The last night on our Gobi trip we stayed in a family's ger. They were a really awesome old couple who work way to hard. They are traditional herders and have a fairly large herd of sheep, goats and cows.
We had a fun night playing cards, playing with their dogs and trying to talk to the couple using the 2 phrasebooks we had with us. I got to try out my Mongolian and successfully said, "Мал сурег тарган тавтай юу." Which means, "I hope your animals are fattening up nicely."
My favorite part of my time with this couple was when the man found out I was American. He said, "Barack Obama" and gave a big thumbs up. Then he said, "Bush, Iraq" and did the Mongolian equivalent of giving the finger (an American sign language j). This made me quite happy. :)
Courtney, how far we have come in communications since I was born in 1939! You know the old "Doctor Livingston I presume" story. Now, you are in O.M. and I can follow your activities on an almost minute by minute basis. I truly find this amazing. You keep posting & I'll keep watching. [In the group picture there is one girl who looks to be over six foot...is she 100% Mongolian?] Love, Uncle ED
ReplyDeleteUncle Ed, Thanks for commenting! It makes me really happy when people read my blog. Even though I have only been around since 1987, I agree that modern communications are pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I totally knew it was you from your username. Go Hoyas!