Khuslen I - The Wait

Saturday I had met up with some student leaders from the WV sponsored Children’s Participatory Council (CPC), more commonly referred to as “Khuslen House.” They had given me an orientation to their student-led organization that highlighted acts of community service. I was impressed with this group as they seemed eager to be involved and take initiative in their community. They surprised me by hooking me up with some of their garb—a Khuslen t-shirt, a scout-like scarf, and a pin. Khuslen also invited me to take part in one of their events which I went to today.
I had been told two days ago that we would go to help out an old lady as Tsaagan Sar (Mongolian New Year), literally “White Moon,” begins this week. It is a big to-do as people make hundreds, even thousands of dumplings for their guests and family that drop-in. Khuslen wanted to help her be able to celebrate and clean up her place. They told me we would go at noon. At 11:45 just when I was wondering if the WV meeting was going to end in time for me to go the Khuslen House kids poked their heads in the room. A minute later I was told we were going to go at 2pm. At 12:30 I was told we were going to go at 1pm. After a quick lunch I was ready to go. We didn’t leave until 1:45. Ahh, yes, the Asian polychronic sense of time that I had grown up with.
They told me to get in the front seat of our Isuzu SUV and soon after I was in 7 people crammed and piled on top of each other in the backseat meant for 3. Next thing I know we are stopped and they tell me not to get out. Meanwhile, everyone else files out and proceeds to fill the vehicle with firewood. By the time I get out I am only able to bring one armload of wood; I feel doubly bad for having the front seat and not really helping.
Next we go to a hotel to ask for a promised donation from the manager. The camera guy, Bathuyag, and I go to the coffee shop and wait. A cup of coffee and a cup of salty milk tea later we go and visit the FM studio attached to the building that he used to work at. It’s a tiny room with a computer, a few speakers and posters that line the wall. He lets me pick a song to add to the radio playlist. I pick “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley and he jokes that the song rings true of his mother. We then go to the front desk and watch Mongolian wrestling on TV for awhile. After waiting around for awhile a whole, frozen, shaved and mostly skinned lamb along with a massive bag of flour are brought into the lobby. Apparently this is what we had been waiting for. We carry both out, the bag of flour carried by a WV staff and myself and the lamb by two girls. The camera guy asks us to bring them back inside so he can film us carrying them out. After our little walk of fame we put the lamb and the flour to rest on top of the metal fence. Our driver is nowhere to be found. We try calling his cell phone, he doesn’t answer. We guard the goods in shifts because we rather be cold than carry the loads back inside. While we wait we talk about hobbies, sports, music. We see our driver go past us once, working our hopes up only to find that he was giving someone else a ride.
Finally he comes and we pile in. It is 4:15pm.