First of all, I would like to apologize for the excessive tardiness of this post. When Ashley returned, we weren't even sure if this blog was necessary, but we have decided to keep it going, and keep it more current. Sorry for the delay.On this Saturday evening we are resting together in Lancaster County. We’ve spent the past three weeks together again, spending time with families at home and on vacation in our favorite places (mountains and the beach). We recognize that we’ve taken an extended hiatus from blogging. This is partly due to travel, but mostly due to the transient nature of our life during these moments. Our job searching and considerations for homes new to us is still very broad and, while bearing no fruit, is calling us to go forward with patience. In the meantime, we still have friends and family to see. These joys help during the times of frustration. Ashley and Bear made the flight from Mongolia to Pittsburgh, via Osaka and San Francisco, without delay or undue difficulty. Upon arrival, both were thankful to reunite with Justin and warm, comfortable beds. In the last weeks in Ulaanbaatar, Ashley had ample time to meet with friends and savor those times. For her last culinary experience a Mongolian friend taught her how to access the nuts/seeds of a pinecone. These pinecones are collected from Mongolian forests, boiled, dried, and readily available on the streets of the city for a healthy, albeit time-consuming, snack. From Justin’s perspective, the return of Ashley (and Bear) was very exciting. I was like a kid on Christmas Eve the day before they returned. I couldn’t sleep….I got to the airport early and was incredibly happy to see them. The transition to being a whole family again has been fairly smooth. We have had many private, deep discussions trying to gain perspective about our situations and trying to figure out where to go on from here. In my opinion, we are in a very good place (marriage-wise). With regards to living situations, we are essentially nomads between our parents’ homes. They have been very gracious with us. As Ashley mentioned above, the job hunt has not been productive. However, I’ve been very picky about where I send my resume (job and location). I’ve had a few interviews, but no job offers. Nowadays, people apply to jobs online, with no human interaction. Unfortunately, applicants aren’t contacted or updated unless they are selected for an interview or follow-up. So, for most of the jobs that I’ve applied for, I have not had any responses. This is particularly frustrating because I’ve only applied for jobs for which I am qualified for (perhaps even over-qualified in a few instances). Ashley is very open to living almost anywhere in the US (except the south), so she is letting me take the lead. There are an abundance of PT jobs across the country, so we aren’t worried about her finding something. If I continue to be unsuccessful, then she will take the lead and I will just try to find something close to industrial engineering/business analysis in whatever area she is able to find a job. Searching for a job is almost a full-time job…..

Justin writing on Ashley's behalf:

After completing her trip to Khovd and participating in another physical therapy training clinic for a neighboring hospital, Ashley has decided to return to America. This was not an easy decision, but after extensive conversations between us, she decided it was the best thing to do. Needless to say, I fully support her decision. The hardest part will be the logistics and paperwork associated with leaving the apartment in Mongolia, going to UB for 10 days (to be explained later), then actually traveling to America. In related news, Ashley has decided to bring Bear back to the US with her. Bear has all of her shots/vaccinations/etc, but needs to be in UB 10 days prior to departure and have paperwork completed by the veterinarian and submitted to the airline. Since Bear has all of the requisite shots, she will not be quarantined upon arrival here. It is great news that she is bringing Bear back, but that also makes the logistics much more difficult because she has to account for a dog and a large crate. Peace Corps pays for Ashley's plane ticket, but we have to pay for Bear to ride in the cargo-hold of the plane (~$200). Anyways, next week Ashley will leave our town and move to UB to begin the paperwork. She will be in UB for approximately 10-12 days, then fly back. Right now, the tentative arrival date is August 20th - 22nd (flights TBD). She will either fly back to Pittsburgh or Philadelphia, to be determined also.

Therefore, she wants me to let everyone know that all packages, mail, etc should be held and not sent. It would not arrive before she leaves Mongolia. If you recently sent something, please let us know and we will make arrangements at the post office to get it or have it picked up for us.

Justin's update: I just took a 2 week trip to Chicago, Nashville, and Knoxville. I went to Chicago with my mom to see Shannon and we visited the aquarium, planetarium, and other sites around Shannon's apartment. Unfortunately, the weather was brutally hot, but we had a nice time. Then, I drove to TN and mom took the bus back to OH. I stopped in Nashville for a day to see Dale, which was fun. We ate hot chicken at Bolton's and went to the State Flea Market. Then, I went to Knoxville and spent a week with Mike and his family. He took me to all of the cool sights/places in the area. The highlight was driving the "Tail of the Dragon" twice, then going tubing down the Y out of Townsend. It was a fantastic time. I tried to eat all of the culinary treats from each town, which including Chicago pizza (Gino's East), Nashville sweet tea and hot chicken (Boltons), Knoxville soul food (Chandlers) and bbq (pork butt), and Cincinnati skyline chili. It was all very good. On a more serious note, I've earnestly started looking for a job. I've applied to a few positions, had 1 interview, but have had no offers. It is very frustrating. I have not found many jobs in the Pgh region that are of particular interest to me, so I am extending my search, primarily NE towards NY and Vermont, NH, etc. I don't know if I will have any more luck up there, but maybe. When Ashley returns, we will have to figure out where we want to live and what our future plans are.

- Wrestling Match in the stadium. The winner does the eagle dance, described in the blog below.

- The wrestling action

- Archery competition

- Horse-racing

- Group of morin-khuur performers, for the opening ceremonies

What a variety of experiences I had during Mongolia’s summer holiday. Locals dressed up in colorful summer deels or dresses. Meanwhile, cars boasted the Mongolian flag and I was reminded of Easter and Memorial Day at the same time. I enjoyed a traditional concert featuring varied instruments, dances and singing, with throat singing as well. The costumes were quite resplendent in color and variety. This year I had a chance to watch all sporting events: horse racing, wrestling and archery. After each wrestler wins his match he rhythmically saunters to the circular stand holding the 9 helmets of the Kings. He goes around the helmets in the clockwise direction, waving his arms as an eagle does in flight.I watched the events with Mongolian friends and coworkers, Korean volunteers and an American photojournalist traveling around the country. Another fellow PCV was stranded in my town for 6 days, as the buses that travel to the countryside towns are stopped for over a week during the festivities. The government and most organizations closed for an entire week, mine included.I was pleased to see trash containers amid the carnival-type set up surrounding the outdoor stadium for the event. They had typical games, food vendors, and screens for special photographs set up. The stadium seating is exceptionally hard to access, 3 feet from the ground within the stadium and no steps to ascend by. The covered seats are divided into 3 sections by metal bars welded from the top to bottom of the seating area. Thus, you must crawl under, over or through to access middle seats or pass by any section. The external access requires entrance into the grandstand area, 2 flights of steps and crossing of a short plank. In America we value convenience, while in Mongolia convenience is harded to come by in so many ways. Yet, life goes on and people celebrate nonetheless.Since Naadam we are resuming a more normal summer schedule. By summer schedule, I mean a relaxed schedule. In Mongolia people take all of their rest days at one time, usually in the summer. The concept of spreading out time off throughout the year is not considered. Thus, people are gone for a month or more at a time, depending on years worked. Despite this, a coworker and I have put in 4 consecutive days of cooperative work on a project proposal. This diligent preparation, though it only started 6 days ago, is an improvement. We wrapped up the project in time for today’s deadline. I will enjoy getting away from a desk job and back into clinical work in America. At times the current situation is difficult and Justin and I miss each other very much. The diversions of the past weeks have definitely helped me during this difficult time. I’m finding that joy and difficulty can pass together, neither must be tempered by the other, though both are acutely present.- Written by Ashley (posted by Justin)

Justin's Update:I have been hanging out in Pittsburgh and Ohio for the past few weeks, trying to spend time with friends and figure out the next steps in my life. I've applied for a few positions and grad school and waiting to hear a response, if any. Right now, I'm visiting my sister in Chicago with my mom. I'm planning to visit friends in TN the next few days, then back to Ohio.

-camels with funny faces

-our driver, the SUV and our tent with crystal

I arrived back at site yesterday. Bear got along well with her dog-sitters, but she was also very glad to see me. The town seems even more green then when I left and I always enjoy the new flowers that peak up unexpectedly. Here’s a bit about my trip.We spent three days traveling to Khovd and drove about 30 hours during this time. We covered at least 1500 kilometers, mainly over dirt or dust roads. We had a diligent, well-prepared driver from World Vision and the training coordinator with us. We traveled in a Ford Everest SUV. Considering the long road trip, we had the best possible arrangement. We stayed in a hotel the first night and camped on the steppe the second night. Our driver provided a nice 4 person tent that kept us dry during the light rain that evening. We got used to no bathrooms, outhouses, etc. Crystal provided a bag to encourage collection of our trash as we camped. Our driver almost left the bag sitting on the pristine steppe, but with our insistence, it went with us to Khovd for disposal. We stopped at food gers and ate with families along the way, usually one hot meal a day. The towns in the countryside are limited, with gers scattered sparsely in between. I saw more camels then ever before in Gobi-Altai. We had two flat tires on the way to Khovd, but the driver said they were, “No problem,” and his quick tire changes confirmed this.The training schedule changed from day 1, as it was scheduled to start at 9, but the coordinator instructed us to meet her there at 9 for set-up. She explained that participants would not come until 10. Thus, we assisted in enabling disregard for schedules in this country. (There were not participants at 9). Tea break scheduled at 11:00 arrived at 10:00 and the call for lunch at 1:00 came at 12:30. No need to worry about having enough presentation material, as the 6 pm end time got moved to 3:30, then 4 with our input. I need this reminder to not worry, as things that are planned for always change, so no need to fret prematurely. The best prepartation is an open mind and flexibility. That said, the participants, both parents and doctors were active and open with discussion and questions. I appreciated the parents’ honesty in sharing their frustrations, fears and challenges caring for their children with disabilities. The difficulties are immense for all families, but the options for these parents are so few. The information is so limited as well. I find their determination gives me great hope and we discussed options for increased communication with teachers, school directors and social workers to work toward inclusion for their children in schools. Most of these children have no option but staying at home without education or opportunity to build social skills.One family we visited lives in one small room of a building because they sold their ger to pay for treatment for their son. Their situation is improving, as is their son. His motor development appears nearly normal. His mother, who was at home, has finished college and will be the kindergarten teacher for the rehabilitation center that will open next month. Her son will be with her at this center. His father is also now employed.Moments of brevity included stopping to talk with a passing driver and noting the large sheep riding in the back seat. We asked for the man with the camel at the river crossing. Apparently you can pay 10,000 togrogs and the camel will guide the car, finding the shallowest places. Unfortunately, the man with the camel was not there that day. A man got in the car to guide us across. At times it seems the vehicle was floating, not driving, but we made it.The return to primarily Mongolian food required GI transitions, as expected. Visiting families always includes the prompting to “eat, eat” and “drink, drink.” You must actively be doing one or the other, preferably both, at all times. But, one cannot complain about kindness and hospitality. What a great gift to be welcomed openly into the lives and modest homes of these people. Life is difficult, but there is always time to sit with friends and strangers.

-a landscape view with the Khovd mountains

-the Gandan monastery in Khovd at sunset

Justin with 2 fellow business PCVs in UB on the night before he left.

Ashley with the Ondorkhaan girls in UB.

I’m writing in the midst of a heavy and windy storm that has been here all night. Bear had enough of being inside and is somewhere in the midst of it. Heavy rain is fun to see and hear, as it comes so infrequently. I skipped puddles the entire way to the morning workout. Four of us showed up in the midst of the storm. That said, average attendance has increased from 3 to 35 over the past 4 months. I enjoy seeing people around town that I recognize from the morning sessions and I’m learning new names as well.

I walked home from work on Monday to find my neighbors slaughtering a sheep in the hallway. I

imagine they chose the cooler environment over the heat outside. I’m less shocked by this by now and I’m thankful that it is a relatively clean process.

On Saturday I will leave for a road trip to western Mongolia. I’m excited for the opportunity to travel and participate in a seminar there. I’ll provide an update upon my return in early July. I’m sure there will be some interesting stories to relate.

Justin has been spending most of his time in Pittsburgh with friends. He will be heading East shortly to do some more visiting with family and friends. Thanks for all of the support during our continued transitions.

May we all welcome summer wholeheartedly!

As we mark our one year anniversary in Mongolia, we have some changes to share with you. Many will remember that two months ago Justin discussed his potential work options for the upcoming year. In his last blog, Justin shared some of the physical symptoms that have been very wearing over the past months. Due to these symptoms and recommendations from a doctor in UB, Justin has terminated his position with Peace Corps and returned to America on June 1, 2011. This process has been longer for us then we have indicated within the blog and other communications. Together, we decided that I would stay in Mongolia for the foreseeable future. We both see potential collaborations within Mongolia’s initial embrace of physical therapy as a treatment option for elderly and pediatric clients. In many ways it has taken the past year of being present to bring about these opportunities. I was hesitant to leave at the cusp of these projects. Secondly, as this was a difficult time for both of us, Justin can leave more easily knowing that his departure did not impact my work here. We will continue to give thanks for the advances in technology that allow for frequent audio and visual communication at affordable prices! We understand that many of you may have questions or comments about our decisions and we encourage open communication about this. We feel we can live separately because our marriage is very strong and we freely communicate with one another. We understand that this decision may have lead you to other conclusions, but wish to clear the matter up. As many of you re-unite with Justin in the next months, I am resuming my life/work schedule in Ondorkhaan after frequent trips to UB last month. My focus will be preparation of training material for an upcoming seminar regarding children with disabilities, their families and their physicians. As everything thus far in Mongolia, this will be an interesting venture from start until finish. Also, I hope that this opportunity in a western province will invigorate my collaboration at home in Khentii. In the meantime this is a beautiful and definitively warm time to be in Mongolia. The expanses of land and sky are breathtaking and the herds of animals graced by the baby goats, calves, foals and lamb are a vibrant sign of life. I use this energy and optimism daily and hope each of you can find that joy as well. As I take the realm of this blog, may you have patience with this new voice and may you freely share your own thoughts, observations and experiences.

Festivities: This past week was one of our sitemate's birthdays. So, we had a birthday/Cinco De Mayo party. It was Mexican themed with regards to food/drinks. Tequila and cheese were purchased in UB, we made tortillas and chips and salsa. Someone from the embassy provided garbanzo beans, so Ashley and I made homemade hummus (not Mexican), but it was tasty. Anyways, we invited the other PCVs and some friends from the community over to our apartment. We had 4 nationalities represented (America, Mongolian, Korean, German) and conversation was often in 3 languages (English, Mongolian, Korean). Overall, it was a fun evening and everyone had a nice time. Many people tried new foods/drinks and we all ate well.

Fashion: This is an interesting topic in Mongolia and worthy of a lengthy summary. Most of the rural herders wear deels (traditional mongolian clothes), with big leather boots and large, brimmed hats. Many UB residents and business professionals wear suits, or business casual clothing. The intriguing fashions come when these two styles converge, or when other styles are incorporated. High heels (on leather boots) are a fashion and health requirement. (Ashley was warned that cold heels lead to frozen ovaries). It is common to see men in dress shirts and workout pants (windbreakers). However, overall, there is the sense that you can't be too dressed up. For example, we went to go pick-up garbage behind the apartment with some neighbors/coworkers and many of the people showed up in suits (or female equivalent). The men painting the curbs last week had on nice jackets and pants, though they were covered in white paint. The cleaning ladies at the schools often wear heels to work. The use of accessories and make-up is also required. There is a word here called "goe" (rhymes with boy). It can be used as a noun, adjective, or verb. It is similar to bling, though less metallic (more plastic) and equally as shiny. Women get "goed" up for almost anything, including aerobics. There is a woman that wears pearls and make-up with her track suit to the gym each morning to workout. Another interesting conversation was had regarding the British royal wedding. Typical comments were that they were disappointed with the gown and jewelry because there was not enough "goe". The women that we talked to expressed expectations for more bling (jewelry/colors/etc).

"Fat": Recently, a few of the Americans have been asked by their friends/coworkers if they are pregnant or just fat. Speaking about being fat is a common discussion topic. It is not rude here for people to inquire about your weight or to tell you that you are "fat".

Futility: Recently, there have been 2 occupations in our town that have drawn my attention. The first is the street cleaning crew. There is a large group (maybe 20-30 people) that clean the streets each day. However, you have to keep in mind that there are only 3 paved roads and we live in a VERY dusty area, with high winds. Also, the members use hand-brooms to sweep the street, which requires excessive bending. Unfortunately, as soon as they finish a street, they have to start over again due to the dust and wind. Secondly, I was informed that there are 18 people that work at the local airport. Interestingly, the airport is closed for commercial traffic (domestic and international flights don't land here), so only emergency or private planes would land. Since this is a poor area and there are no large businesses (or mines), we have no private air traffic to our aimag. We live probably 2 miles from the "airport" (which is a dirt runway) and I have never seen or heard a plane in the past 9 months. As a matter of fact, both the prime minister and president of Mongolia drove to our town on recent visits from UB.

Health Update: The past 2 weeks I have been ill with persistent headaches, intermittent nausea, fatigue, joint pain, and lethargy. I am going to UB for blood tests and consultations with the PC medical office on Monday.

Interesting Notes:- Bear caught a bird (it was low flying and Bear was right behind it until the end). Another dog carried it away. We were disappointed with her success.- We had an english-speaking visitor for 24 hours. A tourist from Belgium (Elisa) was on her way through and needed assistance, so we helped her on her way.- A restaurant can now make pizza in our town. It required pre-ordering 2 hours ahead and we went with our aerobics coach and foreign visitor. The pizza was good, but a little heavy on the meat products. Next time, we will request no meat. Also, the conversation was interesting because our coach speaks no english and the visitor speaks no mongolian, so we were translators. - Ashley received two last minute requests from Mongolian friends in college to write their final papers for English literature classes. Ashley declined to write them, but offered to edit when they had produced a draft.- A co-worker/neighbor went to Cambodia and came back with a lot of jewelry for sale. Ashley bought a nice silver ring. The funny part is that this "collection" traveled to multiple workplaces and people stopped working for many hours to try things on. This type of "sale" happens fairly frequently, such as this week, one of Ashley's co-workers opened an Esprit "shop" in the health department for 2 days. It seems as though many people are involved with different types of sales, either cosmetics (Oriflame), supplements (Herbalife), or clothing/fashion. Her co-workers joked that the stores come to them, so there is no need to go shopping.

1) This is a group picture from a hill in Terelj. I am not in the photo because I was the photographer.

2) I am in this photo (bottom right).

It appeared as though Spring had officially arrived, then somewhat retreated. 2 weekends ago, I went with the World Vision staff to Terelj National Forest for a retreat weekend. The focus was spiritual development and relaxation. We left Friday and returned on Sunday. We stayed in a hotel that was surrounded by tourist gers. On the way through the park, I noticed small green “pools” on the sides of a few hills. After we arrived, I walked over to one and discovered that it was an artificial turf green for 2 local golf courses, the only 2 in Mongolia. The courses were short (par 3’s were ~100 yards), but they were courses. Unfortunately, it was too early in the season and they were closed. The park is beautiful and we took a short hike up a nearby hill. The park is full of mountains and a winding river, which is surrounded by trees. It is a popular destination, which is reflected in the number of tourist camps (gers, cabins, hotels) along the road. Funny Story: To enter the park costs $.30 for Mongolians and $3 for foreigners (gadaa hoon). I was in a van with 10 World Vision employees and I pulled out my $3 (which is a lot here), but the driver argued on my behalf and I only had to pay $.30! It was nice to spend quality time with my co-workers. Unfortunately, logistics were a challenge and a 4 hour trip turned in 12 hours...including a 3 hour wait at a gas station in the middle of the countryside waiting for a bus to van to pick us up (it never showed and we got into a different car).

Weather: A few weeks ago, the weather took a turn for summer. It was in the 50s/60s during the day and 30s at night. Then, last week, it dipped down again and we had a freak snowstorm on Friday. We received about 2 inches of snow and a lot of rain, but north of UB, a foot of snow fell in a few hours. The rain/snow was nice, but it turned our usually dusty town into a literal mud-pit. The lack of sidewalks and grass meant walking through mud wherever we had to go. Most of the mud has dried up, but there are still a few pools lying around.

Exercise: We are still going to the gym very early 5 days per week (5:30am for Justin, 6am for Ashley). The group of participants has increased to about 25 people, though many are part of a volleyball league that must play around 7am. The coach makes us keep a daily log of exercise, heartrate, food, sleep, and anything else important. It is good motivation to eat well, because it will be included in the log (the log is in Mongolian). I'm still doing 3 classes per week of taekwondo and we are doing 2 aerobics classes per week. Essentially, we work out everyday except Sunday, which is a much-needed break. Yesterday, due to a reschedule, I had morning workout, then back to back taekwondo and aerobics last night, with another morning workout today. Needless to say, I am exhausted and my legs ache.

Bear: She is doing well and we seem to be in a good pattern. She leaves with me at 5:30am and meanders around the school/gym/yard until we return, then she eats breakfast and promptly goes back outside. Then, she stays outside (usually rolling with other dogs) until Ashley leaves for work at 8:40. I put Bear on her leash and we accompany Ashley for most of the walk. We go back home and I put Bear inside the kitchen from ~9:15-12:30 (lunch break). She goes back outside until ~2pm when I go back to work. She stays inside until ~5pm when one of us return home. Then, she stays out until ~8pm, then comes inside and we play for a bit before we all go to bed at 9pm. On a good note, we were informed that there will be no "dog kill" campaigns this year in Ondorkhaan. So, we feel more comfortable with letting Bear roam free outside. She spends most of her time playing with the junk dogs or chewing bones while laying on dirt piles beside the apartment. She has the best of both lives (freedom of stray, food/shelter of pet). Unfortunately, on Sunday, one of our neighbors (while he was very drunk) informed us that his children (teenagers) are afraid to play outside because of Bear. Let me give you some background into the dog situation and attitudes. Bear is about 25 lbs and fairly small (especially compared to most dogs here). However, she likes people and doesn't run away when someone gets close. In fact, she often walks up to people to smell/lick/whatever. Sometimes she barks at people, but she is very non-threatening. On many occasions, I have seen grown men/women freak out at Bear (yelling, screaming, hiding behind things/people, throwing objects, etc), especially when we walk her out of the apartment or when she walks back to the door by herself. The reactions are so extreme that they are hard to comprehend. Some people won't even come into our apartment if Bear is in there, even if she is uninterested or in the other room. Ashley and I are starting a public campaign to educate kids (primarily) on how to interact/behave with pet dogs (not guard dogs or strays). In the meantime, we are not letting Bear play "free" outside during prime kid-playing times. She will either be chained to a tree behind the apartment or inside during those hours (6-8pm).

Hard Choices: This is a very difficult topic for me to discuss, but I want to be open to all of the readers about our experiences. Unfortunately, this has come front and center to our lives here. To be honest, I'm having a very frustrating work experience. My original NGO officially shut down a few weeks ago and the staff has scattered (1 went to WV, but is pursuing other opportunities). The people at WV are great, but it is a very bad fit for a Peace Corps volunteer. What I mean is that WV is very structured and driven to deliver projects/outcomes that are specified by the central office, using predetermined methodologies. The purpose of a PCV is to build capacity, assist on projects, teach co-workers, etc. The WV model does not have a place for me to fit in, particularly capacity building or project assistance. Essentially, I have very little work (basically none). The little work that I do have requires translation assistance from WV staff, who are already over-committed. WV needs someone to take a project, on their own, from start to finish using the prescribed methods. I can't do that because of my limited language skills...and most importantly, that doesn't build capacity or teach my co-workers new skills. Since they are down a few staff, the interactions between myself and others is very limited (they are often traveling or in seminars). Unfortunately, the lack of work/training has made me (and Peace Corps) very frustrated. I've talked to the PC program managers and essentially, there are 4 options:1) continue to work at WV, hope for things to get better2) become an English teacher in our town3) move to UB and work at an economic ngo (Ashley TBD)4) leave the Peace Corps (Ashley TBD)

The lack of other options in our community leaves me in quite a predicament. Also, Ashley is working well at her site, so I don't want to disrupt that. Ashley and I need to discuss these options and figure out what makes the most sense for us. If I move to UB, she would stay here, which would be very difficult. Also, if I leave the PC, she may or may not leave. However, since I missed all grad school deadlines for Fall 2011, I have no definitive options for when I return. This is weighing very heavily on me and Ashley. We will talk to others over the next few weeks and hopefully have a decision in June.

Enjoy Spring!

Picture 1: An example of the produce in a Barcelona market.

Picture 2: Ashley and I standing on Las Ramblas.

We are back to Mongolia after a wonderful European vacation. We went to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco on a cruise with our families. The cruise left from Barcelona, went to Casablanca, Agadir, Las Palmas, Funchal, Malaga, and back to Barcelona. We also had a day of rest in Barcelona on either side of the trip. The vacation was much appreciated for multiple reasons, the first of which was seeing our families (siblings included). Next, the warmer climate and exotic food much desired. My favorite destination was Funchal (Madeira) because of the amazing topography of the land, and lushness of the flora in the area. Overall, Funchal is just a beautiful city. One of the things that amazed me was the old districts in the cities. Most of the cities had an area that dated back hundreds (or thousands) of years. These areas were usually full of cafes, narrow cobble-stone streets, and the iconic plants or laundry hanging from balconies. It was great to wander these old streets and see where they took us. It is interesting to compare of the old cities in Europe with our location in Mongolia. Many of the Mongolian “towns” that we have visited are hundreds or thousands of years old too, but the nomadic lifestyle and lack of permanent structures (until the 20th century) has not left the same old districts to wander through. Prior to our trip, we traveled to UB (Ulaanbaatar) for a day of preparation and spending time with friends. Our flight from UB to Moscow was 90 minutes late and we missed the connection to Barcelona, so Aeroflot rerouted us through Paris, then to Barcelona. It was a nice trip, except that our luggage arrived a day late. The next morning, our families arrived and we spent the day seeing the city. Barcelona is very beautiful, particularly the Las Ramblas area, which is a wide pedestrian thorough-fare flanked by shops, restaurants, and hotels. It is a very touristy area, but still fun to visit. We introduced our families to tapas, which had mixed reviews. Our return trip featured a 24 hour layover in the Moscow Airport, terminal D. With only 1 flight to UB each day and no Russian visa, we were stuck in the airport for an entire day. Overall, it wasn’t that bad, but not an enjoyable day. There are no couches or long benches in the airport, only individual seats separated by metal armrests, so we had to contort ourselves into a sleeping position. The food was INCREDIBLY expensive ($10 for a small sandwich, $3 for a very small bottle of water) and there are no drinking fountains. The saving grace was free WIFI and the use of a friends’ computer. Her computer (an Apple) stopped working in Mongolia, but there is no Apple repair store in Mongolia, so I took it with us to Barcelona for repair. It was fixed in Barcelona, so we had a computer to use in the airport. Needless to say, I watched MANY episodes of Colbert Report and the Daily Show. Transitioning back to Mongolia was not too difficult. We arrived in UB at 7am and nothing opens until 8:30am (including coffee shops), so we sat on the front steps of our favorite breakfast spot until it opened. Then, we dragged our luggage to a guest house and passed out for a long nap. We had spent the previous night on a red-eye flight from Moscow to UB and the previous night to that in the Moscow airport. We needed to sleep. The rest of the day was spent running errands around town and meeting friends. It was very enjoyable. The bus ride home was uneventful, but we returned to apartment problems. While we were gone, a few PCVs lived in our apartment due to the conveniences of water and good windows (sunlight). There was also an English competition, so the countryside PCV teachers crashed at our place for a few nights. It was no problem for us. Unfortunately, the apartment decided to “act up” while we were away. As I had mentioned before, we had a leaky main water valve. About 3 days after we left, the valve burst. The kitchen was flooded, but it was graciously cleaned by a fellow PCV and a Mongolian neighbor. The water company was called and they attempted to fix it. Rather than put a new valve on, they wrapped the entire section of pipe (including the broken valve) with rubber and taped/tied it tightly. This stopped the leaking. However, 3 other leaks sprung-up in the bathroom (water heater joint, toilet, bathtub drain). The water pressure was causing these places in the bathroom to leak. The water company solution was to leave the water running in the sink (all the time, full on). Well, this “solution” lasted until we got home. Upon inspecting the situation and finding the solution unacceptable, the water company was called out the next day and a new valve was purchased for them to install. It was installed and the water is working properly with no leaks. Also, one of the electrical outlets “blew” while we were gone, the main door handle came loose, and the ceiling in the bedroom is becoming dis-attached. The landlady has been called and we have received some of the necessary items, but are still waiting for others. The week we came back was PC site-visit week. The country director, regional manager, and translator visited each of us at home and tried to meet with our co-workers/boss. My work visit was unsuccessful (World Vision meeting came up). The site-visits are nice and allow for candid conversation about what is going well and what isn’t. Work has been up and down for me. I was informed last week that World Vision has a policy that prohibits non-employees (volunteers) from participating in certain meetings, functions, trainings, etc. I am trying to determine how I can help and be part of the team when I am limited in my abilities. Right now, I am working on advanced trainings regarding smoking and alcohol. The trainings are for health professionals (countryside doctors) and explains the biological mechanisms that occur. Ashley was asked to provide advanced trainings for a new gerentological division (old people) of the ministry of health in UB. Specifically, she was asked to create training regarding osteo-arthritis exercises and targets for older populations. She may go to UB next week to present the material. This weekend I am going to a national forest with members of the WV team for a devotional retreat. The speaker is Mongolian and I’m not sure if any of it will be translated, but I am going for the relationship building aspect and because I will be able to spend some quality time outdoors. I am hoping to go hiking during our free-time. We are back into the exercise regimen of early March, but with some minor modifications. I met with my taekwondo coach and now he wants to meet with me everyday. My biggest issue is flexibility. I stretch every morning and evening, but it’s still not enough. So, I have started meeting him at 5:30am during the week to stretch and practice taekwondo, then I join the group exercises at 6am (which includes Ashley). The 6am sessions have become popular and there are now about 8 people that participate, including one of my co-workers and one of Ashley’s. It is nice to see community people taking action to improve their health. We have started discussing potential community projects with our coach regarding health in the community. More to follow on this later. Also, my coach is leading a training series and taekwondo competition in a nearby town in June. Coaches from Korea and Russia will attend and he asked me to accompany him. I am planning to go (dates TBD). The weather has been really nice since we came back. The daytime highs are in the 40s and 50s, with nighttime lows in the teens (sometimes lower). I think the heat to our apartment has been turned off, but it is still very comfortable inside, especially with the south-facing windows. Ashley replanted our herbs/lettuce/spinach because much of it died over the winter. We also purchased a few colorful plants from a local vendor (no idea what they are). Last night I did the voiceover for a Mongolian commercial. Our local aimag government branch put together a really nice 5 minute tourism video/commercial and they asked me to do the voiceover. Hopefully it will be posted online and I can share a link. Our M20 (previous class) of sitemates are getting ready for their close-of-service conference at the end of April. They will be leaving in June, which is only 6-8 weeks away. Prior to them leaving, the new class of M22 will arrive. We are planning to head to UB to greet them at the airport (similar to what the previous class did for us). It’s scary to think that we will be the “mature” and “knowledgeable” volunteers in this country. It’s almost been a year since we arrived already. Neither Ashley nor I applied to be summer trainers, so we will be staying in our city and working for the most part. We are planning a few outings, maybe a short hiking weekend in May to a neighboring mountain. I’m also planning a rafting weekend with some of the fellow PCVS. More to follow on that later too.

Even the common practice of shopping is different in Mongolia. For one, this is an entirely cash based society. Most people have an ATM card, but that is only used to get cash from the bank. There are 2 ATMs for our bank (Khan Bank) in our town, but often one or both of the ATMs are not working or out of cash. Most stores, especially in the countryside, do not take credit cards. However, many of the local stores do give store credit. For example, if I need to purchase food but don’t have cash, the store owner will log the purchases in a notebook and I can pay for them later. I don’t know if there is any interest or what the repayment terms are. Often, the ATM gives out 20,000T bills (about $17). Many of the stores won’t accept 20,000 bills unless your purchases are large. So, it means that we have to “queue up” many small items so that we can break a 20,000T bill. For example, we may wait to buy eggs, milk, bread, peppers, onions, and hyam (sausage for Bear) at once so that we can use a 20,000T. More interesting are the local purchasing habits. In America, we are used to bulk purchases, the 50 roll toilet paper pack from Costco or 5lbs of cheese from Walmart. Well, here, the exact opposite is done. People typically only buy what they need for that day and will stop by the store everyday. For example, people often buy individual cigarettes or individual feminine products (1 days’ worth). The buyer will tell the clerk what they want and the clerk will remove the number of desired items from open packages from behind the counter. The most extreme case of individual purchasing that I have witnessed is individual pieces of gum. I don't think there is anything that can't be broken down for purchase. Also, if a store or restaurant doesn't have exact change, they will supplement the difference with pieces of gum. It is not uncommon to get a few pieces of gum with your change at a restaurant. Similarly, purchases are not planned ahead more than 1 day, so there are mad-rushes for items the day before a holiday or major event. For example, yesterday was Women's day and most stores were closed, so there was a rush on alcohol/vodka/cake/flowers the night before. I don't know the rationale for daily purchasing, but it would be an interesting topic for an anthropologist.

This a picture of the tops of the hot springs huts with the temple in the foreground. The mountains in the distance are in Siberia.

This is the entrance sign for the Khan Khentii Protected Area (similar to a national park).

I was excited to be invited along on a trip to Northern Khentii a few weeks ago. We left in utter darkness at 5:40 AM to drive along tire tracks for 5 hours to reach the soum/town of interest. We were greeted warmly at the soum hospital with soup, berries and vodka. The berries were frozen from the summer crop of wild mountain berries. There were three varieties, all of which I’ve never seen before. Thus, I could not provide their English names. After lunch the real adventure began, as we entered complete wilderness, the closest I’ve come to tundra, or maybe that’s what it was. We drive off road, over frozen streams, on steep grades and over bumpy grasslands for six hours. I was truly thankful for the Land Cruiser I was in. We had to disembark once when we slid off an icy overpass and later were briefly stranded on large chunks of ice and water in a stream. Just before dusk we arrived at a small cabin on a ridge overlooking the flatlands we drove through. This was surrounded by the largest mountains I’ve seen thus far in Mongolia, and Russia, as we were just South of its border. As we arrived there were comments about the 6-7 vehicles already parked. Turns out you don’t make reservations where no cell phones work. It would be a cozy night. We arrived to offerings of milk tea and hard cookies and had a tour of the area. Walking down the ridge brought us to six small wooden huts that sat along the natural hot springs. Each hut had a ‘bathing’ pool to fit 2 people and there was a well to drink the water from. After returning to the cabin a large bottle of vodka emerged. I slipped away to the other side, as this was the fourth offering of the day. Instead I spoke a mix of English and Mongolian and shared dinner and card games with the members of the other room. They happened to be the family of a coworker that was vacationing there. I slept next to ‘Grandma’ that night, toasty warm in my PC issued sleeping bag on the wooden plinth. The next morning some of the group went to bathe, but I deferred, as it was nude bathing. I did have my swimsuit (on the top of the Land Cruiser), but in a cabin of 25 and the brisk wilderness without an outhouse, I deferred changing. So, I wandered around, enjoyed my first time back in a true forest with tall pine trees and a thick blanket of snow beneath. We left early due to limited sleeping space, driving along the frozen river for the first few hours. We stopped for photos and to collect natural mineral water, formed between two layers of the river’s ice. At three o’clock we stopped at an eight by ten foot cabin set up for cooking along the drive. After a filling lunch of bread, meat, veggies and milk tea, they announced the nine of us were staying there through the night. There was time for another jaunt and there were no wolves to be seen, though my coworkers were sure I’d be eaten. Time for relaxing, singing and more vodka led to an early bedtime followed by a long, extra cozy and uncomfortable night. The next day we made our way back to the soum, stayed a bit, and eventually drove back to Khentii. We drove in the dark again. This time, there was more indecision regarding which tire treads to follow. At one lonely ger our director departed for 45 minutes when asking for directions. There is the custom of staying for tea and often dinner. This is another opportunity to be present in the moment, not worried by frustrations or delays. Sometimes I think, “what will be, will be,” is an apt phrase for this culture, for better and for worse. We arrived home safe, sleepy and dirty. I look forward to more unexpected adventures.-written by Ashley

Bear: So, since Bear is a female dog and we don't want puppies, we made the decision to have her spayed. There is a vet in our town, but she does not do anything for dogs, so Bear had to make the trip to UB. There is a very good vet in UB and it is very similar to vets in America, including the price and care. I explained to my co-workers why we were taking Bear to UB and the comments were strange to say the least. The most common response was along the lines of "she should be able to have puppies if she wants". I then asked questions regarding who would care for the puppies and what is their opinion of the over-abundance of puppies/dogs in the community already. (About 3 weeks ago, we took a walk down 1 alley and saw ~15 frozen puppies/dogs.) At this point, we agreed to disagree. We scheduled the appointment and had to address the challenge of traveling to UB with a dog. Dogs are not allowed on the main bus, so we had to charter a taxi. Taxi traveling is precarious on many levels, including un-reliable times, poor drivers, bad conditions, etc. We were fortunate enough to find a neighbor willing to take us, along with 2 other people. We had 3 people (including a very wide woman) and Bear in the backseat of a tiny Hyundai. It was a mildly uncomfortable ride. We put Bear's blanket on top of Ashley and I so that Bear would sit on our lap. When the woman first got in the car, we received many stares and comments. She was not happy to be sharing the back seat with a dog. However, Bear was amazing on the ride with no accidents and only 2 stops in ~5 hours. Towards the end of the ride, the woman told me that Bear was good and that her dog was bad. We received similar comments throughout the trip. The driver stopped at Narantuul (huge market) and would not drive into the city, so we had to walk with Bear and our bags to the vet, then the hostel. It is probably 3 miles each way, and is a pleasant walk except for the CRAZY traffic in UB. Pedestrians have no rights and drivers don't stop or yield, even if walkers have the green walk-symbol. Every intersection is a life-threatening experience and even scarier with a dog. (We made a leash for Bear out of rope and she walked very well on it.) The combination of 2 Americans carrying bags and walking a puppy on a rope leash across some of the busiest intersections in the country caused many drivers/people to stare or comment....We dropped Bear off and picked her up 2 days later, only to backtrack the exact same path to Narantuul, then the taxi ride home. Once again, she was an angel in the car and slept most of the way. She has to stay inside for a few days with only supervised walks so that she doesn't rip open the stitches or get it infected by rolling in garbage or wrestling other dogs. Also, we met the American veterinarian and she gave us her private number so that if anything happens in the "countryside", we can call her and she can help us, which is a huge benefit.

UB: While in UB, we met with friends, shopped, ran errands, and Ashley visited her host family in Zuunmod from last summer. I stayed in UB and met with people at the PC office. It was a productive and fun trip. We stocked-up on food that can not be found in our town, including salsa, tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, lemon juice, cheap oatmeal, etc. It was nice to eat hamburgers and pizza, though very expensive. We also picked up a few Mongolian language books from the office and Ashley bought a Mongolian-English medical dictionary, which will be helpful for both of us.

Job Update: I am officially working at World Vision, which is cool. Unfortunately, all but 1 of the business/economics projects were cancelled, so I now have 5 health projects. The projects are primarily education/training such as personal hygiene, diarrhea prevention/care (I know a lot about that topic), etc. Actually, Ashley has some free-time, so I am collaborating with her on a few of the projects (ex. dental hygiene). Since the presentations will be in Mongolian, my objective is to gather the relevant data, create a presentation with materials/activities/etc, then help translate it. One of the World Vision staff members will actually present the data since my language skills are not that advanced. Most of the target audience are located in the outer villages, where health is a big priority. On a larger scale, I'm hoping to get a recycling project and water sanitation project planned, funded, and moving in the next few months. It is taking an incredible amount of time just for the assessment and planning stages, so I'm probably way over-ambitious with them.

Exercise: The winter really limits outside exercise other than brief walks between buildings. We were "walking" to episodes of Glee, but that gets very boring. I tried joining the local fitness center, but the random hours (sporadic) and cost made me decide to cancel my membership after 1 month. I had expressed an interest in learning martial arts since judo and taekwondo are popular here and our town supposedly had an academy that closed a few years ago. Well, our exercise fortune has changed! A few weeks ago I was invited to an aerobics class with World Vision employees (only women go). I went to the class and it was awesome. The teacher is great, the facility is adequate, and the price is reasonable. It was the hardest exercise that I had since arriving in June. The aerobics class meets twice a week. Well, I found out that the aerobics teacher is also a 5th degree blackbelt in taekwondo. I talked with him (more like stuttered incoherent sentences and a few words) and he agreed to teach me, privately. We negotiated a price (once again, very reasonable) and we meet 3 days per week for 1 hour. Well, it turns out that he also exercises every morning at the sports complex, so he invited me along to run/stretch/exercise at 6am for 6 days per week. So, I started taekwondo and morning workouts 3 weeks ago with him. I am NOT a morning person, so for me to get up at 5:45am and get to the gym is a miracle. Now, Ashley has started joining us for the 6am workouts and 4 other PCVs (including Ashley) are now part of the aerobics class. They are all a great workout and I am very glad to be part of it.

There are a few interesting aspects about learning taekwondo here:1) My teacher is Mongolian, does not know any English, and taekwondo is a Korean sport. Therefore, I am learning the Korean and Mongolian commands for everything. 2) Since my Mongolian is elementary, he has to demonstrate almost everything. (He is INCREDIBLY patient and a great teacher.)3) Mongolians are known for being on their own schedules. Meetings are scheduled for 1pm and people will start arriving ~1:45pm. This is part of the cultural and hard for Americans to become comfortable with. However, this does not apply to my teacher. The first 6am run, I walked into the gym at 6:01 and he pointed at his watch, shook his head, and had already begun. Since that day, I am always early. 4) Taekwondo places a very high importance to flexibility, and when I started, I was unable to touch my toes. I need to be able to do a split in ~6 weeks, so this is very difficult for me. 5) I wear the taekwondo uniform (white with v-neck) and no t-shirt underneath. Well, the top of my chest hair shows and I sweat a lot. The little kids who watch class are enthralled by my sweating (it just pours off of me) and my chest hair since most men here do not have body or facial hair. I think the kids watch just so that they see me sweat. -Overall, I look forward to each class and I truly enjoy my teacher. I think this will be a very positive experience in Mongolia.

Hot Springs: Ashley will provide a summary in our next post.

Weather: Mother Nature teased us 2 weeks ago with warm weather (30F) and sunny skies. She can be cruel and has decided that winter is not over here yet. Today the high is 5F and the low -20F. It snowed about 1 inch yesterday, but there is a stiff wind, which negates the warmth of the sun. The forecast looks good starting Thursday, so hopefully it will turn soon.

Travel: Ashley and I are going to Spain in 2 weeks! Our families (parents and siblings) are coming over from America and we will spend about 2 weeks with them in that area. We are so excited to see them, but also to eat Spanish food, drink good wine, and visit a beach! Additionally, it will be my 30th birthday during the trip, so we will celebrate that. There are many things that I want from home (new shoes, jeans, etc), and my family is generous to be a pack mule for me. I plan on taking 1 suitcase and returning with 2.

Tsagaan Sar Summary

Ashley with one of her co-workers and his family, all in full traditional deels.

Justin, wearing a wolf fur hat (not his), with one of his co-workers.

Now that Tsagaan Sar (white month) is over for most people, it is time for a wrap-up of the activities. So, officially, it was scheduled for 2/3-2/5, however, Tsagaan Sar requires a significant amount of prep time for each family. The spring cleaning is done the week before, which requires that everything be washed, including curtains and linens. Also, buuz (steamed meat dumplings) are the traditional food and many families make 500+, which requires that they start the week before. The dumplings are formed and then frozen outside, only to be steamed when ready to eat. Each family cooks a sheep butt/back and makes a pastry tower (boov), which is covered with white foods (dairy, candies). Here is the routine:· Enter the house and exchange official greetings with everyone, starting with elders (the sayings include “are you doing well?” and “have a good new year”)· Sit-down at the table and begin eating the white foods· Pieces of the sheep are cut-off and passed around for consumption· Salads are presented (mayonnaise and cucumber or cucumber and hyam)· Drinks (milk tea, fruit juice, vodka, wine, beer) at any onetime, you may have 3-5 drinks in front of you· Family photo albums are passed around (especially to show new people)· Buuzs are steamed and eaten· Refill drinks· Exchange gifts (host gives gifts to visitors, visitors give crisp money to host)· Leave· Host family repeats with the next group of guests The amount of food and drink is amazing, and not surprisingly, overwhelming. The key to success is moderation at each host, so that you have the ability to eat towards the end of the day. We visited 5 families (4 co-workers and the kids that we feed). Also, you have to be invited, unless it is a family member. The host family is typically dressed in full traditional attire (deel). The families typically travel to their parents or grandparents hometowns. This results in some families making many cross-country trips and some families are still celebrating (1 week later). Basically, everything shuts down for a few days, including all stores and supermarkets. So, we had to “stockpile” starting about 1 week beforehand. We were warned that common foods will be sold-out before and after Tsagaan Sar for at least 1 week. This was very good advice because our local food stores are still sold-out of common items (bread, noodles, hyam [not ham, but a salami-like meat product], etc). Also, we had to withdraw a substantial amount of money from the bank because the ATM (there is only 1 in our town) often runs out of money, especially around the holidays. Overall, we had a really nice time during Tsagaan Sar and we are appreciative of the families that invited us into their homes.1 Stoplight Province: Big news of the transportation front! Our towns’ first stoplight was installed at the intersection near our apartment. It happened a few months ago, and since we are the only “town” in our province, we live in a 1 stoplight province. Unfortunately, the concept of a stoplight has not been taught to everyone. Daily, drivers ignore the red light and drive through (not even slowing down), which often results in either people jumping out of the way, collisions with other cars, or near misses. Frankly, the stoplight has made my life more dangerous because I never know if a car is going to stop or not…I have to be on my toes and ready to dive. At least with the previous stop signs, everyone seemed to stop.

Ashley and Tim at IST.

Ashley and I at the Chinggis Khan statue.

This is one of the girls that regularly comes to our house for food and tea.

This is a more recent picture of Bear.

The business PCVs along with their counter-parts (co-workers) at IST.

I’ve decided to include a few new sections into the blog. Let me know what you think or if there are other things that I should include. Би өглөө дэлхээн зөнд англи хэлний хичээл заасан дараа гэртээ ирсэн. Бээр өнгөрсөн долоо хоног өвдсөн. The sentences above say "I taught English class at World Vision this morning, then came back to my apartment. Bear was sick last week." I'm trying to learn how to type/write more complex sentences in Mongolian.The Mongolian winter is 81 days long, which is 9 sets of 9 days. The 3rd and 4th 9s are the coldest. Today is the last day of the 4th 9, which means that a warm-up should be on the horizon. The high for Saturday is -10C (15F), which is balmy. We were joking that swimsuits will be broken out this weekend. One of our friends has a thermometer which goes down to -40F (mercury style). I have seen the mercury below the -40F line. Tsagaan Sar is quickly approaching, which means new experiences, challenges, and activities. After New Years, many of the shops in our town were out of common foods for up to a week. For example, we were unable to find eggs for over a week, despite visiting 9 different delguurs (food stores) in our town. We have been warned that many foods will be sold-out before Tsagaan Sar and will not be replenished for a few weeks. Therefore, we are stocking up on commonly used foods, such as eggs, milk, juice, vegetables, etc. Many Mongolians have new deels or jackets custom made for Tsagaan Sar. Unfortunately, I was too late, so I was unable to have anything new made. Ashley was given a custom winter deel jacket from our site-mate, so she will wear it. Buuz are made by all families, but since we are unable to make good buuz, we are planning to buy them. Last week, we made a joint order, with 2 other site-mates of 60 mantyy (risen dough), mokgui (no meat), nogontae (vegetables) from the owner of our favorite restaurant which closed. 4 of those buuz is a good meal for 1 person and they only cost ~$.20 each, so they are a good option when we don’t feel like cooking. Also, we put a little Tabasco on top and they are delicious. Actually, the restaurant owner sold me a large bottle of Tabasco (the real stuff) for ~$8. Ashley tried making mantyy balls for the first time on Saturday and they turned out pretty well. Next week, we will try “stuffing” them with something, maybe ham/cheese or vegetables. Frankly, I want to use pepperoni, but that is unavailable in our town and expensive in UB. We (most PCVs) often reminisce/dream of foods that we miss and then we elaborate on the large extravagant meals that we will eventually eat. Unfortunately, such discussions make us all long for home and it ends when we realize that “no one wins this game”. Dreaming is good for some things, but bad for others. Work: We are both actively teaching English to our co-workers. With the upcoming Tsagaan Sar holiday and the proliferation of mandatory trainings, many co-workers are not in the office or projects are on hold. I am trying to do a food security/poverty assessment for children in our area (this is related to the kids that we regularly feed, more to come later). I’m also trying to assess recycling practices/needs around our apartment building. Behind our apartment building is the trash-dump for a few apartments and buildings. The “dump” is a moveable fence that people through their stuff into it. The fence gets knocked down or moved, so trash blows everywhere (it is spread across the field behind our place). Many dogs live in/around the dump and cows eat there often. Most days, I see people sorting through the trash to find certain items (plastic/metal/glass/etc). Well, I am going to try to interview these people and understand their needs/wants so that we can better accommodate them. In the long-run, we envision 5 large bins (plastic, metal, glass, compost, other) so that the collectors can safely and easily get their items. I also want to document what they do with the items, where they go, who buys them, etc, so that maybe we can start a sustainable livelihood for these people. We envision using our apartment as a pilot project and then expanding to other residential areas if it goes well here. After this needs assessment is completed and the project plan is drafted, I will write a grant for the necessary materials. One of our site-mates is submitting a grant to do a glass mural on the side of the children’s center, which is a really cool idea. It will teach the kids art, teamwork, environmental (glass re-use), civic pride, and will really beautify the area. Bear is now able to jump onto the beds and couch. She is not allowed on the beds, and only on the couch when the couch cover (her blanket) is on it. Unfortunately, she has also learned that she can open the bedroom door by pushing into it hard enough. Her weight is big enough to open the door. The bedroom door does not a regular doorknob or lock and I am unable to install one because of the frame set-up, so we put a suitcase behind the door or tie the door to the bathroom door to keep it closed. She has really good house-training days, then really bad days. Very inconsistent at this point. She is also very adventurous now and likes to spend large amounts of time outside either exploring or chewing bones from the trash dump. We are discouraging trash/bone chewing, but with bones EVERYWHERE, that is virtually impossible unless we keep her inside. Justin’s Current Favorites: Music: Mumford and Sons (Thanks Zach) Book: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (remake of the Jane Austen classic that includes zombies, very good way for someone who dislikes Jane Austen to read one of her novels) TV Show: The Walking Dead (AMC tv show that I watched about zombies, following the trend of the book mentioned above) Movie: Food Inc. – highly recommend for everyone in the US. It poses interesting questions about food choices, with regards to content and production/supply. Ashley’s Current Favorites: Music: unknown Book: We Were the Mulvaneys TV Show: Modern Family Movie: Babies Craziest Observation This Week: The temperatures have been down-right frigid at night, often touching -45C (~-50F) with windchill. Many people cover their cars at night with blankets, primarily over the hood. Well, at these nighttime temperatures, batteries die and fuel congeals in the lines. So, the craziest observation this week was a van parked in front of our building, which had a fire burning UNDER it to warm the engine/fuel. Yes, the owner set a fire under their van to warm it up. My dad used to use a blow-dryer in Ohio, maybe he should have considered a fire…..Mail Update:We sent Christmas cards with pictures to ~35 families. Unfortunately, only one person has received their card. We apologize for the delay and we still have hope that they will eventually arrive. GO STEELERS! We are planning a Super Bowl "party" here...which means we will gather in the library on Monday morning and watch it with the other americans.

Happy New Year! It’s been a while since the last post, so let me bring you up to speed.

New Years: We were invited to Ashley’s coworkers for dinner on New Years. We took pizza and apple cake. They made traditional Mongolian food including horse buuz (horse is much better than mutton) and mayonnaise salad. We had dinner, drank, sang songs, then it was time to go….at 10pm. (The family was going to relax and go to bed early.) So, we went home and watched a movie, then watched the city fireworks at midnight. It was a very fun evening.

Weather: According to Mongolians, the winter is broken into 9 groups of 9 days (total of 81). Winter starts on December 22. The 3rd and 4th Nines are the coldest, and we are in the middle of the 3rd. We have not noticed a substantial change in the weather, and actually, a few days last week felt balmy. Balmy means that it reached ~-5F, which constituted no scarf or double gloves. I actually took Bear on a short walk and didn’t even wear a coat (just a tshirt and fleece) with hat and gloves.

Tsagaan Sar: Tsagaan Sar is the major holiday that marks the beginning of spring and due to the lunar calendar, falls in the first week of February this year. It is one of the 2 biggest celebrations of the year and most everything is closed for at least three days. Families visit each other, exchange gifts, and EAT. Many families and stores have already started food preparation. Most families will make hundreds or thousands of buuz (steamed meat dumplings). Since Ashley and I are currently unable to make acceptable buuz, we will be learning/assisting her co-worker in their preparation. It is the man’s responsibility to cut the dough and the woman’s responsibility to form the dumpling and “seal” it correctly (pinching the edges in a certain way).

Jobs: Many of you are aware of the job challenges that I was struggling with. This week, World Vision has agreed to be my new host agency and to take over responsibilities for the relationship. Starting next week, I will be a World Vision Mongolia staff member (volunteer). I will be working on economic projects (consulting), teaching English, and hopefully child welfare/health projects. I will also be available “as needed” for my former agency. Thanks to everyone for your support through this difficult time. Ashley is still working hard for the health department. She has been teaching a lot of English, but also assisting in grants and preparing material for physical therapy classes for disabled students.

Dentist: Over the weekend, I had a dull toothache. After a few days, I called the medical office and they had me go to UB for a dental evaluation. The PC contracts with a dental group in UB. Local dentists typically don’t meet the requirements to treat volunteers. I went to the dentist and it was discovered that I had a cavity….my first cavity ever. It was drilled and filled and I’m waiting the mandatory 2 days before I leave UB as I write this. The office and dentist were great and very clean/organized. Overall, I was impressed with the care.

Bear: she is still growing and becoming more independent. While in UB, I picked up 4 vaccines for her, which Ashley or I will administer. We do not have a vet for dogs in our city, and there is a great vet in UB. We will bring her to UB in February for spaying.

Exercise: With the cold weather, it is hard to exercise outside. Therefore, I joined the local gym and Ashley does videos on the computer. Unfortunately, the gym hours are very sporadic and thus, I'm not using it as much as I would like. So, I try to "walk" with Ashley every night. "Walking" means that we put on an episode of Glee, then keep moving for the entire show (40 minutes). Some jogging, jumping jacks, tae-bo, etc....whatever keeps us moving. Sometimes it just turns into keep away with Bear or chasing Bear around the apartment. Frankly, I get bored doing this, but it keeps us moving. I'm looking forward to the warm weather and doing stuff outside.

Shelves: We had a local carpenter (moojan in Mongolian) build us shelves for our apartment. My agency was supposed to provide shelves or a dresser, but did not. After months of discussion, Ashley and I ordered them and paid for them. I was finally able to unpack my suitcase after 7 months of living out of it! Our apartment looks so great and is organized.

Packages/Cards: Thanks to everyone that sent us cards and packages! Your thoughfulness is amazing and we appreciated everything!

Christmas Cards: We mailed many Christmas cards in early/mid December and unfortunately, no one has received one yet. I suppose that the mail is taking longer than usual.

Bear is growing like a weed, but is so cute. This is a picture from about 2 weeks ago. She will be big enough to jump on the bed/couch in the next few weeks. In case you haven't heard, Bear is actually a female. When we got her, she was too small/young to identify gender and Mongolians were split on it (some said female, some said male). Well, it turns out that she is indeed female. In order to prevent puppies, we will be taking her to UB to get spayed in February/March. The only vets that spay are in UB and it is relatively expensive, but it is the responsible thing to do here where there is already a dog problem (too many puppies).

This is a picture from IST with the US Ambassador to Mongolia and the PC Country Director.

This is the Health group, along with their counterparts at IST. Ashley's counterpart is the woman wearing the Santa hat.

This is the World Vision staff in traditional Mongolian outfits (including deels) during a recent visit from an international sponsorship director from Switzerland. The sign on the building says "People Development Center". The man (Bilgee) in the silver deel is a great example of the whole outfit.

So, I have a lot to catch you all up on....here we go....

IST: The M21 (my training class) gathered in UB for a weeklong training seminar. Each of us brought one of Mongolian co-workers and the sessions were specific to our areas of work (health, business, etc). Each session was also done jointly in English and Mongolian. The classes ended around 8pm and we had social time afterwards, which usually resulted in playing card games with our counter-parts. We also had sessions on PC topics, culture, language, etc. Overall, the week was very busy, but very good. We spent the weekend before and after in UB, spending time with friends, eating good food, and getting Christmas gifts for people. Needless to say, we spent all of our money. UB is much more expensive than our town, especially when taking in account all of the great food options. Last time we took the bus to UB, it was freezing (literally). This time, it was scorching and we were trying to shed layers. A happy medium can't seem to be found. Also, the bus situation was precarious with regards to other situations.... Part of the way through the drive, a cargo door popped open and luggage fell out, so the bus had to back-up multiple times and people had to find the fallen luggage (our luggage was in early, so we didn't lose anything). Also, our bus was over-capacity leaving UB. Tickets are sold for the aisle, in which people are given small plastic stools, which they sit on for the entire ride. Late ticket purchasers are given the aisle seats. The plastic seats were already full when we left, but we continued to pick-up people on the ride. By the last town, there were probably 20 additional people standing in the aisleway and many seats had more than 1 person...it was packed and probably very unsafe. We arrived unscatched with all of our luggage. Some people take taxis to/from UB, but that has its own set of risks (poor conditions, drunk drivers, etc), so we will continue to take the bus. Our next trip is not for a few months.

So, after IST we had 1 week of work before Christmas and the holiday party season known as Sheen Jeel (New Years). Every place of employment has a Sheen Jeel party, which is usually a very elaborate evening. People have to pay for tickets to their event and it is not cheap. Most people get very dressed up and women wear dresses that would look appropriate at prom (lots of sequins, glitter, high heels, etc). The food is a multi-course meal accompanied by large amounts of alcohol (usually vodka), which is followed by games, singing, and dancing. Also, spouses are typically not invited to the party. My work one was last week and it was a joint party between 3 ngos. Ashley was invited. It was a fun evening and wrapped-up early because many people have kids/families. Ashley's party is tonight, and we are not sure if I am invited. We also participated in a secret santa gift exchange, which ended up being VERY different from the american version and it had very complicated rules. I didn't understand the rules well enough and we screwed up the process, but it turned out ok.

Christmas: 2 of our friends (Leon and Ellie) came up to spend Christmas week with us. They had never been to our town, so it was good opportunity to show them around. Unfortunately, it was bitter cold (-20F to -40F) during the day, so our tours were very short and involved many stops in stores/markets. We went to the best restaurants in town and then for Christmas dinner, made chicken parmesan, which ended up being excellent. 2 of our sitemates came over for dinner and brought an awesome peanut butter cake. We did a small gift exchange ($3 limit) and sat around talking for most of the evening. It was a very relaxing, but fun day, shared with friends. On Sunday, we had lunch with other friends, then watched movies and played with Bear. It was too cold to be outside for more than a few minutes. They left on Monday morning on the bus to go back to their town.

This week, many offices are closed for New Years and people are getting ready for upcoming school breaks, competitions, and the big celebration of Tsagaan Sar, which is early February.

Merry Christmas to All!

We have only been home for 11 days and we are going back to UB. Next week is InService Training for non-english teachers. So, we will be heading into the city on Saturday. This time, we have to take a co-worker with us. The trainings are more technical in nature, so this time can be used to build co-workers skillsets. It will be nice to see our friends again and eat good food. On a sad note, our favorite restaurant in our town closed up this past week. We were told that they were unable to make the rent payments. This is truly a loss for the community because their food was excellent and reasonably priced. Anyways, today is our 4th anniversary, so we will celebrate by going out to dinner in UB.

The daylight is dwindling at this point. Sunrise is 8:30am and sunset is ~4:30pm. Only a few more weeks, then the daylight starts getting longer again. The temperatures have been brisk (-15F at night, 8F during the day). There is a cold front moving in and it is expected to be -40F on Sunday night.

Bear is growing like a weed...he has doubled in the past 3 weeks. House-training is coming along well, but still room for improvement. Sometimes, he thinks that the plastic mat in front of the door is an acceptable place to pee. He has also starting showing interest in the animal bones/trash in the community. We need to break this desire ASAP. He will be staying at a friends' house while we are away.

This week Ashley got to meet with a US military medical team. The US military will be doing a community health program and specialist training next year and this was the preliminary planning meeting. I heard the team was surprised when they walked in and saw an American. Unfortunately, we don't hear enough about the good things that the military is doing around the world. We will probably get to help out next year with the clinics, and that will be a great experience.

I have been working on a project proposal for my NGO and writing articles for the local newspaper.

I joined the "fitness center" last week, which has been a very good, but surreal experience. The trainer is very strict and I can only lift if I follow his routine/regimen. Therefore, I am following his routine, which is actually similar to the one I did in America, though more intense. Working with a trainer in a new language is difficult, but I've learned more vocabulary. It must be strange for the Mongolians to see an American in the fitness center. The first time I was lifting, a bunch of guys came over to me, took off their shirts and flexed. They then wanted me to touch their muscles, which I politely declined. Wrestling is HUGE here, so many of the guys were strong, but also big. My goal is to be lean, which is not the goal of everyone else at the fitness center. There is 1 treadmill but it can't go faster than 4 miles per hour or the belt slips/stops. I found this out the hard way by running at 6mph, then hitting the front of the treadmill when the belt stopped. 4mph seems to be the sweet spot. I met the local soccer coach and he actually "tested" me in the gym, which was odd, but hilarious. He cleared the gym floor, put a ball down at midcourt, and I had to play 1:1 against him. Needless to say, I did fine and I was invited back to play. However, I showed up at the time he said and the gym was empty.....such is life here. Nothing is on-time and "plans" constantly change. I found a taekwondo teacher, so I may ask for private lessons starting in January. The physical exercise has been good and helps release stress.

The next post will probably be the week of Christmas.

The past 2 weeks have been a rollercoaster of activity. Let’s start at the beginning…. Last Monday at work, I was informed that I would be doing 8 hours of finance training on Wednesday and 8 hours of Marketing training on Thursday to local families/business groups. 36 hours is not enough time to create a training program and have it translated. Needless to say, we did the training and it went ok. The finance training was difficult, but the marketing went well and the group was very active in the discussion. I had each person complete a worksheet about their company and then create a basic marketing plan. It was well received and I have been asked to teach it again in the spring. The end of the week was busy with the launch of a new newspaper in Khentii. My NGO is assisting/underwriting a newspaper and I was asked to help in layout and to write a weekly article about business. The paper has been suspended due to financing issues at the moment, but a solution appears to be forthcoming. Ashley continues to teach copious amounts of English to co-workers and co-workers children/relatives. She has been doing 3 hours a day pretty steadily. This week she is also doing fitness testing of local offices and planning a nutrition class. We may start teaching a cooking class, if there is enough interest in it. I teach usually 90 minutes of English each day, assuming the students show up. Last week, we went to UB for a Peace Corps Thanksgiving celebration. The PC staff obtained turkeys and each volunteer brought a dish, so it was a giant potluck. The food was amazing and the company even better. In a surprise to many PCVs, I scored 2 touchdowns and had an interception during the PCV football game. We played ~8vs8 touch in a parking lot in front of the ambassador’s house. It was frigid, but fun. Prior to that, we spent the majority of our time shopping and meeting/eating/drinking with friends. I had pizza at least 3 times and a full English breakfast every morning. Also, the beer selection is much better in UB. There are 2 excellent Mongolian beers (Gem dark, and XarXorum) that are readily available there. The shopping was mostly done at Narantuul, which is a huge outdoor market. The only problem is that we were shopping for winter clothes (boots/coats) in sub-zero temps…not a good combination. My feet were numb from trying on boots in the freezing cold and Ashley was shivering trying on coats. One of the "fun" parts about Narantuul is the expectation to barter. Bartering is a long process that involves multiple competing sellers and may result in a few dollar reduction. Due to the cold and our need to hurry, we did not barter (the prices were good enough and we spoke Mongolian to sales people), but I anticipate bartering next time we go. We did get what we went for. However, I still want to get a camel hair sweater and Mongolian traditional boots. (I bought Russian wool-lined, black leather with buckles boots.) We stayed at UB Guesthouse, which was very nice, though we were in a dorm room with many others. Below is a picture of the traditional mongolian boots that I want to purchase (probably different colors though). I think they would be great for shoveling snow and walking to Starbucks for coffee on a snowy morning.

Unfortunately, each time we walked outside, we initially had to cough. The smog is very thick in UB, especially in the early morning during this time of year. There is a gray haze over the city and often the neighboring mountains can not be seen, which is unfortunate because they are snow-capped now. Actually, we have noticed a considerable amount of smog in our town after breakfast and after dinner, particularly if there is no wind that day. Coal is the primary fuel source for this part of Mongolia, so black/gray smoke is very common. If anyone has seen

This week I have been working with a coworker on translating a long, complex English business document into Mongolian. His English is fantastic and it is still a challenge, primarily due to the run-on sentences and use of business jargon. The lesson from this exercise is that if you are writing a business document that will be translated later; please keep the sentences (and grammar) simple.

Note: this post contains graphic content, may not be suitable for all animal lovers

They are an ever-present, though often neglected facet of life in Mongolia. Most hashaas (fenced yards) have at least 1 guard dog. The purpose of this dog is to bark at intruders and potentially scare away (or attack) unwanted guests. These dogs are often large and aggressive and rarely chained-up. One of the first things that we were taught in training is how to “deal” with these dogs. Almost every dog in the country knows “JOVE”, which when yelled at a dog, sends it away. We were also advised to carry a few small rocks when outside the city to use as projectiles if a dog gets too close. (Note: we were advised to throw the rocks near the dogs, not necessarily hit it.) In our city, there are large packs (~12) of roving dogs that are homeless. They remind me of a gang and they often tussle with other roaming packs. If a dog has a collar, it is supposed to signify that it is “owned”. Some of the pack dogs have collars, but most do not. The dogs patrol the trash bins/dumping sites and eat whatever scraps they can find. Due to the harsh winter climates, only the hardy stray dogs survive. Therefore, most of the dogs are large (50lbs+), very thick, short hair, and mutts. I read that initially Tibetan Mastiffs were used in the country, but that lineage as been diluted. Spaying and neutering are very rare in smaller towns. Therefore, every year, there are many packs of puppies found around town. Many of them don't make it through the winter. We were told by the vet that the most humane way to put a dog down here is with a bullet. There is 1 vet in our town and he does not spay/neuter. For population control, semi-annually, the police department conducts a dog round-up and execution. Any stray (or perceived stray) on a particular day is gathered and shot. Unfortunately, dogs with homes are inevitably caught-up in this practice (such happened to a previous PCV here). Vaccinations are also not common, but can be obtained in UB. House dogs are VERY rare in our town; though we do know of 2 Mongolian families that have them (1 in our building and 1 is a co-worker). Also, females dogs are less desirable because they can become pregnant and black dogs are the best (according to superstition). Ashley and I have had 2 experiences with dogs, here are their stories: Buddy: In front of the hospital was a sick dog that Ashley saw everyday at work. She occasionally fed it. Over time, it became sicker and unable to walk. We brought Buddy home to build up his strength and get him over his illness (he was an older dog). After researching his symptoms and one of our friends talked to the Vet, we were told that he had heavy metal poisoning (fatal). His cognitive abilities became increasingly impaired (unable to balance, etc). He lived with us for about 1 week before he left (walked back to the hospital). Ashley found him dead in his old spot. Bear: Last Sunday, I was walking home from a friends’ house when I saw a very tiny dog in the street (not the main street, but a busy enough thoroughfare). I picked him up and moved him over to in front of a neighboring building. Many people were walking past him and there were no other dogs in the area. It was below freezing and he was shivering. When I put him down, he followed me all the way back to our apartment (2 buildings away). I had seen this dog the day before near the post-office. The amazing part is that he crawled up the 3 steps into our apartment building, given his tiny size. I showed Ashley and we decided to take him in for the night, feed/water him, get approval from our landlord, and talk about it the next day. We got landlord approval and decided to keep him. The convenient part is that one of our fellow PCVs’ host family will watch him (in their hashaa) when we go out of town. They have 2 young dogs and 1 old one (all excellent dogs, very nice to people). We named him Bear (he is all black except that his nose, tail, chest, and 4 paws are tipped in white). He weighed about 1.5 lbs when he came (less than 1 kilo of potatoes). Based upon his size and appetite, we estimated that he was 4 weeks when he arrived. He is still drinking milk, but starting to eat solid food. It has been very cold the past few nights (less than 0F) and he shivers when outside for more than a few minutes, so we doubt that he could have made it more than a few more days outside. He is very cuddly and affectionate. He is becoming paper-trained and we are working on chewing. Overall, he is a good puppy and is sleeping on my lap as I type this. We don’t have a plan for the long-term and frankly, he may not be with us that long, so we are enjoying each day as it comes.

This week, I spent 4 days traveling north on a business trip, primarily focused on agriculture and bee-keeping.

Here is the summary:

We took a Toyota Landcruiser, with an elevated suspension and snorkel (air intake on the roof). I actually thought, "wow, this seems unnecessary...especially the snorkel". I was proven wrong.

The drive to Binder was on a dirt-trail, not a road. It was slow-going and bumpy, but the scenery was great. We passed many herds and gers set-up in the countryside. In Binder, we met with the local bee-farming group on multiple occasions. We also participated in the opening celebration for the local radio station (1st station in the area), and there I met the governor. Over the next few days, we went to the bee farms and observed the progress of winterization of the beehives. We stayed in a hostel-like building with 4 single beds, a small table, and a wooden stove. All of the buildings/houses have wooden stoves for heat and cooking. Interestingly, the "hotel" did not have indoor bathroom facilities (no central water system) and no outhouses, so I had to use the facilities at the neighboring school.

We drove up and back to Dadal on 1 day. The purpose of the trip was to meet with their bee-farming community, assess the winterization progress, and to check on the seabuckthorn shrubs. Seabuckthorn is a shrub that grows in this area. It produces small, orange berries which are incredibly healthy. According to Wikipedia, seabuckthorn has 15x as much Vitamin C as orange juice. Seabuckthorn is used in certain drinks/supplements, and is considered a cash-crop in this area.

The geography of northern Khentii (Binder/Dadal) is substantially different from the south/middle of the aimag. This area has many rivers and is forested, particularly the farther north you go. The forest and rivers provide better climate for certain animals, including wolves, fox, boar, bear, elk, etc. I did see 2 foxes when we were leaving Dadal. Anyways, this area reminds me of Colorado (but with smaller mountains). At one point, we were only 40 km from the Russian border (Siberia). The ethnic group of people in this area are called Buryiads, and they came from Siberia. I have mentioned them in previous posts. At one home, we had to take 3 shots of Buryiad vodka (made with fruit and 80 proof) with the grandfather. He has killed a huge boar and the head was hung on the wall.

This area is known for it's historical significance, primarily that of Chinggis Khan. (Referred to as Genghis Khan outside of Mongolia.) He was born outside of Dadal and lived there for many years before moving to other areas of Mongolia, and then conquering most of Asia/Middle East. I was able to visit some of the most important sites with the help of Baacancyrel, the driver. The picture beside is the monument marking the birthplace of Chinggis. It is on a large hill overlooking the Balj river valley.

This is the water-spring that supplied Chinggis and his family. It is located just outside of Dadal and has been supplying water for 800+ years. The blue scarves are used to mark a sacred location in Mongolia, or a spot of significance.

This is a set of stones that form a larger "monolith" in the countryside outside of Dadal. Supposedly, the stones mark the tomb/gravesite of Chinggis' sage/hero. This site is very remote and not well-known. Note that there is only 1 scarf. Also, this site was next to one of the bee-farmers' houses.

This is the convergence of the Onon and Tsenker rivers outside of Binder. This is one of the proposed burial sites of Chinggis Khan (under the rivers). The river already had ice on Oct. 25th. The Onon is known for its taimen (giant salmon) and this is a "popular" tourist spot in the summers. The river is only 3-6 feet deep, and we forded it close to this spot. There were no bridges in this area, so we crossed many streams, stream-beds, and 2 rivers.

This is the monument marking the spot where Chinggis formed the Mongolian country/government in the summer of 1206. It is located a few kilometers south of Binder, near the Onon river. This event is well-documented in most texts of Chinggis and Mongolia. It was the first unification of the warring tribes/clans and is called the khuriltai. Thousands of people attended this event and were hosted here for the entire summer. Tribes from across Mongolia, Siberia, and Northern China (Gobi) came to gathering and joined the Mongol nation.

This is an example of the type of house structure that some of the northern tribes used prior to the ger or wooden house. This particular monument marks the spot of the house of Chinggis' best friend (not sure of the name). It is also located outside of Dadal.

Trip Highlights:

Craziest foods consumed:

honeycomb (with honey still in it)

horse intestine (boiled, for breakfast)

Scariest Moment:

fording 2 large rivers, with water/ice washing up to the windows

Update for Ashley:

She finished and submitted a Millenium Challenge Grant application for non-communicable disease assessment in the aimag. She also bought new black leather high boots (with a small heel) because she "needed" them, according to her co-workers. However, they look nice and will help with her commute in the cold.

Thanks to a fellow PCV, I was able to get a faster internet connection at her work. Therefore, here all of the most recent pictures.

This is my best Mongolian picture so far....the original needs to be submitted to National Geographic because it exemplifies life so well here (and I am proud of it).

A few weeks ago, we took a hike (over flat ground) to a stone monument from the Turkic era (~700 AD). On the way, we came across a group of horses playing in a lagoon near the river.

Here is the stoneman that we found, also called a babbel (sp?). The blue scarves are good symbols in Mongolia, so they are draped around it. Also, people offered money and food, which are placed in front of it, or the money is tucked into the scarves.

These are the slippers (handmade from wool, camel hair, and leather) that Ashley and I wear around the house. Very warm and comfortable.

Here are the new curtains. There is actually a traditional pattern in the lower section, but it is very hard to see in this photo. The top is lined with gold fabric.

Here is the new kitchen prep table. Lacquered wood. The metal bowl is for the rice cooker and the pink bucket is for "bleaching" vegetables prior to cooking. The sunflower pattern is actually a plastic film that we found in a local store. The wood on the shelves absorbed water, so we put the film over top, to make it spill friendly and easy to wipe-up. We are VERY happy with it.

This is the new futon/couch. The fabric covers are new and though the seats are firm, it is very nice to have somewhere to sit.

Funny story for the week: we are approaching the end of fresh produce season and we wanted more tomatoes. Red tomatoes are expensive, so we went to a local store and asked for 1/2 kilo (1lb) of green tomatoes. She would only sell us this massive bag of green tomatoes, which is approximately 5 kilos (12 lbs). The entire bag cost 1,900 T, or ~$1.50. We put the tomatoes on the bottom of the kitchen prep table and about 1/2 have turned red. We have frozen a few pounds and have been trying new ways to eat them as they turn. I have been making omelettes with tomatoes almost every morning and Ashley has been putting them into whatever we have for dinner. I am quickly becoming tired of tomatoes, though I will miss them in the depths of winter.

First off, Ashley has been very busy at work this week, so once again, I am providing the blogpost (read into that statement as you will).

Weather/ClothesThe warm weather has left and we are into Autumn. Briefly, snow has fallen twice here. The daily highs are 40s, nightly lows are 20s (this does not take into account the wind). The central heat was turned on last week and our radiators started filling last night. 3 fins filled in about 12 hours...only 20 more fins to go! The water drips into the radiators from a main line and works its way through the system. Most of the other buildings were full on Thursday or Friday, so we must be at the end of the system. I have started wearing a wool hat (lack of hair). I found an awesome soviet style leather/wool hat with a bill and flip-down ear flaps in a local store. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough money to buy it when I was there (~$6), but I plan to go back this week. Ashley has ordered her winter boots (buryad boots). They are leather outers, fur-lined, and rubber bottoms. Supposedly, they are very warm. In a local 3ax (market), there is an old woman that makes them by hand. They cost ~$60 for the fur-lined ones and take about 2 weeks to make. Ashley has a much longer walk to work and her coworkers are worried about her in the cold, so we needed to order them ASAP. I still haven't made up my mind about winter boots, or which style to get. There are a few types (cowboy, basic, etc)....I just want to make sure that whatever I buy is made locally (not imported). We are going to buy winter jackets when we go to UB in November.

LanguageI had my first private Mongolian language lesson this past Saturday. It was awesome. The teacher is a staff member at a local NGO who is fluent in English. It is helpful at this point to have someone who speaks English to explain the grammar structures. For 2 hours, we primarily worked on pronunciation. There are a few letter combinations that are very tricky and the emphasis is also on the first syllable, which is very different from English. I am planning for 2-3 hours per week of tutoring. PC provides some funds for tutoring, but I expect to personally foot some of the bill. We also spent time working on common phrases (What will we eat for dinner?, When will you come back to the office?, etc).

ApartmentThe futon/couch has been successfully reupholstered. Actually, removeable covers were made for the cushions, which is even better. The seats were also fixed by covering the springs and adding more padding. Overall, very successful endeavor. The work was done by a local seamstress that works in my building. She spent about 2 days working on it and she went fabric shopping with us. The total bill was ~18,000 Tugrugs for material and ~25,000 Tugrugs for labor, which is about ~$35. That is substantially more economical than the $400+ for a brand new imported couch. Also, we had curtains made for the kitchen windows. When we moved in, the "curtains" were lace, which provided no benefit or privacy at night (we are on the ground floor). Once again, we picked out fabric and had a local seamstress put them together for us. They are gold/tan with a traditional Mongolian pattern and lined in gold, which matches the kitchen trim. It cost about $30 for everything, which once again, is much better than the $90 for new, imported curtains. I'll try to post pictures of the futon and curtains in a future post. So, the apartment is pretty well complete. We reorganized and gave it a thorough cleaning. The natural light is great (southeast facing windows) and the potted plants are doing well, including the lettuce and basil. The geranium is going crazy and has almost outgrown its pot. We also got a small cactus from Ashley's work. I'm interested in trying to grow hops for next year....though more research is required.

Community EventsLast week, we were invited to the birthday dinner for a coworker. It was very relaxed, and she cooked up a great meal of potato huushur and cake. (Note: most huushur or buuz are made with meat, so non-meat is a special request.) Also, we had dinner with neighbors last week. They know Ashley from work and live in a close apartment. They speak no english, so it was an interesting conversation since we are slow and painful in Mongolian. They served traditional tsoivan, which was excellent. On Friday, World Vision gave 10 families new gers and I went to the ceremony, which was very nice. The families were homeless or had inadequate shelter. The gers were 5 wall (medium/large) and ornately painted. On Saturday, we had dinner with a Korean volunteer living here. Korea has a volunteer program similar to PC and there are ~80 people in Mongolia. The funny part is that he spoke very little English and we speak no Korean, so we spoke "Mong-lish" over dinner, which was entertaining. He is a very interesting guy and we plan to meet with him regularly. Hopefully, he can teach us how to cook good Korean food!

Note: If you plan on mailing us a letter/package and want to write the address on the label, please make sure to copy it exactly as we have it. Mongolian does not use the Latin alphabet, so some of the letters are very different (ex. л A or n [it is an L sound]). A few items sent had "English" versions of cyrillic, which required intervention by the post office. Let me know if you have any questions about this. And please, keep the mail flowing, we love it.

For next week, please post questions in the comments section and we will make sure to answer them.

жастин (Justin, or more closely Jaasteen)

It has been 2 weeks since the last post. Here are the most important topics:

Weather: Autumn is here and the weather has turned cold. By cold, I mean that it snowed briefly on Saturday morning. Today it is in the 40's, will be 70's by end of week, but then cold again next week. The nighttime lows are often below freezing and there is usually a very brisk wind, which makes it feel much colder.

Utilities: In Mongolia, the heating is provided from a central heating location via hot water lines to major buildings, including apartments. In our town, there are 3 coal-fired hot-water plants that heat and pump the water out. One of the plants is about 300 yards from our apartment. Buildings all have radiator heat and most individual houses/gers are not attached to the lines. Since the water is centrally controlled, there is no thermostat, so we have no ability to change the temperature in our apartment. Some buildings are hot, some are cold. It probably depends on the distance from the pumping station. Since it is centrally controlled, the local government determines when to turn on/off the heat. I was told that October 15th is a popular "on" date and it stays on until March 15th. Unfortunately, it is already fairly cold in many of the buildings, so another 3 weeks may be difficult. I am wearing a coat while I type this. I have observed that most buildings have 1 waterline for the radiators and 1 for the potable water. The potable water over the summer was very cold, but I was told that sometime in October that water also becomes warm. Our apartment is equipped with a ~10 gallon water tank that can be heated to a certain temperature (the heating process takes about an hour). However, most apartments/buildings do not have a hot water tank, so people shower/bathe using whatever water comes out of the tap. Bathing in the winter in cold water does not sound like fun. On a positive note, we heard that our place is warm. Gers and houses typically burn wood, coal, or dung, depending on the location in the country. In our area, coal is the most popular. Ger/house dwellers typically shower by either heating water on their stove and taking a "tumpun/sponge" bath or go to the local bathhouse. They typically cost ~$1.50 for 30 minutes. I have not been to one yet, but I hear that they are very nice.

Over the past 14 days, we have not had electricity during the day on 9 of them (it is restored at night). We were told that the first 3 days were planned outages, then 3 telephone poles fell in front of our place and we lost power for 2 days. Then, we have just had sporadic outages, which negatively impact homelife and work. Also, when the electricity is out, we have no running water from the mainline. I assume that the water pump for our building is electric. Last night, the electric went out around 7:30pm and came back on around 9pm, but the water stayed off until 1pm today. Our headlamps have been invaluable over the past few months.

Hospital Anniversary Party:This past weekend was the 85th anniversary of the hospital/health department in our city. The hospital/health department put on a large 3 day event which included training, concerts, and dinner events. Ashley participated in most of the gala. She also sang at the dinner on Saturday night. I was not feeling well on Saturday, so I did not go (I wish I would have). The participants stayed in a make-shift ger camp setup on the outside of town and it was referred to as a "mini-Nadaam". That means wrestling, archery, horses and copious amounts of food/drink.

Food:Our town has multiple bakeries, which means amazing bread. The loaves are big and doughy and without preservatives, last about 4 days. We typically eat a loaf every 3 days. We have found soy meat and tofu in town. Also, this past week was prime harvest-time, so there are a lot of people selling produce on the side of the road (onions, carrots, beets, potatoes, cabbage, garlic, turnips, a few tomatoes, peppers, etc). We also bought a kilogram of grapes, which ending up being a lot more expensive than expected. Needless to say, we have consumed a lot of vegetables this week. Also, some friends gave us fresh greenbeans. We have also started growing lettuce, sprouts, and some herbs on our window sill. They seem to be growing well. We still have not cooked meat at our place, we only get meat when we eat out. Eggs are also available at reputable stores, so we make omelets 3-4 days per week and incorporate the veggies mentioned above.

Furniture:We received a futon from my office, but it needs to be reupholstered. Therefore, we have disassembled it and are looking for new material and a staple gun. We were very fortunate to have a futon given to us because new couches are very expensive $400+. Also, a local carpenter made us (to specification) a new kitchen prep table. We were using the window sill, which was not ideal. The carpenter lives in a ger in town and has a very impressive woodshop in a house behind his ger. The table is very nice and very functional. Overall, I am pleased with the table and if we need any more furniture, I plan to go back to him.

Leisure Time Activities:I have been playing volleyball ~3 times a week with the local World Vision staff. I'm also trying to get into yoga and potentially judo. Supposedly, this is a big judo area and one of the world vision staff members found me a teacher. On a side note, Mongolia won a gold medal in Judo at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. With the weather turning, I want to find activities that I can do indoors and still stay fit. I try to read most days (working on another novel) and we have been watching shows/movies on the computer. Ashley takes brisk morning walks every day with a fellow PCV. She has been spending most evenings reading, cooking, or writing.

Guest Editor: Since all of the readers are used to my droning, next week Ashley will be contributing to the blog. Let's be honest, she is much more poetic and descriptive than I, which will be a pleasant change to this blog. Have a good week.

Above are pictures from the swearing-in ceremony. The health group is the left picture, the business group is the right picture. The middle picture is Ashley and Leon (singing group).

Weekly Update: The past week has been fairly uneventful. Ashley has set about planting herbs in pots on our window sill. She has also made multiple batches of this quick-bake bread that includes local berries. Justin made window screens to keep the flies out of the apartment.

At work, Justin is working on a website and helping with translations for World Vision projects. Also, the new fiscal year begins 10/1, so we are working on next years' projects (agriculture development, business training, etc). Ashley's department is having a training this weekend, so she is spending part of her weekend there. They are preparing for the 85th anniversary of the hospital later this month. We are both actively involved in teaching English to coworkers.

Here is the first picture of our bedroom. Justin is re-assembling the beds and putting them together (2 twins).

Here is the view from our bedroom window. We've been stringing up rope between the trees to dry our clothes. It works very well. The windows are south-facing, which enables us to grow plants on the window sleeve.

This is the bathroom. The water tank in the upper left corner supplies hot water to the kitchen sink, bathroom sink, and shower. However, the tank leaks if the main water line is on, so we just fill up the tank and use it, then refill it, and repeat. Justin had to fix the internals of the toilet to get it to flush, which it does now.

This is the kitchen. Small table in the lower left, electric stove, sink, and refrigerator. We have to do food-prep on the table or window sill.

This is a picture from the swearing-in ceremony in Ulaanbaatar. We are both wearing our Mongolian traditional attire.

We have been in our new locale for 12 days now....time for an update. Ashley is working at the health department and it is approximately a 20 minute walk from our apartment. I work in the building adjacent to our apartment, at a small (3 people), local NGO. The first few weeks are difficult because you have to "feel" out the organization and see where you and your skills can fit in. It's like transitioning to a new job in America, but the language barrier makes it much more complicated. The constant request that we both get is to teach English. I am teaching daily 1 hour English classes to my co-workers and Ashley is doing the same. My co-workers are at approximately the same level, so classes are pretty straightforward and applicable to everyone. Ashley's co-workers have varying degrees of English skill, so her classes are more difficult to plan and execute.

My NGO is sponsored by World Vision (the aimag has 3 branches and supports ~3,800 kids). This area has also been designated an "area development program", so they are able to try new ideas and see what has a positive impact on the community. I've been spending considerable time at their office over the past few days and I am planning to spend 10-12 hours per week there. They are planning a series of business and household finance classes this fall, which I anticipate getting involved with. World Vision also has cross-sector projects between education, health, and business, so there is a chance that I will get to collaborate with other PCVs on them.

Dietary Update:

We now are vegetarians, unless we go to a reputable restaurant or a friends' house. Frankly, it's easier to use vegetables and after my summer culinary experience, I am willing to remove meat from my diet. However, we did find a local restaurant that as really good pizza and burritos, so I get pepperoni or chicken there. We have attempted 1 Mongolian dish using vegetables instead of meat. A common dish is hooshur, which is meat in a bread dumpling, then fried. Well, we made mashed potatoes with carrot, onions, and garlic, then stuffed bread dumplings and sauteed them. In reality, they are closer to pierogies than hooshurs, but still very good. Unfortunately, we are unable to find peanut butter or mozzarella cheese in our new town. I am contemplating trying to make cheese in our apartment...to be determined later.

Also, I have stopped drinking Coke (Pepsi is not available here), after many years of drinking at least 1 daily. Occasionally, I will have a black coffee for breakfast, but tea seems to be sufficient for now.

Apartment Update:

Our new place is shaping up nicely. I fixed the wiring in the bathroom, the toiler innards, and the trashcan. Ashley has done a fantastic job of cleaning it from top to bottom (are you surprised?). We have purchased a few things, primarily for the kitchen, including bowls, knifes, skillet, hot water pot, etc. Our main water line has been leaking, so it was only on for about 5 minutes a day until last night. Last night, the plumbers came and fixed the valve. They didn't replace it, just pulled out the screw/bearing assembly and fixed that. Plumbers tape (pipe tape) can not be found here (electrical tape is also missing), so the plumber used horse hair (yes, I said horse hair) to wrap the threads before reinserting it. That is ingenuity! Ironically, we woke up and found water all over the bathroom floor. It turns out that the water heater also has a leak, but it only surfaced when the mainline was on long enough to fill the entire tank. We'll address that one this weekend. Lastly, we are still missing 2 critical pieces of furniture and 1 nice-to-have (dresser, couch, table in kitchen to prep on [we have no counter, just a window sill]). We are working with our host agencies to get those resolved. On a positive note, we found out that our apartment is the warmest apartment in the entire city in the winter!

I'm still not able to post pictures, sorry. Thanks for the emails, keep them coming!

So, this is the late-coming, big blogpost.

Unfortunately, the current internet cafe that I am in does not allow picture uploads to blogs, so there are no new ones on this post. I will try to find a place that allows it and include them in my next post. Sorry.

On August 12th, we took the Mongolian Language LPI test, which assessed our communication abilities in Mongolian. Our target was Novice-High (there are 10 levels and that is #3). We both received novice-high. The test was very difficult and fairly subjective. I was certain that I bombed it because the questions that I got were too difficult for my language abilities (ex. explain how to play frisbee in Mongolian). I suppose that I did well enough in the role-play section (ex. go to the local food market, see if they have the food you need, negotiate, and buy it) and basic conversation to pass. 82% of our class passed, which was very good. The people that did not pass it must try again in November. Peace Corps will pay (limited amount) for a language tutor on-going and we are planning to take advantage.

After the language test, we had 2 days to pack and get ready for the final training days in Ulaanbaatar. We spent most of those days meeting with friends and hypothesizing where we would each end up. On Sunday (8/15), the rest of the trainees returned to our town for site announcements. This was a very cool event. There is a huge map (~60 feet long) of Mongolia on the gym floor with each city and soum (village) drawn on it. They called out an aimag, city, job location and then the person's name. The person then received a packet of information about the place and job and stood on their location. People from the same areas were called out together, so you could see who will be in your town and neighboring communities. Afterwards, they put a smaller map on the wall and placed pictures on each person on their community.

We are in Eastern Mongolia (PC asks us not to publicly disclose the location, so if you want to know, email me). There are 4 M-21s (our training class, 21st in Mongolia) and 2 M-20s in our city and 4 others in the aimag. We live in an apartment and I am working at a local business development/consulting NGO and Ashley is working at the health department.

We have friends that went to every corner of this country, out West to BayanOlgii, South to the Gobi, and North to the Siberian border. We are already trying to figure out when/how we can visit them all. Mongolia is very wide and many of the sites are "fly-sites", which means that volunteers are flown to their cities rather than driven because of the length of time that it takes to get there. Also, many cities beyond a 10 hour radius of UB are only connected via dirt roads or require going over mountain ranges. For example, to drive to BayanOlgii could take 60 hours (of driving). There are a few train lines in Mongolia, so some of the people North and Southeast of UB take the train (slow, but safe and comfortable). Mongolia works as a hub and spoke transportation model meaning that almost everything has to go through UB. Your destination may only be 100 miles south, but may require going 400 miles because you have to go back to UB, then out to the site.

We spent 4 days of training/orientation in UB, which was a new experience. UB is unlike any other city in Mongolia and we were given extensive training (safety/security). The food was amazing and we ate a lot of pizza, sandwiches, and milkshakes. We also bought some food that is unavailable in our town (black beans, lentils, etc). We stayed at the dormitory for a Mongolian university, which was about 3 kilometers from the PC office in UB.

On Friday, we had the Peace Corps Swearing-In Ceremony. Technically, over the summer we were only Peace Corps trainees. We became official volunteers after the swearing-in ceremony. The ceremony consisted of speeches from the PC country director, US Embassy chief, and 3 representatives from the Mongolian government. Then, we did the swearing-in and received the documentation. Next, 4 PCVs gave speeches in Mongolian and then various PCVs performed songs, dances, or played instruments. Ashley sang, with Leon and Ellie, a Mongolian song called "Traveling Birds". They sang the first two verses in Mongolian and the last in English. They rocked. Here is the link to the video on Youtube:

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5CpgR96inM). We have not watched it yet, so please let us know how it is.

On Thursday and Friday, we met our directors and went over work-plans and expectations. That was helpful to set expectations and learn about the organizations.

After the swearing-in ceremony, we went back to the dorm, packed, and got into a taxi. We stopped at Narantuul (gigantic outdoor market) to pick up a few things, then drove to our new home. The taxi ride was cramped, there were 4 adults (including the driver) and 1 child in a small car. Ashley and I had luggage on our laps and 2 suitcases were strapped to the top of the trunk for the entire ride. We stopped at a diner around 10pm for a quick bite to eat. We finally arrived at our new place at 12:30am. The driver was great and very careful with our stuff (he often checked the straps). We unloaded our stuff and went right to bed (twin beds).

Yesterday, we cleaned and started organizing our apartment. There is a massive bedroom, a kitchen, bathroom, and hallway. It is on the first floor of the building. We have 2 large windows and they are south facing (which is good for growing plants). We have a refrigerator, electric oven and stove. We put the beds together and are planning on turning half of the bedroom into a "living room" with a couch and maybe coffee table. The place will be very nice when we get unpacked and organized. We ventured around town and found most of the important buildings (delguurs [food stores], hardware store, banks, etc). Today we visited the two other M-21s here and saw there living situations. One is in a ger and one is in a wooden house. The three of us have totally different situations and locations.

We don't have an "address" per-say because most roads are not named and houses are not numbered. Most companies/offices have PO boxes, so our mail will be sent to one of our business addresses. Ashley will be working on the "address" and will email out the cyrillic version. It will need to be printed out and taped to the letter/envelope. If you want our address, please let Ashley or I know and we will send it to you.

Take care and thanks for the well wishes.

Since the past post, we have been intensely studying Mongolian in preparation for the LPI. It is an oral 30 minute conversation/exam with a native speaker. There is a grading scale (10 levels I think) and we need to score at level 3 (Novice-High). If we don't pass it, then we need to take it again in November. I've been told by my teacher that I will pass, but I'm not taking any chances. The hardest part isn't the vocabulary, but rather the speed of the speaker. Sometimes it just sounds like 1 giant word, rather than a set of discrete words. I'm trying to speak with my host family more so that I can become accustomed to hearing the sentences and breaking them down into the words.

My LPI is Thursday and we find out our site location (permanent home) on Sunday. The Peace Corps does a big ceremony with a giant map and most of the PCV's from older classes come back for it. Supposedly, it's pretty cool. Since Mongolia is so big, there is a running joke that when everyone stands on the map and reaches their arms out, you will probably only see the people that you can touch.

We've been spending a lot of time with our fellow trainees before we depart our separate ways next week. We had host family appreciation day yesterday, which meant that 14 of us cooked "american" food for the host families. We did pizza, fried apple pies, onion rings, pasta salad, brownies, etc. The pizza and brownies were a big hit.

This week will be busy, but I will try to post some pictures next weekend.

Good morning from Mongolia. It is a lazy, hot Sunday morning at the post office. The post office becomes packed in the afternoon, so all of the Americans come here in the morning. Therefore, we refer to it as "American Hour" at the post office.

So a Horhog is a "Mongolian sheep roast", which typically takes place outside. The sheep, along with potatoes and carrots are put into a metal pressure cooker and many hot stones are placed inside it. Then the entire thing is put over a fire. The food is eaten by hand (everyone grabs a bone/hunk) and it is accompanied by large amounts of alcohol (typically vodka or airag [fermented mare's milk]). Yesterday, the PCT's had a family appreciation horhog in a neighboring park. The picture to the left is the meat when it comes out of the cooker. I'm pretty sure that I was eating a shoulder bone yesterday. The locals eat everything (including the marrow, fat, ligaments), but I only ate the meat.

Below is a picture of Ashley with her host mom (Shuree, with hat), along with a fellow trainee Kate and her host mom. The picture below that is of Justin with his host sister, Booya.

So, the order of a horhog is:

1) hot rocks are removed and passed around for good luck (very greasy and VERY hot)

2) soup cups are passed around which consist of the liquid drained from the cooker

3) meat is pulled out and put into a large bowl

4) meat bowl is passed around and everyone grabs a hunk

5) bread is passed around, along with any other sides (watermelon, carrots, etc)

6) vodka is opened and all adults are expected to take at least one small cup (a few shots). Repeat this step until all vodka is finished

7) candy is passed around

The picture to the right is of most the Peace Corps guys from our town (8 of 13).

After we played frisbee and volleyball, we walked back to town, about 4 miles. On the way back to town, we passed many herds of animals, including cows, horses, sheep, and goats. There are a lot of babies this time of year.

Then, we walked through one of the neighboring ger districts (known as a hashaa district) on the way back to our houses. Each family typically has a plot of land that is surrounded by a wooden/metal fence. Each fence typically has 1 or 2 swinging doors and 1 car door. This fenced off area is called a hashaa and many of them have a dog for security. Though they may look rough from the outside, many of the gers/houses are very nice inside. People living in hashaas typically do not have running water (fetch it from the waterman via barrel) and most have outhouses. Our friend Tim's family's ger has a tv, fridge, and sound system. Lastly, we arrived at Ashley's

apartment building, picture below left.

Regarding food, I have now had buuz for the 7th straight day at my house. Buuz are steamed meat, onion dumplings. On the topic of food, many current PCV's have told us that they became vegetarians at their house when they got to site. This is because most places don't have a refrigerator and it is very unappealing (and time-consuming) to purchase meat every day that you want to eat it. Meat markets here are a very interesting experience....tables in a large room covered with various types and cuts of meat (including heads, whole bodies, etc), where you can request a specific cut. I have no desire to go shopping at one of them. Also, we have been trying to figure out how people here do not get scurvy....not a single fruit has been consumed in my house by someone other than me.

This week has been "site interview" week. Each person has multiple interviews regarding site placement, including likes/dislikes/project requests, etc. We each met with the technical trainer and with the country director. Since it is much harder to place a business and health person together, I have been told that they already know where Ashley and I are going. The business members found out the list of potential places and they are spread across the country, from East to West and South to the Gobi desert. Site placement is the general defacto conversation topic at during all class breaks. We find out on Aug. 15th. After we get our site placement, we spend 4 days in UB shopping, training, and meeting our counterparts (people we will work with). Each trainee gets a housing allowance to get required items for their place. Ashley and I will each get that....so we should be able to really outfit our new home.

Language: Nothing too exciting this week....working on superlatives, adjectives, and more complex grammar structures.

Funny Language Story: We were working on directions in class and had to guide a classmate through a room. I started telling Jon to "go straight" or at least that was what I thought. The teacher started laughing hysterically and told me to stop, then wrote the word on the board and told us to look it up. It turns out that I was telling him to "please pee".....which is only 1 close sound different from "go straight".

Have a good week and look for a new post this weekend.

We are now entering the final stretch of summer training. 3 weeks of classes/projects, then 1 week of testing. After testing, we learn our site placements, then a few days of prep and we leave. Ashley and I are in the "advanced" language class.....our site lost a teacher to another site, so our 4 classes combined into 3. Our languages classes are working on conversational exchanges with shopkeepers, post office, etc. The hardest part is that many words are very similar (length of a vowel), but have totally different meanings (example....oily or dusty).

As part of our technical classes, we need to teach english to locals. I am teaching an intermediate english class to young adults and Ashley is teaching english to business professionals. Ashley did an HIV clinic this week at the local hospital. I am working on a case study/business evaluation for a local wool coop. They take dirty wool (freshly shorn), clean it, prepare it, then sew it into pretty nice products (shawls, gloves, scarves). The products look very nice and are cheap (

Last week marked the 1/2 waypoint of the summer. The entire group of trainees returned to the dorm in our town for 3 days of training/fellowship. At the end of the summer, each trainee has to take a Language Proficiency Exam (LPI). Based upon standard criteria, we need to score "novice-high", which means that we can communicate with host country nationals in basic sentences using correct grammar and decent pronunciation (the test is oral in Mongolian). If we don't score that high, we have to have tutoring in the fall and take the test in November. This test is the source of most angst (along with food issues). On Tuesday, we took a practice LPI to see how we were doing and to determine levels of classes. They are regrouping the students and Ashley has been put in the advanced class. I have been told that I will be in the advanced or intermediate...not sure until tomorrow. Is it better to the the dumb kid in the smart class or the smart kid in the dumb class? Wednesday - Friday were full of training, meetings, health evaluations, etc. Some of the classes were helpful (cultural norms at holidays), while others were not. There was a class called "romantic relationships" (dealing with cross-cultural relationships), which even the married couples had to attend. Thursday night was a barbecue and dodgeball game between sites, which was fun. The barbecue was prepared by the PC trainers and I had my first salad since arriving in Mongolia (also beef shish-kabobs and kool-aid). Friday was morning training and the local Naadam events started. We didn't get out of training until 6pm, so we missed it here on Friday. However, almost everyone went over on Saturday. We saw wrestling and the end of 2 horse-races. Fried food was served everywhere and airag (fermented mare's milk) and vodka were passed around. On Sunday, my host family went to UB, so I went to a "horhog" (sheep bbq) with my friend Ryan and his family. It was a fun time (6 hours) and the food was good. Ashley went to a similar event and then her family went to the Chinngis Khan Statue Complex outside of UB. According to her, it looks like an American type monument and was very impressive. On the way back, they stopped in UB and went to another monument. Sunday-Tuesday this week is Naadam in UB. The local events all lead up to the big one this week, which is broadcast on multiple channels. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures this week, so I will try to get something together for the next post.

Today is the 4th of July, which has no significance to anybody here except Americans. I tried explaining "large American holiday" to my host brother, but I think it was lost in translation...which is a common occurrence. About 15 of us went to a Korean restaurant for dinner because the large Mongolian restaurant in town was out of food (another common occurrence). No fireworks...just an normal evening here. Also, there is no World Cup soccer on, and the other channels are difficult to understand or in one of the following languages: Mongolian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, or Korean. On to a recap of the past week: the business group went to UB for a tour of 6 small businesses....very cool and informative. Unfortunately, I also got food poisoning that day....which resulted in 24 hours of misery and 3 days of no food. I am easing back into it (dinner was rice with vegetables). Ashley was healthy this week, but a large contingent of PCers have been sick with food related ailments. On Thursday night, the business class taught English to locals. This was a new experience, but went pretty well. 8 people showed up and had various levels of knowledge. Next week we are going to break into beginner, intermediate, advanced classes. This weekend was pretty uneventful....studying languages, hanging out with friends, watching soccer. We took a run into the countryside and came across 2 large cemeteries, very interesting. The dirt is mounded above the bodies and everything faces south (sacred direction). The weather has been nice, though often hot in the sun. Very few clouds, but sometimes windy which creates dust storms. Hats and sunglasses are required.

Housing Update: I live in a 2 story brick/cement house. It has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Very large for this town. No hot water in the shower. I think the water coming out of the tap is about 33 degrees. I have determined that taking 1/2 gallon of hot water from the sink to finish off an ice shower makes all of the difference. Clothes washing is done by hand, so the standard for cleanliness has been substantially dropped. It only gets washed when it is visibly soiled or smells.

The building with the blue sign (hoosnee delgoor - phonetic) is Ashley's host mom's food market. It carries basics, like eggs, bread, drinks, candy, toiletries, etc. Basically, all of the PCers use her store now. She also takes requests from us for special orders (Haribo gummy bears, cheese). Ashley's apartment building is behind. Better pictures in the next post.

The other place to buy needed items is the white market (picture beside). This is a 2 story "stall" type facility with many vendors. Most of the vendors carry the same general types of products, but some are more specific (clothes, shoes, meat, grains, etc). We usually end up here once a day to look around or shop or practice our Mongolian.

This week is "Mid-Center Days", which means that all of the PC's regroup for 3 days of training, etc. We have our practice language exams on Tuesday...just prep for the end of summer real exam. The training this week is also more specific on a few topics. We also have interviews with our trainers on our cultural integration, host family stuff, and preferences for site placement. Ashley and I don't have any preferences....so we have no idea where we will be. Some people specifically want one location or another, but we are open to anything. Preferences are not always met, so this keeps us from getting our hopes up and then potentially being disappointed. We won't know our site placement until ~Aug. 20th.

Quick update: I am almost recovered from a sinus infection. I was actually sent to UB to the medical office for review...nothing major, just some medication for it. I did get a real meal out of the trip, a cheeseburger from a joint called "American Burger and Fries". It was a good burger...especially at that time. This past weekend was "GI Issue Weekend"...almost everyone had some sort of GI issue....Ashley and I included (only minor though). Also, school is out for the summer, so the internet cafe at the post office is PACKED....we waited for 30 minutes tonight to get online. There are 6 computers and 14,000 people in this town....not great odds. With our busy schedules, it is not likely that we will be able to wait each time....so the blog updates may be more irregular. The calzone went well...except that it was fried instead of baked (the oven didn't work). No one in this town has ever had mozzarella cheese, so I am going to buy some in UB ($6 for 2lbs). The weather was very hot the past week (upper 90's), but broke yesterday and it has been in the 60's/70's. Language is incredibly difficult for me, but Ashley seems to be doing well. I seriously think it is harder than any calculus that I took in college (including differential equations). We study for a few hours each night and I am totally spent by 10pm. We now know past, present, future tenses and probably 50 verbs...which we can conjugate. Our vocab is growing and a fine example is below: The first week here we went to a Korean restaurant and one of the trainers had to order for us (we couldn't read the menu). We went back on Saturday with a friend and were able to do everything ourselves...including reading the menu (we ate a meat-free meal). The food is ok....but I would pay a lot of money for a good pizza or chicken sandwich right now. I've also been having problems with my water filter (algae), so I have been buying water, which is eating into my tiny paycheck. I don't have my camera with me, so I will try to post more pictures and stories this weekend, hopefully of my host family. Also, next week begins the annual Nadaam festival, which should produce some cool stories/pictures. Take care and thanks for the support and messages.

The past week has been intense...primarily language, technical, and cultural training. We usually start classes at 9am and end around 5:30, then do homework. We're also trying to integrate into our host families and spend time with friends. The language progression has been amazing...we can exchange pleasantries, ask/answer basic questions, and read Mongolian cyrillic, though we still probably don't know the vocabulary yet. We were told that to be "fluent" in a language, you need a working vocabulary of 2,000 words and my best estimate is that we know ~200 words and growing rapidly. Our teachers are very good, but demanding. Even the most experienced language learners are at their limit of comprehension. Host family integration is quite an experience because most of our basic choices are in the hands of people that we do not know well yet (food, sleeping arrangements, community events, etc). Each person is having a different experience and the arrangements are extremely varied (house, apartment, traditional ger). We will get into the specifics in a later post.

Per the title of this post, we have spent lots of time this week watching and watching out for. Per the pictures, the scenery is fantastic and the sights around town are not what we typically see in the United States. We found time again this weekend to go hiking in a nearby forest and below is a picture (notice the trees). We've also been doing a lot of watching of the community, to understand how to culturally integrate and how to technically integrate (our future jobs). Each place is different, so we need to observe a lot and synthesize that into action plans.

The image to the left is a Buddhist monastery in the hills of our town. During the 18th and 19th century, there were over 20 buildings, but the Stalinist religious purges in 1937 decimated the area and left only a few standing. This is one of the very cool sites that we walked to (about a 12 miles round-trip hike).

As you are probably well aware, the primary mode of transportation in Mongolia is walking (at least for Peace Corps volunteers). The sheer amount of walking that we do (many miles per day), requires that we become aware of our surroundings and learn to indentify any potential dangers, so that they don't become a problem. Below is my list of the 5 common things to watch out for while walking (seriously):

5. Animal skeletons (unfortunately this past winter was brutal)

4. Potholes (big enough to bottom a car out)

3. Construction holes that were not filled in after the job was finished

2. Animals (usually cows, but sometimes sheep, goats, horses or dogs) (example picture below)

1. Missing man-hole covers in the road

Food Update: I am starting to want American food, so I have offered to make a calzone for my host family this week. I got most of the ingredients, but one thing that can not be found is Mozzarella or Ricotta cheese. The only cheese is American and it is very expensive. I'll have to make do. Also, fruits (citrus in particular) are very expensive. 1 lemon is the equivalent of $3. I'll let you know next week how it turns out (i'm planning a veggie-calzone because I've reached my meat threshold for this week). By the way, we learned the phrase for "meat-free" food, so the next time we go out to eat, I expect Ashley to try it out.

Ok, so here is the first big update to the blog, with photos.

The first few days were spent in orientation, which is a compact introduction to the country, language, and culture. It also included sessions on health, safety, technical skills (job), and expectations/responsibilities. These sessions are used as a crash-course for host family living. After 5 days of orientation, we were split across 6 different cities (aimags or soums), based upon job type, and then each person was placed with a different host family. The host family accommodations ranged from traditional ger to stand-alone modern house. Justin was placed in a house and Ashley in an apartment, though only about a mile apart. The host family living is used to get us up-to-speed on the culture and language. It also teaches us useful life skills for Mongolia, like building fires and handing washing clothes in a tumpan (small plastic tub).

Food: many of you want to know the food situation, so here is a brief update. We have been eating traditional Mongolian food and have been pleasantly surprised. The food is based around meat, dough, and some vegetables (carrots, onion, potato) and some meals have included tomato, cucumber, cabbage. Most of the food so far has involved boiling or steaming and many are soup based. Funny story: Ashley ordered "vegetable soup" at a local restaurant and it was beef stew. The other soup on the menu was "meat soup", which meant it had no vegetables. Overall, we are being fed very well.

Outdoor Pursuits: As you can see from the picture, our town is surrounded by large hills and valleys. We have taken a few hiking trips up some of them, with the largest being around 900 feet elevation gain. The base altitude at my house is 5,044 feet (close to Denver altitude), and the thin air really affected me running/hiking the first few days. We seem to be getting more accustomed to it each day. Most of the landscape is barren (no trees), but we did find a small forest behind a neighboring range and all of the trees were pine with short, tight (close together) needles.

Language: This has been the hardest thing for me so far. Mongolian is a very complex language and has multiple sounds unlike anything in English. I am feeling good about reading cyrillic, but long words are still tough to sound out. Now that I can read the word, I have to look it up in a dictionary to see what it means. Fortunately, there are some very similar sounding words to English (pizza, engineer), but most are not (supposedly there are 12 words for dung, depending upon the animal, though I have not been able to verify that yet). Each days pushes our knowledge of the language and it is amazing how far we have already come in 1 week (we can exchange pleasantries and identify common items/food).

Well, I need to head home for buuz (traditional Mongolian steamed dumpling), so enjoy the pictures below.

We arrived on July 5th and have been in language, culture, and sector (job) training everyday. It has been very busy, but very cool. We are still trying to adjust to the jetlag and diet changes. Just wanted to say a quick hello. I'll spend more time posting pictures this weekend (there is a line waiting for this computer). Take care, Justin and Ashley

It's been almost a month since the last post, so here is a quick update.

We have completed the restaurant bucket list, except for PF Changs (scheduled for tomorrow). All of the places lived up to our expectations except for Aiello's (disappointing pizza).

We are in the middle of packing up the house and recycling, free-cycling, and giving-away as much stuff as possible. It has been quite an exercise, but has gone well. It's amazing how much stuff we have..... I was reading a book about Mongolians and since many are still nomadic, they are able to construct or deconstruct their entire house (ger) in less than 2 hours! We are looking forward to living more simply.

Travel Plans: we received the official itinerary for our initial travel arrangements and here they are:Philadelphia to San FranciscoSan Francisco to SeoulSeoul to Ulanbaatarthis amounts to approximately 22 hours of air travel and 6,700 miles

Blog Issue: I had incorrectly set-up the comments section of the blog, so any comments submitted before today were not saved. Therefore, please resubmit your comments (if you want to). Sorry for the inconvenience.

As we prepare to leave Pittsburgh and since we are food aficionado's, Ashley and I assembled our Pittsburgh Restaurant Bucket List. Each place on this list means something to us.....here it is:

Fuel and Fuddle - sweet potato fries

Dave and Andy's - best ice cream in the burgh

Sakura - good sushi at a good price near our house

Hofbrahaus - we went to the original in Munich on vacation together

Big Jims - worst portion control...singlehandedly raising the obesity index

Olive Garden - Ashley family favorite

Taza 21 - good middle eastern

Aladdin's - food we ate when I proposed

Mad Mex - favorite atmosphere

McCormick and Schmicks - good seafood

PF Changs - good "americanized" chinese

Five Guys - great burgers and fries

Aiello's Pizza - best pizza in town

More to be added to the list.

Ulis Travels will chronicle the life and times of Ashley and Justin as they spend 27 months in Mongolia. This first post is to let you know that if you are looking for Ashley and Justin, then you have come to the right spot. More to come soon.....