Today we piled into a spall local cafe to enjoy some Western breakfast at a popular spot owned by a Cuban man & a woman from Camaroon. I was a little disappointed that breakfast wouldn't be some extreme foreign fare, but I was appeased with an enormous potato pancake. They are my new favorite...I can't even remember what else I ate, excpet that it was all accompanied with a nice, cold (rare here) Coke! We then headed to Stephanie & Chris's feeding center to see what they do, help out & play with the kids. When we arrived, I was amazed to see a tiny building with a big yard. For some reason I was expecting a large, fancy building with an industrial kitchen and shiny linoleum floors. The entire center was about the size of my living room. Evidently, even when you own the property it is really really difficult, especially as a foreigner, to get the clearance to build, hook up water, anything---so they have a small pieced together building with no running water. The main line literally runs along the back of the building, but they are still waiting to get hooked up. (they've been here 2 years) In the meantime, water for the center must be carried up in barrels from the well, just like everywhere else. Here, they feed anywhere from 10-60 kids every day, generally for only about $15. When we arrived the kids were shouting in Mongolian, "oh no! so many teachers!!" We took a very brief tour (as you can imagine), and met the woman who does the cooking, then turned our attention to the kids. As soon as they spotted cameras, many were striking "American" poses, arms flexed, or rock & roll hands. Chris, who runs the center began telling us about some of the children there.
One boy who was no bigger then an average 10 year old was 15, another about the size of a 6 year old, was 12. Their growth and development had been horribly stunted from lack of nutrition, and many times food in general. When we brought out the face paint, we had their undivided attention. Girls were asking for flowers, hearts and kitty faces, while the boys wanted 'tattoos' like our friend Joey. Soon all the boys had flamed bellies and big anchors on their arms, proudly showing them off. It was amusing that even without being able to speak, they could communicate with us, pointing out others paintings or clasping their hands for "please ONE MORE!!" When lunch was about to be served, we joined them inside to help plate the food and pass it out. I was expecting rice and a few vegetables, but it was 2 scoops of rice, and 3 different dishes with it, a full and colorful meal Through the center, they not only get meals, but they get well-balanced, healthy meals. After lunch, we were able to give the kids coloring books, puzzles and balls, they were very excited when they could tell us "thank you", one of the English phrases they've learned. What's even more amazing about the free center is that the couple who runs it is only a few years older then Adam and I, with two small kids. They knew the kids by name, and were so happy to get to show us what a difference a little help in that community really makes, especially when these kids have little else. What's interesting is that they get a lot of flack from the Buddhists who's temple is by the center. They shout over the wall "GO HOME!" "STOP BRAINWASHING OUR KIDS", but they have no involvement in the community, and are doing nothing to fight the starvation many of these kids face. I knew alcoholism was bad in Mongolia, but Mitch (who runs several centers and an orphanage) told us 80% of Mongolian men are alcoholics, and could care less about caring for their families. It is consider a foreign concept to take steps to care for and protect your family. Many children are left in gutters to die or be taken at as young as infancy. This is exactly what happened to their adopted daughter Mishka when she was 7 weeks old. They also told us that here in Mongolia, the child mortality is 40%--4 out of every 10 children won't make it to 18. By stepping into these communities and providing these children with what their families can't, Manna is literally saving lives.
After our day at the center, we were given the option of going to Mitch & Baljmaa's or recoup at the guest house before the English lesson. Julie, Stacie and I opted to stay behind and wait for the them to pick us up in 2 hours. When 5 o'clock hit, we started looking around for the car to show up...waiting and checking, waiting and checking...we took a trip down the hall to ask the others where they thought the others might be, and realized we were the only ones left behind. And apparently forgotten. What we missed was practicing conversational English with young adults and singing some Beatles hits. Instead, we played a game of hearts and thought of all the ways to taunt Keith when he returned. Tomorrow we are supposed to go out to Mitch's feeding center and then to the orphanage they're running to play with the children and do some construction. Good night from Mongolia, and good morning to you in Texas!
