I went out for lunch and a walk with Miho (my roommate) and Soko (one of the Mongolian teachers) this afternoon. I am not sure how this happened, but we somehow ended up ice-skating... umm, and the rink was open-air. FREEZING. But fun. Of course, not that I managed to go very far (or skate alone at all!), but I only fell once, and hey, that isn't any worse than a regular walk in the city for me! I did worry my toes were going to completely freeze, though, so if I ever do this again, must remember to wear more pairs of socks et al. Mike (Sasaki), I thought of you often, and wished you were here!

Not much more to tell, unless youwant to know how amusing it is to do laundry here... fill the machine with the shower, add the detergent and run it; then manually drain out all the water and soap suds, fill it with the shower again, and run it again to get the soap out; manually drain out all the water again; then, little by little transfer it to the other compartment and run th machine so it can wring the excess water out; finally, take out the clothes, and dry them on the hot water pipelines in the room. Quite a chore it becomes, but after my Mexican adevntures, any machine and ANY method of drying that lasts less than 3-4 days is a luxury. This summer gave me perspective.

Okay, I am heading home now. Tomorrow is a big day, and I need my rest tonight. More later...