![[레벨:3]](http://www.egw.org/zboard/modules/point/icons/default/3.gif "포인트:1301point (77%), 레벨:3/30"){kind=icon}
몽골로 가는길So it's been three weeks since David and I came to Mongolia and it has been quite an experience to say the least. During KAYAMM training, we heard many horror stories about groups being split up and sent to the Russian border to live in solitary confinement for weeks. So, I like to exaggerate. But after hearing these stories, I naturally was very unsure of what God had in store for us in Mongolia. I was born and raised in Southern California so I was very comfortable with where I was at and had a narrow perspective on the rest of the world.
Flying to Mongolia was a very new experience to me in many different aspects. Never been outside of N. America. Longest plane ride yet was six hours to Hawaii. Try doubling that to get to Korea. Then trying to transfer flights, but being held for an extra day because of visa problems. Quite an experience that's for sure. One I'll never forget.
When I first heard that I was going to Mongolia I was excited. Only knew where the place was, nothing else. Due to my laziness and unwillingness to google "Mongolia", I convinced myself that I wasn't going to research about Mongolia because "I wanted it to be a surprise". I wanted Mongolia to present itself the way it wanted to. And that's exactly what it did.
Food? Nothing but meat here in Mongolia. Being a well-bred carnivore, I loved the idea of having meat for every meal. No problem here. Until about the third day. For the first time ever in my life, I craved God's gift of fruits and vegetables. Meat is fantastic, don't get me wrong. But God provided us with an array of food choices so that we can have a balanced diet. Thanks to the wonderful food that Sahmohneem made us, I successfully maintained my weight of 70 kilograms, but since I'm from America I have no idea what that means. Ace.
Transportation. is. crazy awesome. "Taxis" everywhere you go just driving around waiting to be flagged down. Driving lanes don't "exist" out in Mongolia. Honking is second nature. If there's some open space, take that space. I've witnessed some of the craziest driving out here in Mongolia. Ken Block's got nothin' on these guys. Definitely no need for a personal car out in Mongolia. In Orange County (where I'm from), it is unheard of to not have a car. You need a car to get everywhere. Because we have residential and business zoning, you can't just walk 100 feet away to the local market to pick up groceries. Loved Mongolia for that reason. They have these "microbuses" (by American standards, minivans). We crammed ninteen people in there one time for a four hour trip. Epic. The roads are ROUGH in Mongo. Seattle potholes got nothin' on Mongo. Definitely felt like sardines in a can, no doubt.
Horse-back riding. Probably one of the best experiences of my life. I've been horse-back riding in the Yosemite National Forest before, but riding on open fields and scaling mountains was something different. The first two times we went horse-back riding I was blessed with a horse that wouldn't budge at all. "Choo" ("go" in Mongolian) meant nothing to him. Third time, I was blessed with an ex-racing horse. Great. Everytime I released pressure on the reigns that stallion took off. Tried racing one of its ex-racing buddies, so with the help of a guide, I made it all two hours without any damage, well except for a bruised tailbone from the steel saddle. No big.
English class. Being a rookie teacher, it was all new to me. Boy, is teaching stressful. I definitely have a new appreciation and the upmost respect for teachers. Not messin' around in classes when I get back in the Fall. But after teaching classes, I realized that the kids LOVE singing praise songs. Not only was it an effective was to teach pronounciation, but also reading, and most importantly about God's love.
In closing, Mongolia was an eye-opening experience for me. Being immersed in a completely different culture made me feel uncomfortable and challenged me to adjust. After this experience, I can honestly say that I look at things in a different light. I've learned a lot about myself as a person. When you take someone out of their comfort zone, they will change. Physically, my mission field may have not been challenging. But, mentally, I had to constantly pray and struggle with God daily. I've learned that after enduring through an experience, that's when we see what God's "bigger picture" was. We cry and mope about our personal problems, but every cloud has a silver lining.
-Allen Kim
KAYAMM 14th Batch
SDA Language Institute
Ulaanbataar, Mongolia
Flying to Mongolia was a very new experience to me in many different aspects. Never been outside of N. America. Longest plane ride yet was six hours to Hawaii. Try doubling that to get to Korea. Then trying to transfer flights, but being held for an extra day because of visa problems. Quite an experience that's for sure. One I'll never forget.
When I first heard that I was going to Mongolia I was excited. Only knew where the place was, nothing else. Due to my laziness and unwillingness to google "Mongolia", I convinced myself that I wasn't going to research about Mongolia because "I wanted it to be a surprise". I wanted Mongolia to present itself the way it wanted to. And that's exactly what it did.
Food? Nothing but meat here in Mongolia. Being a well-bred carnivore, I loved the idea of having meat for every meal. No problem here. Until about the third day. For the first time ever in my life, I craved God's gift of fruits and vegetables. Meat is fantastic, don't get me wrong. But God provided us with an array of food choices so that we can have a balanced diet. Thanks to the wonderful food that Sahmohneem made us, I successfully maintained my weight of 70 kilograms, but since I'm from America I have no idea what that means. Ace.
Transportation. is. crazy awesome. "Taxis" everywhere you go just driving around waiting to be flagged down. Driving lanes don't "exist" out in Mongolia. Honking is second nature. If there's some open space, take that space. I've witnessed some of the craziest driving out here in Mongolia. Ken Block's got nothin' on these guys. Definitely no need for a personal car out in Mongolia. In Orange County (where I'm from), it is unheard of to not have a car. You need a car to get everywhere. Because we have residential and business zoning, you can't just walk 100 feet away to the local market to pick up groceries. Loved Mongolia for that reason. They have these "microbuses" (by American standards, minivans). We crammed ninteen people in there one time for a four hour trip. Epic. The roads are ROUGH in Mongo. Seattle potholes got nothin' on Mongo. Definitely felt like sardines in a can, no doubt.
Horse-back riding. Probably one of the best experiences of my life. I've been horse-back riding in the Yosemite National Forest before, but riding on open fields and scaling mountains was something different. The first two times we went horse-back riding I was blessed with a horse that wouldn't budge at all. "Choo" ("go" in Mongolian) meant nothing to him. Third time, I was blessed with an ex-racing horse. Great. Everytime I released pressure on the reigns that stallion took off. Tried racing one of its ex-racing buddies, so with the help of a guide, I made it all two hours without any damage, well except for a bruised tailbone from the steel saddle. No big.
English class. Being a rookie teacher, it was all new to me. Boy, is teaching stressful. I definitely have a new appreciation and the upmost respect for teachers. Not messin' around in classes when I get back in the Fall. But after teaching classes, I realized that the kids LOVE singing praise songs. Not only was it an effective was to teach pronounciation, but also reading, and most importantly about God's love.
In closing, Mongolia was an eye-opening experience for me. Being immersed in a completely different culture made me feel uncomfortable and challenged me to adjust. After this experience, I can honestly say that I look at things in a different light. I've learned a lot about myself as a person. When you take someone out of their comfort zone, they will change. Physically, my mission field may have not been challenging. But, mentally, I had to constantly pray and struggle with God daily. I've learned that after enduring through an experience, that's when we see what God's "bigger picture" was. We cry and mope about our personal problems, but every cloud has a silver lining.
-Allen Kim
KAYAMM 14th Batch
SDA Language Institute
Ulaanbataar, Mongolia