Prep Day

Heyo!

so today was another tour/ intro day, which was necessary before work. We went to the giant silver statue of Chingis Khan, which, no, is not a misspell of Genghis, which was a translation error from Marco Polo. it was about an hour drive out in the countryside to the statue and the view from the bus window was amazing. Just watching the mountains go by, the herds of goats and cows graze, and the snow start to fall, was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I also got to learn a few Mongolian words along the way such as a few colors, greetings, and I should know the numbers but I can only recall the number one.

the statue was visible from a few miles out and the thing is huge! I can post pictures of thee statue and the rest of the trip once I get them downloaded onto my computer, but to give you an idea, it's like the Mongolian version of the statue of liberty. anyway, at the statue there was the opportunity to hold an eagle, which of course, I did. it was a golden eagle and it sat on my shoulder, pretty heavy too, but it was really empowering to have an eagle on my shoulder. after that, we got to go into the statue and climb up to the top of Chingis' horses' mane to get an amazing view of 1. the countryside and 2. Chingis' face. unfortunately, soon it was time to leave.

after our little tour, we went to the hospital to meet the Mongolian surgeons, doctors, and nurses and have a little intro session. we went around saying what all of our names and jobs were, of course with the help of our friend and translator. then there was a little meeting about which cases we will do this week and then we got to eat dinner with the families of the patients. it was great to see the kids before they have their procedures and hear them laugh. one of the little girls has the best laugh I have ever heard and we had a great game of tag after we finished eating. now we are getting ready for bed, but I think you are just starting the day. Anyway, I'll write again tomorrow!

- Bekah A