Our Christmas celebrations in Mongolia began last Wednesday (21st Dec) with an AYAD intake 32 Christmas dinner and Kris Kingle. Ben cooked up a delicious spaghetti bolognese, my first since arriving in Mongolia, and we exchanged our KK gifts. Jessie made some amazing Christmas crackers/bon bons for the table, in which she enclosed caramello koalas and Mongolian camel key rings for us all!
The following evening we had our big AYAD Christmas dinner, including volunteers from intake 30, 31 and 32 (us). Our in-country management team made a lovely speech about how much they enjoy working with us. For us, we're so lucky to have a pair of such dedicated and caring people looking after us!
The night was filled with great food (spinach and feta salad, lentil salad, salmon steak and panna cotta) and great company. We played a few games too, including limbo, celebrity heads and decorating someone as a Christmas tree (I was a part of the winning time of the latter. For this we won a bottle of Mongolia's famous Chenghis vodka). We even got a visit from Santa himself. I received a couple of large parcels (thank you to my family and Luke) that I saved to open up on Christmas Day.
On Christmas Eve we all went to the Mongolian National ballet performance of the Nutcracker. It was the first time I had been to any professional ballet performance, so I thought it was good, although I did get lost in the storyline, particularly in the second Act. Afterwards we had everyone at Grandma's Flat (our apartment) for some delicious mulled wine.
On Christmas Day my housemates and I shared the morning together opening our gifts and eating a yummy big breakfast. Presents included an amazing Christmas banner (pictured below) from my niece Alle that she made herself, and some special homemade infused vodka (also pictured below) from my housemate Jess.
In the afternoon we shared a big Christmas dinner with around 30-40 other volunteers and expats living in Mongolia. Each of us brought along a dish to share: from rum balls to Chinese pork; from roast beef with jus to bok choy salad; from Tasmanian cheese to homemade Christmas fruitcake (both from the same volunteer who recently returned to UB from a brief visit home). Yum!
I have been in UB for 4 months and have only met 1 other Australian. Everyone always tells me there are so many Aussies here.
ReplyDeleteWhere do they all hang out and what do they do here?