Sheepskin caps

I think Diana would be happy staying in Mongolia if the situation was different.  Plans make such a difference in your attitude.  We arrived here with the intent and plan to help out for about 4 months.  Now about 7 weeks to go.  We are helping with business decisions while the local operations Director is off on a well deserved break.  We came and settled in planning on staying only that long.  Now if we were asked to stay longer we probably would but, it would not be an easy transition to make.  Relationships have been formed with the understanding that we are filling in we find ourselves looking at our staff as friends rather than employees.  So we enjoy a casual and fun office.  It would be hard to return and go back to an authoritarian role.

Yesterday I stopped by the store to pick up some essential weekend food.  Chipsies, Coke-a-Cola, and little breads, in the checkout line the Mongolian cashier lady and I were faced with a dilemma,  I obviously was not local.  So what language should she use tell me how much I owed.  Looking her in the eye I saw many traits of my friends from years ago in Venezuela.  The lady who helped cared for my friends home and children, Carmen could have been the checkout lady's sister.  My instincts said speak Castillano (uh Spanish that is) but I fought that instinct down (tongue tangled experience had shown that would be a low odds attempt at communication)  I waited to see what the cash register read so I could pay from the numbers.  She asked me if I needed a bag, (Costs extra) and I shook my head no.  Of course I didn't understand what she said in Mongolian but I knew her question from the situation.  Then she told me how much I owed Her, in Russian.  She laughed like it was a victory as I nodded and paid.  Yes I could understand and answer her "Correct change, that is correct Yes?   Thank you?"  Communication in the check out line can be a victory.

But wait this poses a question.  Do I now look more Russian than American.  Will people be calling me comrade when I return to the US.  Have I entered the zone described by Thomas Wolf where I can never go home again?  Destined to roam the world trying to get back to the memories I have which no longer are?  Or was it much simpler than that.  Could it be that Americans wear parkas with hoods and Russians have furry hats?  Humm probably.

Tom