Birthday and More...

Celebrated another birthday in Mongolia, #29.  Or, as some have so astutely pointed out, 30-1.  Thanks for that.  ;)  On the 19th, everyone came to my place and we had Thanksgiving in January.  See, a turkey (two actually!) magically made it's way to C-town, and since the holidays had already passed, the next occasion to celebrate was my birthday.  We pot-lucked it again, with all the trimmings: mashed potatoes & gravy, dressing, green bean casserole, peas & carrots, fruit salad, pasta salad, and bread pudding.  After hanging out and binging on all the deliciousness, we went out dancing.  Fun times.

 Two big thumbs up!

 I carved that baby up like a pro!

 Om nom nom nom!

 Oh hey, thanks Grand Club!

 Out with the girls.

On my actual birthday (that was the 22nd, for those of you who were unaware), I had lunch with my CPs, skyped my PC bff, had a beer, and just bummed around.  I had thought about going out, but I am broke.  :(

These last three weeks we've been practicing volleyball every day for 2-3 hours in preparation for the Teachers' Day tournament.  We also had the intra-school competition (went 4-3, took second) and the foreign language teachers' competition (went 4-0, took FIRST!!), all leading up to the big tourney in the next day or two.  And if you're wondering (my mother especially!), my knee is taped not because I messed it up again, but because during the intra-school competition I dove for a ball, my knee pad slipped down and I got wicked court burn.  I taped it up so that my knee pad wouldn't irritate the raw skin, as well as to keep some "magic medicine" on it until the hard scab forms.  Now there's a lovely image...Ha!

 Zoloo, me and Andi.

 Shooting the ball over.

 At one point, I served 10 aces or shanks in a row before missing.  What do you think they were all talking about later?

 The ShKh players.  I wasn't on their team because we numbered off instead of playing by school.

 The winners!  Woot woot!  (We of course partied after which is why some are already dressed.)

So that's what's been happening here.  Not sure if the big inter-school tourney will be Sun & Mon or Mon & Tue or just when, but that will be fun again.  And my friend Vihn is on his way to C-town as I'm typing this. (Also, as I'm typing this, that turkey carcass from last weekend is simmering away, soon to become homemade stock, and making my apartment smell ridiculous.  Yum!)  He'll be helping with a seminar we're facilitating on Weds & Thurs.  Then Friday is (actual) Teacher's Day, so party party!  10th and 11th grades still have classes next week (although I don't teach those grades), then it's two weeks of break, the last week being for Tsagaan Sar.  Dang, how is it nearly Tsagaan Sar already!?  Where did the time go!?