Dolma Ling CC Anniversary

August 28th was the 6th Anniversary of of the Dolma Ling Community Center Soup Kitchen. It is the only 5-day a week soup kitchen feeding the hungry in Ulaanbaatar. Even after 6 years, they still feed 60-70 people every day but Roy tells me the numbers are starting to slowly drop since the early days. The Dolma Ling Community Center is located in the Bayanzurkh district of Ulaanbaatar, a ger district.

The festivities included a children's concert, speeches by Roy and the staff, and members of the district government offices. Mercy Hospital was there to present awards to Roy and the center for it's tireless work of the free medical clinic helping the sick in the district. After a light snack, there was even a few songs by a professional singer which everyone enjoyed.

Maybe because of word had gotten out about the celebration, over 130 poor people showed up for the meal that day. Unfortunately there wasn't enough food and almost 20 people had to go away hungry. Later, after the dining room had been cleaned up, and all the dishes put away, the community center invited its clients to come back for music and dancing which was lively to say the least.

Here are just a few of the pictures:

Everyone eagerly waiting for the festivities to begin

Dr Javza, Free Medical Clinic

Namjilma, Soup Kitchen

Balmaa, Children's Development Program

Khongor, Sewing Group Project

Roy receives an award from Mercy Hospital

Bridget Cummings, Sacher's Bakery
Her bakery donates bread every day to the soup kitchen.

Children's Concert

I see stardom in this girls future

The kids even had a fashion show
of clothes they had made themselves.

Now, it's time to eat!

Last Day of Summer

Well, I won't write much but just wanted to tell you summer is winding down. Registration starts this week and my English classes start on the 7th. So, another school year has arrived, not just for me but for everyone. So, the staff decided to have a picnic.

We loaded up a couple of microbuses and headed an hour outside of Ulaanbaatar to a wonderful spot on the river. With so much rain, the river was quite high. Weather was a little dicy, sprinkling from time to time but also sunny at times. Almost everyone was able to come, along with their families.

The nuns brought a small kitten that had been found
abandoned in the park near the nunnery.
It was a very sweet kitten that
needed lots of love and attention.

The men prepared the meat of two sheep
for this many people.

So much food to eat,
and that was even before the mutton was done cooking.

Even the nuns seemed to be enjoying themselves
despite the occasional sprinkle.

It was so nice to see the staff's children.
These little girls were a little shy at first
but later decided I was just another big kid.

We had a wonderfully green flat spot to picnic,
with shade when the sun came out,
sand for the kids to play in
and the river to swim in.

They taught me how to play Mongolian cards.
Lost the first hand and my partners and
I had to give the winners a piggyback ride.
But my partner and I won the second game.

The older boys decided to go swimming
but didn't seem to mind the horses nearby.

Everyone had a good time and ate too much food.
We packed up in the evening after 7 hours of fun.
It was a wonderful way to end the summer.
And the best part was I was with my best friends.

Click on any picture to see more photos or to order prints

Visitors and more visitors

Who would have ever thought that while living off the beaten track in Mongolia, I would have so many visitors.

Judy and her daughter Zoey are traveling in Korea and Mongolia this summer but also brought a ton of medical books that I had asked for that will be donated to the medical school.

Zoey & Judy

Valarie is doing volunteer English teaching at an orphanage summer camp in the countryside but found my name on CouchSurfing.org and stopped by for a chat.

One day when I was working out at the Dolma Ling nunnery, a Swiss couple came by for a visit. Once they had been shown around, they had some more free time so offered to help me out. Séverine and Nicolas spent most of the day helping me weed the area around the stupas.

Séverine & Nicolas

My friend Elke, whom I met while walking the St James Pilgrimage in Spain, is traveling in Mongolia this summer. Another pilgrim friend I met in Spain was in Mongolia but our schedules didn't allow for us to meet up. Too bad but she said she had a wonderful time in Mongolia. I met Elke and her friend Francois her first night here and hopefully will see her again before she leaves. She's spending the whole time on a tour and it would great to hear her impressions of Mongolia.

Francois & Elke

My cousin Steven and his wife Melissa are coming through Ulaanbaatar to catch the TransSiberian Railway train to Moscow (they hope to finish in Europe where they will do some bike touring). They are finishing four years of teaching English in Japan. I actually stopped by Matt's house on two of my cross-country bike trips, so it's time for to return the favor. Our first night we spent at a cafe across the street where we got a pizza so large, we couldn't have anything else on the table. The next day, I took them to Gandan Monastery and then Choijin Lama Museum, followed by grub at Millie's, an expat restaurant with food just like home. And tomorrow, Biggie will take them on a two-night trip to the countryside where they will stay with a family. Then it's off to Moscow for them.

Steven (Matt) & Melissa

Mandshir Khiid

Last Sunday, Tsetsgee showed up at the center with the whole family in tow. "We're going to Mandshir. Can you go?" she asked. I asked when and she said "Now!" Ah, what else was I going to do but play on the computer, so I grabbed my shoes and off we went. Besides Tsetsgee and myself, there is Ichkaa, Tsetsgee husband, Baska, her college-age daughter who is also one of my English students, her boyfriend, and of course, Tsetsgee's son Amgalan.

We drove about an hour outside of Ulaanbaatar to Mandshir Khiid, a monastery complex that was destroyed in the purges of 1937. One building was restored in the 1990s but that's all. It was a pleasant drive along the highway until we reached Zuunmod (means '100 trees') but from there it was dirt road inside the 'Strictly Protected Area'. At the base of the mountain, a beautiful area next to a stream among the trees was the perfect spot for a picnic lunch. After that, the family and I trekked uphill to the monastery while Ichkaa took a nap in the shade.

Jim, Tsetsgee & Ichkaa

Only a few of building remains can be seen. Once you get higher up, you can see why this would have been a perfect place for a monastery, nestled in this valley. Above the monastery were three Buddhist carvings in the boulders on the mountainside. Some effort had been made to protect them from the elements but it made photographs very difficult to take.

Looking down on the ruins

Carved and painted in the stone

It was a beautiful valley

Climbing down is always more difficult than climbing up. [smile] We then stopped at what is now a 'nature museum'. I think the original monastery museum pieces have been moved to the one monastery building standing. Mostly this museum was filled with stuffed animals typical of Mongolia.

Now we have to climb down

Baska, don't touch the bear!

It was amazing how many other people were here taking the day off in the sun, and very few foreigners. We drove a short ways down the mountain to another huge grove of trees for a second picnic lunch were I got to play a little soccer with young Amgalan. Finally, tired but content, we drove back to Ulaanbaatar, the city of work. [smile]

Everyone sleeping on the drive home