Calendar 2011: Me and my country now

My grandfather's name is Namkhai Senden. He was born in Ömnödelger soum (county), Khentii aimag (province) in 1931, where he has lived all of his life. Ömnödelger is in the Mongolian countryside, about 300 km east of the nation's capital, Ulaanbaatar.

He is and has always been a livestock herder, raising sheep, goats, horses and cows. He was also informally trained and practiced as a veterinarian. He has many children and grandchildren. He lives with my grandmother, my aunt and her 6 year-old boy.

At 80 years old, he continues to herd animals in the countryside. His father was a great Buddhist lama who died during the socialist revolution in Mongolia. He continues to practise Buddhism and shamanism. He really loves spring when livestock animals give birth, plants start to grow again, and all life returns.