Time at Terelj

As the school year is winding down, things have been pretty busy for all here in UB. So on April 27th we all took a break and escaped to the countryside for a day of festivities, fellowship, and food!!! Around 9 am, we boarded a tourist bus in the center of the city and headed east to the national park called Terelj.  The road was bumpy, but the fellowship with our teammates and two friends from afar was great.  The trip out didn’t seem to take too long at all! 

Terelj is a beautiful area of mountains, rolling hills, woods, and meandering streams. The weather was exceptional which made it more enjoyable to be outside. Though the wind blew rather consistently, it was warm, at least as long as the sun wasn’t hiding behind clouds. It took about two hours to make our way from UB to the ger camp that was our final destination.

In case you don’t remember, a ger is the traditional Mongolia nomadic dwelling.  It is the same thing as a yurt, a circular structure covered by a wool shell with a stove for heating.  Though you wouldn’t think it, they are actually quite warm in the winter as long as the stove remains lit.

Reservations for two gers had been made, so we had plenty of space to gather or escape the wind if need be.  Shortly after we arrived, we witnessed the preparation of sheep for traditional Hor Hog.  The meat was quite fresh.  We knew that because it was tied to a pole looking around when we walked up.

Mongolians do not believe in spilling a sheep’s blood on the ground when they kill it.  It has something to do with dishonoring the sheep that is giving its life for food and bringing bad luck.  Because of this belief, a sheep is killed, at least for Hor Hog, by slitting a small hole in its underside, reaching in with a hand, and pinching a major artery.

It may seem strange, but it actually appeared to be a rather human way of killing the animal.

We all stood around and observed as a Mongolian man killed and then swiftly skinned, gutted, and butchered the sheep.  Nothing is wasted! 

The wool is used, the innards are set aside to be cooked, and the blood is collected to make blood sausage, a delicacy that we sadly didn’t have the pleasure of trying.  (However, Jennifer and I were not heartbroken about that!)  The meat and bones were placed into a metal container with hot rocks to cook.

During our time at the camp, we actually had two Hor Hogs.  What a load of food!  Our first was cooked with potatoes, carrots, and cabbage while our second was only the meat.  The meat turned out to be pretty delicious for mutton! 

Our second go around, we had the innards to try.  I had to try some of the intestine.  That is an experience that I don’t plan on repeating any time soon (hopefully never).



A picture is worth a thousand words!!

            The kids had fun searching for Easter eggs that the adults had hidden all around the ger.  It was fun for the non-egg seekers to watch the young Americans and Mongolians scatter for their quarry.

            The camp was surrounded by awe inspiring mountains.  It was fun to walk around and take in all of the beauty.  There were eagles catching the updrafts and sweeping across the sky just above our heads.  There were cows wondering around the grounds and even eating some leftover Easter eggs that the kids had forgotten to take inside a ger.  There was even a group of Korean students who had a blast getting their pictures taken with us!

During the afternoon, some played volleyball while others went for a hike or took a nap.  It was fun to be away from everything and not have to worry about responsibilities that were going undone.

Before our supper, our country leader led us in a time of reflection concerning Easter.  We sang a few songs in both English and Mongolian and then had a time of uplifting together. 

  

Sadly, that was the last all team get-together that several of the people will be at, so we gathered around them and committed them into His hands.  We are saddened to see our team dwindling, but it was a joy to have Matthew and Pam, the two new additions to the team, with us.



Jennifer and Pam

             After eating more mutton (and a little bit of intestine) we got a group picture, cleaned up, and headed back to the city.  It was after 9:30 when we got back into town and around 10 when we got home making us two tired and worn out travelers.  We are so thankful for our team and the time that we had together in Terelj!