this time

This time next week, I will be on Korean Air making my way to the U.S. via the grand ole metropolis of Detroit

This time last week, I was home from set-up for Culture Naadam and not looking forward to waking up in only 4 hours...but hopeful that my visitor survey would go well and it'd get to see at least one horse race (mission accomplished)

This time twelve hours ago, I was conducting my final research interview and having a fascinating conversation about how to preserve and promote cultural diversity when it's ever-evolving and belongs first and foremost to its community.

This time in twelve hours, I will be in the office for my second-to-last day of work with my NGO, probably already thinking ahead to lunch at the French bakery.

This time (around my departure) two years ago, I was looking forward to a farewell dinner at veranda with a close friend

This time (around my departure) seven years ago, I had a farewell dinner at veranda with my field studies groupmates and a few friends, and our eyes and stomachs exceeded our remaining tugruks

This time (around my departure), I am looking forward to a farewell lunch with my friends and co-workers from the Arts Council of Mongolia, and I definitely still have enough tugruks (even if I had to pay for my own meal).

In this time and place, a lemon poppyseed cake is cooling as I relax on my gold-thread couch, illuminated by my laptop screen and an orange and purple chandelier. I have just discovered that I did not entirely escape getting sunburned during Naadam, but I have also decided that having the tips of your ears peel really isn't that painful and is kind of funny (tmi? sorry).

In this time and place, I am grateful for so many of the good times I have had, the memories I have made with the people I have met, and the lessons I have learned. It is time for this chapter to end, but not just yet :)