Why live on the edge...jump off instead!

"A good beginning makes a good ending"-Mongolian Proverb

2008-08-16T22:29:00.000-07:00

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!

June!

2008-06-24T04:30:00.001-07:00

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....

It's snowing in May....

2008-05-26T00:21:00.000-07:00

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!

Quick post

2008-04-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

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.....

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....

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!

April showers bring....nothing but duststorms....

2008-04-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

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!

Vacation!

2008-03-09T03:44:00.000-07:00

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 White Month

2008-02-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

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.

This is winter is 10 times colder than last year.....burrrr....

2008-01-12T20:57:00.000-08:00

Yeah, so the Peace Corps Christmas party was awesome. I have some good videos of everyone sitting around the fire and singing. When I go back to UB, I'll post the videos and pics. The aimag internet is just too slow for videos.

Thanks to my old cooking partner in crime (Matt), I am now addicted to seasons 1-3 of Grey's Anatomy. Another show to add to the list. It actually kind of made me homesick. Random things in the show will remind me of stuff I used to do, things I used to like, etc. Weird.

New Years!

The school had a new year's party.....complete with across-dressing competition! I have to say....I held up my team's end pretty well. I swapped deels with a guy and they drew a very handsome mustache on my face. Awesome. Pics are on the way!

I made pizza with Nyamaa on New Years Day, then we went to the cultural center, danced, watched the band, got a cake and wine from the soum as a present, then went home to celebrate the new year!

My sister gave me one of the awesomest early birthday gifts I have ever received the other day. So, my favorite band....the Dresden Dolls....were playing in the city where my sister lives. She doesn't really care for their music, but she went to the concert, then called me and held the phone up so I could hear the concert! Ahhhh!!! :) She also got me a t-shirt signed by Amanda and Brian! Double Ahhhhh!!!! I was dancing around for a really long time. It's a good thing the people of my soum are used to it now. :) I can't wait to come home and see concerts!

New Years Resolutions!

1. Make more mistakes.
2. Learn more.
3. Do more things I love.
4. Be a better person than last year!

Yeah.

This is going to be another awesome year.

:)

Things I'm thankful for:

2007-12-24T02:29:00.000-08:00

I’m thankful two of my students got 3rd place and one student got 2nd place in the English Olympics! They won some moolah! Woot!

I’m thankful I went to UB for Thanksgiving and ate way too much turkey!

I’m thankful when I came back from UB, my hasha mom had made a fire so my ger was warm when I came home. Felt lots of warm fuzzies…

I’m thankful the cultural center’s floor finally got fixed! We had a ‘new floor’ ceremony and once again…the best dancer in the soum asked me to dance…..score!

I’m thankful my Aunt Nancy sent me a care package with food. I ate from the care package for two weeks!

I’m thankful Enkh fixed my dvd player! I’m now addicted to the TV shows 6 feet under, deadwood, the job, entourage, and my name is earl.

I’m thankful for the new well in my soum! It’s at the hospital, which is like 2 feet from my ger!

I’m thankful one of our del gors got cheese and my friends and I had a completely random pizza making party.

I’m thankful we got another TV channel in my soum! It’s an education channel. Now we have 4 channels! Woot!

I’m thankful I came to UB for Christmas! The party was totally awesome and mellow. :) I'm glad I got a chance to meet and get to know the M18’s better.

Yeah.

Awesome year.

'It was a graveyard smash....'

2007-11-16T23:44:00.000-08:00

October!

So! Here are the highlights for the rest of October!

Lot’s of foreigners have been coming through my soum lately! It’s nice to meet new people and speak in English! I traded deels with a Fulbright Scholar!

Had my friends Tumee and Shagai come over to my ger for dinner. I made spaghetti with ground beef. They didn’t like it! Oh well. I made carrot cake for dessert and they loved it.

My counterpart Otgoo got married and I went to both of her weddings. She had one in the aimag center and one in our soum. Lot’s of potato salad was eaten. Up to two metric tons now. :)

Nyamaa and I invaded the school kitchen and made 2 huge pizzas using the school’s oven. Had friends come and we devoured the pizzas like crazed animals.

As I mentioned earlier, I met some cool Mercy Corps volunteers and I got them addicted to Veronica Mars. So when they drove through my soum on the way to the aimag, they brought me ‘Knocked Up’ to trade for Veronica Mars for the week. So awesome. Loving the sense of community out east lately! :)

Had a girls movie marathon night so we could all watch ‘Knocked up’ and other new movies I acquired. When we were watching ‘An Inconvient Truth’ and Nyamaa saw that Florida would be completely underwater if Greenland melted, she said that it was ok because I would always have a home in land-locked Mongolia. Awww… Lot’s of warm fuzzies. :)

I taught my students ‘eeny, meeny, miiny, mo’. They remember the whole thing! They can’t tell my how old they are….but they got ‘catch a tiger by it’s toe’ down!

Had a HUGE Halloween party for all the 8th-11th graders. It was awesome. They decorations were…..creative and the costumes were awesome/hilarious. I will update pictures soon! I promise!

November!

Went to Dornod for the annual Peace Corps Volunteer Halloween party. ‘Twas awesome. A little more mellow than last year, but then again….Sukhbaatar rules and it’s hard to top the party we had last year! :)

Spent our school vacation working with students to prepare them for the English Olympics.

I just finished a seminar for the English teachers of our aimag. Feeling very productive.

We find out the results of the English Olympics today! The winners get to go to America! 3 of our students were in the top 30 before the Speaking portion of the test....so keep your fingers crossed!

Yeah.

So.

I think that’s it for now! Will updated photos soon!

At last! Not just an Etta James song....

2007-10-12T03:02:00.000-07:00

September!

So!

After a fabulous summer I finally returned to my ger. I must admit, having traveled and seen a good portion of Mongolia smushed in a Russian van, I can now safely say that my soum is the most beautiful in Mongolia! It really is! I’m not biased whatsoever! J It’s was raining a lot so the hills surrounding my soum were emerald green. Gorgeous.

When I returned, things outside my ger were beautiful, but inside my ger was a complete disaster area. The adorable kittens that I left behind had grown into huge, curious monsters with a penchant for pooping in odd places. The claws and teeth of these monsters had no limits! The scratched and chewed absolutely everything in my ger, including my DVD player wires, which demoted my DVD player from ‘sanity saver’ to ‘huge paperweight’. In my anger, I shouted at my cat calling her a feline of ill repute and a strumpet and various other unflattering things.

To happier things!

A new monument was built in my soum while I was away! When I first saw it from far away, it looked like the rock dude from the ‘Fantastic Four’. It’s really a statue of a famous wrestler carrying a horse. Our soum had a ceremony to celebrate it. There was a horse race, and yes, I got to ride in a jeep and ride alongside the horses again. Once again, awesome.

Scary moment!

After the horse race, I went and hung out with friends. I left pretty late and when I was walking home, I was suddenly surrounded by a gang of barking, snarling, pissed off dogs. Wow. I learned a lot about myself and how I deal with fear that night! Apparently, when properly inspired, I can throw rocks at the speed of light and scream like a little girl. Good to know! I’m still convinced that it was my high frequency shrieking that eventually made them go away. J

School started!

The opening ceremony was fun. I am now teaching all the 4th and 5th grade students. Wow. Quite a handful, but fun nonetheless!

Other changes!

The stores in my soum are getting more and more diverse and awesome stuff. I can now get canned peas, Pringles, Pantene Pro-V, and aloe juice in my soum. Woot!

Random Things!

Lot’s of secret loves in my soum! My goodness!

Lot’s of new houses were built this summer and consequently-lot’s of new house parties have been happening this fall! I went to 4 new house parties in 2 days. Wow. That was intense. I have seriously eaten a metric ton of potato salad in the last few weeks. Seriously.

Desperate Housewives is being aired in Mongolian and my hasha Mom absolutely loves it. ‘ Tis hilarious!

Since the demise of my DVD player, I have been keeping myself busy with freewriting, reading, playing with my hasha brother, private English lessons, dancing, walking, and trying to learn how to play the piano. *Note to self* Trying to teach myself piano using ridiculously complicated Ben Folds sheet music is….well…. A+ for being ambitious, but F- for being practical!

Went to the aimag center in September and met some cool Mercy Corps volunteers. Went to the zinc mine again and introduced Chris and Mike to Jenny and the other mine workers I know. Had lot’s of fun! Got Chris hooked on Veronica Mars and Freaks and Geeks….Woot!

My hasha Mom and little brother have been coming and going a lot recently. Been a little lonely! :( I miss going into my family’s house and finding my brother butt naked and consequently practicing my Mongolian compound sentences such as ‘Tamra you need to wear pants because it is cold and you will become sick’! I also miss Tamra knocking incessantly at my door at ungodly hours shouting “Kim big sister!” until I open the door and give him attention/candy.

Been listening to John Mayer’s Continuum and Wilco’s Being There a lot lately! The full albums! Not just the songs I like. I was talking to another volunteer about this—how we’ve kinda become products of our generation in the sense that we listen to music a la carte, only the songs we like and not the whole album. I’ve been missing out! I have definitely gained a new appreciation for full albums now! But old habits die hard! ‘On the Radio’ by Regina Spektor is officially one of my new favorite songs. Gotta find some of her records and take a listen. :)

Hook was aired in Mongolian and I had a hardcore stab of homesickness. I really really miss hanging out with nerds and having some good old fashioned fun. Mongolia is ‘Bangarang’, but I miss you guys. Hardcore.

October!

There was a sports competition for all teachers and I am proud to say that I was part of the first place tug of war team! Also a proud member of the 3rd place volleyball team. :)

The weather was awesome all through September and then the 2nd week of October…a huge freakin’ blizzard came and it was like January weather….it was ridiculous!

2nd year thoughts!

I have 3 goals/objectives for my second year.

1. The first goal is to not become one of those jaded 2nd year volunteers who thinks he/she has seen it all just because they have been here one year. I want to remember that there is always something new to learn.

2. My second goal is to keep my sense of wonder and curiosity. I want to keep the same attitude and perspective that I had when I first got here. The attitude that everything is interesting and awesome, because….it still is!

3. My third goad is that I don’t want to take anything for granted! I get frustrated and disillusioned, but I want to remember to take a step back and see that I have the best site ever and fabulous friends. :)

Everyone always asks what I miss the most—I’ve always hesitated answering because it changes all the time! Fall is my favorite time of year, so this is what I’ve been missin’ lately.

Apple cider, rugby, marshmallows, driving, swimming, teaching swimming lessons, being anonymous, reading in bookstores, Lake Ella, pumpkins, nerds and Taco Bell chicken quesadillas. Friends and family, of course, go without saying. :)

Vacation!

2007-08-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

So!

I went to Bayan-Ulgii for a teacher training camp at the end of July until early August. It was awesome! The teachers were great! Here are highlights from the camp and my trip....

-There was a dance in the 'disco' every night....crazy!

-Held eagle

-My ears were re-pierced by a crazy Kazakh! :)

-Climbed a mountain

-Gave myself a pedicure by the river

-Museum had a ridiculous amount of stuffed things

-Waking up in a Kazakh ger by the river

-Dancing at a Kazakh wedding

-Going to the Bayan-Ulgii hudo and drinking goat milk tea

-picnic by the river with a dude who had 5 gold teeth in a row and has to start his car with a screwdriver

-Meeting guys who drove from England to Mongolia

-Girl who used an electrical cord as a leash for her dog

-Playing frisbee in the river with the Bayankhongor crew

-Camping by the river in Bayankhongor

-Karaoke

-Watching 'Family Guy' with Mo and her sister in Arviheer

-Climbing mountain in Arviheer and getting soaked on the way back

Awesome.

Yesterday was the M18 Swearing In Ceremony! I met my new aimag mate! He's totally cool....woot!

Heading back to site tomorrow....thank goodness! I'm seriously homesick.

Yeah....life is good.

Myspace survey....Mongolia style....been wanting to do this for a while...

2007-07-21T05:55:00.000-07:00

1] What was the highlight of your week? Going to Dulaankhan and seeing my family!

2] Who's car were you in last? A random taxi

3] When is the next time you will kiss someone? In 13 minutes….I don't know!

4] what color shirt are you wearing?Black

5] How long is your hair? medium length

9] Last thing you ate? A kebab

10] Last thing you drank? Water…I’m addicted…

10] Who is your crush? I’m totally smitten with one of the new trainees….let’s hope my higher power sends him out to Sukhbataar! :)

11] Where did you sleep last night? At Jeff’s apartment

13] Are you happy right now? Nope….Matt left for America and I’m totally bummed….

14] What did you say last? ‘Hey, what did I just say outloud’?

15] where is your phone? In my pocket

17] What color are your eyes? blue

19] Who came over last night? Maureen and Steph

20] When was the last time you had your heart broken? When I found out the kebab place ran out of meat…..

21] Who/what do you hate/dislike currently? The blister on my foot.

22] What are you listening to? The theme song of Pete and Pete…..Hey Sandy by Polaris

23] If you could have one thing right now what would it be? Peace on earth….goodwill toward men (and women)

24] What is your favorite scent? The smell of the air after it rains.

25] Who makes you happiest right now? Peace Corps Volunteers

26] What were you doing at 11 last night? Watching ‘Amazing Videos’ at Jeff’s apartment

30] Are you left-handed? Nope

31] Spell your name without vowels: KMBRLY or KM

34] What's for dinner tonight? I already ate….it was a kebab….and it was good….

38] Last time you went swimming in a pool? Does the spa in my village count? :) Wow….I actually have no idea…..May 2006?

39] Where was the last place you went shopping? The del gor.

40] How is your hair right now? Messy

42] AIM or MSN? Neither

! 46] Where does most of your family live? Florida and Wisconsin

47] Are you an only child or do you have siblings? I have 1 older sister. She sends the best care packages....

48] Would you consider yourself to be spoiled? Yep….my soum has 24 hour electricity and cell phone access…..booya!

49] What was the first thing you thought when you woke up? Why do I have the weirdest dreams ever?

50] Do you drink beer? Is the Pope a Catholic?

52] Myspace or Facebook? Both

53] Do you have T-Mobile? No, but I have MobiCom!

54] What is your favorite subject in school? Drama

57] Do you have any talents? I have an amazing ability to both create and diffuse awkward situations…

58] Have you ever been IN a wedding? Nope

59] When was the last time you went to the beach? I live in a land-locked country….next question!

60] Did you take a nap today? I wish

62] Ever met anyone famous before? Band members and politicians

63] Would you rather be famous or marry someone famous? Neither!

64] Ever snuck out? Didn't have to.

65] Are you a multitasker? Yep. I’m doing this survey and wasting time all at the same time….

66] Could you handle being in the military? Nope….

69] Do you have a job? In a manner of speaking….

70] Last place you drove your car? Home….then I sold my car to a punk who said he was going to ‘trick out’ my baby!

72] Ever been to Las Vegas? Lived there!

73] What are you doing today? Well…the day is over. I worked and played.

74] What's the stupidest thing you ever did with your cell? Dropped it in the outhouse on my birthday

75] Last time you were sick? I’m constantly sick….

July!

2007-07-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

So I spent my second Nadaam in Mongolia at a Chinese zinc mine!

I went into the aimag center for Matt's birthday, intending to return to my site to celebrate Nadaam, but the buses stopped running and so I was stranded in the aimag center. The three of us went out to the mine and were cooked awesome Chinese food....twas awesome...made some new friends!

I had to move to a new ger! My family knocked on my door early one morning and told me I had to move! It was just across the hashaa, but I still had to face the fact that I have accumulated way too much stuff here in Mongolia... :)

I got to fly to UB! Woot! The downside.... I had to step over a body bag to get to my seat! I would try and explain this....but it's just too much fun to let this speak for itself and say 'only in Mongolia'..... :)

I went to visit my host family the other day....it was fantastic.... The car ride to Darkhan is beautiful...windows down...cool breeze...awesome... Got a free ride to Dulaahkhan, visited (almost) all the host families, met the new trainees, and went back to UB the same day.

Heading out west soon and I am ridiculously excited for my road trip back to UB!

Za!

Someone else's thoughts about my one year in Mongolia...

2007-07-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

So, I've been in Mongolia for one year.

Wow.

There are so many words and thoughts....but alas....I have found that other people can always express my own thoughts and feelings better than I can... :)

Here's a quote from a random peace corps volunteer that sums up what I want to say about my time here thus far....

"Joining the Peace Corps was the single most complicated thing I’ve done in my life, to date. Wonderful, horrible, insightful, empty, hilarious, ridiculous, sad, trying, rewarding, delicious, infuriating, exasperating, encouraging, normal, boring, bizarre, one in a million, experience." ~RPCVB13

I love it

This next year is going to be awesome! Quite possibly awesomer than last year...only because I can now say funny things in Mongolian... :)

Happy birthday to all my friends back home who have summer birthdays!!

June again!

2007-07-04T02:20:00.000-07:00

So, I totally forgot to mention that Keri, the old volunteer from my site, took her mongol hubby and left for America in early June! I'm really happy for her, but I lost a good friend! It was awesome having someone to talk to about my soum who actually knew the people and places I was talking about. I'm going to miss her a lot.

End of June!

My parents came! We were in UB for a couple days and then they braved the dreaded bus to come visit my soum! They are troopers! My hasha family pulled out all the stops for them....built them a ger, took them to a horse race, then to an old historical site of my soum, and then....khorkhog....which is meat that has been cooked by hot rocks. Showed them the sites of my soum and my favorite places to walk to....so now they know what the heck I'm talking about when I call home...

July and August are going to be really really awesome....lot's of travelling will be done.... :)

As requested by numerous friends and family, I have posted more landscape pictures in my photo gallery....more will come....

Gotta go!

June!

2007-06-25T01:38:00.000-07:00

Last part of May

So, the last part of May I got to travel to UB on Peace Corps' dime for my medical check-up. Woot! I'm still healthy! Went to Darkhan to see friends, then came back to UB to see the new volunteers arrive! It was nice not to have so many things to do and people to see. The best things I did in UB were 1) Buying a pint of pistachio ice cream and watching a random traveler's favorite movie. 2) Sitting on the balcony of the guesthouse and people watching. 3) Getting my wallet stolen. There's nothing like a minor tragedy to humble you and keep your life in perspective. :)

June!

The new volunteers came! Went back to site. I found out my cat is pregnant! Then like a week later....she had five kittens! Went to the aimag center to hang with my boys...I'm really going to miss Matt..... hardcore.... Craig's staying in Mongolia, so I'll still get to see him! I rode a camel and another horse! It's so weird. I rode more horses in the states than I have in Mongolia....go figure.... My parents are coming! Woot! They're here for a week!

Random things totally unrelated to Peace Corps....

I have recently discovered that Amanda Palmer.... lead singer of the Dresden Dolls... is currently working on a solo album with Ben Folds.... When I found this out....I literally freaked out and started dancing around the Peace Corps office....This is going to be an awesome record.... (Amanda Palmer and Ben Folds are my musical soulmates...that's why I'm really excited)

Also! The Dresden Dolls are finally putting out another DVD! It comes out July 10 and if anyone sends me it....I will marry them....I mean....if you're a dude....if you're a girl....I will be your hetero-life mate.....like Jay and Silent Bob....except...we'd be chicks....

There's so much more I want to say and write about....but I gotta go!

May

2007-05-25T23:58:00.000-07:00

So since my last post about May, two very exciting things happened....

1. Jahvlan...a very famous pop singer in Mongolia....came to my aimag center to do a concert! Woot! My Nyamaa, Naraa, Craig, and myself all went to the concert. It was amazing! He sounded just like he does on his cd! Awesome. I took some good pictures...check them out...

2. My hasha brother had his haircutting ceremony! So they shaved his head and boy....he was not a happy camper! See the pictures! The celebration lasted all day and it was so much fun....my family is awesome.

I did massive amounts of picture updates for March, April, and May....check them out!

Once again, Congrats to all the people graduating! Now join Peace Corps! :)

Whoo!

2007-04-21T01:40:00.000-07:00

March

I seriously take the beauty of my site for granted. Everytime I leave my site to go to UB and come back...I'm always like 'I can't believe I live here'. This is nuts. There's more to it than that...but I'm really inarticulate. There are so many things I want to say....like profound philosophical things about humanity, the lightness of being, and all that crap but everytime I try to express it (via spoken words or written) it always comes out like... 'I like ponies'. Oh well. C'est la vie! :)

At the end of March I went to Khentii for the 2nd annual pig roast! I had such a blast! There were like 20 volunteers there...pretty sweet. See the pics!

April

After the pig roast, the Sukhbataar crew went back to the aimag and judged the English Olympics. Man. The Mongolians take the olympics really really seriously. Crazy. Went back to site....the weather has been fantastic! I haven't made a fire in quite a while. :) Kerri, the old volunteer from my site came to visit and I totally had a blast with her. She's trying to play matchmaker for me....maybe a herdsman is in my future? :) I found out that my hasha family's computer has Grand Theft Auto on it. Oh my god. Awesome. My hasha dog had puppies! She had 4 puppies....3 white and 1 black. My brothers let me have the black one because they know black is my favorite color... I named him Bob. :)

May

Beautiful weather still. I rode my first horse on May 3rd! Woot! I was walking with my counterpart and I saw a horse and I told her I wanted to ride one. So she asked who's horse it was and if I could ride it. The guy said yes and voila! It was awesome. My school is letting me keep the extra keyboard in my ger, so now I'm learning to play! I want to rock out and learn some Ben Folds songs. :) Been taking a lot of walks lately....my soum is beautiful.

Parties!

Za, so whether its birthday parties, a new house ceremony, a hair cutting ceremony, or a wedding....most Mongolian parties are the same. You go to the persons house. There's usually a raw sheep in the center of the table. The give you potato salad, ham, pickles, candy, and juice. The serve you a meal (in my experience it's always been soup). They pass around vodka and sing....a lot....there's a lot of singing. At the end, they usually give you a candy bar. Awesome. Lot's and lot's of fun.

Za! What else do you want to know?

P.S-- Congrats to all my friends who are graduating!!! Woohoo!!!!

9 months!

2007-03-07T05:47:00.000-08:00

So March is the month in which I celebrate 9 months of living in Mongolia! Woot!

The end of Feb. went by pretty quickly...I had to get a lot of stuff done before coming to UB for M17's PDM seminar. PDM stands for Project Design and Management.

PDM was shorter than the in-service training we had in December so not as much time to chill, but it's still nice to hang out with my training site peeps again.

I have no idea what else to write.....you guys tell me! Give me a topic you would like me to write about and I totally will. Everyone post a comment with your suggestion. It'll be awesome. I promise.

Vacation!

2007-02-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

So I've been on vacation since Feb. 9th and this is what I've done!

Went to UB, hung out, then went to the Amarbayasgalant Khiid monastary with my training site friends and other peeps who live close/in Darkhan.

Went sledding....awesome.

Visited the monastary.....awesome.

Ate awesome food cooked by cool people....awesome.

Then my friends and I traveled back to our old stomping grounds to visit our host families for Tsagaan Sar.

Lot's of buuz were eaten.

Lot's of vodka was drunk.

Lot's of presents were given.

Lot's of fun was had.

Train ride back to UB on a hard seat? Not so much fun. But I slept most of the way....so it wasn't too bad.

Za.

Life is good.

Quick update

2007-02-09T23:04:00.000-08:00

I've updated a ton of pictures in the December, January, and February sections of my photo gallery. Lot's of hilarity.

Za.

That's it!

P.S

Thanks to the people who gave me love for my birthday!

The worst is over!

2007-02-08T19:19:00.000-08:00

So! According to the M16s, the worst part of the winter is over! Woot! It really wasn't that bad! I was so stressed out for nothing!

January

New year's was fun. Lot's of dances and parties. I got my waltz on. It was tough not having movies (my dvd player broke!) but my buddies kept me occupied. The country director was doing site visits and came to my soum in the middle of the month. He brought cheese! Awesome! I had a poetry competition for my students. Lot's of poems about their families, very cute. End of the month dragged on

Feb

Oh goodness. Had my mongol birthday party on the 6th because a bunch of my friends are going to China. Cool. They gave me an awesome shirt! Woot! My actual birthday was....interesting.... In the morning, I dropped my phone in the outhouse....ugg. That's all I have to say! Lot's of american disinfecting wipes were lost during the cleaning process! All of the cars in my soum broke down....so I had to take the bus. The bus made a half-hour stop at a disinfecting place where I had to wash my hands and then have something sprayed in my mouth. Crazy. There's sheep pox in our aimag...so you can't be too careful! :) My boys in the aimag really stepped it up and made tacos! Totally awesome. Chilled. Watch Chappelle show. Pretty mellow. Pretty awesome. Man, I miss comedy central. And live music. But I live in Mongolia! So it's a fair trade off. :)

Oh the Drama!

2007-01-20T21:23:00.000-08:00

Due to circumstances beyond my control....my internet is leaving me until spring!

Ugg. That's all I have to say about that.

But I'll be checking my e-mail at the beginning of Feb. so if you need anything just give me a holla!

I can't believe I just said 'holla'.

Mongolia's changed me my friends.

FYI

Mongolians believe the winter can be characterized as the 9 9's.

They think the winter is 81 days long, so 9 sets of 9 days.

Each week stands for something.

1st 9 days--- They believe that 'airag' the vodka made from milk.... will freeze.

2nd 9 days-- They believe that the vodka from 'airag' will freeze. (I don't get it either).

3rd 9 days-- They believe that a 3 year old bull's horns will freeze.

4th 9 days-- They believe that a 4 year old bull's horns will freeze.

5th 9 days-- They believe that rice that is left out will not freeze.

6th 9 days-- They believe that the ground will start to melt.

7th 9 days--They believe that the snow will melt and the head of the mountain will be brown.

8th 9 days-- They believe that the snow will melt and it will be really slushy and make a lot of noise.

9th 9 days-- They believe that it will be warm!!

We are currently in the 4th 9....the coldest of the winter! It's not that bad! It's doable. Maybe it's just where I live. Everyone else I talk to says they're freakin' cold.

Za!

At long last!

2007-01-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

Alright! Here’s a long entry describing my misadventures!

November

So I stared off the month of November with a Trafficking in Persons/AIDS/Life Skills seminar. I brought the social worker from my school. I got really into TIP and I hope I can do a secondary project involving it somehow. With so many volunteers in one place….it was inevitable that a party would follow. We had an awesome Halloween party….lot’s of good costumes….See my photo gallery for proof! When I got back from the seminar…I found that my water had frozen for the first time. Holy crap….I was scared. November was also the month in which we had our first school vacation! It was totally awesome, I just hung out and watched tons of movies. November was also what I refer to now as my ‘social’ month. I visited tons of people and pinched tons of buuz. I still suck at pinching them; at least the Mongolians get a good laugh at that. J One buuz making time in particular holds a special place in my memory. I was at a primary teacher’s ger and we had just finished pinching buuz and were waiting for them to finish steaming. I’m sitting with my back to the bed because there was no room on the bed. I suddenly hear a strange suctioning sound. Worrying I might fall into a black hole; I turn around to see where the noise is coming from. I turn around to find the primary teacher using a breast pump right above my right shoulder. I give her my ‘I am so uncomfortable right now’ smile and she just laughs. Mongolians don’t think nudity or breast pumping is a big deal, they do it in front of company all the time. Hey, who am I to judge? People would argue that Americans are freakin’ crazy when it comes to things like that. Anywho, I went to UB for Thanksgiving which was so awesome. I took the longest shower ever at my friend Jeff’s apartment. I left like a ‘hudo’ scum ring around his tub. Awesome. Don’t worry….I cleaned it up! At the Thanksgiving dinner, there were 4 (count em’) 4 turkeys! I was so thrilled that I pushed my way past a distinguished looking man to get a piece. I later found out that he is the new American ambassador to Mongolia. Awesome. I can’t wait to formally meet him…that’s going to go really well. Hello Ambassador, I believe we already met….I believe I knocked you over to get to the turkey. What can I say? You were in the way! I came back and was immediately invited to a friend of a friend’s birthday party. We ate at her house and then went to the bar. And by bar…I mean a room with alcohol in it. I came back slightly tipsy and (since it’s freakin’ cold!) I lit a fire. While sitting in front of my fire, my cat came over wanting food and her tail went inside of my stove and caught on fire. I quickly put her out, but the damage was done. Her poor tail was singed and my ger smelled like burnt hair for a day. Gross.

December

Early December was a blur, except that on Dec. 5th I had a little party to celebrate my being in Mongolia for 6 months! I made hosher with my friends and had a good time. On Dec. 14th, I went into UB for IST! I came so quickly! The ride in sucked worse than usual, because there was raw meat in bags all up and down the aisles of the bus. Pieces of bone sticking out everywhere. Gross. But IST was awesome. Hot showers. Heaven. Lot’s of sessions, a dance, a talent show, lot’s of good stuff. Check out the photo gallery. Christmas! There was a PC party, which was a lot of fun. There was a band and a fun gift exchange. Got some good videos that night which I’m trying to post. On Christmas day, I didn’t do anything special. I tried to go to church…but it turned out there was no service on Christmas! What the heck!? Went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch….nothing says Christmas like burritos! Went to Jeff’s apartment and Elizabeth made some killer sugar cookies…. Then we went to a club….strange I know….but it really didn’t feel like Christmas. All in all….it was a good day. Went back to site. Boy, in some ways that was tougher than going to site in August. I got to hang out with my buddies for so long! Then I was ripped away from them! Oh the agony! J I was in a slump for a couple of days, but then the New Year’s festivities got me up and out of the ger. I went to 3 town dances in ³ days! I waltzed like crazy! 3 dudes asked me to dance and they never ask me to dance! Perhaps it was all the liquid courage being passed around.

January

It’s cold! But not as bad as I thought it would be! Then again, it’s still the beginning of January!

My latest language blunder. A man came into the internet center and saw me sitting at a computer. He introduced himself and I did the same. Then I thought he asked me if I missed my parents. To which I responded ‘sometimes’. Everyone in the room started cracking up. My counterpart was there and I was like…why is everyone laughing? She said that he didn’t ask me if I missed my parents…he asked if my parents were Korean. Awesome.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-25T02:21:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was great! There was a potluck....PC provided the turkey and the volunteers provided everything else! Pretty awesome....

Since in UB...I took advantage of the awesome fastness of the internet here.... I have updated TONS of photos in September, October, and November links....check them out! I finally posted pictures of inside my ger and my cat.....

Ugg...no time for long entry....gotta go!

Oh Mongolia...

2006-11-15T23:38:00.000-08:00

So! If you have tried to call or e-mail me and I have not responded.....here's why!

About 3 days after internet was installed in my soum....it stopped....but now it is back! But I don't know for how long.....We shall see!

Also... Mongolia's cell phone service provider would not allow phones to recieve international calls for about 3 weeks because they were not making any money off them....

So!

That's that!

Will update later!

Community Integration has never been so much fun!

2006-10-28T01:04:00.000-07:00

So this week has been quite interesting...

My classes have been ok...like I said....I need to work on my classroom management skills....

I also need to figure out how to say 'Don't hit each other with rulers' and 'Don't throw spitballs' in Mongolian....

2 major achievements in my quest for integration into the community!

1. I was invited to a new house ceremony! One of the primary teachers just built a new house and so all the teachers of the school are invited over. It's kind of like a house-warming party. Except we all give them money (as one big present) instead of individual presents. It was so much fun! Lot's of food and drinks to go around... This was Wednesday night....

2. On Thursday, I was invited to the bank manager's wedding! We worked together a lot recently trying to get the internet center set up. So I went to his house....and it was kinda the same as the new house ceremony....lot's of food and drinks to go around... Nothing like an American wedding ceremony... It just family and friends. And it's not really a ceremony, the only thing they do 'official' is exchange rings. It's more just like a celebration. So cool...I want my wedding (if I get married!) to be like that....

It's so nice to have internet! I actually know what's going on in the world!

Partying on the steppe.

2006-10-28T00:39:00.000-07:00

I am alive Part 2

2006-10-27T00:02:00.000-07:00

Alright, so just to give you an update about what I have been doing since the end of August….

August

So at the end of August, after the swearing-in ceremony, almost all of us have to go through the capital to get to our sites. I had only 2 days to get all the stuff I need for the next 4 months….it was pretty crazy….but I got everything done….Then…. dun dun dun I had a 17 hour Russian jeep ride to my site….Wow. That is all I have to say about that. Actually, I’m lying…I will say more…. It was 17 hours!!!!!! AHHHH!

So my ger is awesome… I have a full sized fridge IN my ger! Send me magnets people! I will post pictures soon… I had a tour of the soum (village)…it was pretty short…but awesome….

The week before school I went and checked out the school, met the teachers, and found out where my classes would be.

September

First day of school September 1…..The first day of school we had an opening ceremony…holy crap…I had to give a speech… I sounded so lame! There were also singers and dancers…it was pretty awesome…those little kids can belt out some tunes man! Then we went to the outskirts of the soum to watch the horse race. They told me to get in a Russian jeep and I did…with much hesitation…they then started to drive away from the soum…that’s when I got nervous….So I asked my counterpart (who speaks fantastic English) where we were going….and she said to the horse race… I was confused. Then the driver hit the gas and we went full throttle back toward the soum…once again…confusion was the feeling of the moment… I soon see the horses and realize we are also racing….to catch up with the horse in first place… It was soo much fun…. And yet sooo scary at the same time….I have some awesome videos that I will post of this experience….

Over that weekend I got really sick…so I had to miss the first day of school. I used my ‘re-supply’ days and went to the aimag center. There are only 4 people in our entire aimag and I am the only girl! But it’s all good…the guys are totally awesome… They got me hooked on the show ‘Entourage’ and they taught me how to play Risk. Boy, I need to work on my strategy….

The power was on and off all September and part of October….it usually went off when I was cooking on my electric hotplate… J

I took a day trip with my counterpart out to the countryside soum a little bit south of my soum…. The ride was bumpy but sooo beautiful…I’m still kicking myself for not bringing my camera….It was really rocky and hilly and mountainy…not at all like what you would picture the Mongolian steppe to look like….

That weekend, there was a volleyball competition for all the teachers…. So much fun….

Went to the aimag for consolidation weekend and this time I got to get the boys hooked on the TV show Veronica Mars…. I’m carrying the torch Ed!

October

Got sick the first week of October…like strep throat sick….it was awful…ugg…. I was out of commission for a week!

It snowed for the first time on October 9th. So cool…both literally and figuratively….

Peeps came and ‘winterized’ my ger….and by that I mean…they took it apart….added an extra layer of felt….put dirt around the edges (so wind doesn’t get in) and built me a ‘ping’…which is a little house that goes in front of my door to keep out the wind. I can also store my ‘fuel’ for my fire. And by fuel…I mean dung.

I have been very environmentally friendly since I’ve been here! I burn all my trash, only burn dung, don’t drive a car, and I don’t waste water! Go me…*pats self on back*

I had some teachers over recently and we watched a movie in my ger…very cool…nice to have some friends…

I’ve been getting closer to my khasha family lately…it’s been awesome….They gave me cool wool shoes the other day…totally warm and toasty…

Got fitted for my winter deel….it looks so warm…I can’t wait for it to get done…

Ate goat meat off the bone.

Ate raw sheep meat.

Maybe I’ve found the reason I’m sick a lot?

My classroom management skills need some work.

Life is good.

This post is totally not my ‘style’…will do better later….just wanted to keep people updated….

More funny stories to come!

I'm Alive!

2006-09-30T00:03:00.000-07:00

I have a phone number and an address! If you want to know either of them...just leave a comment with your e-mail and I will add you to my mass e-mail list....

I've updated some photos under Pre-Service Training!

There will be a longer and awesomer post later! I get an internet cafe in my soum at the end of October! The internet here...hmmm...let's just say the soum fudged on that a little.....

News!

2006-08-16T01:47:00.000-07:00

We finally got our LPI scores! I got Inter. Low.....Holy crap! Someone in the PC office made a terrible error in paperwork! I totally deserved a Novice High....

I found out where I will be living for the next 2 years! I can't tell you specifics...PC rulz....but I can tell you the Aimag! I'm in the East in Sukhbaatar Aimag! I will be living on the steppe! Sukhbaatar Aimag is just above the Eastern part of the Gobi Desert!

The best part is that I will have 24 hour electricity, cell phone access, AND internet access!

Woot Woot!

Cell phone number coming soon!

Not a post about stomach problems!

2006-08-14T04:24:00.000-07:00

Hey!

So we left our host site today...it really sucked. I'm going to miss my family big time....

Good news! I'm getting my cell phone on Wednesday! Sweet! I'll send the number via my mass e-mail...if you want to be added...just leave a comment and let me know.....

ALSO....I will be sending my address as so0n as I get it and I would totally appreciate it if you sent me stuff....preferably food...letters are cool too though....

UB was crazy. I was sick for most of it....but I was well enough to gorge on Mexican, Indian, American, and PIZZA throughout my time there. The best part was when we found Doritos in one of the stores...holy crap...awesome....

Random Story that I Forgot In the Last Post

My Mongolian grandfather (who I met once out in the countryside) died recently. My Mom came in from the countryside and brought these huge boxes of ice cream and candy with her. I asked my sister what they were for and she said that is was for my Mom's grandfather. She explained that if we give candy and ice cream to the kids, the are doing a good deed, which will please the deceased's ghost, and he will go to heaven. I thought that was really interesting....

Also...I got my del! It's so awesome! It's blue with flowers! I will try and post a picture as soon as I can!

2006-08-10T05:02:00.000-07:00

Terribly sorry for the lack of updates in recent weeks! Practice teaching sucked the energy out of the entire group-- so we did not feel like venturing to Darkhan on the weekend.

Let the updates begin!

So the Sunday before classes began (July 16), I went to Matt’s house to plan our lesson (we were assigned the adults group) and to enjoy the fruits of his cooking labor (mac and cheese and hamburgers with real buns!!).

Monday was the first day of practice teaching….It wasn’t bad! I thought I would be ridiculously nervous during class….but I wasn’t! The kids are/were awesome!

Random Tidbits and Stories

We got actual medals for playing volleyball at Nadaam!! I’ll get a picture up as soon as I can….it’s pretty sweet….

Made beer-battered onion rings ‘blobs’ with Matt…I consider it a success!

I had a non-Peace Corps approved Cross Cultural Lesson at Elizabeth’s house….Her parents had some old school friends over and they were drinking and having a good time….which was fine….now….I had just come over to grab Elizabeth and then go back to my house….but….they insisted we stay and do some shots with them. Now when I say shot…you are probably thinking of one of those cute little souvenir shot glasses….but no…..no no no….I was handed a huge Teacup full of vodka and they would not let us leave until I finished the entire thing….Now…PC warned us about alcohol and situations like this…but my family (and most of the other host families) don’t drink too much (if at all)…so this was a relatively new situation for me…. Pretty interesting….

So Brody’s birthday brought out the ingenuity (and cooking prowess) of all the trainees in site. Brody and Will made a grill! Pictures are on my photbucket site! Brody and Will cooked hamburgers. Matt and I made beer-battered onion “petals” (Not blobs! We’re getting better!). And Elizabeth and Rachel made an apple cake thing which looked suspiciously like stuffing…but tasted like a little piece of heaven! Then we played cards. We have become quite fond of Gin Rummy in recent days….and when the vodka comes out…it morphs into a game of strip Gin Rummy…….

Decided to expand cooking prowess with my partner in teaching and in crime…Matt! We had some spaghetti sauce and cheese left over from somewhere so we decided to try and make pizza hoshuur (pronounced hosher). It was really difficult to get the sauce in because it was so thin and it would squirt out of the sides when we tried to pinch them shut….next time I think we’ll try to make a thicker sauce…. Once they were done….they tasted fantastic….

I went to the river on the last Sunday in July and while I was getting ready to go (putting on sunscreen, getting my towel, yelling for all the kids to hurry up, etc.) it felt exactly like I was going to the beach in Florida….it was pretty cool….I got so sunburned! Just like in Florida! J

Note to future PC Volunteers who could be placed in Mongolia…this next story contains spoilers of umm…gifts you might receive from your host family….So don’t read it if you want to be surprised….

Before I start this story….you should know that my older brother owns a mikr and goes to Darkhan about 3-4 times a week….yeah….. Here’s the story…..So it’s pretty much well-known that host families give their volunteers dels as their going away gift…. Most of the other volunteers in my site have already been given their dels….but mine is MIA…my family says it’s being made in Darkhan….So one day….my brother comes home….and everyone goes to help bring in stuff….as I’m walking up to grab something….my sister grabs a huge thing of cloth. Now…this cloth is white with black splotches on it…as a matter of fact….it looks like someone found a cow the size of an elephant and skinned it…..So I asked my sister in my ridiculously elementary Mongolian….’what is that”? My sister (who speaks good English by the way) replies….It’s your del! Then she asks if I think it’s pretty. I could not think of one thing to say….so I did the next best thing…. I pointed to the material and then motioned putting it on….and then I conjured the best and most convincing ‘MOO’ I could manage. My family starts cracking up and then informs me that it was a joke. Now….this is their favorite story to tell people when they come over…but they have expanded on it….now they say that I got on the ground and ‘moo’ed and then got up and danced like a chicken… Oh well…..

Had my site interview on Aug. 3 and boy….that just made me realize just how inarticulate I really am! It’s nice to know that where I will live for 2 years is going to be decided by 2 Mongolians who seemed generally confused by my inarticulate answers! J As the Mongolians say “Zoogare” (It’s ok)!

So on Friday (Aug. 4) we had our last day of class! Matt and I had a great class. Well, to be fair….half of the class lives with me…. But anyway….After class, we gathered at my house and made pizza! The first one turned out ok…the second one was amazing….

On Aug. 5, we had our Community Development Activity. So what we did was set up like a field day type thing. Each one of us was responsible for a station….We had basketball, kickball, limbo, three-legged race, a water balloon toss, and a hoshuur eating contest. It was awesome. We thought only like 2 people would show up…..but over 50 came! Sweet! Went to the river afterward with like 15 kids left over from ‘field day’….it was awesome. All in all….it was a pretty awesome day…. I don’t know how much community development we actually did….but damn….we had fun…:)

Another random story....On the way back from Darkhan one time....our tire blew....and boy....was that scary...... There's a picture on photobucket that may explain why the tire blew.....

I uploaded videos!!! Check under the videos section of photobucket and you will find them!! I also updated tons of photos and captions!!!

Also.... A big shout-out to my homies who have birthdays this month!! I don't know exact days....but if you let me know....I will try and give you a call at a really inconvient time!!! :) Happy Birthday!!!

I'm in UB (the capital) right now....the internet is ridicuously fast.....I'll go to Darkhan later and find out where I'm going in the country....Ahhhhhh!!!!! This summer just disappeared!!

Also sad news....My Grandmother passed away on Aug. 6th. I wrote this blog entry on someone's computer before I was told....so the tone might seem a little strange....It's really tough being here and not being able to do anything....But I can do something and I am....I'm dedicating my Peace Corps service to her....

"The World Is Your Jorlon (Toilet) "-Rachel

2006-07-14T20:08:00.001-07:00

This quote rings especially true for me due to recent events......which I will discuss in great length later....

Since I last updated I have.....

-Made spaghetti for my family....they loved it....even my older sister....who is a very picky eater....loved it....

-Found out some sad/happy news....our awesome LCF was accepted into an English Master's Degree program in India and she got a full scholarship! Which means she had to quit because she has to physically be in India on July 20th....but we had a huge party for her. We bought beef and ground it and made some awesome cheeseburgers.....Elizabeth brought out her cheese and she made some ridiculously good mac and cheese....I brought corn! It was sad....but fun....

--Watched 'Wedding Crashers' for the first time....it was aight'....

-Read 3 books! 'In Search of Genghis Khan' by Tim Severin, 'Naked Pictures of Famous People' by Jon Stewart, 'A Million Little Pieces' by James Frey They were aight'.....

--Had our first language lesson with our new LCF....she's really nice and fun...but....it was pretty rough....I won't lie.... We are missin' our old LCF big time...

--I made garlic bread successfully!

--Went to the countryside to celebrate the national Nadaam with the whole family!

--Fun story time! So we camped out in the countryside...which was fine with me....it was a little cramped....I had to spoon with my host sister....which was a little awkward....but whatev.....

So I wake up at like 6am with a horrible pain in the stomach area....Now...I should mention....that out in the countryside....there are no outhouses....you just kinda go off in the distance and do your thing....now...I'm thinking that Montazuma has some serious beef with me and wants revenge big time.....and I don't exactly feel comfortable going off and....doing my thing ....where people could potentially see me....so I kinda of hide behind the cow pen and ....do my thing.....Needless to say....I had to do my thing....several times..... I felt like a cow. It's funny now in retrospect....but then....not so much.....

--I ate camel for the first time when I was out in the countryside! It tastes like beef! They cooked it with rocks...I have pics....but I won't be able to upload them for a while....

-Been pretty lazy lately....not many exciting things going on....just chillin'

-Got sick again on Friday...I skipped school....because I couldn't walk 10 feet without having to run to the jorlon.....but I hate missing school....cause my language sucks....

Man!

But it's all good. "This too shall pass."

Miss everyone!

Heel Spurs and much more!

2006-07-04T04:43:00.000-07:00

So the trainees lost the basketball game against the trainers.... *shakes fist* We'll get you next year!

We had hot dogs, hamburgers, and mustard....which was heavenly...

So...it turns out I have a heel spur....YAY!

I have an old injury on my left heel and apparently I developed a heel spur because of it....

It's really painful to walk...but whatev....I talked to the PCMO and she said that she's going to get me some shoe insoles and a cup like thing for my heel...pretty sweet....

So I figure while I've got time I'm going to answer some common questions...

1. Bathing

Alright....I usually bathe like once a week....but the longest I've gone has been 9 days.... Like I told my Mom....my idea of clean and dirty has changed drastically since being in Mongolia.....

2. Eating

So I usually have bread and butter for breakfast....but since I went to Darkhan and got peanut butter....it's been bread and peanut butter.... Pretty standard....

For lunch....it's usually sloven...which is noodles or rice...combined with some veggies....It's pretty good.

For dinner....it's sometimes sloven....but sometimes my sister mixes it up....she made me a sandwich one night....which was amazing....she also made some spaghetti....once again....pretty sweet...

I haven't had anything crazy like sheep eyes or tail or intestine...but I have eaten a ton of unknown milk products.... those Mongolians can be pretty creative when it comes to milk and meat....

3. Sleep

Suprise! I sleep in a bed! It's pretty hard....but its all good... I usually go to bed around like 11 or 12....

4. The Outhouse

Oh the Outhouse. It really surprised me how quickly it became normal and not a big deal. I also think it's hilarious that when PCT's get sick...as in 'hot butt' sick...that they don't want to go in any outhouse but their own....just like in America!

5. My host family

Are awesome. A lot of people ask...'what the heck do you do with them?'

Well....I play a LOT of card games....I also play basketball, tag, visit neighbors, catch, and (as of recently) play badmitton-sp? We listen to my IPOD a lot and subsequently....we dance a lot....

A Typical Day in the life of a PCT during PST

Get up at 8
Get dressed, brush teeth, eat breakfast
Leave for school at 8:30
Have language lession from 9 to 1
Go back home
Have lunch
Usually take a nap
Then go back to the school (most of the time) at 3 for techincal sessions or cross culteral sessions
Go home around 6 or 6:30
Eat dinner at like 7:30
Do stuff till 11 or 12
Then go to sleep!

After this weekend though...our schedule changes and we wll be practice teaching in the afternoon instead of having techincal sessions....

Pretty sweet! Actually...pretty boring to be honest...but my sitemates make it bearable....

Don't know when I'll update again...prolly in a few weeks....

Send me e-mails and leave comments! I love them!

One more thing....

2006-07-04T00:54:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

The whole group is going to eat hot dogs and hang out....

Sweet.

One more thing about Naadam....

A long time ago....at Naadam....there was a wrestler who defeated every dude at the tournament...but after the competition was over....the wrestler revealed herself as a woman....SO.....from then on....the wrestlers had to wear a half jacket and speedos....and they still do today...check out the photo gallery....

Women rule!

That is all!

Sain Bain.

2006-07-03T02:53:00.000-07:00

San been.... That is how you say....good or very good....

This will be important later.

So.

Since I last updated....This is what has happened....

Our LCF's birthday! Everyone came over and we made her a pizza....Man....that was some good pizza.....

Our trainee group (as part of our training) had to make edible hosher (which is like a Polish perogie).

It took FOREVER.....But it was all good....it tasted alright too....

The day before Naadam....we went up one of the mountains surrounding our town and prayed for rain....Then it rained like 30 minutes later.....Mom....this is not a sign I'm converting to Buddism....I'm just saying....it's really interesting.....

Then....NAADAM.....

I have no idea about the history....or anything like that....but here's what I got out of it....

It celebrates the 3 'manly' sports....wrestling, horse racing, and archery....

And apparently volleyball as well.....

All the trainees signed up to play a game.....

We won our first game (woot woot!)....

But it got too hot...so we didn't stick around for the finals....

Another note....it was not uncommon for a horse to come and start eating the volleyball field....it was also common for the horse to take a dump on the field....

Awesome...

There was a dance afterword....and our LCF taught me to slow dance Mongolian style...

Boy.

I am really not coordinated at all....

I also got asked to dance by the DJ...and once again....that just ended badly....

The poor guy walked away limping....

I chopped wood successfully!

There was a crazy storm the other night....everyone was at my house watching a movie when the power went out....we went outside and just watched the storm....it was awesome....

Typical Saturday night at my site:

A rousing game of Skip-O!

On Sunday...I went to another town's Naadam....that was fun....

Oh my goodness....

Do this right now....

Got to IMDB.com.....then go to the search box on the left....type in my last name....

Holy crap....I'm on IMDB. AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

~~~Kim

P.S--I updated photos.....check out the one of my outhouse!

P.S.S--Our training group was talking about leaving Mongolia in January when it gets so cold that vodka freezes and going to Thailand..... One of our trainees said...."It will be SAND BAIN".... It was hilarious...but for you guys in the states not learning Mongolian....probably not so much....

Oh Darkhan...How I love thee!

2006-06-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

So Rachel's birthday was awesome...(see earlier post)....

After that we went for Sukhbatter-sp? for shots...(also see earlier post)...

I made alfredo and pasta for my family! My older sister hated it! But my younger sis said she liked it...but I think she just doesn't want to hurt my feelings.....

By the way....Do not tip in Mongolia....ever! It is considered rude...plus...foreigners are overcharged anyway...so just consider that the tip...

Anyway....the site that I'm training at (and will remain until the middle of August) is pretty small...but very pretty....see pictures in gallery....

It has a chopstick factory! I kid you not!

Random story...

As part of a cross culteral session we went to the museum that is in the mountains behind our soum (village) and met the curator....

Boy...I just met the stereotypical 'eccentric mountain man'....

We got our of the mikr (van) as a group and I was standing near a fellow (male) trainee...

The old man came up to me and started speaking Mongolian....now...I still don't speak Monglian...so I have no idea what this dude actually said.... But he pointed to my stomach and then to Matt (the fellow trainee)....at first I thought he was just calling me fat (which is not considered rude in Mongolia) So I just said 'tim' which means 'yes...yes I am very fat' But then he started laughing....

Now...we did have our language teacher and PCV who speaks fluent Monglian with us....so I asked them both what he said...but they were laughing and wouldn't tell me....eventually I got it out of them....I'm very persuasive you know... :)

The old dude thought I was pregnant and that Matt (fellow trainee) was the father....because he was standing next to me....and had a beard....which is a fertility symbol in Mongolia.....

Good to know!

I did laundry the other day....by hand.....

We have several competancies that we have to have completed by the end of the summer (like chopping wood, making a fire, etc.) and hand washing laundry is one of them...

I am happy to report that I am very good (sain bain) at washing my laundry by hand. It takes a long time and hurts my back....but I feel an immense sense of accomplishment after it is done....

My family took me to the country the other day....and by country....I mean a bumpy 15 minute ride north of my village...

It was so pretty out there....crazy....

They put me right to work and I (unsuccessfully) milked a cow.

My sister and mother were crazy.... they (the cow?) were like squirting a powerful stream of milk into the buckets...and I was just sitting there tugging on the cow's teat trying to get like a drop to come out....Needless to say...my family laughed at me a lot.... :)

We had our first ET (early termination) this week....oh man...

The skeeters here are crazy....I've been told that a recent flood (before we came here) was the reason why I feel like pigsty (from Charlie Brown) on the way to school in the mornings...

I've been watching a lot of soccer lately....There's only 1 channel in Mongolia....so soccer it is!

At night it plays badly dubbed movies...I've seen Gone with the Wind, The Girl with the Pearl Earring, and Spanglish so far...

Awesome...

Life is good.

People are better.

Peace!

Host family awesomeness...

2006-06-23T18:41:00.001-07:00

Alright....So our site just couldn't take it anymore...we took a train here to Darkhan to restock the peanut butter supply and communicate with the US.....

1st day with host family awesomeness

--So the ride there was very cramped...as I described in my last post.....I also forgot to mention that we stopped along the way and picked up some illegal fuel....that was pretty fun....

--So we dropped off 2 other trainees and then....dun dun dun! It was my turn.

--Ok. So driving up....my house looked like 3rd world country conditions....I freaked out a little (on the inside)....

--Then...my sister (who's the same age as me) came out to greet me.

Now I should tell you....during orientation...we had a couple of language training classes....but all I can really say/ask is.....What is your name? How old are you? and Are you tired?

Now my sister comes up and my mind just decided to forget the 3 sentences we have learned thus far....

So as I walk up and shake her hand I ask ever so eloquently.... "Are you tired?"

Awesome.

So I put all my stuff in my room....which is huge....then I walk back out into the living room and see a teenage kid with a basketball....so I mime that I want to play....so we go out to the 'court' behind the house....

I now realize that my family was trying to feed me lunch (feeding me is a big sign of hospitality)...but no no no....I went out and played basketball for a while...

I came back in and they finally took the chair at the dining table and ushered me too it.

After that I taught the kids some card games and the hand slapping game (how American...let's slap someone...it's fun!)

Night finally came and some visitors came....they were pretty old...

So I decided to make up for my 'are you tired' faux pas and really impress them with my Mongolian.

So I sit at the table and the first words that come out of my mouth are "How old are you?"

Man. I rule.

They seemed kinda shocked but they told me.

By that time...even the visitors were saying 'Chee yardish baino?" Which means are you tired...you should go to bed...

Awesome.

To make it even more awesome...I found out later that the old people were actually my host parents...they live in the country....but came in town to meet me....and to be insulted by me apparetly.... :)

It's kind of refreshing to know that even in a complete foreign country....I can make a fool of myself.... :)

I should also mention that throughout the whole first day....EVERY moment was awkward....nothing felt right or normal....but the very next day...things started to fall more into place....by the end of the week it felt normal....it was pretty sweet how fast it went....

Another post?

2006-06-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

I've updated some photos and captions! I found a computer with both internet access and a USB port!! Score!

Hip Hop?

2006-06-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

Whew!

So I'm in an aimag center (equivalent to a state capital) for shots...ouch....so I'd figured I'd take advantage of the internet!

The ride to my PST (Pre-service training) site was good....It was sooooo crowded....the computer her is old so I can't update photos...but once I do....you'll get a kick with how smushed me were...our LCF (Language Culture Facilitator) rode with us and constantly asked us 'innueh innueh?!" Which is what is this? One time she pointed to a cow and asked us 'innueh'.....and we don't know much Mongolian....but we do know some... So I said 'mach'! Which means meat...like the edibile kind.... Both our LCF and the driver were like crackin' up.... It was pretty awesome...

My family is awesome.

I have some funny stories about my first day there....but I don't have time to type them!! Will post later....

I have no idea how many people actually live there because people come and go....but the people who sleep regularly are my 2 sisters and my nephew.

My newphew is hilarious! The first thing he asked me was 1. Do you have a boyfriend and 2. Do you like hip hop? Hilarious. He also wears a doo rag and a jean hat....pretty cool kid....He's a great basketball player as well...

My younger sister has been taking care of me.....meaning....she feeds me....

Foods been pretty good...no complaints....A couple people from my training have gotten sick...Not good...

The outhouse....oh the outhouse..... Before going to site....it was a BIG DEAL....and now...not so much.... I hope that the 'BIG DEALS' I worry about will become 'not so much' very soon! :)

We had a party at my house (since my parents live in the country) because it was Rachel's (a fellow trainee) birthday.... Everyone brought over a slice of American life....like peanut butter and Twister.... My two sisters and newphew played Twister and it was awesome....

Last thing....

So I've been eating bread and butter and tea or coffee for breakfast for the past couple days....but I found out yesterday that I wasn't eating butter....oh no....I was buttering my bread with lard...yep...I rule....

Blame it on the altitude....

2006-06-10T04:05:00.000-07:00

Ok...so this is officially the last time I'll be able to update for a while!

We found out about our host family placement today!

I have a mother and father...who are both older....and won't actually be living with me....the Dad has high blood pressure so those two go to the countryside in the summertime....but I'll get to visit them on the weekends.... pretty sweet....

I have 3 sisters!

One is 21, one is 29, and one is 30!

I'm also an aunt! One of my sister's children is living with us and the little girl is in first grade....good thing I brought that candy!

I also found out that the outhouse was recently renovated.... :) Thank God for small favors! :)

I'm really nervous but also really excited!

There was a crazy dust storm/rain storm today just as we were going to go out and get some stuff from the black market....which is the market's actual name.....not the illegal stuff....I was confused at first too.... :)

The dust was crazy....I'm trying to post more than one picture of it.....

By the way! I've updated my photo gallery so feel free to take a look!

Please leave me comments! I would love to hear from you! Especially local or national news!

Also....ask me questions! There is so much to tell and I'll do my best to anwser all your queries.... :)

More!

2006-06-09T02:03:00.000-07:00

Alright....I was kinda rushed with my last post....but I have more time now to kinda type complete sentences...

Some things I have noticed about our orientation town....

-There is broken glass everywhere!!

--There are Audi's and BMWs everywhere....but they are not in the best of conditions....

--There are Hummers in the capital.

--Jet lag sucks very very much.

--The graffiti is hilarious....one wall has such obscene things such as 'Backstreet Boys', 'Spice Girls', and my favorite 'New Kids on the Block' with Donnie written above it....Apparently he is the favorite.... :)

--There is no shower curtain in the hotel where we are staying! That is an interesting bathing experience....let me tell you!

--In the hotel....hot water is not guaranteed....

--They have an equivalent to Target here!!! I went there and they had everything! They had tons of American products ....like pantene pro-v....but its really expensive...

--The food is really bland...but good...they have ketchup....so that's all I really need! The most common 'starter' we have is potato salad!

Still having fun...

They are keeping us busy!

I don't know when I'll have internet or phone access again....but I will have a cell phone by the end of the summer which can receive incoming calls for free!!! Woot Woot!

Giggity Giggity

2006-06-08T03:19:00.000-07:00

The plane ride was pretty boring...

On the flight from LA to Seoul...

I got to watch....

The Godfather--which was pretty awesome

Sunset Blvd.--which was also pretty sweet

Narnia--which I've seen before...but it was still pretty cool to see again

The new world--which sucked big time

We stopped over in Korea....which was awesome....it looked like Florida from the runway...

At the end of plane ride...we get our bags and then go out to the lobby....then WHAM!

ALL the volunteers in country have come to the airport with signs and cheers....my favorite sign was 'Welcome to FUNgolia"....classic...

They made a huge tunnel and I felt like a rock star....They took pictures...gave hugs....high fives....it was an awesome way to start my service... I was totally pumped...

Went to ger camp (pronounced GARE) Actually I found out that if you call it a yurt they get really offended because yurt is a Russian word and the Mongolians are still not happy about the whole Communist thing....SO....it's a ger....just to let you know....

Everyone was totally exhausted....

We woke up the next morning....to the freakin' mountains!!! We were surrounded and it was totally gorgeous....

Had some meetings....had lunch with the US ambassador to Mongolia....pretty sweet....

We climbed the hills nearby to a gazebo....boy do I hate sea level for making me so weak!!

It was really cold...I busted out the hat that Emily made me!

Camels and horses ran through the camp....waking up to horse hoofs was kinda cool..

jet lag sucks....I wake up a 330am and am wide awake

Went to a different town and had meetings and shots....oucherss... My Japanese encephalitis became a really painful bump...

Welcome ceremony was awesome....throat singing and a contortionist....were freakin' crazy...it was awesome...

Had first language session....I suck...but it's all good...

I found out that I will be placed in a really pretty town for my summer training...no word on permanent site yet....

Computers are really slow....so I'm workin' on uploading the photos...

I'm having a fantastic time!

Oh LA

2006-06-02T22:45:00.000-07:00

I'm in LA right now and I just got back from dinner with a bunch of other trainees.....

The other trainees are so awesome.....

I only have 48 more hours in America

Holy crap!

Itana's coming tomorrow and I am totally thrilled on so many levels..... :)

I miss everyone already!

This internet access is costing me 50 cents a minute....so I gotta go.....

I'll try an update again before I go!

10 hours and counting...

2006-05-31T23:13:00.000-07:00

I leave in less than 12 hours! AHHHHH!!!!!

I've been spending time...not with my family....but with my Ipod.....it decided to throw a hissy fit 3 days ago......

But now it's fixed!

Pictures are up....look to the link on your left....it says photo gallery.....

I just have pre-departure pictures right now....but that will change very soon!!

Sanbano Mongolia!

I'm freaking out man....and not in a Super Troopers sort of way....

2006-05-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

Guess who's full of self-doubt?

Oh...

It's me....

Knock Knock...Who's there? Khan. Khan who? Khan't you see I got my Peace Corps invitation?!

2006-04-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

I am going to Mongolia!!

What would be a good name for my rollercoaster of emotion? I'm thinking THE BIPOLAR MILLENNIUM FALCON....

2006-03-22T20:55:00.000-08:00

So.

Wow.

Yesterday.... I called my Mom because I was really sick and wanted to ask her what meds I should go and get from CVS....however....we never really go around to that because she told me that my bloodwork came back.

Needless to say...there was bad news....

A couple of my tests came back as 'borderline to high'....

So I started crying....like hardcore....I haven't cried in years....but in like 2 seconds....I was bawling like a baby.... I thought that I wouldn't be able to join and that I didn't know what to do with my life and that I was worthless.....it was a very dramatic scene....that I am really embarressed and reluctant to own up to now..... but oh well.....blogging ain't easy......

So my Mom felt really bad about breaking the news to me while I was sick....so she called the Peace Corps Medical Office to see if I could still qualify for (at least) a conditional medical clearance....

Well....

It turns out that the Peace Corps doesn't follow the 'normal' ranges as indicated on my lab work...instead the PC extends the ranges because they know that nobody could medically qualify if everything had to be normal....

So.

I don't fit into the 'normal' medical ranges....but I do fit into the Peace Corps ranges...which is good enough for me!!!!!

AND

I was medically cleared to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's one more victory for the people more inclined to have high triglycerides!!!!!!

Not as dramatic as Iron Chef...but it has potential...

2006-03-15T21:31:00.000-08:00

I think the toughest choice I had to make was film school vs. the Peace Corps.

It was a mighty battle....

and I'm glad the Peace Corps won....because I'm a just a kid! I have no life experience whatsoever!! I haven't seen or done anything outside of my comfort zone. I have absolutely nothing original or unique to offer to the world, which is pretty depressing, but true nonetheless. I could never make a film I could be proud of if I went to film school now. How can I bring about social change through film...if I only have indignant anger over things I have read about from the safety of my own room? I want to experience something....ANYTHING....that will allow me to think in a new way and create a film that truly affects people and provokes a heated discussion on the car ride home.

I promise this next tangent fits into my film school vs. Peace Corps post...just stay with me....also....just to warn you....cliched and trite thoughts and ideas are coming up....so beware and don't make fun of me too badly....

I've thought a lot about what my life would be like if I had stayed at Randy-Mac (Randolph-Macon Woman's (yes... it is a singular possessive!) College). What kind of person would I be? What would I have majored in? What kind of life would I have led? Would I even be in the United States? (BTW: Randy-Mac has ridiculously amazing study abroad opportunities, so chances are...if I had stayed...I would be out of the country right now.)

It varies from day to day...sometimes I'm really glad I left and sometimes I really really regret it....I think ultimately it boils down to...I'm ok (how novel!) with it...leaving Randy-Mac when I did. FSU sucks....but I have found a lot of clarity here (about a multitude of things, places, people, and ideas....) My nouns are more clear now.... :)

I don't think I would have considered getting my master's in film if I had stayed at Randy-Mac....I also don't think I would have considered doing the Peace Corps either....Now I can't think about NOT getting my master's in film...or NOT doing the Peace Corps...

I know that I have no original or interesting thoughts to offer on the subject of what-ifs and fate and destiny....I wrote my musings about it because I felt an urge to not be tragically misunderstood at such an early point in my blog.... :)

Did the post kinda sorta come full circle?

Now I've confused myself....bad Kim! No life ponderings after 1am!

2006-03-08T06:05:00.000-08:00

Can I be completely honest with you?

Sweet.

Here I go.

Going to the dentist has never been a fun time for me.

And I have a list (consisting of two things) of grievances about my experience at the dentist's office...

First they stick your teeth with those crazy metal things and then they remark...."See how your gums are bleeding....you need to floss more!" Well....if you wouldn't poke my teeth with sharp metal rods....maybe they wouldn't bleed as much!!!

Second....and this one is far worse than my first 'beef' with the dentist....

the obligatory comment about the size of my tonsils.

"Hey....what do ya got in there? Golf balls??? *yuck yuck yuck*"

That just never gets old to me....it keeps getting funnier everytime he says that to me...

I bet on the ten thousandth time he says that to me....I'm going to fall over dead....from laughter....or from overexposure...I just don't know.....

Now...I told you my complaints about going to the dentist for a purpose....and it IS related to the Peace Corps.....I promise!

I have been dentally cleared!!!!!!!!!

Only one more clearance to go before I receive my invitation and I'll know where and when I'm going!!!!!!!!!

One more victory for the people less inclined to floss!!!!!!!!

Woot? Woot?

2006-02-27T15:14:00.000-08:00

I sent all my medical paperwork today!

Hopefully I will be medically cleared soon!

I may always have to check the box that describes my body type as...'more to love' but......

2006-02-23T22:27:00.000-08:00

......I got my test results back!

There's nothing wrong with me!

I'm sending in the medical packet within the next couple of days...then I should know in like 7 weeks where and when the heck I'm going!

*victory dance*

Slacker-tastic!/Welcome Aboard!

2006-02-22T14:34:00.000-08:00

Welcome!

I am such a slacker....I meant to start this as soon as I started my application...

but...like I said....I'm a slacker...

So.... as of today I have....

...already turned in my application. I have to say...this was the hardest thing I've done so far....

...gotten fingerprinted

...sent in my background check

...and sent in my skills/volunteer skills sheet

...been interviewed (It happened on December 1 and it went great!)

...been officially nominated to teach English in Central Asia...I'm betting that I will be sent to...

1. Turkmenistan
2. Kyrgyz Republic
3. Kazakhstan

...was officially legally cleared to join!!!!

...started filling out my medical forms. *Editors note* The medical packet is freakin' huge... I mean...this is ridiculous...I never thought I could honestly describe myself as this emotion...but now I can... I am flabbergasted by the hugeness of it..... *end Editors note*

I finished my dental forms and now I'm just waiting for test results from the doc! Then I'll be able to send it in and get on my way to being medically cleared!

So yeah....go me.... *pats self on back*

P.S--Please leave comments!