Count Your Blessings

You know, sometimes we forget to mention all the nice things about living here in Mongolia. Some perks of living here?
-- hardly ever being stuck in traffic - we walk everywhere!
-- no junk mail, ever
-- no tele-marketer phone calls, ever
-- a city apartment with a clear view of the mountains
-- interacting with real live nomadic herders - some of the last in the world!
-- never getting asked for ID at the store or bar
-- getting almost anywhere in the city by taxi for under 2 dollars
-- very cheap meat (ground beef at the fancy store costs 3 dollars for 2 pounds)
-- DVDs for $2.50 (new releases!)
-- several grocery stores nearby - no need to get in the car and drive at all.
-- not seeing or hearing anything about the political campaigns back home.
-- a new appreciation for the small comforts in life.
-- learning how to live simply and within our means (the meaning of "need" has changed a lot for us I think).

Only 3 weeks left in the term before fall break. We are counting down the days. Sometimes its really difficult to teach at our school - imagine teaching a bunch of really rich spoiled teenagers at a school where there are no discipline procedures and none of them can fail. It's not easy. :)