Random Thoughts

Random Thoughts:
--I put away my light coat and grabbed my long, heavy winter coat this week. That was a sad moment! I guess winter is now here to stay. Interestingly enough, the construction workers are continuing to work in this cold weather and snow. They say the cement will dry...oh I hope so and it won't crack!
--This week I have officially caught up on all the tasks I needed to do, so for that I am thankful. Speaking of being thankful, next week is Thanksgiving! Yeah! Of course, Mongols don't celebrate this holiday, but all the Americans here do. I will be eating chicken on that day :-(.
--Last week I met the parents of the new little 3 year old girl that was given to our orphanage by the police a few weeks ago. The parents met us at the police station to receive back their daughter. They were absolutely filthy and looked like they lived on the street. It is a stark reminder, that even with all the Land Cruisers on the streets of Ulaanbaatar being driven by the rich, the enormous construction projects financed by both foreign and national investments, there is still a high percentage of the population living in poverty. Rising fuel costs, food costs such as daily staples of flour, bread, milk and rice, continue to push the low income families even deeper into the pit of poverty. How do you end the ongoing cycle of poverty in this nation? How does a family emerge from this cycle? Thoughts to ponder this week...

All for now :-)