Valentine’s Day

by Rachel

My main thought about Valentine’s Day this year was wondering what would happen to all those parties that were cancelled by the East Coast snowstorm. I e-mail with one of my students from last year, and she was very excited about the party and card exchange. She figured that this was something that basically stops in middle school and she wanted to make the most of the last year. So I hope something worked out for Stoddert’s 5th grade. Knowing their teacher, I am sure it did.

V-Day here was more of an event than I would have thought. My highlight was at the Children’s Palace. “Happy Valentine’s Day!” many students offered. Then one girl said very enthusiastically, “Happy Valentine’s day and I love you!!” and then shook my hand. Awww.

The ex-pat restaurant of choice had a special dinner, but we did not go. So I cannot report about how white guys and their Mongolian Wives celebrated the occasion. I can tell you that when Charlie and I went to the Asia Foundation office around 8 in the evening two of the (married) male employees were there having a music war, blasting Nirvana and national anthems from their computers. They claimed indifference to Valentine’s Day when I asked if they wished it had just stayed in America. Daska offered that men often got flowers or candy for their girlfriends, emphasis on the plural.

Tangentially, I also learned that you are never supposed to visit the house of a baby less than a month old. When you do come for the first time, you MUST bring a present. Otherwise the mother’s milk will dry up, or some sort of problem will happen. As Davaa said, explaining breast-feeding problems is the limit of his English.