Sustainable Christmas Lyrics

Yes, friends, it has begun. My students are demanding that we study songs: Christmas songs. In October. And here is their list: Last Christmas and My Love by Westlife. Right. One of those isn't a Christmas song. No problem.

Got some packages in the mail yesterday (thank you thank you thank you!) and one contained my most eagerly anticipated read: Also Sprach Zarathustra. Yahoo! Started digging into it today when I woke up at 4 AM to the sound of a small rodent racing on my sleeping bag. I failed to get back to bed. But, no worries, I had an early morning friend eagerly waiting for my attention. Good ol' Nietzsche!

What else is new? Tutoring Mamu (my hasha little brother) regularely now. He incidently also demanded that we study My Love ("Why!?...."). Really it isn't so bad when you ignore the inane lyrics. My hasha family mentions at least twice a day that I need to make a fire. "Can you make a fire?" "Did you make a fire last night/ this morning?" "Did you study fire-making?" (That last one is my favorite). I assure them that I am not cold and can indeed make a fire. They take good care of me.

Some people (Fahd...) are heading to UB sometime soon (I forget exactly when). As a result the lists of things to get for those of us not going are piling up outside his apartment door. This list includes the following items: cocoa, cornmeal, beans (any and every kind of bean seen by the UB visitor), brown sugar, powdered sugar, Business English books, good Mongolian dictionaries, and sundry other items. I imagine that life in the States will seem strikingly easy for a while when I first get back. "What!? You mean I can buy vanilla extract and make cookies right now!?" Shall be interesting...

Weather still pleasantly fall-like here. Hope is lasts. Thought the snow covered mountains are supposed to be a step up from the dust blanket that currently covers beautiful Bayankhongor. We shall see.

Peace out, take care and take it easy!