The school year has begun!!

The school year is underway at LEI. The weeks have been busy but good. A week ago we at LEI had our student orientation, and then Monday classes began. There was lots to organize and problems to solve, but much was resolved. It is great to work with the teachers this year. Anar, Inna and Juhei have returned, and Chimgee, Chaagii, Natasha and Nina are new. Great to have them all with us! Ricardo, who is director of LEI, and I have teamed up again to keep things moving and create an atmosphere at LEI to help the students to learn English, and we want to provide encouragement and guidance to help them develop as individuals.

Some of the LEI staff from upper left: Anar, Chimgee, Inna, Ju Hei, Chaagii, and Bayarmaa, with Ricardo and me

Inna addressing the students at the student orientation day

Chaagii...

Chimgee was MC for the day

Anastacia, who earned top honors in LEI last year

Ju Hei talking in Korean with Korean students who are studying at LEI

Inna speaking in Russian with the Russian students studying at LEI

Chimgee speaking in Mongolian with the Mongolian students at LEI

Several weeks ago some high ranking officials in the education department in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia (a province in China) came to MIU to forge an agreement to work together for several purposes, including the sending of Chinese students to LEI to learn English. It was a good time with them... and we hope we will be involved with them to see their system grow as well as ours at LEI. 

We had some fun getting to know each other and breaking the ice formed at times by cultural differences! I seek to be myself, and to show respect and genuine care for people I meet in these kinds of situations. 

Dinner with education officials from Inner Mongolia who visited MIU to form an agreement with our university

Guan Li Ren from Inner Mongolia with me

We had an impromptu barbeque a few Fridays ago. Great view from the roof!!! And great food... :)

A Friday afternoon barbeque on the roof of one of the buildings at MIU

Paul and I at the barbeque

Here are a few random photos I took in Ulaanbaatar....