Today is the first day of the first week of Spring.
O bugger, not quite! I'm in the northern hemisphere....
Of course, there should still be 2 days of official summer left, but not in Mongolia.
To be fair, we have been blessed with an amazing, beautiful, gorgeous summer - the kind of summer that leaves you wondering how on earth there aren't more people here enjoying the truly splendid country Mongolia can be.
The kind of summer that has passed before you've blinked, and now it's easy to see why there aren't more people here!
The first day of the first week of Autumn is panning out thus: woke up to rain, temperature 10 degrees outside. Yesterday was 30 degrees! Now noon, it has warmed up to a staggering 11 degrees!
Over the last week and a half the change from summer to autumn has been gradual but definitely visible. Everything is kind of bleak and grey, the leaves are starting to drop, the flowers are starting to droop - and the vibe of the city is becoming resigned to the awful truth that winter is most definitely coming soon, too soon.
I've been a bit down with this change, feeling a deep, but strong, fear of the cold weather and pollution that will be here before I know it...
September 1 is the start of the school year.
Back in June, there was excitement in the air- most children were shipped off to the countryside, if not for the entire summer than at least for a few weeks,to spend time with those lucky family or friends who live in the land of clean air and wild strawberries. Most of my colleagues had some kind of summer house - a family home or ger around 10km out of the city where they relocated for summer. Now everyone is moving back, so the traffic is worse and the mood is low. The kids are getting ready for the school year ahead, the teachers among the expat group are back to work...
Worst of all, that long list of things to do, people to visit, places to see in summer is still a long list...with barely a dent, even though almost every weekend has been a successful attempt to make the most of the great weather.
I've definitely had a marvelous summer. It has been much warmer than I expected - mid 30s at times (with no air conditioning). Nothing beats Mongolia in summer. If I could have my way I'd switch a Canberra winter for a Mongolian summer every year, and hurry back to Australia in time to switch the first week of Autumn for the first week of Spring every year too!
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