Rain's Big Adventures, Part Two Begins

In my mind I have always thought of this trip in 2 sections. The adventures before Mongolia, and Mongolia. It feels like it was forever ago that I left, and sort of this vague spacy feeling when I see all the pictures of what I've done. Ironic that being with the nomads will mean I settle down for the first time in over 2 months. I have not had more than 5 days in one place since I left. In some ways I anticipated, and in others I didn't, the first part of the trip has been honing and shaping me so I am in a better place for the second part. I knew it would help me not be attached, not accumulate stuff. That has been true. I move with more confidence through situations that are confusing or chaotic. I found a better balance here in China with the staring. I'm getting a better feel for how to stay pleasant but have a firm boundary. I'm used to being in situations where I don't share the language, where either I'm silent or figure out a creative way to get what I need.

Also this trip has been much more solitary than I would have expected, with my paths taking me off the well-trodden trails, which means less fellow travelers. Living out with the nomads will be the most isolated I have been since my time in Tenakee (in Alaska when I did my experiment in solitude and lived in a cabin alone for 2 months at the age of 22), even though I will be with people. When I lived with the family in Thailand for a month, at least I had classes during the day with English speakers. This will be really Out There, but I think it is the only way for me to adapt. Total immersion. I want to see how fully I can adapt, learn the language, gain practical skills (I'll be able to milk anything with teats like a pro), and embody a new way of being. How completely I can become an "us" rather than a "them" with humans so different than me. Making meaningful connections. Fun to think I'll have enough language at the end to get around and explore more on my own.

After saying how isolated I will be, I found out I will be able to have a cell phone even out where I am. Probably expensive to use but nice to have if I feel crazy. Like when I would kayak from my cabin into Tenakee every 2 weeks or so and babble to whomever I could get on the phone in a big rush, all the words from 2 weeks pouring out. Part of totally adapting to a new environment is shedding some of the current reality, which feels like shedding a part of yourself, and can be disconcerting. If I call to babble just remind me that I am doing the right thing, that it is worth it, and I will be glad I've done this (I always am), and that the only way out is through. I'm glad that between my Tenakee experiment and the immersion in Thailand, I know what I am in for. I also expect to be able to have more joy and peace within the experience than in those times, because I have learned a lot since then that will come in handy.

Update on my health: I'm pretty sure I still have giardia, but got rid of the parasite I got that was causing the severe diarrhea. Overall I'm down 20 pounds, my energy is pretty good, system is very sensitive. I'll see a doctor in Ulaanbaatar before I head out to the remote area to stock up on any meds I might want to have on hand and make sure there's not something I'm overlooking with my gut hitchhikers. My diabetes control most of this trip has been much better than it ever is at home (because I pay more attention to it, and know I can't get lazy.)

Thanks for reading!