Before I left, many people asked me if I would be writing about my time in Mongolia and the Philippines this summer. I don’t think I’m very good at writing compelling updates about my travels or taking the time to regale you with stories, but I will try to highlight some things for you. Besides, I’m uploading some stuff for work and with the slow Internet connection speeds here I have some spare time while I wait.

So I’ve arrived safely in Mongolia after a stopover in Vancouver, BC to visit some friends. It rained in Eugene, it rained in Seattle, and it rained in Vancouver. Okay Cascadia, I’m peacing out for a bit until you sort out your summer plans, be back in a couple months! However, day three in Mongolia and there is snow on the hills up where my brother is building his house. In case you forgot your geography, Mongolia is in the northern hemisphere: it’s summer.

But I get ahead of myself, my brother lives in Erdenet, the second largest city in Mongolia, situated in the north a couple hours from Russia. My parents and I flew in to the capital city of Ulaanbaatar (yes, with five a’s). My brother picked us up and we continued our journey with a five hour drive through the wide open landscape of Mongolia. I wish I could show you pictures, but they are still on my camera and like I said, Internet is slow here. The road we took is the best road through Mongolia they say, and it winds north through a landscape of hill ranges that are for the most part barren of trees. There were a few roadside villages and the surrounding countryside was dotted with gers (yurts) and livestock. The only fences were around individual plots of land a couple acres large: the animals have all the room to roam they need.

While the weather has been wet and cold, we’re here to help my brother build his house. It’s a waiting game right now with small preparations while we wait for the sun to come out and dry the land so we can work.