by Cinda
Since we have dedicated the last few entries to Toby’s recent experiences, we thought it was time to give Annika some more attention! She is doing great in Mongolia. She has several good friends and has a lot of time to play with them since most of us live in close proximity. Averiana is now living just a few doors over from us, so she and Annika play together along with Isaiah nearly every day after school. Now that it’s getting colder we’ll have to find some fun things to do inside. Last weekend when we were school supply shopping for Toby we found paints and modeling clay for them to use at home. Those of you who know Annika understand that she HAD to have these craft items, and it has turned out to be perfect timing for new “stuff” since the weather has gotten quite chilly lately. Annika put her skills and craft supplies to good use, creating a cute little skunk which is pictured somewhere on this page. She has other designs in mind, including a volcano for Toby (his latest interest). 
On Wednesday afternoon Annika’s friend Sophie was able to come over after school for some play time. Sophie’s family has been in Mongolia for many years, but they are new to Darhan and she and her brother and sister attend the Alliance MK school where Annika, Averi, Isaiah, etc. all attend. Annika was thrilled to meet Sophie and her sister Leah, who both have their American Girl dolls with them here in Mongolia. Wednesday afternoon was full of giggles and hair brushing, doll 
dressing, fingernail painting and more. Then they spotted a lonely little puppy sleeping outside our window in the cold rainy weather, so they ran out to care for it. Since Annika has been asking frequently (okay, constantly) to Please, please, please have a pet, I had gone out to see it earlier in the day — however, it seemed to be the typical Mongolian breed, which would grow to be much too large for our small home. None of us like to see a puppy suffer, however, so we did try to feed it and warm it; Averi took it home for awhile to warm
it up and the girls enjoyed playing with it over there. Now it’s Saturday night and Averi, Isaiah, and Malachi are here watching Tom and Jerry cartoons with Annika and Toby. It’s getting dark earlier each day, and that coupled with the frigid wind makes playing outside after dinner no longer a good option.
Annika says she really likes it here in Mongolia. She’s growing like a weed, doing well in her school work, and having a lot of fun with her new friends. Every week her class studies a different region of the world, which includes a geography test. Annika impresses us with her ability to remember the names of each country. This past week was a difficult test over the countries of Equatorial Africa — it’s hard enough to just read the names of those countries, let alone remember them all for a test, but she did it! 
Mongoliawood's Weblog 
4 comments
Comments feed for this article
October 18, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Donald K Wood
From a Starbucks in Greenville, South Carolina where we found internet access, we thoroughly enjoyed seeing the pictures and reading about Annika and Toby. Their friends, their adventures, their school challenges and success…are all savored and appreciated so much. We love you all.
P>S> It is very cold here…or so we are told. It was 51 degrees this morning…but of course has now warmed up !!!
October 19, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Sarah
From my kitchen…I’m going with 36 degrees this morning but yes, it did warm up (a bit). Just watched the Red Sox win yet another and so it’s down to tomorrow night’s game for the world series.
so great to hear the kids are adjusting so well and school is such a challenge (in a good way). People are always asking how you guys are doing and it’s great to get the updates. Sometime, tell us a bit more about the progress with the language. Do you feel comfortable going to the market alone? Is church in Mongolian and do you understand anything? Basically, how much of the language do you know?
October 20, 2008 at 5:47 am
Elizabeth Heredia
Annika,
It is wonderful to hear about your school and how you are learning. That test on Africa sounds very hard.
John had to write a report last week on a book he read, and this week on his town. I would love to hear about what you are reading, and about your town, if you can tell us.
I am so glad you have so many friends at school. I am also glad you got to see a puppy. Aspen is with us this weekend, and she keeps trying to chase tennis balls outside. Unfortunately, our yard is covered with yellow leaves, and she and Emma keep loosing the balls under the leaves. It is kinda funny to watch, actually.
Anna is wearing some of your clothes, and getting very messy eating raisins and dropping them all over the house. At least it is easy to find her–you just follow the trail of raisins.
Annika, do you need to wear mittens every day already? Do you get to go outside for recess? And what is your favorite lunch in Mongolia? Do you have to bring your lunch to school every day? What is your teachers name?
Love,
Aunt Beth
October 21, 2008 at 4:25 am
Sharon
Annika, I love you!
I’m going to Michigan this Thursday to spend a week with Uncle Chip and Katherine. I plan to help her read the mongoliawoods blog, so if you do have time to answer some of Aunt Beth’s questions, I’m sure Katherine would be interested in hearing more about your life there as much as the rest of us would. Tell us about your friends, their pets, and whether you are learning any Mongolia words. Ask Toby if he would like for Momma to help him write something for Uncle Chip. Your Aunt Amy told me that Toby was asking about his Uncle Chip. It’s cold there too, but I’m sure not as cold as Mongolia. Bet you could use some games or movies right now.
Perhaps it’s time to start making that important Christmas list for Grandma’s and other interested persons. Do you think so? An e-mail would work well for that purpose.
We love you all the time and every minute. Sometimes I think about the cute things you have said and done and smile remembering them. Love from Granna