What I Am Missing

While we are still in Kazakhstan I'm starting to miss things like:

English: People here speak Russian and it's kind of hard to converse with them but we do like when we were at the Doner Cafe and we asked it was cow in the hamburger so we went "Moo" a lot and they finally got it.

Clean Water: That is a biggie. Here water isn't filtered like in the USA. We just buy 5 liter bottles from the market and so far it has been good.

Clay: Last but not least I am missing my friend Clay. He called me once bit I can't call him because it is a dollar a minute and we can't afford it.

Over all, I think I can live without these (except the last one) but I am OK.

Ghengis Khan, My Ancestor

Ghengis Khan was perhaps the world's greatest conqueror. He was the man who managed to pull the Mongols together and take over half the world.

It all started with a young boy named Temujin which means "iron". Temujin and his dad were tracking a horse. When they found the horse it was with another tribe's horses. It was a tribe they had never seen before, so they went in and had supper while his dad managed to score a good wife there for Temujin. After that his dad wanted Temujin to get acquainted with his new wife, so his dad went back to the tribe but the next day his dad was found dead in an enemy camp.

Later Temujin took his fathers place in the camp. Most of his people left him, only a few people stayed. Then one night raiders raided his camp and drove the herds away. Temujin and the children fled to a mountain, where the girls and younger children stayed in a cave. Temujin and his older brother went in different directions. Temujin went into a forest where he hid for three days and three nights, then he came out and was taken prisoner. Temujin was then put in a stock. When the tribe had a feast, Temujin pushed with all of his force into the guards head and killed the guard. Then he ran. When the tribe realized what had happened they raced to find Temujin. Temujin knew that the tribe was coming so he jumped in a lake and breathed through a stick straw.

Years after, Temujin grew stronger every year but there were still some tribes left. Those tribes were raided one by one. The last one he tricked into coming to his side, then he was given the name Ghengis Khan which meant "Khan to the Sea". Then all at once all the Mongols were united under one yurt.

Ghengis Khan started conquering Persian cities, one by one they fell, taking over a good portion of China, Russian, Afghanistan and even some of Europe. It was at the Khan's highest peak when he died, and his empire started crumbling. They say that the great Khan's body lies in an orchard of trees somewhere, but no one knows.

Ghengis Khan built a huge empire, far more powerful than any other one in his time. Ghengis Khan thought he was an instrument of the heavens, and that his tornado-like army was the best in all of Persia...and it was.