Well,
we have done it, nearly. We have been here for a year, nearly. We have started
packing up our stuff, selling some off and giving away the rest in an attempt
to make sure we are within weight limits for our flights home.
I
had someone ask me today why I came to Mongolia. My standard answer is that I
wasn’t listening properly to James when he suggested it. But being honest, it
was voluntarily with full knowledge of what I was getting myself into. While I
wasn’t naive to what to expect, I have to say that actually doing it was a bit
of a culture shock.
And
again being honest, the cold wasn’t as bad as I anticipated. In the middle of
winter when I would check out the forecast and see that it was expected to be
in the minus 30’s, I would cringe. But the layer upon layer always did the
trick until I was indoors again. The wind would be cold and sting my face and
my fingers would feel like they were going to explode some days, but generally,
it wasn’t too bad.
I
was prepared for bad weather, what I wasn’t prepared for was the amazing
natural beauty that is this country. I don’t feel we saw enough but what was
laid out before us on our limited travels was just stunning. This country is so
diverse in what it offers and with changing seasons there are new dimensions.
So much of it is untouched and unhindered, it is there to soak up as the nomads
have been doing for thousands of years. I hope that never changes and in truth,
because of the harshness of the landscape, I think that most of it will remain untamed
for a while yet.
Part
of me is a little bit sad to go, part of me wishes I had seen more, but another
part of me is more than ready for home and ready to bid farewell to the long
drop toilet. Things are winding up at work, and that is where I will be sad, to
say goodbye to the gentle staff who always greet me in the morning with a
smile. We don’t share language but it has been easy to have a joke now and
then, I think they understand all my sign language and if that fails I have my
dictionary app on my phone.
Over
the next week, as supplies in the apartment diminish, we will be eating out and
I plan a few last traditional Mongolian meals. I think when we get home we will
be avoiding meat and cabbage for a while. But again, things weren’t as bad as
we had been led to believe before we left home. It wasn’t all meat and dairy,
fruit and veggies are easily obtainable here, some perhaps a little dearer than
at home. We did notice things disappear from supermarket shelves during winter,
like ground coffee, frozen peas and soda water. But we learn that if you see it
there, buy two. Mind you, we have ended up with an excess of lasagne sheets.
We
look forward to home, to being able to just grab a bag before setting off out
the door and hopping in the car. I look forward to hanging clothes on the line,
taking a walk in the garden, having a good choice of places for Sunday
breakfast, seeing the ocean, being able to throw the window open, a soft
mattress. I will miss the security guy downstairs who is always smiling, if I
catch a bus, I will miss automatically having a seat vacated by traveling
students, I will miss the cleaner at work who giggles when I sneak chocolates
into her pocket, I will miss looking out the window on random evenings and
seeing firework displays exploding in the night sky.
We
have had some truly wonderful experiences and some that make us question why we
are here. But I will always be so grateful with the realization of just how
lucky we are.
So
as a closing chapter I have put together some of my favorite photos to share
with you. I might have used some
before but some are new ones. After our little holiday we will be home and
ready to bore you all with stories of our exploits. And then, who knows where
the next chapter will take us, somewhere warm I hope.
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