Mongolia Mission Week 10 - Dancing the night away

 Mongolia Mission Week 10

Our hope with this blog is to share highlights with our family and friends about our exciting opportunities and awesome responsibilities as missionaries. It's an impossible task, though, because it's hard to condense everything into a few words and pictures. So ask us individually if you'd like to know more about anything! You can contact us by email (jrose219@gmail.com or krose213@gmail.com), Facebook messenger, or you can text Kathy's phone (515-537-3273).

We know what you are thinking! You are thinking, "I wonder what lime-flavored fermented camel's milk would taste like." Yeah, that's what John thought when he saw this in the market. Actually, nearly every market. So, we bought some. It tastes just like you would expect. Kind of a soured milk with lime flavor. And a hint of camel. Actually, yogurt is fermented milk, too. So, kind of an unsweetened lime yogurt.

There are a lot of probiotic drinks like this
in this country.

But it's not just John. Kathy kept wondering what these things that look like sushi rolls would taste like. 

Gimbap is a Korean dish. 

Seaweed, rice, maybe carrot? some pickle? Yep. And something similar to a hotdog. It needed wasabi!

A better discovery is a hotpot restaurant in our little city. It's rather new and modern. When you enter the restaurant you select a broth and a meat. Then you sit around a conveyer belt that carries a variety of foods; you pay for what you select. The offerings include various types of noodles and vegetables, plus miniature hot dogs, fishy tasting lumps of rice type dumplings, and boiled eggs. There are a variety of sauces and seasonings on the side. It's a fun adventure, and you only have yourself to blame if you don't end up liking your soup.

Each seat has a hot plate so you 
can cook your selections in your broth.

Speaking of adventure, Saturday night after we cleaned the church, we met a Mongolian English teacher friend at a nearby Christian church because she had invited us to a dance . It seemed very popular and had lots of excellent dancers. Kathy was asked to dance nearly every dance! But she didn't know most of the steps people were dancing, because most music had specific steps people were using. And sometimes clapping. What a hoot! We didn't last long before we wore out and went home early.

So, how do you solve wanting to go dancing in Mongolia if you don't know any of the dances? Sign up for dance classes, of course. Our English speaking friend takes lessons at the same church where the dance was held and invited us to take lessons, too. We've been a few times now. We still don't know the language but can follow movements - sometimes. The teacher will slap his right leg when we are supposed to start with that leg. Or his assistants will partner with us so they can show us what to do. It mostly works. 

We're now signed up to go to dance class for 2 hours on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights! They're a fair workout - longer and more intense than most American dance lessons we've attended. (You may be wondering about mission rules. There are major differences between the rules for young missionaries and the guidelines for senior couples. 

After dance class Wednesday night, we walked to the main street and hailed a taxi. John's getting pretty good at telling drivers where to take us, and sometimes they actually understand him. (He used to just show them the address written on his phone.) The driver acted like he knew where to go but then stopped the car and said something back. John pulled out his phone to show the driver our apartment address, assuming he didn't really understand where to go. The driver showed us something on his phone: a video of us dancing from the class we had just left! We know we stick out as foreigners. No one in this town looks like we do, although once in awhile we're mistaken for Russians. But now we are famous! He recognized us even in our stocking caps!

So, you can see we're doing more exploring in our community. We certainly have perused lots of little shops. There are many small grocery stores full of snacks and drinks and some basic groceries. If we go in a storefront, sometimes a magical world of treasures may open up: a maze of shops called a zaah. Some shops are in different rooms of the maze; some are sections of a bigger room, with owners sitting on stools behind their counters. Many have an eclectic variety of wares (probably dependent on what can be imported). One store we find fun offers both bras and household implements. It's where we bought green cord for hanging our Christmas tree ornaments.

Hair supplies, irons, rice cookers,
clothing, etc.

The shops are usually small and tightly
packed.

This one is packed particularly high and has a big
selection of types of curd. It can be very hard and 
meant for gnawing, to strengthen your teeth and gums. 
It comes in various shapes and sizes.

Some smaller shopping carts roll.

Just before New Year celebrations, stores
had piles of pre-packaged gifts for people
to give, consisting of a variety of snacks.

More pre-packaged gifts for giving.

This is a row of different shops; each
seems to be individually owned. 

Reindeer boots are popular and 
usually have very decorative tops. 
They are supposed to be very warm.

We find the Mongolian people here very friendly. We try to let them know we are friendly, too. We know we stand out, and hopefully it's in a good way. Yes, we are crazy foreigners who don't know how things work, but we are also crazy foreigners who are doing their best to understand and love a people and their ways. We appreciate this opportunity and are searching for those special moments where we can have an impact for good in our small way. 

We have been blessed so abundantly in our life. "Because we have been given much, we too must give." We are honored to be here listening for our purpose and trying to draw closer to the Lord each day. It's a lifelong pursuit, but, especially now, we are being intentional about living in a more consecrated way. And it has paid off in special moments in our personal studies where we have received personal inspiration and deepened our knowledge. It's paid off in help we've received in making decisions about how to run our classes and our church group. It's refined our relationship with each other. It's a grand adventure.