Pictures from our new home/community

Thanks to a fellow PCV, I was able to get a faster internet connection at her work. Therefore, here all of the most recent pictures.

This is my best Mongolian picture so far....the original needs to be submitted to National Geographic because it exemplifies life so well here (and I am proud of it).

A few weeks ago, we took a hike (over flat ground) to a stone monument from the Turkic era (~700 AD). On the way, we came across a group of horses playing in a lagoon near the river.

Here is the stoneman that we found, also called a babbel (sp?). The blue scarves are good symbols in Mongolia, so they are draped around it. Also, people offered money and food, which are placed in front of it, or the money is tucked into the scarves.

These are the slippers (handmade from wool, camel hair, and leather) that Ashley and I wear around the house. Very warm and comfortable.

Here are the new curtains. There is actually a traditional pattern in the lower section, but it is very hard to see in this photo. The top is lined with gold fabric.

Here is the new kitchen prep table. Lacquered wood. The metal bowl is for the rice cooker and the pink bucket is for "bleaching" vegetables prior to cooking. The sunflower pattern is actually a plastic film that we found in a local store. The wood on the shelves absorbed water, so we put the film over top, to make it spill friendly and easy to wipe-up. We are VERY happy with it.

This is the new futon/couch. The fabric covers are new and though the seats are firm, it is very nice to have somewhere to sit.

Funny story for the week: we are approaching the end of fresh produce season and we wanted more tomatoes. Red tomatoes are expensive, so we went to a local store and asked for 1/2 kilo (1lb) of green tomatoes. She would only sell us this massive bag of green tomatoes, which is approximately 5 kilos (12 lbs). The entire bag cost 1,900 T, or ~$1.50. We put the tomatoes on the bottom of the kitchen prep table and about 1/2 have turned red. We have frozen a few pounds and have been trying new ways to eat them as they turn. I have been making omelettes with tomatoes almost every morning and Ashley has been putting them into whatever we have for dinner. I am quickly becoming tired of tomatoes, though I will miss them in the depths of winter.