I am a teacher; I am a student (Mongolia week one).

(I am a teacher. I am a student.)

I have received many requests for a blog post...so here it is!I have been here in Ulaanbaatar for less than a week, and I think I'm still adjusting to the time difference, because I once again was up at 6 this morning. Ah well, this too shall pass. :)

This week has been one of the most humbling weeks of my life. Learning a new language and culture and city has required a lot of assistance, and a lot of patience...and a lot of admitting that I'm totally lost. It's all part of the adventure though, and I am honestly glad to be at square one here. The need for help is a good place to be when trying to form new relationships, I have found.

Yesterday was the first day of school for the school kids of Mongolia (yep, national first day of school...love it!) I was able to take part in the opening day ceremony of the school at which I will be teaching. The ceremony included speeches from the principal and senior class rep., performances by different students, and a presentation of gifts from the students to the teachers (the flower in the picture above was a gift to me from a student). That's right. I'm now a teacher...and I couldn't be more excited! The school is a small private k-12 school, run mostly by volunteers (from what I've gathered). I will be spending time with the students, reviewing what they have learned from their official English teacher and encouraging them to use their English skills in conversation (from what I've gathered...the details are still yet to be determined...and I'm ok with that!)

Yesterday I also began my "survival course" in the Mongolian language school located in the same building as the organization I am working with. My class will be eight 3hr sessions...it's a lot to cram into 3 hours. My teacher is very patient, however, and I am once again being taught humility...as I'm sure my handwriting looks like that of a 6 year old...and my "voiced lateral fricative" is awful.

Two main thoughts have kept me going as I've been working on my language homework. One--the little first grader who wanted to converse with me and told my friend to tell me to speak Mongolian, and two--Philippians 2...the ultimate example of humility and sacrificial incarnation. Somehow in a small way, I think learning a new language, and learning a new life style fit in with the calling to have the same mind as Christ.

There are many more stories that I could tell, but you'll just have to hear them when I return :)