A Universal Tragedy

When you move to another country, one of the things you are constantly doing (whether you're conscience of it or not) is looking for similarities between your host country and your home country. When I first moved here to Mongolia, I think I wanted everything to be different - it added to the adventure of it all. However, there is nothing new under the sun - no matter where you are on the planet. Unfortunately, this also includes death.

This is Tuvshin. He was one of the first students I met here at Mongol Aspiration and one of those kids you love right away. His favorite movie was Titanic (the documentary), he was studying English so he could have a better future studying abroad and communicate with others. Very nice, smart, confident and turned 15 years old about a month after school started. Shortly after this picture was taken (on Halloween - he was carving jack-o-lanterns), Tuvshin was in a terrible car accident and was unable to come back to school. For almost two months, we waited for Tuvshin to come back - rumors that he was coming back tomorrow or next week were always circling. However, it seems as though he passed away right before the New Year.

So on Friday, the 10th grade class wore all black, lit candles and brought flowers in honor of Tuvshin. Another similarity to North America as this is how many of our schools choose to remember those we lose. Few of us make it out of High School anymore without losing at least one classmate/friend. Hopefully, we only have to go through this tragedy once unlike too many these days who face horrors such as losing a dozen or more in a mass killing. I gave my 10th graders a hug today...whether they wanted it or not ;)