sometimes I get bored. really, really bored.

So back on the 10^th when break had just started, I had this lovely and slightly paraphrased conversation with my CP:

Her: “Tsetsne and I are going to UB tomorrow.”

Me: “Nice, can I share a taxi with you to Erdenet?”

Her: “Yes that’s fine.”

Then in the taxi Friday on the way to Erdenet:

Me: “How long will you be gone?”

Her: “Ten days.”

Me: “Uh, won’t you be missing school? The calendar says school starts again in six days.”

Her: “No, it’s too hard for the countryside students to come in for school to start on a Thursday. It starts the next Monday instead. The 21^st.”

Me: “Oh crap.”

Her: “Here’s the key so you can get to your stuff in my fridge.”

Me: “Oh crap.”

Things to do when Your 7-Day Break of Mere Boredom Turns into an 11-Day Break of Pure Isolation because Everyone Went to UB

1.      Chase down your kitten after she tries to steal a piece of chicken the same size as her. Debate whether you are more upset or impressed. Tough call

2.      Make chicken parmesean buuz – they’re the key to happiness

3.      Get stuck in a taxi on top of a mountain…again

4.      Go into Erdenet for a day with buying nail polish remover as your main goal for the trip. Buy it, then get all the way home before realizing you forgot to put it in your bag.

5.      Remember to make wish at 11:11 on 11/11/11

6.      After shopping for boots in Erdenet, decide to start vain and futile pre-Thanksgiving crash diet. Then realize you live in a soum and all of your meals are inevitably starch-based so your diet failed before the thought was even finished

7.      Wonder if kitten is plotting world conquest from under your bed. Is likely.

8.      Attend first Mongolian birthday party. Consume 4 different types of alcohol and two types of cake.

9.      Learn that not only are there TWO little cafés in town that you just learned about last week, but that there is a disco club (must be the best kept secret in town because everyone just talks about dancing alone in their houses or going to Erdenet). Sadly, be an old lady and decline to go at 10:30pm because you’re too tired. Realize you’re probably going to die when you meet up with non-soumers at Thanksgiving in two weeks.

10.  Finalize plans to go into UB for Thanksgiving. Realize this means you’ve run out of excuses to get out of going, but you really want pie so it’s really not all that bad.

11.  Wash every piece of clothing you own. By hand. Some of it twice. Washer woman hands are no joke. (Took three days. By the way.)

12.  Realize your phone has about 10,000 more units than it should. Suddenly the mystery text you got a month ago makes sense, but since you can’t read it because it’s written in some tricky Mongolian texting shorthand code, you can’t do anything and just feel bad for the person

13.  Have entire body become covered in scratches due to kitten’s misconception that your body is a tree and she is a monkey

14.  Spend an entire day doing nothing but listening to classical music and playing minesweeper

15.  Have hf come back from UB three days early and bring you back mandarin oranges.

16.  Be very sad when you learn that a drunk man stole the cutest puppy ever from your hashaa.

17.  Finish living allowance survey so the city kids can stop whining about how poor they are right after they tell me about all of the wonderful things they’ve been eating.

18.  Get first Mongolian haircut – hair is brushed back and cut straight across. Fix it once you get home with a mirror and the scissors from the medical kit. Lesson learned.

19.  Go to Erdenet (yes, again) after receiving a text along the lines of, “Hi. I brought avocadoes back from Australia. Do you want to come into town tomorrow and eat them?” Yes. Yes yes yes. Fabulously amazing guac.

20.  Wake up to an 18 degree ger. Yes, that’s Fahrenheit.

21.  Have lady who sold you nail polish remover not only remember you, but remember your stupidity and give you the goods. Sometimes being blonde has its advantages.

22.  Become the proud new owner of cups with dancing monkeys in top hats and a mysterious animal we call a “tiger-hippo-pig” and bowls with the five Mongolian animals.

23.  Successfully(?) burn every part of your right hand – all five fingers, palm, back of the hand, and wrist.

24.  Gain a television

25.  Be very, very glad when the 21^st rolls around because that means finally there’s something to do. Who knew Mondays could be so exciting?