Hatgal, where I now currently live.

More of Hatgal

View of lake.

New town, Hatgal

Full Moon

Sunset w/cows and car driving in the background

Field outside of Murun (I have no idea who this is but like the photo)

View of Murun

Sun Flower

View of Murun

New Buddha statue

More Monastery

New Monastery statue.

More of Murun's Monastery.

In front of Murun's new Buddha (the town I used to work in)

View from UB apartment at sunset

Rally! or something...

Statue on the outskirts of UB.

View of UB (Mongolian capital)

More UB...

I know…I know. This blog is many many months overdue. However, in my defense I’ve been “busy”, with home leave and moving sites. So, I’ve been unable to find the time to sit down and flood your mind with all that’s new and great. Also, keep in mind that it’s difficult for me to keep you updated with the “weird” and “crazy” aspects of life here, mostly because I don’t find them to be “weird” or “crazy” I come across them everyday. Thinking back, these last few months have been a blur, it’s nice to finally be grounded and have a daily routine. At the beginning of July I finished up my work at the Murun Health Department and took a month trip to America…the land of the unnecessary and extreme. It’s a bizarre experience stepping off the plane in a place such as Aspen. Life in America is already crazy enough…Aspen doesn’t even seem like reality. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy myself because I did. I had two years of indulging to catch up on and became the epitome of a consumer whore. I ate, drank, enjoyed time with friends and relaxed in other words for the span of an entire month I embraced everything and said no to nothing. Being home made me appreciate the modern conveniences that are available such as running water…hot running water, coffee makers, swimming pools, stop lights, paved roads and restaurants that have everything on the menu plus the special, which isn’t even on the menu but changes day to day…WHAT!? Just to name a few. I could go on believe me! I’m sure I’m not the only one who experiences the cosmic selection that grocery stores have to offer. I know this because I’d heard other people talk about this who have spent a lot of time out of the states. I never fully understood what they were talking about until I returned home. Grocery stores are seriously food Mecca’s where no matter what season it is you can get a clean ripe avocado, you can select cheeses from all around the world, and no matter how much snow is outside there is always spinach. I thought my local grocery store was overwhelming enough until I made the mistake of visiting a Costco in Denver. If you want to see some ridiculous stuff and be completely overwhelmed after you return to the states visit a Costco. There is seriously no where else on the planet that you can buy a car and a 5 gallon container of mayonnaise, I mean who the hell needs that much mayonnaise anyways? Talk about a culture shock that was one thing I was certainly not prepared for…don’t even get me started on all the Costco employees screaming about free samples or the people that take two or three of the same sample…purely ridiculous. All ridiculousness that encompasses American culture, I had a great time being home; above all I loved spending time with friends and family. Most people will talk about how they miss sushi, cheese, and vegetables, I’m not saying I don’t miss these things but I’ve come to realize that food is such a temporary satisfaction. It only lasts until you’re fool and then you have no desire at all. Even though as I’m writing this I’m thinking about how good lox’s and bagels would be! I returned to Mongolia almost a month ago and I’ll admit I was relieved to be back. Since then I’ve been staying busy with my move to Hatgal (my new site) and helping my replacement settle in at the Health Department. However, there was about a 10 day gap where I didn’t do anything but catch up with Mongolian friends and hang out by the river. I felt as though I was in limbo, my work was finished and Murun and I was waiting to start work in Hatgal, so I did what any resourceful PCV would do…I relaxed. Anyways, by now I’ve moved to Hatgal and have started my new assignment at the local health clinic. Hatgal is about 90 KM north of where I used to live, although it takes about 3-4 hours by car to drive, and is conveniently located on a huge lake. The clinic is small and consists of only 5 doctors, 6 nurses, 1 lab technician, 1 cook, 1 driver, and 4 herders…yes as in they herd animals. I’ve only had a couple of full workdays since I’ve been here so I’m still trying to get my bearings. I’m really looking forward to this next year, as I’ll mostly focus on the development of the clinics community outreach program to increase the public’s knowledge on a variety of health topics. I know I haven’t been the best at keeping things up to date. However, I’m finally settled in again and will hopefully have more time to keep you more updated as to what I’m doing. Also, I’ll try to get some pictures posted of my new place. More to come soon…I promise.

Of what remains of the M19 group. Can you find me?

Recently it has been a struggle for me to sit down and write anything for my blog. It has been so long since I have last written that I’m not sure there is anyone who reads it anymore. Nevertheless, I’ve mustered up the time to scratch done some of my recent happenings. I can’t even remember what it was I last wrote about, as its been months since my last entry, I’ll do my best to fill in the gaps. Even though it has nearly been two months since my last post. May has already come and gone. The weather is finally taking a turn for the best, with most of the dust storms, late snow, and the last of the below zero temperatures gone. The signs of summer are slowly starting to show itself, the days are longer, there are more colorful vegetables at the market, the contents in my outhouse are “melting”, the number of muddled travelers is increasing with every passing day and I have the pleasure of waking up every morning to “MILK! PLEASE BUY MILK” as the milk lady walks through the street (because, really, who wants to walk the three blocks to the market for milk, when a lady will bring it right to your door). I’m happy, to say the least, that the dreadful cold of winter is finished mostly because my wood supply has dwindled and recently non-existent. Making it hard to stay warm, that is, if it was still cold. However, you can never be sure as to when the winter will truly be over, as we did receive snow just last week. Besides the recent change in weather and atmosphere things have been more or less the same. What do you really expect anyways? I think, after two years, I have things pretty much down. Aspects of life that I used to find exciting, are now, considered “normal” and things I experience on a regular basis. Last minute work hassles such as schedule changes or unannounced events no longer disturb me and are something to be expected. The "hello monster", rock throwing, and the occasional "hoish" from the many curious drunks phases me less and less with every passing day. I came to Mongolia two years ago, thinking that my time would last what seemed to be an eternity, well it didn’t, it flew by and now my time is almost over…well at least its over at the health department which I am currently working. I’m not sure I’m ready to let go of the life I have in Mongolia and to loose both the good and bad experiences I encounter on a daily basis. I don’t want to say goodbye to the friendships I’ve made and the aspects of life that I experience over here. For the past few months I’ve been thinking of extending my volunteer service for an additional year and after talking with some of the people at Peace Corps, I’ve made the decision to stay in Mongolia…But don’t worry I’ll be back in September 2011. Lately, I’ve been finishing up my most recent work and projects at the Health Department, and sadly there really isn’t much to “finish up”, as many of my counterparts are on summer vacation in the countryside. I do however continue to teach nutrition education lessons to various populations of Murun, the one, and only aspect of the last two years that has been consistent. However, I will be candid, and say that it has been somewhat of a battle for me to focus on work. Primarily because I find relaxing by the river much more engaging, weather it is drinking a beer or two with travelers passing through, or reading, the river is by far my favorite facet of summer life in Murun…but really can you blame me? Although, it may be slow now, I do look forward to the end of the summer when I move sites and start work in a new environment. Peace Corps is more flexible with volunteers who stay a third year, therefore allowing me to choose the town in which I will live and work. At this point it is between two villages, both of which are only a few hours from where I currently live. I have been to each of the villages and have had the opportunity to meet with the doctors and nurses who work at each of the clinics. Doing so allowed me to discuss with them as to what they expect from me, as a volunteer, both clinics had similar requests, primarily focusing on community outreach programs for the rural communities that surround each of the villages. Which is something I am very much looking forward to, and of course, learning English was also a request, something that I don’t really look forward to doing. I’ll have a better idea as to where I’ll me moving, I’m hoping, by the middle to late July, and as soon as I know I’ll be sure to share. I look forward to next year because it will give me the opportunity to live among a smaller community, as I currently live in a place with a population roughly around 25,000-30,000 (depending on who you ask), where as the places I will be moving only have a population of 1,500-2,000. So, to say the least, it will be somewhat of a change. Well, I think I have rambled enough, as I’m not even sure anyone will read this. Now that I have more free time on my hand I’ll try and do a better job of keeping up with my posting. I’ll also put up some of my most recent photos….just be patient.

If you have been following my blog you probably realize that I talk less and less about my day to day life and focus more on the cultural differences between that of Mongolia and America. To be honest the daily events of my life can be fairly monotonous and uneventful, I would hate to bore my readers with this! This past weekend, I went on a short road trip, with several other volunteers to attend the annual “ice festival”. I also attended this last year, as it takes place in the Province that I reside in. Anyways, as I’m sure I mentioned around this time last year “ice fest” is literally an ice festival. It takes place every year at Lake Hatgal, and includes ice sculptures and events that take place on the ice such as; ice fishing, ice sumo, ice tug-o-war, etc… I think you get the point, as I don’t want to get to far off topic. I have made the trip from Murun (where I live) to Hatgal (where the ice festival is) several times, as they lie only 90 km from each other, however traveling those 90 km can take up to 4 hours by car (longer depending on how many flat tires you get). It was on this most recent occasion that I started thinking about the vast differences between road trips in Mongolia and road trips in America. Probably because of the environment I was in; a car full of PCV’s, with good conversation, laughing, and yes, maybe a beer or two was involved. Which I would soon come to realize was the only similarity between road trips in Mongolia and America, the fact that I was traveling with friends. Think about your last road trip. Whatever the reason, business or pleasure, there are always certain aspects of American road trips that can be counted on. Aspects that immediately come to mind include fast food, gas station coffee/stopping for the bathroom, music, traffic, and the famous “are we there yet”. When did you ever have a road trip that didn’t include one of the above mentioned? As we will soon discover, there are similarities (if you have an imagination) and differences that I observed. First off, you have to be aware of our traveling circumstances. I was traveling with seven other volunteers, eight including myself, and nine if you include the driver. The transportation practices in Mongolia will most definitely appear unorthodox to the callow or green horned traveler. So when we finally found a driver was would accommodate our needs, we piled into a van made for five with 9. Keep in mind that we still considered ourselves to be traveling in “luxury”, we had our own car, and plenty of room to spare, not to mention that sitting on your friends lap is far less awkward than sitting on the lap of a sixty year old, inebriated, Mongolian man who insists to kiss you on the forehead every ten minutes, and incessantly refers to you as his son. Okay, I think that it’s apparent that during my time here my standards for travel have lowered, if not completely flat lined. Traveling from one town to another in Mongolia can furnish the traveler with both a freakish and engrossing experience, providing new sights, sounds, and yes even smells. Meadows and valleys stretch on forever, the middle of which serves as the road, and drivers and herders use riverbanks and electrical lines as “mile markers” alike. Unlike traveling in American where you’re constantly surrounded by development (whether it be god or bad, its everywhere), chain stores and restaurants, malls, movie theatres, places where consumer whores go to get their daily fix of the latest and greatest ten dollar espresso drink, or to enjoy the latest multi-million dollar film. All these aspects of development are nowhere to been seen while traveling through the Mongolian countryside. Instead of your senses being numbed by the above mentioned they are stimulated by the obvious vastness of the countryside, there are chain stores/restaurants, malls, or movie theatres distracting your mind. You can travel for literally hours before you’ll come upon a group of two or three gers. There is no stopping for crappy gas station coffee or junk food, however there is stopping for stretching and for one to relieve themselves (which takes place within close proximity to the car, there are no outhouses in the middle of nowhere). Loading back into the car is a whole other ordeal, which always leads to arguing who has to sit where, everyone hoping that they don’t get stuck with the with the seat that really isn’t a seat at all, but someone’s duffel bag that has been placed in the empty spot between two seats. Finally you figure it out and you’re back on the “road”. One of my favorite aspects, and one I find most necessary, of a road trip is music. The music situations here never fails to entertain me and eventually, depending on how many hours I’m in the car for, will lead me to insanity. You can always count on the driver having at least one tape, sometimes two, and it would be a miracle it there were three. These tapes will be played over…and over again, throughout the duration of your journey, I guess its better than no music at all. But really I can only listen to “Mothers Boiled Tea” so many times. I can guarantee that you’ll never have the same experience twice while “road tripping” in Mongolia, I have grown to accept this, and now find it exciting to discover what awaits me during my next journey. Whether it be, an intoxicated man, a caring Mongolian Emee (grandma), several sheep/goat carcasses, or the infamous flat tire. I’m guaranteed to never whiteness the same thing twice, and this allows my 10+ hour car rides tolerable. If you’re at all curious, my friends and I, had a safe trip two and from the ice fest. We also fully enjoyed all that “ice fest” had to offer. In all honesty it was one of the more uneventful car rides I’ve had. I can only imagine how I’ll feel about road trips in America; something tells me that relieving yourself on the side of the road is frowned upon.

One of our monasteries...It's behind the fence.

Pool. Anytime, anywhere...

Who loves Mongolia and has two thumbs?!! This guy!

Tsagaan Sar deel. (Mongolian New Years attire)

More Mongolian New Year attire..

From the walk home..

My "ping" its attached to the front of my ger during the winter...It's used to mostly store wood and food.

Where the market stores meat during the winter.

So here it is! A video of what living in a ger can be like. I know, it's kinda an awkward video but I'm not really the "video blogger" type. Enjoy.

Over the time that I have been here I have noticed, as you may assume, many aspects of Mongolian culture that are different from those in the States. However of all the culture differences that I have come across I have found that the one most interesting is that off time and water. I have found that the longer I have been here the less I find to write about. Is this the sign of being in a place to long? Or perhaps an indication that life in Mongolia through my eyes appears to be…normal, my senses numb to my surroundings. The smell and sight of animal carcasses at the market, the sound of my neighbors slaughtering a goat, and the taste of milk tea or dried milk curd. All of this, which used to be new and unfamiliar, is now apart of my daily life. So, as I sit here, in my felt tent and try to think of aspects of life that I have yet to discuss. I came to realize that there is more to my daily routine than just sights, smells, sounds and tastes, for those facets are only the most apparent of the Mongolian culture. I continued to think about the mundane tasks that account for the majority of my day, in particular, getting water from the well. This is something that I have grown to abhor especially in the cold winter months. Retrieving water can be one of my most unpredictable burdens; it’s never the same. During the winter is when it’s the most unpredictable, as I walk to the well I ask myself “will there be water”?, “will the well be frozen today”?, “how many people will be waiting”?. I Don’t know why but during the winter regardless of time there is always a throng of people “patiently” waiting at the well. Anyways, when I was awaiting my turn for water the other day I was thinking of both water (for apparent reasons) and the concept of time (probably because I was waiting for close to an hour). Specifically, how time and water are inversely related between Mongolian and American cultures. Confused? Let me explain. First water; Here, in Mongolia, everywhere (excluding Ulan Bator) water conservation is practiced to the point that water used from washing vegetables, clothes, hair, or your body will be used for other things such as washing the floors or used to make food for the dog etc. Luckily, I have become familiar with the strategies required to use as little water as possible (meaning fewer trips to the well during the week). For someone who is unaccustomed to these strategies they may appear unsanitary or crude, don’t worry I thought the same thing when I first arrived, however not to worry I’m still alive and well. In the States, as I know we are both aware, water conservation although thought about on both the large and individual scale it’s rarely acted upon. Individuals are seldom sacrificing their twenty-minute shower, the luxury of a dishwasher or even a car wash. (don’t even try to argue with me! that is unless you bathe yourself with a single liter of water). Before I was forced to use as little water as possible I was also guilty for may of the before mentioned. After getting in the routine of using roughly 60 liters of water a week (90 when I do laundry) I have the opportunity to fully understand the ridiculous amount of water a single American goes through in one day. Next time you’re in the shower imagine using only one or two liters, at the most to wash yourself. Hard to fathom, isn’t it. The other half to come soon....

You may or may not be wondering why is has taken me a little over a month since I have last posted anything, well, “a lot” has happened since the time I have last written (PCV’s over time develop different definitions of what is considered to be “a lot”). December is nearly halfway over. I am reminded of this by short days and long nights. The sun rises, but fails to even come close to reaching the sky’s zenith, constantly hugging the horizon almost as if it is anticipating the very moment it can set. The mountains that surround my town don’t help the sun in reaching its best potential, I am sure because of them I am loosing minutes of sun light a day…minutes!! During the winter here it’s hard to determine what the time is as it always looks as if the sun has just risen or is just getting ready to set resulting in a constant lucent cast of light. Days will continue like this until the 21st, as you probably already know is the winter solstice. To further reiterate the point I would like to say that until the solstice we loose two minutes of day light everyday…I find this moderately depressing. However, on the other hand after the 21st days only get longer! Unfortunately, this “extra light” is fairly unnoticeable until late February or early March. During the winter I find that I have a lot of time to be inside, I mean, who really in there right mind would want to be outside. Anyways, on more than one occasion I will think that it is later that it actually is. The winter I have noticed causes me to have the inability to keep any track of time. I’ll be at home, and of course its dark out, I’ll look outside and think “eh, it’s probably like 8:30” however after looking at my watch I realize that it’s only 6! This is only inconvenient when I have to find a way to keep myself entertained for the next three to four hours. Living abroad for a holiday, as many of you may know, can be a surreal experience, especially when you’re in Mongolia. I think this is largely because here in Mongolia prior to holidays there are no signs of the holiday, this shouldn’t come as a surprise, as America is the only country that celebrates Thanksgiving also I wouldn’t expect a country that is predominantly Buddhist to celebrate a Christian such as Christmas. However as a foreigner it is still a interesting time of year. No commercials advertising the cheapest turkey, or the largest tree, no holiday music, no people going crazy at stores fighting over the last can of cranberry sauce or last box of stuffing, no lights, no old men dressed up as a fictitious man who can circumnavigate the world in one night, no excuses to drink excessive amounts of egg-nog or peppermint schnapps, and luckily no “black Friday”. However, not to worry as when it comes to holidays that involve food, volunteers are all over it, i.e. Thanksgiving. This year, as similar to last, was spent in the capital Ulan Bataar. I am guilty to glutinously gorge my face with just about everything in sight! Members of Peace Corps staff and the Ambassador even provided us with turkey…real turkey! Volunteers also play a role by providing side dishes, and every year there is always an superfluous amount of potato dishes, but what can you really expect, we’re poor! Besides the lack of holiday decorations and the above mentioned Thanksgiving here in Mongolia is very similar to Thanksgiving in the states, everyone ends up eating so much that volunteers practically end up incapacitated. However, there was one aspect of this year that was a travesty, one that I am some what ashamed of…I ate so much that when it came time to eat dessert…I didn’t have any room!! I know…I know…I feel so ashamed. Being in the city is nice don’t get me wrong, I love the hot showers and the variety in choice of food, but after being there for close to two weeks I was more than ready to return to Murun. Before I returned to Murun I made sure to stock up on some food supplies that are completely unheard of everywhere in Mongolia but UB. I stopped by one of my favorite places “Mercury Mart” where you can pick up anything foreign especially Asian spices, sauces, and pastes. Not to mention the ridiculous amounts of fruits and vegetables that you can find there. For example, when I saw that they had broccoli I just about did a back-flip I was so happy, you can even find corn…on the cob (however it is frozen), they have shrimp, even fresh ginger, oh and here is the kicker…are you ready….they have avocado!!!! However when I saw the price I just about punched the lady in the face, for one avocado it was around 8,500 tugrik or about 5$. However, I did walk away from Mercury Mart with some tasty treats including miso paste, sesame oil, chili oil, soy bean paste, red curry, coconut milk, a kilo of mozzarella cheese, and a bunch of hot sauce. These food stuffs will provide me several tasty and savory meals throughout the cold winter months. Being back at site (PCV lingo for “home”) has been great especially after spending two weeks in the city. Aspects of life in Murun seem so much more relaxed and easy going compared to life in the city. However, the one aspect of returning home that is a pain in the ass is returning to an unheated ger that has been subjected to below freezing temperatures. I arrived home to find that all my water had become completely frozen during the time that I was gone. The slow, and somewhat objectionable task, can take an entire afternoon. It wasn’t until I moved to Mongolia that I discovered that everything at a certain point can freeze including soap and even vodka (well not completely). Yesterday, I awoke to one of the coldest mornings I have yet to experience in Mongolia, -25 C or -13 F, inside of my ger! It was cold and to say the least I was not happy. I sprang from my bed layering my body as fast as possible with the nearest and warmest clothes and cursing profanities under my breath as my cold and rigid hands struggled to start a fire. Of the many things that I will miss about Mongolia, winter, will not be one of them.

Full moon at dusk

Look at this dog!!

On the look out.

Yes...that is me washing my hair in the background.

People go in...and never come out. No but really this is one of the many places to get tires and other misc things repaired.

This is a Russian Jeep referred to as an "69"

At the entrance to one of my favorite places to eat.

Pool tables are everywhere here...even outside!! And no, the winter months don't stop them from playing.

The Ferrari of horse carts!!!

Perusing the taxi stand.

This dog just scored the jack pot!!

Dog chewing on animal ribcage outside of the market.

The "vegetable ladies" at the market, who coincidently all sell the same vegetables...at the same price..right next to each other.

Huge bins where I buy flour.

A market "cafe" these things are everywhere in the market. There is a pretty good chance that you can always find milk tea, steamed and fried dumplings at everyone.

A view of carpet and motorcycle section of the market....I still don't know why these two objects are sold in the same area.

I laugh pretty much every time I see this sign. I think it has something to do with the majestic horse, the sexy couple, and the confused kids.

Row of cafes in the market.

Another view of the market, even during the winter the market is outside.

More flour bins

All flour all the time!

Nothing says yum like roasted sheeps head!!!

View of temple after snow

SNOW!!!

Pizza..success

still making..

making pizza

I don't even know what to say about this photo..I look like I'm up to know good but really all I'm doing is eating huushuur (fried dumplings).

Making huushuur

Local kids messin around on a camel statue.

GERS!!!

preparing "bortsik" the closest thing to donuts that Mongolia has, only these are fried in mutton fat and not rolled in sugar. As you can see I'm a little unsure of the entire situation.

Love this way...

Our square

Our wrestling palaceBelow: view of Murun in late summer

On my way to work

More walking...

Still on my walk to work

Fresh morning snow.

The mask I'm required to wear at work...Thanks swine flu.

Dinner. Kim-chi and egg stir-fry.

Dinner..Tofu and potato stir-fry

Our drivers

Village hospital

One of the villages we visited.

The CP's that I traveled with.

View from outskirts of town.

Hadag.

more hadag!

Statue in soum..

Childrens play structure.

View from soum hospital.

I think the sign is a little excessive..don't ya think?

The room where we slept during our stay at the hospital.

Mid morning exercise

Monitoring and evaluation...doesn't look fun!

Van we traveled in on my country side monitoring and evaluation trip.

My winter wood supply..

One of my favorite Mongolian dishes. Its pretty much shepherds pie.

Where I eat lunch almost everyday.

BEARD!!

One of my CP's getting ready to do the deed!!! How mischievous.

Hair cutting ceremony.

Breakfast. Eggs, toast, coffee.

Winter is here! As I’m sure you are all well aware. As you know, wood has been chopped, gers warmed, and animals slaughtered. Winter in Mongolia, for me, is a frustrating time. Usually I am a person who enjoys winter, as I’m sure I mentioned this last year around this time. However, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to mention, yet again, how much the Mongolian winter is a waste of cold weather. Of course I only find cold weather useful for one thing… and one thing only to keep snow from melting. Snow is the one aspect that makes winter so enjoyable. Unfortunately for me, during the Mongolian winter, it snows once or maybe (if I’m lucky) twice, totally a mere seven or eight inches. On the rare occasion that the temperamental Mongolian weather does decide to snow I find myself holed up in my ger feeding my fire, boiling tea, and listening to the monotonous sound of melting snow as it drips onto my stove. Following any snow, as long as I have been here, Murun will always have the most peaceful appearance as everything is covered with a fresh layer of snow allowing mountains, fields, roads, and even gers to appear with the most brilliant white you have ever seen. However, this beautiful scene is short lived, as soon as the morning sun peeks over the mountain horizon or clouds break from a storm the snow slowly retreats into its previous physical state…water. In the coldest months of winter fallen snow will stay around for several weeks. Overtime however, the snow is slowly pushed or stomped out of the way, forming paths, here and there as people go about their daily lives. Paths from gers to outhouses and woodpiles, paths to the water house, paths from dogs that lead to and from their favorite store of trash, the path from my puppy as he runs around my ger, and the hundreds of paths that are made as people take the same redundant cold walk to work every morning and night. Slowly, before you even realize, the paths become bigger and bigger, all merging together, turning the ground from white to white/brown, and finally to the retched brown. November is hardly halfway over, and already I am looking forward to the months when I can again wear shorts and sandals. I’m trying to stay positive by looking at the positives that come with winter such as, having a huge refrigerator (anywhere outside), the manly activities of chopping wood and starting a fire, Tsagaan Sar (Mongolian New Year) and all the goodness that is associated with the holiday, being able to keep meat and milk for more than one day, the shorter days (which make me feel like I get more done because there is less sunlight), and the lazy weekend days because honestly who would want to go outside! I keep myself well entertained by reading, watching movies, doing yoga, and hanging out with my two little sisters. Who definitely provide endless entertainment, some of our favorite activities include; making cookies, playing “go fish”, and watching “Finding Nemo” so many times that by this point I’m pretty sure I know it by heart. During the winter months the frequency of my younger sisters visits increase drastically, as the days grow colder and shorter they are forced to migrate from outside to inside, not always the best for me. However, I was also young once and can fully understand that you can only entertain yourself so much in the confines of your room or in this case ger. So, really I don’t mind when my sisters come over day…after day…after day. I mean, can you really blame them? Imagine being nine or ten years old living right next door to a person who is from a foreign place, looks different, has a little machine that allows you to watch the same image over and over again (DVD player), can make really tasty cookies, and occasionally receives packages from home that can potentially be filled with mysterious food and candy. If I were my little sisters I would also be over at my ger all the time. When I sat down to write this I intended to do so with a little more direction. I hope you enjoy, I know I have been promising pictures…and I haven’t forgotten. I will be adding pictures as soon as I figure out how to fix my computer. I’m not going to go through the torture of uploading my pictures at the ancient ill-tempered computers that they have at the post-office, so please be patient. As they say here “I hope you are wintering well”.

The end of fall has arrived and winter is now only around the corner, approaching closer and closer everyday. The surrounding landscape of Murun to say the least has changed and the face of winter is slowly emerging. The mountains, tress, and grass have turned from green to orange to brown, bare, ugly and depressing reminding me of what lies in the months ahead. The past few mornings I have given me a bitter reminder of winter and all the “joys” that come with it. October is not even half way over and I am already waking to frost on my windows and being able to see my breath when I wake in the morning. The days where I curse to myself while getting out of bed to make a fire as fast as possible are almost here and ones that I am dreading with each decrease of mercury on my thermometer. I remember telling myself last winter that it wasn’t so bad however the summer and fall reminded me how much more enjoyable aspects of life are when your constantly not freezing your ass off! Fall is a busy time for Mongolia as there are many preparations in order to prepare for winter including sawing, splitting, chopping and stacking wood, winterizing your ger or house, and the drying and freezing of meat which means slaughtering many goats and sheep. To your surprise the entire listed above are things that I have had to do (weather I like to or not) in order to prepare for the winter. With this comes constant noise of sawing, whaling sheep, and of course barking dogs which never seem to stop barking no matter what time of year it is. Sawing chopping wood is by far my favorite activity, primarily because it provides the perfect opportunity to blow off some steam and of course relieve stress. With the amount of wood that I have to chop I have plenty of opportunities to take out my latest aggravations on innocent wood. Buying wood is quite the ordeal. Last year the process was easy because the health department arranged everything for me. However, this year they figured they wouldn’t have to “hold my hand” and that I have been here long enough and would be able to figure how and where to buy my winters wood. First off you have to go to the bank which in itself is an interesting experience and one I won’t get into now. Once I have obtained the necessary funds it’s off to the market. During this time of the year buying wood is really not a hassle at all, as long as you know Mongolian that is. During the months of September, October, and November wood trucks are everywhere. Wood is transported in these huge dump-truck looking things which are constantly driving to different haashaas to deliver wood. It’s crazy I don’t think I have ever seen so much wood concentrated in such a small area before. Once the wood is delivered I have to hire someone to saw it into more manageable pieces. The men who do this are awesome. Usually they hang around the market, standing off to the side in a large group. They are easy to spot, not many other people have chain saws attached to their bikes, or axes hanging from there belts. When not at the market they can be found zipping around town sawing up a storm. Fall is when the animals are the fattest (not to mention the cheapest) thus why they slaughter so many of them. Fall is when animals are the fattest and cheapest therefore the primary reasoning behind the mass slaughtering that occurs during the fall. Most families will buy a goat and sheep (sometimes more) and freeze and dry the meat for the winter when meat is leaner and more expensive. The process of slaughtering goats and sheep is one that I have had to grow accustomed to. The whaling of a sheep or goat in despair is very distinct and one that is easily remembered. The whaling for me is the most unbearable part of the process, luckily it only last for a minute. The rest of the slaughtering only takes twenty minutes or so and consists of me being told, “take this” or “hold that”. Once everything is said and done the animal is quartered and then wrapped in newspaper and stored in the freezer, if there is no freezer meat is cut into thin strips and dried. Currently I am sitting in my freezing office bundled in the warmest jacket I have (heat isn’t turned on till November). Today is the coldest it has been; in fact it is so cold that I am able to see my breath. When temperatures are this cold it becomes difficult to write, my fingers don’t really want to move as fast as usual causing me to make an exuberant amount of mistakes. I would really like to type longer however it is cold and not to mention lunch time. Now that winter is almost here I’m hoping to be able to have more free time to write, what else will I do during the freezing months to come?

Returning Home….My Mongolian home that is.

I have returned home, well at least to my Mongolian home. My vacation is over and I am trying to slip back into the mundane routine that I had before I left. Why is that when ever you return from vacation things seem as exactly as you left them? I don’t know what I’m expecting to change in the weeks that I was gone (a new restaurant, or bakery perhaps is that really to much to ask for). This has been a reoccurring thought for me when I return to Murun after a long weekend, work trip or even vacation, wondering if anything “eventful” had happened while I was absent. Returning home is always nice feeling having your own space, sleeping in your own bed, and wearing clean close. This is at least what I look forward to whenever I return to my ger.

Returning home from this last trip I was especially ready to be coming home. This is probably because I was coming from Ulan Bataar the capital (usually referred to as UB). In comparisons to other world capitals it’s small with a little more than 1.3 million people. To be honest UB isn’t one of my most favorite places. I guess you could say that it’s comprisable to other capitals in the fact that it is congested with people, cars, and pick-pockets. However, it also has running hot water, hundreds of restaurants (some of them even have western, Indian, and Mediterranean cuisine), a movie theatre (which sometimes plays an American film), cold beer on tap, and even bars with live music. So in the end I guess all that the city has to offer makes up for the congestion and pick-pockets. I like to think as UB as Mongolia’s Las Vegas (without the gambling, all you can eat buffets, and pools. I’m sure there are a million things that I am missing but this is what I can think of now) it may sound ridiculous comparing UB to Vegas but whenever I end up going to UB I always spend more money then I should (mostly on food and beer). It doesn’t help that when I was last in UB all other PCV were also in UB for a PC conference. This in no way helped me save money. Just imagine spending several months in a place without any other foreigners, not speaking English, and eating a diet primarily made up of potatoes, soup, and mutton. You can imagine why PCV go a little crazy when they are all brought together, can you blame us? Returning to Murun from UB allows me to fully appreciate the beauty of the Mongolian countryside it also makes me realize how thankful I am that I don’t live in UB.

Host Family Visit

After leaving UB and before returning home I visited my host family (the family that I lived with last summer). This isn’t the first time that I have visited them since last summer I also had the opportunity to do so last November. It is always a pleasure to stay with me for a few days. I notice that with each visit we can have more and more conversation. Many times I still feel like I am meeting them for the first time. At the same time every time I visit I feel as though I never left, why is that? What I was really looking forward to was some of my host moms cooking. I had been thinking of her tsoyvan (noodle stir-fry) days before I visited them. I can remember the summer I lived with the family I grew tired of eating the same thing for every meal however now it was something I was craving. This craving was short lived and after the first meal it had abruptly subsided. I believe my appetite in fact shrank with every meal this was largely because of breakfast. After spending my first night with my host family I awoke to familiar sounds of my family shuffling about. I entered the kitchen and sat down for breakfast (I was hardly hungry because of the copious amounts of food my mom made me eat the previous night) looking forward to the fresh jam and bread. However this morning would be a little different. Instead of soft delicious bread I enjoyed cold leftovers from the night before….don’t worry my host mom wouldn’t serve me a cold meal she made sure to warm it up by adding scolding hot milk tea…nothing says good morning like leftover noodle stir-fry smothered with milk tea. I left four days later. Exchanging hugs and kisses as I was leaving. My host mother made sure to reiterate the fact that I needed to gain weight for the upcoming winter (something they have been telling me since I first met them which in time grew into a joke). I love returning to my host family and it will most definitely be something that I miss when I am no longer in Mongolia.

Hovsgol Nuur Hiking Adventure-

The majority of my vacation (as you may or may not know) was spent hiking around Lake Hovsgol. The lake as I am sure I mentioned before the largest in Mongolia which also happens to be conveniently placed in the same province that I live in. I went with my good friend Ryan. Ryan and I had been talking and planning the trip since last year when we first arrived to Mongolia. To say the least we were both very excited to finally do something that we have been talking about for almost an entire year. The plan was to hike from Hatgal (the village at the south of the lake) to Hank (the village at the north of the lake) for a total of 190 Km and then take a car on the way back (we’re crazy but not that crazy to walk the whole length of the lake). We had planned and bought enough food for 9 days and hoping to do it in less.

Over all the hike was amazing except for the long hours, rain, blisters, marshes and lack of a trail. We left on a day without a cloud in the sky, in high spirits, with adrenaline pumping through our veins and anxious for the days a head of us. Ryan and I were both skeptical about the weather because of the amount of rain we have received during the summer. The last thing we wanted was to be hiking in the rain. Through out the day we would constantly be looking over our shoulders keeping an eye out for storm clouds on the horizon. However, on the second day we weren’t so lucky. On the second day I woke to the pitter-patter of rain drops on our tent. As I left the tent I was relieved to discover that is was barely raining. Unfortunately as the day progressed so did the rain and by mid-afternoon we were stuck in a down poor! It was horrible we were both soaking wet to the bone (I don’t think I have ever been so miserable). Even though it was raining we continued hiking. The day seemed to last forever. I would look at my watch thinking that at least one hour had gone by but realizing that it had only been like 15 or 20 minutes. Because we were still relatively close to Hatgal we would occasionally pass a ger or ger camp. Every time we passed one I would look over at the gers and think to myself about how dry and warm it would be in them. It wasn’t until the afternoon when we stopped under some trees for a break (the trees were conveniently located next to a ger camp). We had noticed after stopping that the ger closest to us had an open door and people were inside laughing, eating, drinking warm tea, and DRY! We must have looked miserable (which we were) because after about ten minutes of standing under those trees someone from inside the ger called us over and invited us inside for tea and soup. The tea and soup was just what we needed. We were invited in by a Mongolian family who were on vacation from UB. They couldn’t have been friendlier. We ended up staying for about two hours (really longer than we should have). When we left our jackets and pants were dry. However it was still raining, and we had at least two or three hours of hiking left in the day. Although neither of us really wanted to be hiking we pushed through for a few hours and finally came upon a spot that was decent for camping. We unpacked the tent (which we discovered was also wet) set it up and tried our best to get comfortable. This wasn’t easy because most of what was in my bag was also wet! Luckily our sleeping bags were damp. That night we didn’t even cook a hot meal but lied in our sleeping bags ate dried fruit and nuts, played cards, drank scotch and hoped that the following day would be without rain.

At this point in the trip things weren’t looking so good and my moral wasn’t at its best. I was hoping for the best but mentally preparing for the worst. That night, as I laid in my sleeping bag listening to the rain, I couldn’t help but wonder how the rest of the trip was going to turn out. That next morning we awoke yet again to the sound of rain falling on our tent. The sound of rain was something that I used to enjoy, something that I found relaxing. However now it was quite the opposite. I hated it and dreaded the sound only hoping for it to stop. Because of the rain we weren’t really in high spirits as we were waking up. We decided that even though it was raining that we would try and light our stove and have a hot breakfast, and luckily it worked and we enjoyed a hot meal. As we were breaking down our tent something amazing happened, the clouds broke and the rain had stopped! It would be the last rain we would see for the rest of our trip. I don’t think I had ever been happier. From then on the trip was much more enjoyable.

On the third day (the day it stopped raining) gers and ger camps slowly started to disappear and with each step we became more and more alone. This is what I enjoyed most about hiking being completely alone. With the rain gone and the sun out we could really see the brilliant colors of the lake, a complete spectrum of blues and greens. I don’t think I have even seen a lake so clear. It was beautiful. The water looked so warm and inviting unfortunately it was quite the opposite, the water was freezing. I tried entering the water one afternoon but was only able to make it up to my ankles before I retreated. When we finally decided to stop on day three we had been hiking for about eleven hours! I was exhausted and looking forward to the nights rest. The camp site we found on the third night was my favorite. We camped on an escarpment that overlooked the lake (photos below). The sunset that night was amazing. Ryan and I sat with our feet hanging over the cliff enjoying all that the lake had to offer. It was during times like those that I would completely forget about everything (being in Mongolia, the anxiety of returning to America, graduate school, everything).

The rain wasn’t the only obstacle we faced during our hiking trip. Around the third or fourth day we started coming across fields that from afar looked like they would be really nice to walk through. However, when we came closer to them we discovered that they weren’t fields at all but marshes…marsh, marsh, and more marsh (I think because of all the recent rain). The marsh destroyed the trail so we had no other option but to take off our shoes, roll up our pants and walk knee deep in muddy, smelly marsh. The worst marsh we came across lasted for about 5 km it just kept going on. These didn’t really help our moral either. In fact at one point Ryan and I weren’t even talking to each other, but walking with our heads down watching our feet making sure we made the best possible decisions with out steps. At one point we were walking through a marsh and I stepped down and ended up falling down into a hole that went up to my waist. This almost made me made but when Ryan looked at me we couldn’t help but laugh. We would run across portions of marsh until we reached our destination and eventually we just accepted them and after a while they didn’t really even bother me that much. The one aspect of the marsh that was unbearable was the amount of mosquitoes there were. It was so bad that I decided to put on my rain parka. I made the sacrifice of being hot just to avoid the copious amounts of mosquitoes and other insects that were around.

The rest of the trip went the same. We would wake up, eat breakfast, drink coffee, break down our camp site, hike for about 4 hours and eat lunch, cross a marsh, river, or bushwhack (choose one), hike for 4 more hours and eat a snack, hike for a few more hours and find a camp site. After the second day we didn’t see a single person until we reached Hank (wait that’s a lie we did run across a Mongolian family living in a teepee and they gave us some cheese). As we came closer and closer to our destination the mountains (that we had been looking at for days) were finally in front of us, and the final two days we walked along were the mountain met the lake. The mountains were also amazing and reminded me of mountain you would find in Colorado (again I didn’t feel like I was in Mongolia). These mountains were what separated Mongolia from Russia.

We reached Hank on the seventh day. Days before we had reached Hank we had many expectations; we wanted to stay in a guest house and take a hot shower, eat a decent meal, and drink a few beers (all of which we were told was available in Hank). We arrived surprisingly in one piece although I’m sure we looked rather worn and ragged. The first thing we did when we got to Hank was buy a beer and a snickers. After enjoying both we continued on to look for a place to sleep. We only found three places to stay. The first one was a good price but had no water, the second guest house was also unsuccessful, it was run by a Russian, neither Ryan or I know any Russian. The clerk continued to speak to us in Russian, menus and other information was also in Russian, no Mongolian anywhere! The final guest house we came across looked the most promising (the owner knew a little English, Mongolian, and Russian). We thought we had finally found the one decent spot, there was hot water and even a bar and restaurant (it was too good to be true). The price for one night turned out to be 22$ per person. When the owner told us this price I laughed (I think offending the owner). At this point we were both frustrated and tired. We decided to find a car back to Hatgal. To our surprise we were successful in finding a car that was leaving that evening. We didn’t even care about the price we just wanted to go home. The cost ended up being 40,000 tugrics (about double the normal price) but we had the entire car to ourselves. We wouldn’t have had to pay this price if we could find other people wanting to go to Hatgal unfortunately there was no one so we had to pay for the whole car. Being in Hank was an interesting experience. Because it is so close to Russia a majority of the tourists who come to Hank are from Russia. It also doesn’t help that we’re white (many people in Hank thought we were Russian resulting in them speaking Russian to us), not to mention we don’t know any Russian. It was frustrating being in Mongolia but in a part of Mongolia that knows more Russian than Mongolian.

The drive back to Hatgal was an adventure all in its own. Our driver was crazy! It was first time that I was actually scared while being in a car in Mongolia. I had never been with a driver that drove so fast and not to mention recklessly. The road from Hank to Hatgal is said to be one of the worst roads in Mongolia. This is mostly because there is no road. You spend a majority of the drive crossing rivers or driving in dry river beds. From Hank to Hatgal is only 200 km but the drive end up taking 11 hours. The drive wasn’t really bad until the last few hours. It was early morning maybe 3 or 4 and our driver kept falling asleep at the wheel causing us to run into ditches, bushes, and even a tree! I would always know when the driver was staring to fall asleep because he would be driving incredibly slow (5 km/h) after yelling at him he would speed up and then twenty or so minutes later he would slow back down again. This ended up being a three hour cycle, fast, slow, yelling, fast, slow, more yelling. When we reached Hatgal it was almost six in the morning and I have never been happier to be out of a car.

Overall the entire trip was a good experience. Ryan and I are already talking about doing it again next summer.

Tent with final campsite

Sunset at final campsite

Our final campsite..

and and closer...

And closer....

Getting closer...

Me posing in front of the mountains we have been walking towards for days...

Mountains are finally within reach

The people we stayed with

One night we camped with a Mongolian family who lived in the middle of no where. Ryan is cooking in the background

getting closer to those mountains..we discovered that distances were very deceiveing

and more cooking..almost done

still cooking

more dusk

me cooking...dried meat and pesto soup..yummy!!

same camp site....more dusk

Our campsite at suck.

my shoes....to say the least they took a beating

Drying our socks mid-day on some drift wood

The mountains in the background were our destination

more flowers...they were really everywhere!

Overlooking the lake...after a treck through marsh marsh and more marsh (lowlands of the picture)

Third campsite. Above an escarpment over looking the lake

Foreground out of focus

There were a bunch of wildflowers during the hiking trip (background out of focus)

Ryan retreiving some water

At the end of the second day the rain finally stopped.

Refelection of a dead tree on an inlet from the lake.

The pictures from the second day aren't to good because of the rain. Here is an abandoned cabin.

REINDEER!!!! Look at the horns on this one.

We saw this sign for a tourist camp. We thought it was both creepy and funny. Look at the smile!! Also notice how at the bottom of the sign it says "cleanly bland service". Who wants to stay at a place with just "bland service", well at least they're honest.

View of lake from lake. Taken at the beginning of trip

Rainbow. From the street outside my ger

Finish line

Horses at the finish line

Gers (where you can buy khushuur) at the horse races.

This guy doesn't mess around

Archery

Wrestlers stretching

Wrestlers!!!

Wrestlers!!!

Wrestlers!!!!

My haashaa family (the people i share a yard with)

Some of the Nadaam parade...and yes that guy in the left is really talking on his cell phone

More Nadaam parade

The only picture taken of me at Nadaam...

More coworkers...not one of them is looking at the camera

My work at the Nadaam parade

Border guards

I don't know this man

Batdorj..super excited for the parade!

My coworkers getting ready for the Nadaam parade

Sunset (from on top of my ger)

Rainbow (from outside my ger)

July is nearly over…well half-way over. What…really? Where is the summer going? It seems as it has just begun. The air finally warm, the hillsides green, the days long, and the river cool to the touch but comfortable upon entering. I have grown to love the summer. Finding myself lounging at the river, whenever possible, for hours on end reading, drinking beer, and of course swimming so relaxing that for the briefest moment I forget I’m still in Mongolia. However I am quickly reminded of my current location by families bathing and washing clothes on the river banks. Unfortunately lately the weather has been anything but summer, I don’t think I have ever seen so much rain in Mongolia! For the past month I don’t think there has been a day without at least some rain. Of course Mongolians love rain because it helps keep animals fat. Its not that I don’t like the rain (there is really nothing more relaxing than listening to the pitter patter of the rain landing upon the felt of my Ger) it just makes life in a Ger a little more interesting. Heavy prolonged rain will cause pools of water to slowly accumulate on my ger floor and my door becomes water logged and will refuse to shut. A few weeks ago it rained like I have never seen it before. In fact there was even thunder and lightning! During the storm I was relaxing in my Ger when all of a sudden my haashaa mother comes bursting in (which in Mongolia is not really all that uncommon)! But this time she had this frazzled/concerned look on her face. After expressing the obvious to me she insisted that I not use my cell phone under any circumstances during the storm. Informing me that if I use my phone during the storm lightning could strike down on me (I’m completely serious). I of course humored her and reassured her that I would not use my phone until the storm was over which was easy…who would I have to called anyways.

The other day when I was lounging by the river I began to think about how weather/climate affects the mental state of an individual. This was on my mind primarily because I have noticed that people in my community are friendlier, laughing more and generally appear to be happy. My director now smiles and occasionally even laughs, the women at the meat market will joke with me when I’m picking out meat laughing at me because of my dislike of animal fat “half a kilo of horse…with no fat!” “are you sure you don’t want the fat? You’re so skinny the angry winds could blow you away!” (as the clerk smiles and laughs) and there is less nudging and pushing at the water well because it isn’t -30 and standing at the well can actually be enjoyable (and also quite the social scene as I have recently discovered). People are outside not because they have to be but because they want to be playing basketball with a makeshift hoop, couples holding hands stroll through the maze of streets, laughing children run shoeless after a volleyball, and laundry is done outside. This differs from the winter when people are only outside because they have to be going to and from work, to and from the well, and well to and from the outhouse. Leisurely activities almost come to a complete standstill during the winter months. I find it interesting to see how different lives can be here in the summer and winter months. I am a person who usually looks forward to the winter months. To me winter means skiing, hot toddies, and chili. I recently realized that I am not so excited for the coming winter months because here winter only means plummeting temperatures, short days, and hot milk tea.

To most Mongolians the month of July only means one thing…Nadaam! If you don’t remember what Nadaam is I will quickly refresh your memory. Nadaam the festival with the “three manly sports” wrestling, horse racing, and archery how much more manly can you possibly get…those sports are just screaming manliness! I have come to the conclusion that Mongolians use Nadaam as an excuse to do nothing but drink airag (fermented mares milk), drink vodka, eat khuushuur, and rest for many days. I can remember Nadaam last year and how excited I was to see what it was all about. So anxious to finally see what every Mongolian was talking about weeks in advance. It was so exciting because I was experiencing everything for the first time. My senses were being overloaded with the sights of the elaborate costumes, to the sounds of throat singing, to the smell of khuushuur, and the taste of airag (I couldn’t think of one for touch). I will never forget that. This year my Nadaam experience was much different. I wasn’t full of excitement of curiosity. I was only anticipating how much singing I would have to do, how much vodka I would be pressured to drink, or how many khuushuur I would have to fit into my stomach.

The Nadaam stadium is quite the interesting place, abandoned for all but three days a year, and during those three days it’s the center of the community. I have always observed a particular atmosphere that I have associated with the stadium. This “atmosphere” I speak of is one I can’t explain in words but one you most definitely can experience when you’re apart of the action. For the three days of the festival most shops will close down and temporarily relocate at the stadium setting up makeshift booths and stands that create outdoor “shopping”. It’s funny these outdoor shops. Selling nothing special but all the goods that are usually sold I found it particularly funny to see shops selling jarred pickles, bottles or ketchup, and mayonnaise?? Why anyone watching Nadaam would ever want to buy any of those items…I will never know. Restaurants will also relocate to the Nadaam stadium setting up gers that act as temporary eateries which by coincidence all have the same one item on their menu’s…khuushuur (not to mention it’s the same price at every ger). The temporary shops and gers create a labyrinth or walkways and paths crowded with people enjoying all that Nadaam has to offer, eating and drinking superfluous amounts of khuushuur and airag. I know I did.

My favorite part of Nadaam wasn’t watching the hours upon hours of wrestling, archery, or even horse racing (believe me I experienced all of that my first Nadaam) but the food and people. On the final day of Nadaam I was invited to my director’s house for goat khorhog. Khorhog is a traditional Mongolian way of preparing meat and vegetables with hot rocks. Meat, potatoes, carrots, and onions are chopped up and put into a container with hot rocks, salt, and water. The container is then placed over a fire and slowly cooked. It is by far my favorite Mongolian food….hands down. The meat comes out tender and delicious. I have to be honest. I real reason I enjoy khorhog so much is because of how you eat it, the manors that Mongolians do have a completely forgotten (especially when you come from a culture that is full of table manors and proper etiquette). No silverware, no plates, one communal napkin, and only a small bowl and a knife! It may sound completely ridiculous but it’s awesome and I love the process of eating khorhog. There is just something about eating meat right off the bone. I think its great everybody going to town trying to get their bone as clean as possible (I always loose), leaving your hands and face covered in juices and grease. When you’re done with the meat you move on to potatoes, carrots and broth….umm delicious. I think I could eat it everyday.

I’m enjoying the summer keeping busy with work and looking forward to August. I get the whole month off! Work during the summer is fairly slow and every employee of the health department takes one month off during the summer season so I get August. I am planning a hiking trip with another PCV it should be a great time. Lets see what else is new…Oh ya for some reason for the next few months I will only have eight hours of electricity a day, from 6 or 7 a.m. to 10 or 11 a.m. and then from 8 or 9 p.m. to 12 or 1 a.m. I heard it and laughed and was curious about the reasoning behind the new hours of electricity. I think that’s all for now. Hope you enjoy!

Pictures to follow….soon

I have been so busy lately that I have yet to find the time to sit down and jot down my most recent thoughts and experiences. Well, I finally have some free time so for the next page or so you have my complete and undivided attention. Since my last entry I have found myself to be the busiest I have ever been since coming to Mongolia which by the way I fully enjoy and embrace. However why is it that when your busy days and weeks fly by and you’re always wishing there were more hours in the day. But when you have little to no work days coast by almost as if time is at a stand still? So, what is it that has been keeping me so busy? That’s a good question…sometimes I don’t even know. Lately most of my time has been dedicated to my three most recent projects, these include: creating a healthy eating brochure with foods and meals specific to Mongolia, providing nutrition education classes to adolescents aged 13-17, and my most time consuming project of traveling to rural areas of my province to weigh children aged 0-5. The first two projects mentioned have been interesting because it has given me a chance to get more involved with people I have yet to work with in my community. Initially I was designing the healthy eating brochure for hospital and health department employees (primarily just a project to keep me busy). Soon however I noticed more interest in the brochure. Just recently I have been working with a counterpart to distribute it to all twenty-six villages that make up the province that I live in. It has been interesting to observe the excitement and involvement put forth by my counter parts. Well I would continue on but I would hate to bore you. I will move on to a topic of more interest and entertainment (well at least I find it be both interesting and entertaining).

For the past few months I have been monitoring and recording the weights and heights of children aged 0-5 in my community. The primary reasoning for this is to track the growth and development of children hoping that they all fall in the appropriate percentile…yada yada yada this is important but I feel as though I would bore you (yet again) if I were to describe something like percentiles for height, weight, sex and age. Beside the physical growth of the child I have also had the opportunity to observe the physical appearance of the child doing such can identify vitamin/mineral deficiencies (a very common one here is Mongolia is Rickets or vit D deficiency). So what does one do with all the information collected? Well usually I will provide nutrition education classes for mothers and fathers stressing the importance of a proper diet for a growing child. So anyways. For the past two weeks I had the opportunity to travel to the countryside to visit three rural communities with the health department to conduct health screenings among the population. I was very excited to have this opportunity because it would allow for me to screen more children and potentially provide some information to parents, adolescents or pretty much anyone willing to listen to some crazy foreigner. During my two weeks in the countryside I had experienced an aspect of the Mongolian culture that I had yet to discover. It was amazing and an experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. This was the deepest I had ever been in the countryside… no cell phone service and no electricity. I felt as though I was in the middle of nowhere. Well I guess I practically was but it was awesome. So were did we go exactly? Myself and ten of my counterparts traveled to three villages Tsagaan Nuur, Ulaan Uul, and Renchinlum (all of which are located in the northwestern part of the Hovsgol province). I won’t discuss all of the places we visited just the ones I found most interesting, Tsagaan Nuur (which translates to white lake). Tsagaan Nuur is located 260 km from where I live Murun. However with no roads it takes a little under fifteen-hours to travel there. Tsagaan Nuur was the most interesting because it is home to a small ethnic group that herds reindeers (called the Dukha), here is a brief background:

Only 44 Dukha families remain, totaling somewhere between 200 and 400 people. They ride, breed, milk, and live off of reindeer, though the reindeer population has dropped to approximately 600 since the 1970s, when it was an estimated 2000. Since the democratization of Mongolia, no governmental programs have been in place to replenish reindeer herds with animals from Siberia, direly endangering the Dukha way of life. Much of the Dukha income today comes from tourists who pay to buy their crafts and to ride their domesticated reindeer.

As you can see this is what I was talking about when I mentioned a piece of Mongolia that I have yet to experience. The Dukha people were fascinating and I was so fortunate to witness and observe such a traditional way of living. The Dukha people live 30 to 40 kilometers outside the village of Tsagaan Nuur. However to get to there encampment of Tepees (yes similar to ones of Native Americans) you can only drive a portion of the way for the last 30 kilometers or so you have to ride a horse or a reindeer…yes, you read correctly a reindeer. After riding a reindeer for 30 km I came to the realization that it is not the ideal mode of transportation. It is quite the awkward and lanky animal and to say the least my ass was a little tender at the end of the day. The opportunity to interact with the Dukha was in its self worth the grueling ride and plus how many people do you know how can say they have ridden a reindeer? During my short visit to the Dukha community I was able to enjoy few of the many foods offered from the reindeer including milk, cheese, dried meat, and of course dried curds. It is quite the life. Imagine that everything you eat comes from reindeer. The diet consists of little to no fruits and vegetables. Primarily it is a protein, fat and carb (from flour) based diet. This is very unfortunate and causes many of the deficiencies that are found among the population. It’s a difficult situation to discuss proper nutrition with a community that has no access to healthy and nutritious foods. I see no point in discussing what can’t be attained even if they had the money to acquire the food for a proper diet its simply unavailable. As far as actual work I weighed all of the Dukha children that I could. However there were not many I was only able to collect data from 40 children.

In total among the three villages that we visited I was able to collect data on 250 children and provide a small amount of nutrition education. It was an amazing trip to the countryside and much of the time I felt as though I was in Mongolia again for the first time. I hope I didn’t bore you to much…enjoy the pictures.

The past few weeks have flown by. I can’t believe it’s almost the end of May (meaning I have already been here a year). It wasn’t until this month that I fully appreciated what the summer months have to offer. The trees and fields of Muron that were once bleak and depressing have been slowing turning a brilliant green. It’s amazing what a little color does for ones moral. I have been working on various projects and for the first time in a while I find myself tired at the end of the day. As I drag my feet home I mull over potential meal ideas. Constantly trying to make something new, however this can be difficult when I only have four or five food staples. Usually I’ll settle for stir fry (noodles carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic) although sometimes I go all out and splurge on a bell pepper or two. Usually meals are all the same just slightly different variations. I can make a soup out of stir fry…all you do is add water (perfect for cold days). The windy season is coming to a close (or at least I hope it is) and right now I don’t think the weather could be better. However nothing can ever be perfect so of course there is consequences with this warmer more tolerable weather…tourists! I find myself having mixed feelings about tourists who visit Mongolia. Don’t get me wrong it’s nice seeing another foreigner every now and then. I have discovered that it can be a nice break to sit down and have a conversation with someone in English. The only thing is that I don’t want to be viewed as a tourist myself. This is only because many times tourists will be taken advantage of. To be honest sometimes they may deserve this as I’m sure not all tourists are culturally sensitive and may also get a little frustrated with the many unexpected happenings that occur on a daily basis in Mongolia (also a majority of the time tourists probably don’t even know they’re be taken advantage of). I don’t want to send the wrong message. I have met some really awesome down to earth tourists but there is always that one…and when I meet this tourist I think to myself “why the hell did you choose to travel to Mongolia in the first place”

This past weekend was to say the least interesting. Every year the Health Department (that I volunteer for) has a Mongolian version of a work BBQ. You know all the workers getting together for a day to enjoy the recent change in weather But instead of cooking meat on a grill it is done with hot rocks over a fire, instead of eating bacon wrapped filet mingnon they have liver wrapped in fat, instead of cold beer there is warm vodka, and of course singing, speeches, and how could I forget the infamous potato salad (I have discovered is the universal side dish). It is done every spring once the wind dies down and the temperature rises. Many of my coworkers were very excited and made some what of a big deal of the whole thing (there was even a meeting about it so I knew it was a big deal). I was also excited for this. It would give me a chance to spend some time with my coworkers in a non work setting. But I was also excited because we would be doing “Horhog” the traditional Mongolian way to prepare meat and vegetables with hot rocks. It is by far the most delicious and delectable thing I have ever had in Mongolia. I have been in Mongolia for almost a year, thus allowing for me to have my fair share of parties. This has provided me with quite an engrossing opportunity to ascertain the differences between American and Mongolian work parties. It did not take much to spot out the differences as most are pronounced. One of the largest differences is the manner in which the meat is brought to the party. Usually (at least in America) meat is purchased at a store cut and nicely wrapped. Well as you may or may not know it is done slightly different in Mongolia. Story follows:

“Do you want to go to the countryside to pick up sheep for the party on Saturday?” These were the first words said to me Thursday morning. No good morning or how did you rest? This morning the formalities were completely thrown out the window. At first I was a little thrown off by this (to say the least it is was not what I was expecting to hear). However it all made sense when I remembered that I’m in Mongolia. How could anyone turn down such an opportunity? I of course was interested. I was actually surprised. In most cases I not asked or told anything. I am always rushed off at the last moment wondering what the hell is going on or more importantly where the hell we are going. I would soon find out that we were going to a herder’s home to pick up sheep. It may sound odd but traveling to the countryside to pick up animals is more common than one would think. The sheep would be picked up from a herders Ger and brought to the party…where they would be slaughtered (not one but two). This brings up an interesting thought. Its weird eating a meal that you know was alive only a couple hours before. By far the freshest meat I have ever had. We ended up driving for about two hours (of course in the middle of nowhere) just to pick up some sheep (Mongolians take much care in the selection of their sheep). There are sheep everywhere is this country (livestock out numbers people 5 to 1) so I was confused as to why we drove two hours out of the way. We could have easily bought two equally good sheep right from Muron and completely skipped the short adventure to the countryside. It was an interesting trip. The herder was as friendly as ever and after hog tying the sheep into the back of our van invited us in for soup, tea, and of course the inevitable vodka.

The party on Saturday was a great time and an experience I could talk in depth about…but I won’t. I do have pictures to come in the next few days. As far as Mongolian parties go it was fairly standard. Parties usually start of quite and somewhat awkward (mainly because no one is drunk yet). Eventually vodka appears… as soon as I saw my director break out the first bottle I knew it was going to be a long day (it was 11:30 in the morning). It turned out to be a great time although most everybody had more than their fair share of vodka. The sun shined, the food was delicious, and I continued to build relationships with my coworkers. Although I awoke on Sunday with a dry mouth and a headache I thought overall it was a successful cultural exchange.

Horse race

Basketball?

Don't move a muscle...

Keeping the kids entertained/distracted

The three amigo's

The Ger where measurements were taken

Every time I sit down to edify you of the new experiences I have encountered I always find myself wondering how I can explain it. That is without it sounding like complete and utter nonsense. As my mind is deluged with thoughts I find it galling to translate them to paper. As I discussed last time the Mongolian spring is in full swing. Besides the erratic weather, wind, and dust spring is also a time for change…as in my diet. Without the frigid days of winter I am forced to resort to somewhat demeaning forms of non-perishable foods like dried meat and powdered milk (however to my surprise it’s amazing the realm of possibilities with these items although the consumption of these items is solely for the nutritional value). On a more positive note the days are getting longer and it is no longer dark when I walk to and from work. Longer days also allow me to broaden the scope of my after work activities which in the winter consist of chopping wood, yoga, and cooking dinner. However with the abundance of day light activities can include running and playing Frisbee (or teaching Frisbee to my Mongolian siblings. They’re still figuring out it’s in the wrist). I recently discovered that running is one of my favorite things to do at the end of the work day. Well that is most the time. I’m sure this won’t come to you as a surprise but Mongolians aren’t big fans of running or any aerobic exercise. So when Mongolians see me running many times I’m sure they don’t know what to think. Often they’ll just stop and stare, sometimes they’ll whistle or clap, or even say “go” “go”… but there is always that one belligerent drunk guy who thinks the only way to get my attention is by throwing rocks in the general vicinity of me. Luckily the person throwing rocks is three sheets to the wind so I have never been hit. Recently I have discovered running on the outskirts of town. This has been much better instead of running around people, cars, and horse carts I only have to run around herds of goat and sheep and the best part is there aren’t any drunken people to bother me. However my diet and the weather aren’t the only changes that come with spring. Recently I “remodeled” my Ger (I could only have done with the help of my friend Ryan, who provided the majority of my motivation and heavy lifting). You’re most likely thinking “how does one remodel a circular structure?” Well truthfully you can’t change much. If anything its just rearranging the furniture which is the only thing I did but remodeling sounds more official. I was actually surprised with how much I could move stuff around. It may not sound very exciting, if at all, but it was surprising what a little change will do. I finally have a some what tolerable kitchen. Before I found myself cutting veggies, rolling dough with my cutting board on the floor but that has all changed with the simple shift of a table. Anyways I found it to be one of the bigger highlights of this spring season.

Last time I mentioned my nutrition education grant. Well it’s finished and has been for a few weeks however I finally sent it to Peace Corps last week. Unfortunately the grant I applied for no longer has funding…completely dried…all tapped out. What the hell are the chances? I was frustrated at first but soon found out I just have to wait until June or July when more funding will be available. Although I am stuck in Limbo for a month or two I really could care less as long as I get funding. I think this project has great potential and could definitely have a positive impact on the selected communities and populations. Not only that but it has been a project that I have developed a lot of passion and dedication to. Luckily for the time being I have been able to stay busy by working with an NGO. And it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. As of now the NGO is working on one of their health campaigns. As you can image I was very enthused to get involved. I was asked to develop materials for families with malnourished children or children at risk. So far it has shown the potential of a successful project. It is also a project that I am excited to be involved with not only will it provide me with an amazing experience it will allow me to become more accustomed and aware of the effected populations. I have also helped with the recording and collecting of anthropometrics among children aged 1-5 years who live in my community. I have never seen so many little children in one Ger in my entire life. Fortunately I was able to bring along “Finding Nemo” to keep them entertained. Taking measurements took place in a Ger where we set up an assembly line of sorts and took measurements of height and weight. It was quite interesting to observe the difference in children who are in the same age group. Many times reflecting there socioeconomic background of their families. I hope to educate my self more about the difficulties that hinder the local population from providing their family with an appropriate and healthy diet and ultimately facilitating the effected people with providing education on proper nutrition. I hope I didn’t ramble on to much. My day is over…nothing left to do now but head home and take advantage of my dried meat and powdered milk.

I have come to learn that spring time in the Colorado Rockies and spring time in Northern Mongolia are two completely different worlds. Of course this didn’t come as a surprise. As I am sure I have mentioned before when you’re living in a place like Mongolia you become immune to the unexpected and unfamiliar. Being from Colorado spring time for me has always been a time of what else but spring skiing. I love spring skiing. I love skiing anyways but for some reason there is just something about spring skiing. I really don’t think there is anything better than skiing on a perfect spring day. Although the snow isn’t perfect, the weather is. With temperatures so high you can ski in a t-shirt. And for some reason Americans always get really giddy during the spring. You know what I’m talking about. With the first warm day of spring you can always find an excuse to put on shorts and sandals and hangout outside all day. Well spring here is a little different. First off you can always tell when spring or warm weather is coming with two indicators; one being dust and the second being the smell of urine (let me explain). Public urination although illegal (and rarely enforced) is very common. Fences, ally ways, and on the outside of building are considered prime spots for public urination. In the winter and late fall the cold weather helps hide the smell. However being in the right spot during spring or summer and you’ll find that the smell of urine lingering in the air. I noticed this for the first time last weekend when I was walking home and I passed buy a popular spot for taxi’s to park and with the familiar smell I knew that spring was on its way. Where was I…Oh ya, why spring is different here. For one there is no spring skiing… I can’t even remember the last time it snowed here. Second two words, dust storms. If you enjoy dust then Mongolia is the place for you. Spring time here is the dusty season with the possibility of having a dust storm all day long for several days in a row. Living in a Ger doesn’t help. Dust finds its way into everything…literally everything! I may sound like I’m complaining but its really not that bad like every other aspect of living here you soon adapt to it. It is however amazing to see the amount of dirt that comes out of my hair and clothes. I thought it was bad during the summer, fall and winter but now it’s just impressive. I know it’s nothing to be proud of but nonetheless every time I wash my hair I find myself laughing…the dust is ridiculous. Lately it hasn’t been that bad but then again spring is just beginning… I think. Mongolians have a different schedule for their seasons. I’m still trying to figure the seasons out. This is difficult when you get a different answer from everyone you ask. But basically for the region that I live in there is a shorter summer and spring with fall and winter lasting a little longer. However spring time here isn’t all bad. The temperature gets warmer and the days get longer both of which do great things for ones morale. In fact this past week the weather has been great with temperatures in the low fifties and sixties. I have learned that there are pros and cons with the warming weather. Some of the pros include: not freezing my ass of in the morning, water and other liquid objects don’t freeze and no need for long underwear. The cons are: no refrigerator and laundry. During the winter I can keep meat, milk and anything else that needs to be kept cold (i.e. frozen) outside. Having the ability to keep things cold is very convenient. It means I don’t have to go to the market everyday to buy 100 or 200 grams (up to one or two meals) of meat. Because it can get so hot here during the summer you have to do your laundry all the time. Usually wouldn’t be a big deal but when your hand washing your clothes it becomes a big deal. All in all I am excited for the summer season mostly because I think I’ll be busy. The grant that I have been working on is finally finished. Now I just have to wait for it to get approval and of course the funds. As I may have mentioned the grant is for healthcare professionals from surrounding rural communities to travel to Moron (where I live) so that I can conduct a nutrition education seminar. Following the seminar I will travel to about 7 villages to both monitor and evaluate the clinics practices in hoping that the healthcare professionals who attended the seminar are using their new knowledge in the workplace. Summer time also comes with one of Mongolia’s biggest celebrations “Nadaam” the three to four days of archery, wrestling and horse racing. Oh, and don’t forget what comes with most Mongolian celebrations drinking, and singing. Well I have procrastinated long enough…I should probably get back to work…

Eight hours later....DONE!!

Felt....Felt....and more Felt...

The throwing of the felt....

Are we done yet?

Skeleton Ger

Inside out Ger

No this is not a yard sale....

Wrestlers

Mongolian army

Photo from "Nadaam" the festival of the three manly sports...Archery, wrestling, and horse racing

Mongolian squat toilet...

View from the top...

Vaccine storage. Where there is no electricity vaccines and other temperature sensitive medicines are kept underground.

Vaccination day... How excited does this kid look!

Basketball court

My street

My neighbors...They are candy eating machines and anything else from America. But look at them, how can you stay mad.

Top of my Ger.

Summer village

UB Ger camp... My first impressions of Mongolia

So where to start? I have already given you a brief taste as to how my Tsagaan Sar celebrations were….well celebrated. As you already know traveling in this country is always an adventure. However my travels over the holiday went rather smoothly. This is largely because we traveled in my counterpart’s car. It has been the only time I have traveled in this country without feeling like I was in a sardine can. In fact I had the entire backseat to myself…well excluding out luggage and the appropriate Tsagaan Sar gifts i.e. sheep carcass, candy, vodka (it may sound strange but these are all pretty standard holiday gifts).

The Tsagaan Sar “itinerary” was as follows; first visit the family of my counterpart’s wife and then continue on to visit the family of my counterpart, spending a total of five days in the countryside… at first exciting and then exhausting. As I have mentioned before my CP’s wife’s family are herders who live in the middle of nowhere. Which I thought was totally awesome, having the opportunity to spend Mongolia’s largest holiday with Mongolian herders! Saying it just sounds like it would be an experience of cultural inundation…which it was. It’s hard for me to gather my thoughts so that this doesn’t sound like complete gibberish. The first night and day of Tsagaan Sar was by far my favorite. This is because the traditions and ceremonies done on this first night and day would be repeated for the next four days (just at different places). Here’s a quick run down: Tsagaan Sar consists of visiting the homes of friends and family. At each house/ger you will exchange the traditional greeting, exchange snuff, eat byyts, drink vodka, small talk, and move on to your next destination. During my Tsagaan Sar I probably visited fifty to sixty house/gers, now can you see why I found it exhausting.

So it was the first night and we visited the three Ger’s that made up the “ranch” of my CP’s wife family. The first night of Tsagaan Sar always falls on a new moon and the stars were amazing this is because when your out in the middle of nowhere light pollution isn’t obscuring the view of thousands of stars. I was laughed at for just standing with my neck back gazing into the night sky. It was by far the clearest night I have ever seen. Besides the beautiful night sky the family couldn’t have been friendlier. Including me in all the traditions that make up Tsagaan Sar. I exchanges snuff with men, consumed many byyts, drank vodka, laughed and sang many songs. Being in the countryside brought a new light to my experience here in Mongolia and a whole new respect for the herder community. I had the opportunity to not only observe but experience how a herding family lives…as complete minimalists. Unlike most of the developed world who takes for granted the resources they have available (consumer whores). The herder uses solar power, and lives of the “fruits of their labor” i.e. livestock. I soon found out that living the life as a herder is no easy feat and requires much work from dawn till dusk (as I experienced this first hand). Even the children are hard workers and are expected to contribute to daily tasks.

Even though I live in a Ger I soon realized that living in a Ger by yourself and living in a Ger with a family of five are two completely different things. I soon realized that a family living in a Ger has no privacy…none at all. I started thinking to myself “if there’s no privacy when and where do parents procreate?” Luckily I have pretty good relationships with my counterpart it also helps that were close in age so I asked him. At first he laughed and then told me that couples/parents will just wait until the other children and grandparents fall asleep. Of course while laughing he said “they must be very quiet.” Anyways besides that when you live in a Ger with a family I noticed that once one person wakes up everyone wakes up, in my case it was six in the morning (The grandmother woke to start a fire and make tea).

This was the day when I had the opportunity to experience life as a herder (although short lived and lasting only a few hours it was still awesome). After we had our morning’s tea I was sent out with the children to collect dung from the corrals. Why does one collect dung? Well dung serves many purposes; the main is a source of fuel. That’s right it’s burned to keep the Ger warm. Following the collection which really isn’t that bad, my counterpart said it’s easier in the winter because it’s all frozen. Following the collection we mounted onto horses and herded the animals out for the days grazing. This was awesome because one; I got to ride a horse, two; I got to hold a long stick and yell SHOSH…SHOSH. Although I really had no idea what the hell to do or if I was even doing it right. I acted like I did and of course just did what the other herders were doing. Once the animals are out grazing they stay there all day and during the evening the same process is done that is done in the morning…just reversed. And that was the extent of my herding carrier. Although not a good resume builder it makes for a sweet story. While the animals were out grazing the Tsagaan Sar Festivities continued. I felt as though I was having dejavu. You guessed it more byyts, vodka, but oddly not singing. We stayed most of the morning and left in the early afternoon for Batdorj’s (counterparts) family.

The remainder of my Tsagaan Sar holiday was a repeat of the first night and day (as I said before). So really I don’t see any point in writing about the same thing over and over again. All in all it was another amazing Mongolian experience. However when it was time to come home I was ready. Spending five days with my CP and meeting his entire family was a little overwhelming. Not to mention that speaking and listening in nothing but Mongolian for that amount of time took a toll on my head, at least I came out of it with some new words and phrases. I think my favorite one is an idiom I learned that Mongolian men say when they have to go to the bathroom. The direct translation is “I have to see a man about a horse.” It just makes me laugh. In what ways does seeing a man about a horse and having to go to the bathroom connect?

I want to make one last comment. So when Tsagaan Sar was over I thinking to myself great, I won’t have to eat another byyt until next year. Well when I got back to my Ger and settling in (making a fire, tea, and thawing out water) my neighbor comes rushing over within the first hour that I’m home with a plate full of byyts…and all I could do was laugh and then ask myself, why?

I know its been a while. However it hasn't been by choice. The past few weeks have been pretty crazy. First it was the Mongolian New Year (Tsagaan Sar) and immediately following that was an ice festival. Usually most holidays last one day...not in Mongolia. Tsagaan Sar can last anywhere from three days to a week, its exhausting. Imagine celebrating Thanksgiving for a whole week but instead of staying at your house all day you travel to several different house and at each house you eat a ridiculous amount of food but instead of a variety of food (i.e. turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes) its the same food...at every house. Just imagine doing that for three days. By now your probably wondering what the hell Tsagaan Sar is a all about, besides the fact its the Mongolian New Year.

Tsagaan Sar translates to "white moon" and is culturally more related to the Tibetan New Year. The White Moon holiday is celebrated two months after the first new moon following the winter solstice. Around the New Year people greet each other by saying 'Amar mend uu?' or 'Amar bain uu?', a very formal greeting which one says to one's elders. Mongolians also visit friends and family on this day and exchange gifts. A typical Mongolian family will meet in the home dwelling of the eldest in the family. When greeting their elders during the White Moon festival, Mongolians grasp them by their elbows to show support for them. The eldest receives greetings from each member of the family except for his spouse. During the greeting ceremony, family members hold long pieces of colored cloth called khadag. After the ceremony, the family eats buuz (meat dumplings) and drinks airag (vodka, fermented mares milk), and exchanges gifts. There is also the exchanging of snuff. This usually happens between men. When doing so you will wish a happy new year and ask "are you animals getting fat". The part about animals getting fat only pertains to herders. The winter can be a hard time for herders because of the lack of edible pasture and the cold weather. Luckily during Tsagaan Sar this year I was with herders so I didn't feel ridiculous asking people if their animals are getting fat.

Tsagaan Sar is one of Mongolia's biggest holidays and a lot of preparation occurs weeks before the holiday. As I mentioned before buuz are the main food consumed during the holiday, each family will make up to 1000 buuz and freeze them (i definitely got better at "pinching buuz" and don't want to have to make another one until next year). During Tsagaan Sar I don't even know how many buuz I ate but when the week was over buuz was the last thing I wanted to eat. Buuz are eaten for every meal....breakfast, lunch, dinner and in between. Don't get me wrong I love buuz (when there fresh) but when I have to eat buuz made the previous day that are placed in hot milk tea and eaten for breakfast (I'm gonna be honest not really a fan). Anyways eating the same food for a week fun at first but definitely gets old.

Along with the preparation of buuz, deel's (traditional Mongolian garb) are also made. Traditionally Mongolians will have one made for them every year. Although I look some what ridiculous in one my neighbor insisted on making one for me.

Tsagaan Sar may have been one of the most exhausting and overwhelming holidays I have ever experienced. This year my Counterpart invited me to travel to the country side and spend the holidays with his family. It was an amazing experience. My counterparts family are herders. They own 1000 animals (mostly sheep and goats) and they literally live in the middle of nowhere. There "ranch" consists of three Gers and "corrals", and recently got electricity by using solar panels. I found it kind of funny when I walked into the ger and found that they even had a television.

I would write more but am being kicked out of the Internet "cafe" because the owner is hungry and is currently standing over awkwardly asking if I'm almost done. Stay tuned next time I'll continue to explain my Tsagaan Sar countryside adventure, oh ya and the ice festival.

I don’t want to bore you with my work situation so I’ll keep it short before I move on to more stimulating topics. Work is picking up. Although last week most of my coworkers were out of the office I was able to accomplish many things. The most exciting however was receiving a translated Nutrition lesson from Peace Corps. Having translated materials makes things so much easier for me. I don’t have to go through the tedious and many times painful activity of sitting with my counterpart picking through our dictionaries trying to decipher each word, phrase, or sentence. Anyways we are planning to do some nutrition training to both hospital and health department workers sometime this week (or so they say, you can never really be sure).

This past weekend I traveled to the countryside with practically the entire staff of the health department. We traveled to a small town by the name of Tsagaan-uur (white-nest) which is roughly 90 miles Northeast of where I live. As you know traveling in this country isn’t exactly an easy feat. And like many aspects of Mongolian life traveling to the countryside is easier said than done. Traveling 90 miles in the states would take about an hour and a half, however here in Mongolia it took a little over eight hours. Why? Well simply because there are no roads (paved or dirt) to where we were going. Luckily because it is winter we can drive on the frozen rivers, saving some time (for what its worth). This does however include pit stops known as tea or white food stops in Mongolia. Many times these stops don’t even include drinking tea but taking shots of vodka, eating candy (I’m pretty sure that candy is considered a main food staple, considering how much is consumed), and singing. Each stop would also include the driver whipping the dust accumulated from the drive (I don’t know why they just don’t wait until the journey is over, but you know appearance is everything).

However slowly but surely we arrived at our destination “Erdenbulgan Soum”. I was more than ready to get out of the car, my butt felt as though it was turned into raw hamburger meat after our journey. We were accommodated by the local hospital, and upon our arrival were greeted with plentiful amounts of noodle soup and you guessed it vodka. Although we had to wake early the following morning (6:00 am) we ate, sang, and danced well in to the hours of the early morning. I was sleeping comfortably until I was rudely awakened by a severely intoxicated coworker, who for whatever reason found my bed an appropriate place to pass out (with me in it). To say the least I made the decision to sleep on the floor. The following morning I woke groggy and under slept and in no way looking forward to the four hour drive we had in front of us. The standard Mongolian breakfast was served (bread, jam, and milk tea). We were headed for a monastery. There we would meet up with a Monk who would guide us into the mountains to a cave of spiritual significance. Again after several hours we had finally arrived at the monastery. It was situated in a small valley (literally in the middle of nowhere), and I thought to myself how they survived being located in such an isolated area. I was told that the monastery was over a hundred years old but had recently had minor renovations. The monastery and its surrounding were beautiful. From the monastery the Monk guided us further into the mountains. However only part of the way were we allowed to travel by car and we had to switch to other means of transportation, in this case it was horse. I was excited for this, since I have not ridden a horse in several years. Well it was fun until my already sore ass was being subjected to even more torture provided by the wooden saddle… yes the saddles in Mongolia are made of wood. It did make for quite the adventure though. After several hours of ridding through heavily forested mountains (somewhat of a rarity in Mongolia) we made it to our final destination “dyeen deer” where at the base of a mountain there are more shrines.

Let me take a second and explain these “shrines” I speak of, in Mongolia there referred to as an “ovoo” I have several pictures of them on my blog. They are usually constructed of a pile of rocks or made from a tree. They are covered in cloths called “hadag” most of the time they are blue but they come in many colors such as; yellow, red, and white. It is tradition to walk about the “ovoo” three times clockwise. With each pass depending on the situation you will throw a rock, adding to the pile or throw “white food” (as I mentioned before). It can also be custom to light incense and leave a small amount of money.The reason that “dyeen deer” is so special is because at this location there is a labyrinth of caves and tunnels within the mountain, also located in the cave is yet another “ovoo.” I have been caving in the states several times, so walking around in a mountain was nothing new to me (but never forget the Mongolia factor). The Monk would lead us through the cave to the room at which the “ovoo” was located. The cave was like any cave dark, damp, and cool. As we were entering the cave I was thinking to myself “I wonder if anyone brought flashlights” well who needs flashlights when you can use a candle…one candle which of course was held by the Monk. Crawling around in a cave with one candle made me somewhat uneasy but everyone else seemed fine… I mean the Monk of course has done this before…right? After squeezing through cracks and crawling on all fours…we made it, yet again. The room was impressive and the “ovoo” was quite substantial. In this room there was also a spring. Supposedly the water from the spring will give the consumer “positive energy.” I figured, can’t hut right. After about an hour we emerged from the abyss…safe and sound and would start our trek back home. You would think the trip back would take just as long as the trip there. First we had to drop the Monk back off at the monastery but in Mongolia you cant just simply drop someone off honk your horn, wave goodbye, and be on your way. Oh no no no… you have stop and drink tea, and eat soup, and then you can go…two hours later. With the Monk dropped off I figured we had no other stops. It was seven at night and we had an eight hour drive ahead of us. Well we stopped yet again at the same hospital we stopped at on our way in. Drank more tea and ate more soup. It was now 9 p.m. we were off again. Made it about three hundred yards and got a flat tire. But why have a spare? The drivers had to patch the tire. By ten-thirty we were finally on the “road” again. My tired limp body dozed in and out of sleep for the next four hours. We came to a stop a ger, I looked at my watch and it was two in the morning (in no way were we stopping for tea). The driver banged on the ger door. When the door was answered I heard the driver ask witch way it was to Murun. In short we were lost. After going what seemed to be every which way we were back on track. After many hours the driver pulled up to my ger. I glanced at my clock; it was five-thirty in the morning. I stumbled into my ger, managed to light a fire and passed. When I woke it was three in the afternoon. What a weekend! I had come to the realization that I spent more hours in the car than outside of the car.

Some of my fellow coworkers...and a Lama...Who luckily blessed our travels. Also served as our guide during our Mongolian spelunking excursion...

Tree covered in "hadag's" a common sight in Mongolia

Entrance of cave.

I know....I totally look like a tourist

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Lama sitting at an "ovoo" preparing for a ceremony

Offering "white food" (in this photo millk) is a traditional custom at places of spiritual significance. In Mongolia one of these places is called an "ovoo". (I'll explain in the next entry)

More coworkers..

In Mongolia there are few coniferous trees that keep there needles in the winter...So seeing one is a big deal....so a picture with one is a must.

Most of my coworkers....one big happy fam

"where we're going we don't need roads" no literally in this photo we're driving on a frozen river

Again coworkers... This time in front of a monestery

Do you see any road???

Work update! My supervisor and counterparts have yet again decided to leave for the country side…without me. As of now there is only one other person at the Health Department with me, however I’m not fretting, if anything I’m rejoicing. I guess you could say I have been some what rebellious in the absence of my fellow co-workers. As you know from previous entries (you better have been reading them!) morning is my least favorite time of the day. I will usually stay in bed avoiding the cold until the last possible moment, thus not allowing me enough time to start a fire (I know, this is no ones fault but mine). This morning I woke at nine (allowing for two extra hours of sleep). Although I still feared the inedible cold that waited outside the protection of my blankets but because I was in no hurry I started a fire, and enjoyed the warmth it generated. Having a fire in the morning provides many benefits; for one, I can enjoy toasted bread (the top of my stove acts as a perfect substitution for a griddle), and two I don’t have to walk around my Ger wearing every piece of clothing I own. I brewed a large pot of coffee, enjoyed several slices of toast and strolled into work around ten thirty (how nice it is to make your own schedule). However I do stay busy. In fact I think I can get more work done when I’m not distracted by my fellow CP’s. The office at which I reside only has one computer making it almost impossible to get any work done with my counterpart around. So with my CP gone the possibilities are endless as what work I can accomplish.

My first task and most likely only task will be to translate my nutrition education training, which by the way seems to be never ending. Translating can be mundane, tiresome, and tedious all at once, especially with my language skills. I will also have to type up a progress report for Peace Corps…What progress? Just joking, Peace Corps requires three annual progress reports. Allowing them to keep tabs on what were doing to stay “busy”. And I thought the application to become a volunteer was tedious. The PC progress report puts the application to shame. I’ve only been at site for five months what sort of progress are they expecting?

Okay enough with work. Let’s talk about awkwardness, Mongolian beliefs and other odds and ends. First, this is something I have wanted to write about for a while. It’s definitely an experience all volunteers have witnessed. That is as long as you don’t live in an apartment. Most volunteers who live in wooden houses or Gers will share an out house with there haashaa family (unless your one of the select few who has the luxury of having your own outhouse). First off Mongolian outhouses aren’t like the ones that you will find while camping with the US Forest Service (no air fresheners no seat no lock on the door). Instead of having a seat there will be a whole cut or a board removed from the floor. Yes, this means that squatting will be required. As I mentioned the door doesn’t have a lock. Here is where things can get awkward. Say I’m headed to the outhouse, and all of a sudden from inside the outhouse comes a grunt or cough, that’s the way of knowing the outhouse is occupied. Many volunteers just refer to it as “the grunt”. It gets even more awkward when you don’t make a loud enough grunt or don’t hear the grunt. This of course will result in an awkward confrontation. Luckily I have never been the victim of such a situation. I have however walked in on my haashaa father.

A few weeks ago I had some sort of stomach flu. Having a stomach flu while living in a Ger and having to use an outhouse it not the best combination one could ask for and it contently doesn’t make you feel anymore comfortable when you’re having to go to the bathroom every twenty minutes. Luckily Mongolians have many remedies for upset stomach, diarrhea, and indigestion, ones that put Pepto-Bismol to shame. My neighbor for some reason had discovered that I was feeling under the weather and decided to come over to remedy my problem. Many of you may agree with me here, but when you feel like shit you really just want to be alone while lying in the fetal position. And nonetheless I was doing just this, lying on my death bed. At this point I was pretty much open to any suggestions that would subside whatever it was that was making me feel the way I was. When my neighbor had arrived she came with a bottle of vodka and a sash or scarf that was about four feet long. I was thinking to myself, “can’t she see I’m in no shape to drink, and what the hell is she doing with that scarf?” I would soon find out that by tying the scarf around my stomach it would help keep all my insides from moving around (Duh…Why didn’t I think about that). The vodka was supposed to help keep my stomach warm (Mongolians consider vodka a “warm” beverage). Warm beverages include anything hot, hence the name. Although I should little interest, provided much refusal, and was very stubborn. I soon found myself with a scarf tightly (almost uncomfortable) tied around my abdomen and two shots of vodka in my stomach…Both of which did nothing but make me feel more like crap. My neighbor assured me it would help…maybe help me feel crappier. I really guess it’s the thought that counts. I was also informed that I became ill because I drink cold water. Really! I didn’t know staying hydrated would contribute to the health of ones digestive tract. Real quick some other Mongolian remedies include but are not limited to; eating wolf meat to cure certain ailments (cold, bronchitis, heart disease etc…), eating fat in the winter to stay warm, drinking your mothers urine when sick, and using toothpaste to cover blemishes and zits. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on my new findings of Mongolian cures and remedies.

Big Burger..Mongolian version of McDonalds in fact the food comes from the same distributor as McDonalds....However Big Burger is only located in the capital, is over priced and not worth the time...I should have known

At Suukbataar Square

Work, Countryside travel, and other odds and ends:   Its hard to believe that time goes by so quickly when at the same time it feels as though I’m at a standstill. Work here has always been touch and go, I never really know what to expect. Thus far this is the hardest aspect to adapt to, that and the fact that Mongolian language is extremely difficult and many times I’m still speaking like a three year old. Nothing is consistent making it extremely hard for me to make plans for my ideas. The one consistent thing I did have was teaching English. Twice a week, although it wasn’t my favorite activity it did allow me to have something to do. However English class came to an abrupt stop before Christmas, this was to due to the fact that everybody was just to “busy”. I was under the impression that after the New Year things would quiet down and my fellow coworkers would have more time to work with me on projects. Well this was true, for about a week. I was just recently finishing up some info for a nurses training. Things were actually getting done, a date was set, and attendants were informed of the upcoming training. However in Mongolia you always have to anticipate the unexpected. The counterpart (CP) I was working with first informed me that they could no longer help me with the translation. Oh and the fact that the training was moved a week forward. This was somewhat frustrating for me. I was trying to stay positive, hoping that I could find someone else to assist me in the translation. The following day my CP told me she would be leaving for about a week (which by Mongolian standards could be anywhere from one day to a month) and that we would not be able to do the training. Well at least I won’t have to find a translator. Just yesterday my primary CP and supervisor (the people I share an office with) informed me that they would be leaving for about a week. I didn’t even ask why. So what does one do when they have the office to themselves and no work to do? I don’t know I’m still trying to be creative to help fill in the gaps of my day. Besides the fact that my work situation can be very frustrating I am still enjoying my time here even with the bumpy road that I have been traveling lately. This previous weekend I traveled to the countryside. The countryside is pretty much anywhere outside of where I live. It can be a little as twenty minutes away. However where I went Õàòãàë (Hatgal) is 60 miles directly north of ̺ðºí. In any country that has paved roads 60 miles can be traveled in as little as 40-60 minutes. However this is not the case in Mongolia. Mongolia only has 500 miles of paved roads. These roads are primarily stretch north and south of the capital. Anyways there are no paved roads in the area that I live. Traveling 60 miles can take anywhere from 2 ½ to 7 hours. The five hour gap is for the expected/unexpected. Expected thing include; stopping at random peoples Gers for tea. The unexpected list is much more extensive including; any form of car trouble (luckily Mongolians are fairly mechanically competent) most popular being flat tires, and running out of gas. Others include weather, Mongol time, and other miscellaneous unfortunate (and many times inconvenient) mishaps. So once you find a car and driver is really when the fun begins. Sometimes finding a driver isn’t an easy feat. Once you do find one you have two choices, one; wait with the driver until they leave (drivers will always tell you that they are leaving “now” but really “now” is any unspecified time in the near future), two; you can try and explain where you live so that the driver can come get you when he actually does leave. Explaining where you live can be thorny especially when Gers and houses don’t have addresses. The best way to do it is to explain the closest store or water well. Not only will the ride be bumpy it will most likely be crowded. Drivers like to make as much of a profit as they can so they pack they’re cars full. One of the most common vehicles used is a Russian van called a “pargon” most similar to a VW van. The van is made to “comfortably” fit nine passengers, with comfortably being the key word. My last trip there was 18 passengers. At any given point I could have easily been touching five or six people. It’s amazing to observe how used Mongolians are to being uncomfortable. Cause honestly it wasn’t the most comfortable ride I had and judging by the looks on other people faces I don’t think it was theirs either. Don’t forget to take into account the cargo. Mostly food people are bringing to the countryside; flour, bottled water, beer, vodka, fruits…and yes goat and sheep carcasses. Luckily in the winter it’s not too bad because the carcasses freeze. I couldn’t imagine how it could be in the summer. I think I have written enough. I don’t want to bore you so I’ll save the odds and ends I was going to discuss for a later time. 

I know I haven't pasted in a really long time but things have been kinda crazy around here. I'll work on one this week....

Statue of camels in our park...Mongolians love statues of camels

Mongolian soilder...Influence from the Soviets

Horse trolley headed to the market with Muttun Carcases....Mmmm

This is a pretty standard house. Every home has a gate but this is one of my favorites.

This is my Ger fully winterized (although things still freeze inside) The wooden shed looking thing is called a "ping" and provides many useful purposes such as; a freezer for food, and a place to store an extra pile of wood.

I was going to take more but it was so cold my camera was being stubborn and didn't want to cooperate.

Left: My water storage (30 L), this water is used for many things include; washing clothes, washing myself, drinking tea and making food.

Below: View from my front door (the only door). The pole in the middle is my chimney, behind that is my bed and to the right is a nice little sitting area.

Above left: view of my stove and dressers. Middle: This is my kitchen cooking area. Right: This is my dry sink, were i brush my teeth and do other hygiene related tasks, if you notice the styrofoam box to the right this acts as my "refrigerator" it doesn't really keel things cool, its just a nice little box to put my veggies in

okay here's the deal. im super busy right now. moving to a new town and starting a new job takes alot of work. im sorry i haven't updated anyone recently on how things are going. its not that i dont want to its just that i haven't had the time. however the weekend is in site, i plan to write a whicked blog on either saturday or sunday, i even plan to put some pictures up of my new living situation. until then stay particularly peculiar!

This week i moved to my new site, Moron Hovsgol, it is beautiful hear. Hovsgol is home to Asia largest fresh water lake, although it is two hours away from me i hope to visit it soon. Hovsgol is only accessible by plane (1 hour from UB) or car (25 hour from UB depending on weather). Luckily the peace corps payed for me to fly. The plane ride to Hovsgol was to say the least "interesting" i guess i kind of expected this i mean i am in Mongolia. it was a small prop plane and only carried about 20 passengers, because the plane was so small not all of our luggage fit on the plane, i partly blame this on the 12 german tourists that had a superfluous amount of luggage, and because I am a PCV my luggage was left behind and brought on a later flight (luckily it made it in one piece).

As i mentioned before my new living arrangements are a Ger (or yurt as you may now it buy). Its awesome, it will take some time to adjust but i am very excited for what lies ahead of me. My ger is a five wall ger (i dont the diameter) but its plenty of space for one person. I hope to put some pictures up in the near future.

I am working at the health department in Hovsgol, i still dont really know what ill be doing it is really up to me. at first i plant to teach some english, just to get my feet wet, this will allow me to get to know people and and see what kind of programs i can develop.

I think this is enough for now, i need a break, my head is full of names i cant remember. i hope this is of some entertainment to you. i hope to write again soon, i am only 25 minutes away from internet.

As of now i am sitting in a cramped internet cafe in Darhkan. Today was a big day for M-19 PCT, toady was the day that we found out where and how we would be living for the next year. As for me i will be living in a ger for the next two years, this is exciting, and i cant wait to get some ger experience under my belt. I was assigned Khovsgol a beautiful part of Mongolia, filled with forested mountains and lakes, however it is one of the colder areas of the country. I will be working for a health department, however at this time im to excited to really care what my duties will be there (stay tuned as to more details about my working conditions). I would write more however there are two many thoughts crowding my head, and am unable to continue on with this post. However be patient and look again later in the week for info on more details.

The next few days are going to be full of survival info that may or may not be required for the next few years. I first need to figure out how to live in a ger, i am axious however i am aware that it will be full of trial and error..... Stay tuned for more fear and loathing....mongolian style

Sweet Russian Statue

Korpus, where i lived for the summer!

This weekend is my final weekend with my host-family. I have taken my language test, and i dont think that i have ever been so nervous in my whole life, im hoping i did well, i dont find out until tuesday, tuesday is also the day we find out our site placements, its going to be very exciting.

How do you like the photos? The outfit that i am wearing in the family photo was made for me by my host mom, how awesome is that!! The photos were taken at our host family picnic (dont worry more details are to come). I was going to put more photos up but because the connection is so slow here it takes for ever for them to load. Anyways yesterday we went on our host-family picnic, it was crazy fun, i ate and drank more than i should have but what the heck, im in Mongolia. The picnic was also very interesting. We had a "goat roasting" were you cook the goat with hot rocks, the goat meat was awesome. It was the freshest meat i have ever had, why do you ask? One of my fellow friends family brought a goat, that goat turned out to be our meal. We slaughtered the goat, well i didnt actually slaughter it i just watched, it was interesting to see what the inside of a goat looks like. And to my surprise there is not much meat on the animal. However we ate more that just the meat, we ate the liver, heart, and the intestine. You might be thinking, "how can one eat intestine" well its simple you just fill it with blood first and then you eat it duh! I found out that its called blood sausage and again to my surprise it could have been alot worse. I tried everything i could, its not everyday you have the opportunity to eat innards of a goat. The picnic also involved drinking copious amounts of vodka, singing in a language i can barely speak, playing games and just having a great time. What more can you ask for than good food and great company. We stayed at the picnic for about eight hours, cooking a goat with hot rocks takes time. I thought that when we the picnic was over the drinking would be over but it wasnt. We returned home, my host-family invited another family over, with that was more drinking and good times. When the night was finally over i could see the starting to rise on the distant horizon (3:45 am). So i was thinking, Mongolians and Americans have a completely different definition of "picnic", and after thinking of it i think i enjoy the Mongolian version much more.

I am going to miss the comforts of my host family, they treated me like one of their own, however all good things must come to an end, and really this is just the end of the beginning. It hard for me to think that its already august, time has been flying here (well kinda). Days go bay fast but weeks go by slow, if that makes any sense at all. Until next time....

i know i havent posted anything in awhile, but you have to remember that im in Mongolia. Its not like i can go down to the local Starbucks and hook up to the wireless connection on my Blackberry, i have to walk into town, and hope that the internet is working, half the time there is a "line", and when i say line i am referring to a room full of people waiting for the next computer, there is no characteristic of a line about it.

Things have been good here in the "land of blue sky", i have spent the last few weeks working on english language lessons and BCC (behavior change communication) presentations with fellow health trainees for the the local hospital. We took three days to teach a few english lessions to doctors and nurses, it was alot of fun, Mongolians love any for of competition. The BCC (dont make me explain it, im sure your smart enough to "google" it if you really want to know) portion of our presentation although very interesting was not my favorite part of the presentation/project, i think many of the Mongolians felt the same way judging by their faces during the BCC presentation. However the most important thing to recognize is that our first Mongolian training was successful, im am anxious to get to my site where i will have more opportunities to educate.

A few days ago there was the biggest wind storm that i have ever witnessed, it was insane. It was exciting and scary all at the same time, i really had no idea what to do with myself. At the time of the wind storm i was home alone. i was performing my daily routine of peeling potatoes and carrots for dinner, when all of a sudden the power went out and it felt as though my house was going to blow away. Eventually my host mom came home from work, im glad she did cause i really had no idea what to do. It got so winding that portions of our roof decided to blow off, at that point i decided to express my feelings by saying "holyshit its windy". the wind eventually subsided and turned into rain. However the power would remain off until the following night. I woke the next morning to the sound of hammering, it was really like a orchestra of hammering. i looked out my window to observe the extent of the wind, it was pretty substantial, most of the fences that i could see where no longer were they belonged but decided to re-locate to the neighbors house. I helped my mom repair our roof, it really is amazing what you can do with some sheet-metal, plastic and nails. i really felt like a man when i was hammering away on the roof, until i mistake my thumb for a nail, at this point i dropped the hammer and jumped around for some reason hoping it would make the pain go away. When i stopped my mom and several other people below were laughing at my mistake, it was okay because i was laughing too.

My likeness for potatoes, carrots, and meat has really come to an all-time high. having the same thing for dinner everynight can really do crazy things!!! i no longer have crazy desires for food such as sushi, or peanut butter, avacados, tofu, or any of the other types of food that suffocated my diet in the states, i mean why eat any of that when you can eat potatoes, carrots, and meat, if you have not yet tried this im really suggesting you should. its amazing (i hope your picking up the sarcasm cause im laying it down pretty thick).

I only have one more week until i "swear" in as a volunteer and find out where i will be spending the next two years of my life, im excited!! i also have a final language test on friday, im nervous but i am sure i will do fine, or at least i hope. until next time...dont do anything i wouldnt do...

I have been maintaining status quo, or at least trying my best to maintain it. I dont have much to write about this week, sorry, ive just been busy with my training i.e. language, technical, and communicating with my host family on a daily basis. Only 18 more days (but who's counting) until my final language test and moving out of my host family and moving to "site" where i will be for the rest of my time here in Mongolia, to say the least i am anxious. Sorry to keep it so short. Do me a favor and go eat an entire jar of peanut butter and an avacado, i think i would do just about anything for either of them right now.

Note: spending your weekend in a hot outhouse is somthing i would steer away from..... Thinking of everyone always, Whats going on in the world outside of mongolia?

There are two things i have noticed that you gain with the more time you spend in a foreign country. one is increased ability to adapting to life, and two is you aquire a new perception of time. i know it sounds crazy, but trust me its true. Hours have turned into days, days into weeks, weeks into well the entire time i have been here. In this comes all the my cultural experiences, and over time all my experiences have been rolled and mixed into one huge orgy of cultural inundation, shock, excitement, and anxiousness all rolled into one, talk about a crazy ride, its almost as though i am "Fear and Loathing in Mongolia", When i look back at what has happened so far, i think to myself "holyshit where did the time go" Its like im on a train and the only stop is the last stop. Along with time perception is the ability to adapt a new lifestyle, one that at first seems foreign and sometimes ridiculous, but with time, everyday living comes almost second hand. Im not saying im an expert at the everyday living practices of the Mongolian (im not even close) i am saying however that over time you are almost forced to adapt to new habits and practices i.e., bathing out of a bucket, or traveling to a well to get water, or not having any running water. These aspects are what make my time here so exciting and interesting, adaptation although is a long and experimental process, it is one (in my opinion) that everyone should have to experience in their lifetime.

However there are some key points that i have found that make my adventure to adaptation a successful one. i have found the best way to do this is to have a good sense of humor and having an open mind (about everything), also i use my journal, ipod, and running as an easy way to relive stress and as a way for me to process my thoughts and experiences.

My time here is just beginning, i have only sampled what is ahead of me. i am anxious to experience all that i can here, until then i am going to "keep on keepin on".

So its been a busy week. This week was Naadam, Mongolia's biggest and most celebrated holiday. There was a lot going on, it was crazy fun! Naadam consists of three sports wrestling, archery, and horse racing, however contrary to what you may think i didnt participate in any of the activities, i only watched. However one of my fellow peace corps friends did manage to wrestle with a Mongolian, to say the least he didn't win, but i totally give him an A for effort. I celebrated Naadam with my friends and my host family, the first day of Naadam, i woke up to a fresh bowl of "airig" (fermented mares milk), and i figured "why not", it really wasnt that bad, most definitely an acquired taste, its kind of like drinking milk thats gone bad (i guess thats what it is anyway) because host mom kicks ass she also prepared me a whole bag of "hosher" (a traditional Mongolian food that is kinda like a hot pocket but only filled with meat) it was awesome, and its the most popular food during the Naadam holiday, I had like 30 hosher all to myself, I could not eat them all so i of course shared.

The most exciting part of Naadam for me was the opening ceremony, it was amazing it was like nothing i have ever seen before. The costumes are amazing and full of bright color, there were throat singers, and people singing traditional Mongolian music, luckily i still have the opportunity to witness two more Naadams while im here. After the opening ceremony the first round of wrestling took place, its not like wrestling that we are used to (duh im in mongolia) im not even really sure how to describe it maybe google it. Anyways there were 4 pairs of wrestlers going at the same time, and there is no weight class so there would be a really little person matched up against a really big wrestler, how unfair. Wrestling was the only event I made it to, after wrestling was over i gathered at my house were Naadam celebrations were still under way, there was much "airig" and beer to go around, i think this is by far my new favorite holiday. I cant wait until next year when i can experience it again, and think maybe next year i will be able to understand what everyone is saying.

Some of you have been asking me what my day is like. Well its really not that exciting but ill share with you anyway. Monday through Friday i have school. I wake up about 8 eat my standard breakfast of bread, butter, and jam drink my milk tea and head off to class. Language class starts at nine and we are there for four hours (i know its a long time), at 1 i go home for lunch, usually i have rice and nori (you know sea weed) but somtimes my mom mixes it up and i have bread thats dipped in eggs and scallions and then fried (kind of like french toast) its really good and i think its also my favorite. Those are really the two things i have for lunch. At 2:30 i have to go back to class, tuesday, wednesday, and friday i have technical training in the afternoon (230-5). technical training helps us prepare for when we move to our permanent site and start working with out designated organization. Thats what i do for class. When im not in class im usually hanging out with my host family, or other peace corps trainees. For fun we will all huddle around someones lab top and watch a movie, or we will go hiking and thats about it, to say the least is gets really exciting around here. However i do have alot of fun interacting with my host family, because i dont know much language im getting really good at "cherades" and im also getting good at using the mongolian dictionary and pointing. My host family is great they always make sure that i have enough to eat. We usually eat dinner at 830 or 9, dinner is usually always this Mongolian type stirfry pronounced "soyvan" it consists of flour noodle, potatoes, carrots, and meat, and sometimes soy sauce. I usually go to bed around 12 but my family stays up much later watching tv, and thats my usual day, i hope its everything you were expecting. Oh ya and sometimes i "shower" about once a week and i also do my laundry somewhere in there too.

I think thats all i have for this week, im sure something sweet will happen soon, i mean im in mongolia its bound to happen sooner or later. Until then keep sending questions..