Trapped in Mongolia: Homeless

I spent today in Mongolia. To be more specific, I was in Ulaanbutaar. It was here that I met some begging homeless kids on the street.

Let me back up. Yesterday, I was in Mumbai, but then the airport found a hole in the ash to fly through, and so I got to Ulaanbutaar today. However, I didn't want to spend the whole day inside the airport, so I went outside for some lunch.

When I got to a restaurant, I saw some kids outside with sacks full of bottles and cans. I started to talk with them and they said that they were going to sell the cans for money. It was the only way they could make enough to eat. It really opened my mind to how hard it must be to be homeless.

After that, I started hanging out with them. I asked how they ended up on the street and they told me all of these stories about how they were abused at home and then ran away. During the winter it was too cold to sleep outside, so they went underground to sleep by the heating pipes. That's how they all met.

I told them that I would by dinner for them, and they were overjoyed. I got each of them something to eat. It looked like they hadn't eaten this much in quite a long time, so I hope that they don't starve to death.

After that, I had to get back to the airport, so I said goodbye. When they thanked me for the food, I thanked them back for teaching me about themselves. I hope that they can find somewhere to stay that will keep them warm and fed and happy.