prospect of setting aside winter parkas in a month and optimistic about the snow melting hopefully by March. Yet even then we are not at the end of winter. I consider the growth of things that are green to be the end of winter. This doesn’t happen until the middle of May. So much of March and April, while above freezing, are barren brown months.

How does one cope with this kind of oppressing cold that lasts for a solid 6 months? For me, life becomes a rhythm. I start just going through the motions. Days and weeks pass quickly, sometimes without much happening to separate one day from the next. I become accustomed to the cold, and the prospect of always being indoors doesn’t seem so bad because walking between buildings is a constant reminder of the cold that is uninhabitable.

Time passes, and when spring does finally come and I can stand outside basking in the warmth of sun that is not bitter, then it is like waking from a deep sleep. Everything comes to life and I realize that I had only been half-living in a conscious hibernation for months.

I realize that to the analytical mind this might seem like a state of depression or seasonal effect disorder, but it is not for me an intense time of sadness. It is merely a time of waiting. It is as if my biology is telling me that the world is asleep and I must wait for it to wake up again. When it finally does, it is profoundly beautiful.

View from the Sky Lounge, my school is in this direction. 

View in the direction of our apartment and Sally's school

This is also not to say that our winter has been uneventful. We have been quite busy with work and other activities. In January, Sally and I went to eat at a new restaurant in town that is at the top of the city’s tallest tower (16 floors). The Sky Lounge offers a great view of our city and feels like a rite of passage because we have been watching the building being built for the entirety of our service.

Also in January was a regional language training that brought the PCVs from the eastern provinces to our city. For three days, those of us that attended underwent intensive Mongolian training and refreshing. It was fun to see our friends that live in our border provinces. 

I started an advanced speaking club that is for all of the advanced English students in our aimag center, thus facilitating an activity that crosses communities and schools.

Sally and I have also been teaching a number of community English classes. On a busy Monday, we can end up teaching 6 different classes to adults in the community.

Sally is working hard on her creative writing master’s as well. We are fortunate that this is something she can do while we are here in Mongolia. This takes up a lot of her writing time and is why I have been the main contributor on the blog for the last season or so.

On a final note, I think it is important to stress that even though the winter is long and oppressing, it is still beautiful in Mongolia. Most days are bright and sunny with a light that creates the illusion of warmth. Also, this winter has been much easier for us. I honestly have not felt very cold this winter. I think a part of this is that we are used to the cold.

~Caleb 

Tofu Curry Stir-fry

            In a desire to add variety to our diet, Sally and I have discovered the wonderful possibilities that are available with tofu (дупу). This recipe is easy to make and can be made with chicken if preferred.

Marinade Ingredients:	Rice ingredients:	Other ingredients:
¾ cup of olive oil ½ cup of water 2 tbsp. of cider vinegar 1 jar of red curry paste 4oz Parsley Ginger powder 4 cloves of garlic 10-20 black pepper kernels Curry powder One pound of tofu or chicken breast	2 cups of rice 4 cups of water Parsley Universal seasoning	2 carrots 2-3 bell peppers 2 onions

1. Marinade the Tofu:

            Combine ¾ cup of olive oil, ½ cup of water, 2 tbsp. of cider vinegar, one 4 ounce jar of Classic Thai red curry paste, dried or fresh parsley, ginger powder, 4 chopped cloves of garlic, 10-20 kernels of crushed black pepper, curry powder. (Add other pepper powders or hot red pepper paste for extra heat. This mixture can be changed to personal taste. Don’t be afraid to experiment, since curry is usually pretty forgiving.)

            Add cubed tofu or raw boneless chicken breast, and let marinade for 30 minutes to 3 hours.  

2. Cook seasoned rice:

            Combine two cups of rice, 4 cups of water, a splash of oil, about a tablespoon of dried parsley flakes, and a tablespoon of Vigora universal seasoning salt.

            Cook in a pot on a stove or rice cooker until finished. Stir frequently.

3. Sautee Vegetables:

            Combine a dash of oil, onion, carrot, bell pepper, and any other veggies you desire in a frying pan. Sautee veggies until tender.

4. Add the marinade and tofu mix to the veggies and cook in the skillet until everything is boiling nicely. If you have excess liquid you can simmer for an additional 30-45 minutes without overcooking the meat/meat substitute. The end result is a nice oily curry that goes great on the seasoned rice!! Any curry paste can be used for this dish as long as it is mixed well with the marinade. If you don’t have curry paste, it is also possible to use curry powder, but the end result is not as thick.

~Caleb   

So This is the New Year

Prior to the New Year, Sally and I attended our teachers’ Шинэ Жил parties (шинэ жил –shin jill—new year). This is the fourth and last teachers’ party we will attend with our school teachers. By now, we are Mongolian party going experts. We know what to expect, how much to drink, when to drink more, etc… Attending our last big Mongolian teachers’ party is a milestone that reiterates how soon it will all be over.

Sally and I will coworkers at our separate Шинэ Жил parties.

In the early hours of the morning of the 31^st of December, Sally and I called in to my family reunion. The purpose of this gathering was to celebrate my grandfather and great uncle’s 90^th birthdays. Sally and I were passed around between a number of extended family and even able to participate in the family photograph via iPad. This experience was surreal, to pose for a picture on a smartphone knowing that a dozen or more people are at your sides, but not really, since you are still on a couch 7,000 miles away.  In any case, Happy Birthday Grandpa Jack! We won’t miss your centennial!

Grandpa is on Sally and I's left. 

            On New Year’s Eve, Sally and I repeated a tradition from last year. We went to our sitemate Kyra’s ger to enjoy the warmth of a wood burning stove and celebrate the end of 2016. Around 12:40 the fireworks started, so we stepped outside into the -20 degree (F) winter to watch. Kyra lives in the ger district with a host family, so her ger is part of a larger fenced in yard. The whole district is plots of wooden fences sprinkled with gers and rough wooden houses. Coal and wood fires provide warmth for these structures that don’t have internal water or heat.

           Standing in the yard, we looked out over the surrounding district and watched fireworks erupt throughout the city. Some were momentary bursts of colors over individual хаашаа(haashaa-fenced in yards). The displays closer to the city center were larger. We stood underneath a thousand stars watching the lights from all directions breathing in the crisp Mongolian air. I don’t know why the fireworks started early. My guess is that somewhere a father finally gave into his children, and then a dozen other fathers gave in, and the world was alight with celebration.

            It is difficult to capture the feelings of watching a second New Year’s conflagration in a foreign country. There’s the “Holy crap, last year we were here… We’re still here...” or the reality of “We’re going home this year.”  In May of 2015, we boarded a plane for the unknown. Every new experience was shocking and interesting. Now it is January of 2017. The mystery of Mongolia is gone and watching the fireworks over the ger district seems normal and familiar. While time has passed, it doesn’t always feel like it has, but the reality of seeing our families after a two year separation will drive home the passing of time. Family have grown older. Dogs have died. Such is life, and here we stand on our second January in Mongolia.

~Caleb

“So this is the New Year,

And I don’t feel any different…

I wish the world was flat like the old days
Then i could travel just by folding a map
No more airplanes, or speed trains, or freeways
There'd be no distance that could hold us back.”

“The New Year” Death Cab for Cutie