May 28, 2007

I am in China!

I am currently sitting in a smoky, air condition-less airport terminal waiting for my last (of 3) flights to depart for Monglia. I can hardly believe that I am here, and what is even more incredible is the ease with which we arrived.

We started out early yesterday morning (we left the house at 4:45) and arrived at the airport only to find a ridiculously long line at the United Airlines counter. Luckily, the long wait (and fears that we might not get checked in on time) was the worst of our travel ... so far.

One thing I had been concerned about going into today - er, yesterday - was the probability of missing our flight to Ulaan Baatar because we were having to recheck our bags (and ourselves) through Air China. But the desk agent was great; not only did she check our bags through with no pleading, but she secured us an exit row with plently of leg room and no third passenger. Sure, there were kids kicking the backs of our seats, but the leg room was definitely worth it.

Our flight arrived in San Francisco ahead of schedule, a feat which is all to uncommon in airline travel these days. We took an airport shuttle for international connections and found our gate easily. Since there wasn't anyone at the desk, we both went to find lunch. I ended up getting a burrito, which probably seemed odd to some since it was 9:30 in San Francisco. But it was good and didn't mess with my stomach at all, which was something of a miracle.

I was a little stressed out when I discovered that the United agent in DFW had torn up my boarding pass for Beijing unintentionally. Luckily, we didn't have seat assignments yet, making a new boarding pass even more necessary. Sarah probably thought I was losing it a little bit as we stood in line then sat down ... and back and forth ... and back and forth. But our names were finally called to get our boarding passes and seat assignments. Although we had requested seats together, we learned pretty quickly that the likelihood of that happening was not very good.

Well, once again, God worked all that out! Not only were we seated together, but, in order to do so, we were upgraded to business class! I can't even explain how much of a blessing it was to be able to stretch my legs, get up and go to the restroom or even just put my elbows on the armrests without bumping into another person. Instead of counting down the hours and minutes until I could get off the plane, I was able to relax and be refreshed to begin our time in Mongolia.

Once the 11+ hour flight was over, Sarah and I sped through the Beijing airport towards customs, somewhat concerned about missing our Air china flight due to a long line. And then another miracle happened - there was a kiosk for international connections just before you turn the corner to go to customs, and the woman there told us that we didn't have to do customs but instead would simply have to go through security again. There was no line at the security checkpoint, and we pretty much breezed on through.

Sso it is at this point that I write, waiting to board the shuttle to our flight to UB.

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I was so jet-lagged! Sarah and I both crashed as we waited for the shuttle to the plane. It was good that we thought ahead to sitting right in front of the counter because otherwise we might still be snoozing in the Beijing airport!

Our Air China flight was one of those that you board via steps in the middle of the tarmac. Oh, Belize ... I was nervous about wehther or not I would have to check my carry-on (which I had reconciled myself to already), but, somehow, it fit! Sarah and I both got aisle seats (I was 8C and she was 8D), and I was completely unable to keep my eyes open! Surprisingly, I woke up for drinks and the meal, but, other than that, I was a complete zombie.

Upon arriving in UB, we once again had a little bit of a scare when we realized that the immigration form asked for our visa information. Although we both have Chinese visas, we never actually got visas for our time in Mongolia. After a little bit of discussion, we just left it blank. And neither of us had any problems getting through ...

I had asked Dad how we would know who we were meeting and he said the names of a couple of people who would greet us. I couldn't remember any of the names, but I was pretty sure we were supposed to look for an American girl. Sure enough, one of the first faces I see as we walk through security is an American with two Mongolians, smiling and looking as expectantly at us as we were at them. Baagi was the first to come up to us, and from that moment on I knew that I would like him. He was all smiles and excitement, clearly glad we were there. Next we met Susannah, a 32-year-old taking a sabbatical from Ernst & Young to serve here for a year, and Nara, our Mongolian translator and roommate.

Though we were looking forward to bed, they suggested continuing on to Darkhan, assuring us we'd be most comfortable once we were settled into Nara's apartment. We set off on the three-hour journey, stopping only once to go to the bathroom. What we found in the outhouse was a board laid across a deep trench with a slat cut out for ... personal business. I think that Sarah had an intense moment of culture shock due to her expectations of ... oh, a seat ... but she made it through with flying colors.

We made the rest of the trek to Darkhan, our rear ends being the only casualties. It was about 11 pm when we got to our little apartment that will be our home for the next month. Sarah and I each have our own twin bed (we share a room), and, though Sarah's bed is pretty firm and our pillows are somewhat uncomfortable, we are cozy, welcome and taken care of. Who could ask for more?

*Disclaimer*
Not all this was (or will be) written on the day it describes. However, it will detail the events of that specific day.