Saturday, August 16, 2008
"A good beginning makes a good ending"-Mongolian Proverb
So!
In my soum: End of June and July
Lot's of Khorkhogs (meat steamed with hot rocks).
Spent a lot of time with my friends and family.
Packed most of my stuff.
Took lot's of walks.
Uvs!July and August
Saw the Mongolian President at the airport!
The camp was ok. Not as much fun as last year, but I made a lot of new friends.
Took a road trip back with Kelsey and Irina. Ugg. Not fun. But we did get to watch the solar eclipse and swim/give ourselves pedicures by the lake.
Site again! August
I won't lie. I was drunk for 4 days straight with all the going away parties. My last morning at site, my mom made me milk tea and commented that it would be the last milk tea I would drink with her and I started bawling....oh man.... leaving sucked....
UB! August
Running around. Getting stuff done. Trying to do all my favorite UB things....like sitting at Nyara's and reading gossip rags, eating breakfast at Michelle's, going to my favorite art gallery, loitering at my favorite bookstore, and chillin' late night at Sukhbaatar Square.
I met my UB friends and family. Did karoke with Emma...my host sister....hilarious....
Craziness.
Mongolian won it's first Olympic gold medal in Judo! Woot! The streets were crazy! It was cool to be in the city for that.
Final Thoughts!
I don't have enough time to really do this justice. This will be edited. Fo sho.
Advice:
Everyone wants this and I still feel totally unqualified to give it. :) This advice is good for any country.
Travel whenever you have the opportunity....even if is just to another soum or aimag or just a friends house across the street.
Learn the language as best you can.
Make good friends.
Smile a lot.
I'm going to Beijing in less than 7 hours. Holy crap.
Za!
Happy Birthday Emily!
In my soum: End of June and July
Lot's of Khorkhogs (meat steamed with hot rocks).
Spent a lot of time with my friends and family.
Packed most of my stuff.
Took lot's of walks.
Uvs!July and August
Saw the Mongolian President at the airport!
The camp was ok. Not as much fun as last year, but I made a lot of new friends.
Took a road trip back with Kelsey and Irina. Ugg. Not fun. But we did get to watch the solar eclipse and swim/give ourselves pedicures by the lake.
Site again! August
I won't lie. I was drunk for 4 days straight with all the going away parties. My last morning at site, my mom made me milk tea and commented that it would be the last milk tea I would drink with her and I started bawling....oh man.... leaving sucked....
UB! August
Running around. Getting stuff done. Trying to do all my favorite UB things....like sitting at Nyara's and reading gossip rags, eating breakfast at Michelle's, going to my favorite art gallery, loitering at my favorite bookstore, and chillin' late night at Sukhbaatar Square.
I met my UB friends and family. Did karoke with Emma...my host sister....hilarious....
Craziness.
Mongolian won it's first Olympic gold medal in Judo! Woot! The streets were crazy! It was cool to be in the city for that.
Final Thoughts!
I don't have enough time to really do this justice. This will be edited. Fo sho.
Advice:
Everyone wants this and I still feel totally unqualified to give it. :) This advice is good for any country.
Travel whenever you have the opportunity....even if is just to another soum or aimag or just a friends house across the street.
Learn the language as best you can.
Make good friends.
Smile a lot.
I'm going to Beijing in less than 7 hours. Holy crap.
Za!
Happy Birthday Emily!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
June!
So!
Went back to site after COS and then came back to UB a week later so I could head out to Khuvsgul for Elizabeth's summer camp.
Khuvsgul
The bus ride there was awful. It took 28 hours....ugg.
But once we were there it was awesome. Had a fantastic time. We (Liz, Byron, Joe, Brendan, James, and Kelsey) worked with the nursing home in town and with disabled and non-traditional students for 2 weeks.
Then Mike and Ashley came and almost all of us went to the lake. So beautiful. SO much fun. I updated tons of pics.
I'm heading back to site for a few weeks and then I'm going out west again to teach a teacher's training camp! I'm really excited....perhaps another cross country road trip is in the works.....
Man....they just keep getting shorter and shorter....
Went back to site after COS and then came back to UB a week later so I could head out to Khuvsgul for Elizabeth's summer camp.
Khuvsgul
The bus ride there was awful. It took 28 hours....ugg.
But once we were there it was awesome. Had a fantastic time. We (Liz, Byron, Joe, Brendan, James, and Kelsey) worked with the nursing home in town and with disabled and non-traditional students for 2 weeks.
Then Mike and Ashley came and almost all of us went to the lake. So beautiful. SO much fun. I updated tons of pics.
I'm heading back to site for a few weeks and then I'm going out west again to teach a teacher's training camp! I'm really excited....perhaps another cross country road trip is in the works.....
Man....they just keep getting shorter and shorter....
Monday, May 26, 2008
It's snowing in May....
So!
Last time I was in UB, I played hackey sack with Craig, Mike, and Ryan Then went to a hip-hop concert with the boys in Sukhbaatar Square.
Twas awesome.
I hurt my counterparts's boobs! Mongolians believe that if a pregnant woman thinks you are giving her a present and you don't...her boobs will hurts. Otgoo came to my ger and I gave her pictures that I had developed for her, but she thought I was giving her candy. So her boobs hurt. To fix this, you must go to her house and give her a bad gift...like goat poop or something....make her think it's a good gift...then give her a nice present. Peace Corps told us about this during training....but I never saw it happen before... Hilarious.
Lost and found my cat.
A famous monk came to my soum and both Nyamaa and I went to see him. There was a group prayer session and when it was finished, he came around and blessed everyone....including yours truly. He kinda whacks you on the head with something hard....odd....I thought they were peaceful people! :) But hey, the Catholic bishop slaps you in the face when you get confirmed....true story!
Lot's of power problems in May!
I learned how to sew. I seriously renewed the life of 3 pairs of pants!
To celebrate the birthday of a famous military person from our soum, our school held a military competition. Those poor kids! They had to run like 20 kilometers in hot uniforms, and on the run they have to crawl under fences, throw things, and jump over hurdles. Those poor poor kids!
COS!
So!
We just finished our Close of Service Conference. Surreal. I can't even describe it. I won't even try!
Plans!
I wanted to put off it off until I knew for sure what I was doing...but now I know and I'm totally excited!
I'm going to the Olympics! With a PC friend. Then I will travel to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. I have absolutely no idea when I will come home. I'm guessing either October or November. Woo! I miss everyone, but I'm totally stoked for my vacaton. :)
Za!
Last time I was in UB, I played hackey sack with Craig, Mike, and Ryan Then went to a hip-hop concert with the boys in Sukhbaatar Square.
Twas awesome.
I hurt my counterparts's boobs! Mongolians believe that if a pregnant woman thinks you are giving her a present and you don't...her boobs will hurts. Otgoo came to my ger and I gave her pictures that I had developed for her, but she thought I was giving her candy. So her boobs hurt. To fix this, you must go to her house and give her a bad gift...like goat poop or something....make her think it's a good gift...then give her a nice present. Peace Corps told us about this during training....but I never saw it happen before... Hilarious.
Lost and found my cat.
A famous monk came to my soum and both Nyamaa and I went to see him. There was a group prayer session and when it was finished, he came around and blessed everyone....including yours truly. He kinda whacks you on the head with something hard....odd....I thought they were peaceful people! :) But hey, the Catholic bishop slaps you in the face when you get confirmed....true story!
Lot's of power problems in May!
I learned how to sew. I seriously renewed the life of 3 pairs of pants!
To celebrate the birthday of a famous military person from our soum, our school held a military competition. Those poor kids! They had to run like 20 kilometers in hot uniforms, and on the run they have to crawl under fences, throw things, and jump over hurdles. Those poor poor kids!
COS!
So!
We just finished our Close of Service Conference. Surreal. I can't even describe it. I won't even try!
Plans!
I wanted to put off it off until I knew for sure what I was doing...but now I know and I'm totally excited!
I'm going to the Olympics! With a PC friend. Then I will travel to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. I have absolutely no idea when I will come home. I'm guessing either October or November. Woo! I miss everyone, but I'm totally stoked for my vacaton. :)
Za!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Quick post
Just wanted to let peeps know that I updated pictures in March and April. April only has 2. Sorry....my batteries in my camera died..... I'll be better in May!
News! Completely unrelated to Peace Corps or Mongolia.
The Dresden Dolls (my favorite band) are releasing their new album 'No, Virginia' on May 20th!! I'm not leaving until August....hint hint...nudge nudge....care package.....
Jim! Thanks for reading! COS means Close of Service and the packet contains all the things I have to do before I leave Mongolia and go home!
Za!
News! Completely unrelated to Peace Corps or Mongolia.
The Dresden Dolls (my favorite band) are releasing their new album 'No, Virginia' on May 20th!! I'm not leaving until August....hint hint...nudge nudge....care package.....
Little things!
I found real cream cheese in the German store....
A taxi driver offered me 20,000 dollars to marry him and take him to America.
I found blueberry muffin top cereal, bought it, and promptly consumed it.
I found a cool bookstore with comfy chairs.....
The Japanese guy staying in the same room as me at the hostel can play Bon Jovi on his guitar....totally awesome....
Za!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
April showers bring....nothing but duststorms....
So!
When I came back from vacation, I was pleasantly suprised to find wine in a box, olive oil, cheese, and car air fresheners in my del gors! I promptly bought the wine in a box.....not bad....
Let me see....
I went to birthdays, celebrated Soldier's Day, scared my friends with my cat, and became addicted to Lost, Heroes, and CSI.
Pig Roast!
Lot's of pictures, inside jokes, hilarity. See pics....
My counterpart Otgoo had a baby! A girl. So cute. She invited me over for the baby's first bath....which is kinda of a ceremony.... The baby is bathed in soup and tea..... I asked why and they said it was a tradtion....
I feel totally culturally integrated! My friend Tumee had a dream about me. She said I went to England and I didn't say 'bye' to her and she said she cried. Man. I feel bad I made her cry in the dream....but I'm totally psysched she dreamed about me... :)
Got my COS packet in the mail.
Holy crap.
This is happening way too quickly!
In the capital doing project work....finally...man....I'm lazy.....
Hi Elizabeth's parents! Thanks for reading! :)
Za!
I'm sorry my blog posts keep getting shorter....comment and let me know what you want to hear about!
When I came back from vacation, I was pleasantly suprised to find wine in a box, olive oil, cheese, and car air fresheners in my del gors! I promptly bought the wine in a box.....not bad....
Let me see....
I went to birthdays, celebrated Soldier's Day, scared my friends with my cat, and became addicted to Lost, Heroes, and CSI.
Pig Roast!
Lot's of pictures, inside jokes, hilarity. See pics....
My counterpart Otgoo had a baby! A girl. So cute. She invited me over for the baby's first bath....which is kinda of a ceremony.... The baby is bathed in soup and tea..... I asked why and they said it was a tradtion....
I feel totally culturally integrated! My friend Tumee had a dream about me. She said I went to England and I didn't say 'bye' to her and she said she cried. Man. I feel bad I made her cry in the dream....but I'm totally psysched she dreamed about me... :)
Got my COS packet in the mail.
Holy crap.
This is happening way too quickly!
In the capital doing project work....finally...man....I'm lazy.....
Hi Elizabeth's parents! Thanks for reading! :)
Za!
I'm sorry my blog posts keep getting shorter....comment and let me know what you want to hear about!
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Vacation!
So, I could not afford to travel out of country for my vacation. So I did the next best thing…..I went to Khuvsgul, Erdenet, and Darkhan!
The ride to Muron (Khuvsgul’s aimag center) was long and rough. Thank god Liz was with me!
Stayed with Liz (who is an amazing and gracious hostess) in her house.
Went to the Ice Festival!
We actually had to drive on the lake to get there. We did a full donut on the ice….hilarious, but scary. There are ships that are frozen in the ice! I didn’t get a picture of that and I really regret it! You can see the bottom of the lake through the ice….totally crazy.
I took a sleigh ride with Joe, sumo-ed Liz’s friend Bosco (and lost!), watched speed skating, and fell on the ice….many times….
Then I went back to Liz’s house and just…..did nothing but watch Grey’s Anatomy and Sex and the City and eat ice cream…it was amazing
The ride from Muron to Erdenet really really sucked for many different reasons.
At Rachel’s (another fantastic hostess), I watched more Sex and the City and ate Rachel’s ridiculously delicious croissants. Melinda also came to town!
Then I went to Darkhan with Melinda and Rachel. Saw Matt (awesome host). Hung out, had fun. Alice in Wonderland=Francis and the Dryer. How’s your news?=Amazingly hilarious. Watched Juno….which I absolutely loved!
Then I came to UB! And I have been living it up!
All in all….
It was really nice to have a break.
It was good to see friends.
It was really good to eat a metric ton of Russian ice cream.
It was really nice to shake the winter off.
So now I have the stressful English Olympics! But it’s ok, because right after the Olympics, it’s the 3rd annual PC Pig Roast!! Time is flying!
P.S--I updated pics.
The ride to Muron (Khuvsgul’s aimag center) was long and rough. Thank god Liz was with me!
Stayed with Liz (who is an amazing and gracious hostess) in her house.
Went to the Ice Festival!
We actually had to drive on the lake to get there. We did a full donut on the ice….hilarious, but scary. There are ships that are frozen in the ice! I didn’t get a picture of that and I really regret it! You can see the bottom of the lake through the ice….totally crazy.
I took a sleigh ride with Joe, sumo-ed Liz’s friend Bosco (and lost!), watched speed skating, and fell on the ice….many times….
Then I went back to Liz’s house and just…..did nothing but watch Grey’s Anatomy and Sex and the City and eat ice cream…it was amazing
The ride from Muron to Erdenet really really sucked for many different reasons.
At Rachel’s (another fantastic hostess), I watched more Sex and the City and ate Rachel’s ridiculously delicious croissants. Melinda also came to town!
Then I went to Darkhan with Melinda and Rachel. Saw Matt (awesome host). Hung out, had fun. Alice in Wonderland=Francis and the Dryer. How’s your news?=Amazingly hilarious. Watched Juno….which I absolutely loved!
Then I came to UB! And I have been living it up!
All in all….
It was really nice to have a break.
It was good to see friends.
It was really good to eat a metric ton of Russian ice cream.
It was really nice to shake the winter off.
So now I have the stressful English Olympics! But it’s ok, because right after the Olympics, it’s the 3rd annual PC Pig Roast!! Time is flying!
P.S--I updated pics.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
The White Month
Za!
Since my last entry, I have….
Moved from my ger to the school dormitory. Two words. Central heat. Woot! I really miss my family, but it’s nice to wake up warm and right next to the school. Why did I move? Because cows ate holes all around my ger. When the cows leave my hashaa, they said I could move back.
I got really sick! Strep throat. Ugg. Not fun.
My birthday was on the same day as the first day of Tsagaan Sar (the lunar new year)! Cool birthday, interesting memories. :)
I was visiting someone’s house and eating buuz, when I suddenly bit into something really hard. I looked in the buuz and I found an old Mongol coin! They told me I would be lucky all year. Woot! I need some good luck!
I got 3 packages on the same day! It was awesome! Thanks Aunt Nancy and Mom!
For Valentine’s Day, I had my 5th graders make Valentine’s Day cards. One of my students gave their card to me….it was so cute! Lot’s of warm fuzzies. :)
Mike and Chris taught me how to play chess.....I think just so they could beat me all the time and raise their respective self esteems...... But I did beat my friend Shagai once! I consider it a triumph.
I’m going on vacation soon and I am ridiculously excited!
That's it.
Good times.
Since my last entry, I have….
Moved from my ger to the school dormitory. Two words. Central heat. Woot! I really miss my family, but it’s nice to wake up warm and right next to the school. Why did I move? Because cows ate holes all around my ger. When the cows leave my hashaa, they said I could move back.
I got really sick! Strep throat. Ugg. Not fun.
My birthday was on the same day as the first day of Tsagaan Sar (the lunar new year)! Cool birthday, interesting memories. :)
I was visiting someone’s house and eating buuz, when I suddenly bit into something really hard. I looked in the buuz and I found an old Mongol coin! They told me I would be lucky all year. Woot! I need some good luck!
I got 3 packages on the same day! It was awesome! Thanks Aunt Nancy and Mom!
For Valentine’s Day, I had my 5th graders make Valentine’s Day cards. One of my students gave their card to me….it was so cute! Lot’s of warm fuzzies. :)
Mike and Chris taught me how to play chess.....I think just so they could beat me all the time and raise their respective self esteems...... But I did beat my friend Shagai once! I consider it a triumph.
I’m going on vacation soon and I am ridiculously excited!
That's it.
Good times.
