-70 Is Very Cold...

So yeah, if you saw the subject line you probably won't believe me. But let me explain how I almost froze to death and got frostbite. So this week is knows as Цагаан сар. Which means white moon, it's the celebration of the lunar new year. It's traditionally a Chinese Holiday, but the Mongolians adopted it and made it their own. So it's pretty Mongolian with their customs and practices they applied to it. The holiday is 3 days long, and on the first day, people have their families over to visit and they don't invite people over unless they consider them family, we got invited to a family's house on the first day which meant a lot. It really shows how they think of us, it was pretty sweet. So the second and third days you go to peoples houses and greet them in this super Mongolian way. You extend your arms toward them and if you are younger you place your hands on the old peoples elbows and "support" them. I can't explain in words, I'll have to show you when I'm back. So we went over and every one makes the traditional food called Buuz. They aren't terrible, but everyone makes them from sheep meat which is pretty gross here, and they are literally full of oil. So when you bite them oil explodes out and goes everywhere. Pretty gross haha. Over the whole three days I had 130 Buuz and took 5th place in the mission for most eaten. Now I am just suffering the consequences because I feel like I am sweating oil haha. But it was fun. Everyone, and I mean everyone, wears the Mongolian Deels around town. We wore ours and got some looks, but the people loved it. So that's basically the holiday. 3 days of that, it was super fun wearing our Mongolian stuff and visiting that many people. 

So now to why it was -70, and yes that is Fahrenheit. On the morning of Tuesday (the first day) all the men go to hike this mountain that Mongolians have been hiking since this holiday was adopted, so quite a long time. So the Elders in the mission all went. We woke up at 4:30 to go hike this mountain, and it was -40 in the valley already, and we were headed to the mountains. Our taxi driver was so stoked to see some Americans going to hike this mountain, he told us all the secret routes up (trails don't exist here, to hike you just choose a mountain and bushwhack your way up to the top, it's awesome). So we get there, meet up with some other missionaries and head up. And by this time its hovering around -48 because of the elevation change. So it's a bit chilly if you ask me. All I have on is a ton of layers and my deel and my fox fur hat and a neck gator. So no parka or anything. It's the Mongolian way. We hike this mountain and it's so freaking cold that some dudes brought a 50 pound sack of coal with them to burn at the top. These guys were also out hiking me which was crazy, they are so strong here. I was hoofing it and they were passing me left and right. But anyway, we get to the top and start to head up the other mountain, it's about 7 am right now, and the temperature is dropping more so for safety lets just assume it was -52 okay?  There was no wind at this point either. So we get to the top of the other mountain and the wind is blowing super hard, probably around 10 or 15 mph. Everyone dropped down and got in their groups and threw up fires as fast as they could. There was about 1000 people on this hike so there was a good amount of fires. They just dotted the mountain side in the night, it was cool to see. We were pretty cold at this point so we decided to hike around, we found a group of guys who saw us and invited us over to thier fire. They were super nice to us, we chatted with them for about 30 minutes and enjoyed their fire and then went down back with the main group of guys. The sun was about to rise and it felt like it dropped another 3 or 4 degrees because my ears and nose were killing me and I had stuff on them. So let's do the math real quick okay? It was about -55 without wind chill, and the wind was blowing about 10 or 15 mph. So minimum that puts the temperature at -66, potentially -71 F.  So I will never complain about being cold again. I am a changed person after this hike. At the top of the mountain when the sun is first peeking over the mountains everyone yells out oohai!. It is just a chant, like saying bravo or something like that in English. It was pretty cool to see the sun peek out from the mountain and be in this environment. It was awesome to experience. I can't put it into words, it's something you have to experience. The mountain is super steep to hike up, so on the way down all the guys slide down on their shoes, so we joined in. It was super fun, we got going pretty fast. This hike was something I will never forget, it was pretty amazing. And cold. 

So really this week we met with a ton of people so I'm just gonna tell you some cool stories from the meetings. We met with this girl in our ward, and got fed some interesting stuff. They call it Stujen here, in English people call it head cheese. Let me tell you what it is. So people here buy sheep and cows by the whole body. They are already killed, but that's it, not gutted or anything. They take them home and butcher them themselves. So after they have eaten all the stuff they want too, they are left over with the head (sometimes, they eat that too, it's pretty gross tasting) and the bones and hooves, and organs and cartilage. They take the bones and hooves and grind them up into a powder and then make that into a gelatin. Then then chop up all the organs and cartilage and fat chunks into sizes about the size of a dime and throw it in, then let it chill and harden into this meat jello. And I ate that. Not gonna lie, I almost threw up. I have a video of me eating it. It was the worst thing I have ever eaten in my life. There is no way that anyone else on this earth has eaten a grosser food. Sorry to everyone else who thinks they have eaten something worse, but you haven't. 

Another day it was -50 F in the morning and we got a call from our mission doctor to not walk around because we will get frostbite in 10 minutes haha. It honestly didn't feel that cold though. But I threw some boiling water out the window and it looked dope. I'll send you the video. 

At another meeting the family was playing some old 80's music so we were jamming out singing to Bonnie Tyler and Run DMC. The sisters came with us to all the meetings to make it easier to meet with people. So we were all just loving hearing some real music again. It was funny to see them and Ponton singing to some 80's music. 

We also got transfer calls, I am going to Bayangol. It's a ward thats completely in the city, no ger districts at all. It's a super hard ward, it's only had 2 baptisms in the past year, so I'm pretty nervous for it, and super bummed I don't get to experience the ger districts anymore. There is a potential I will be there for the whole summer too, which I really hope doesn't happen. I would like to see some ger districts in the summer.

Yesterday we met with a little kid who is 13. He is related to the Bishops wife and wants to take the lessons. He is pretty cool. So we did get a new investigator to teach that is super dope, sad that I am leaving though right as we get them. But there is some good work here which is exciting for the ward. And that really was the week. I can't put into words all the experiences I had, but I love it here so much. Even if it is -70 on tops of the mountains.

-Austin

This is my Mongolian grandma Chuka.  Last picture with her because of my transfer.  She was a little emotional.  She said to me,"Well, this is goodbye for good.  Love your body, treat it well." I am really going to miss her. 

 Mongolian Head Cheese.  By far the grossest thing in the world.  

 This girl is Murun.  She is in my ward. 

 Lots of celebrations this week.  The guy in the light tan deel is our Bishop. This was at Battsetegs house. 

 Yup, I ate that.  It's bad meat from a cow. 

 This is Battsetseg. She's awesome. She fights political corruption, makes soap and has a stable job. 

 After eating so much we were so tired and almost fell asleep. 

This little guy loves to crawl on me when I go to his house. 

 Lunar New Year hike.  This is only for men.  If some attempt to climb the mountain they get booed.  And before you get all hyped up mom, it's tradition.

 Check out the frozen horses.  It was so cold. 

 Greeting the Sun. 

 Pickering and I.  I am in the dark grey.

All of the fires.  So many haha

 The blue skies are back.  The air pollution was gone this morning so thy sky was gorgeous. 

Cute Mongolian puppy

This song is called "Gobi in the Heart."

Eating the Stujen

Here is you boiling water trick.  It was awesome. 

Sliding down after our hike. 

Videos from the Lunar New Year hike.

People were throwing stuff in the air to greet the sun.  It's a shaman practice called deej.  They give their offerings to the mountain Gods.  They throw milk and stuff.  The milk froze before it hit the ground.