BIKES

Just a quick update friends!
88 Bikes stage 1 of Mongolia villages project is complete. I was really nervous that everything was not going to be perfect and it all would fall apart around my ankles and it would be all my fault, but of course it didn't. It wasn't quite perfect (bikes held up in customs) but it was pretty darn close.

100 kids in my town got bikes! Each child had to photographed at least three times, holding their 88 Bikes donor card with the pic of their bike donor, and the bike number had to visible in the photos. Also, donors like it when the kids who get the bikes look happy. This proved to make everything extra fun because Mongolians do not traditionally smile in photos. All my training with CB Photo from high school came rushing back. Someone had to explain to the kids who the funny Americans were on their cards and show them on the back of the card where America is on the world map and where Mongolia is. I learned very quickly (and very poorly) how to say, "This person gave you this bike. They live in America. You live in Mongolia. See?"

Some of these kids helped to paint 4 murals which were then hung up near the center of town on a large, 4-sided billboard.

ok, now ir is time to go to UB, so I will finish this later.
love, C

PS Jenny, the 88 bikes volunteer is AMAZING!