switching gears
well, i've done all i set out to do. my project is as complete as i can make it right now...though of course i'll be working on it probably all this fall, but it happens. i can't just let it go, not when it could really mean something. which is nice that there is that possibility. it can be incredibly difficult to find something meaningful, to do something meaningful.
but anyways, first draft of the paper is finished, internship is finished, even buying the requisite souvenirs is finished. lots of very interesting spiffy stuff.
not that it's all been sunshine and roses, not that it's all been shit. mongolia is a mixed bag, and you make the best of whatever you've got. the meeting falls through, so you go to dinner with your friends and peoplewatch. it's raining, but it cools you down on the walk to work. you meet crazy people and you avoid them like the plague and learn how to deal when you have to see them anyways. you smell shit and rot mixed in with the mud but the sun is shining and the clouds are beautiful.
i've seen some of the most beautiful sights and some of the most disturbing. i've seen a homeless man sleeping on the statue of lenin in front of a beautiful hotel, where foreigners sit and complain about their iced coffee. i've seen horse heads, skinned cow heads, skinned sheep, pretty much any type of raw meat there is in this country. i've seen (and ridden) camels, horses, and yaks. watched the stars standing in a field and really realized how brilliant and obvious the constellations are. i've seen and sat through sandstorms in the gobi. i've listened to justin timberlake while eating a traditional mongolian meal. watched a horse have to pull a motorcycle, because technology will never fit all of this landscape.
it's been quite a trip.
more later.
love to all.