I have come to the realization that I will burn my tongue at least once a day. I have also succumbed to the fact that I will eat fried eggs everyday, if not twice a day. These are just some of the little things that make me feel like I am starting to get a routine. I get up around 8, get ready for school, eat my breakfast of fried eggs and cucumbers, which my host family must believe is the only breakfast food and I am loving it, and head off to school. I meet Christie on the way to walk the last part, which has been a real comfort and delight to my mornings. We begin the day with language class, the first 3^rd mainly consisting of conversation. Our class is then split up into groups, mine of course the smallest which I strategically picked, and learn vocabulary and grammar. So far we have gone through the topics of greetings, family, and food. Many of you may think that is nothing, but trust me that is no small feat! We have language for 4 hours, 5 days a week and I have learned more Mongolian in the 2 weeks I have been here than the 4 years of Spanish in high school.

I then venture the dusty road home for lunch, and I mean my shoes are full of dirt and my feet are consistently caked with sand dusty. Another realization: I will never be clean, and I am embracing it. Sometimes I even forget to put on deodorant and I don’t panic like I used to in the states because lets face it, foreigners are the only ones who use it here anyway. I go home for some scolding hot milk tea in the 70-80 degree weather usually accompanied by some even hotter soup, which varies in type. It is an ongoing joke with my other site-mates what kind of soup we will have at lunch everyday. It’s the little things that count.

After we venture back to school to teach. Now this is the best part of my day. I get to see their little faces light up when I teach. So far we have been using a bunch of games and it is honestly fun to do! Granted we haven’t gotten to the hard elements of teaching yet but we are only a third of the way into training. My host sister is in my class and everyday she asks what we will learn today. They are very eager to learn and on top of that they love competitions and get very into games and whatnot.

When we finally finish up I usually run some errands with friends or study, head back home, eat dinner, do my homework, play go fish or crazy 8’s, and head off to bed. Another realization is that I will play Go Fish, Crazy 8’s, or the matching game for at least 1 hour every night.

Of course every routine is not concrete. Many of my site-mates have caught a virus or fever, which is something we cannot avoid (although I have been as healthy as can be since arriving, knock on wood!). Today I even got news that one of our fellow volunteers has decided to go back to the states, or early termination as they call it here. I don’t know if it is just me, but I have worked so hard to get here and to at least try to make a difference I couldn’t see myself giving up so soon. I understand if it isn’t for you and I do think it admirable to admit to yourself as well as others that this isn’t the right fit before it is too late. Just to make everything clear, I am in it for the long haul baby! BO and all I love everything about my experience and more.

            This past week was the third weekend with our host family and it definitely did not follow my normal routine. I was originally planning to go on a long adventurous hike with my other site-mates to find the perfect tanning spot, which they did by the way, but my host family had other plans. We ventured up to what I believe to be a national park. There were monuments everywhere! Definitely different from what we would think of as a monument, but a sight to see never the less. We followed the trail filled with other families and friends to a spot where we could picnic. It was adorable and beautiful and astounding all at the same time. To be in a beautiful place with magnificent people just fills your heart and makes your all warm inside. Come to think of it, I had a similar feeling as to when I saw the Grand Canyon with my mom. There is no other feeling than being happy with people you know care.

            After about an hour or so of wandering and taking pictures like no tomorrow, most of which Khatnaa took (She loves to use my camera and I am more than happy to teach her!) we drove back home. Casually in the car they ask if I am tired and like always I reply a little but not really, mainly because I don’t want to miss anything. Now my family asks me if I am tired all the time so I usually think nothing of it, which I did in this situation. Little did I know we were just stopping for supplies to continue on to mother tree. In Mongolia there are many shrines so to speak where you offer something (money, rocks, food, matches, really anything at hand) walk around it three times, and then make a wish. It is quite a surreal thing to see. Because we went on a Saturday it was packed. But it was also beautiful to see so many people come together. I am pretty sure this is not religious but I don’t have the language to ask that yet. Maybe next week, but who knows. We all walked around our 3 times and made a wish, even Tsilmoon!

            After we went over to my father’s sisters house who I met for the first time. We drove her into town and finally made it back home. I downloaded all the pictures and the family eagerly awaited to see how they turned out. After sifting through all of them and getting their fill my host mom gave me the most beautiful vest. I wore it today and received countless compliments from Americans as well as Mongolians. My language teacher Naraa, who is very close with my family, was very pleased and I could tell proud that I was wearing and embracing her culture.

            I also spoke to a volunteer who is switching into a city for her 3^rd year here. I portrayed that I really want to live in a ger (pronounced like pear with a g). She said her site was looking for a woman to replace her, so who know I may end up in the South Gobi! She lives 5 hours away from any other volunteer and loved it. Now that is definitely what I want to do!

            I can’t wait to share my next adventures with you all but for now goodbye (pronounced Bai-yar-tai) or see you soon (dara ultzi)!

 Rain in Mongolia

 Tsilmoon!

 Milking a cow for the first time!

 Jijge

 Khatnaa and Jijge at the National Monument near Russia

 my host mom Byimba

 Beautiful view with random Mongolians

 My host family! 

 My host family round 2

 Contemplating life

 My lovely host parents Byimba and Byimba (yes they do have the same name)

 My sister-in-law Jijge and me!

 My attempt to look like a reindeer

 Khatnaa and Jijge

 Khatnaa's Boyfriend

 They love each other :)

 Tsilmoon

 

 Mother Tree 

 Mother Tree Part 2

 Mother Daughter :)

 Beautiful clouds :)

After our Orientation we were rushed off to our summer sites. I am stationed in SukhBaatar for the summer with a group of 10 TEFL volunteers. Our group has a great dynamic and I love them all! (Jesse, Will, Christie, Maggie, Hugh, William, Emily, Melissa, and Joanna) When we arrive to School 2 in SukhBaatar we are greeted with food yet again, an array of candy, fruit, and dried cheeses, which are the three main food groups Mongolians believe Americans love. We are basically thrown towards our families and off to our homes. It definitely was a bit scary at first to not have anyone from America around me anymore. My family has been amazing! I have a father (aaw in Mongolian), Byimba, who is a driver, a mother (eej), also Byimba which made my life easy, who works at the post office, and a 13 year old sister (duu, younger sibling) Khatnaa (K is silent). I have a brother who studies in UB but his wife, Jijge and their daughter, Tilthmoo, who is 1 year and 2 months, who stay with us during the week. After the mayhem of getting home I unpack and my sister immediately takes me to this huge statue on a hill that we passed. She knows quite a bit of English, which is a relief to me, because she is now basically my built in translator for my host parents. The first couple of days flew by so fast and blended together. We met our host families on Friday and had all weekend to get to know them.

            I became really close with Khatnaa and practically followed her around like a dog. I introduced her to Crazy 8’s and Go Fish, which we now regularly play at least for one hour a day. We also have a basketball court on our property and I have become familiar with. The great thing about Mongolia is the community atmosphere. Because everyone shares what they have our court is communal for anyone who wants to play, which is nice to meet new people, although all of their names are ridiculously long.

            But our schedule is that we have language classes in the morning and technical training in the afternoon. My house is over the statue hill and just on the outskirts of town so it is a bit farther than most but I love it. Because we are out in the boonies we are able to have two cows, two calves, and a horse, although I have yet to see it. I milk the cows almost everyday with my sister. At first I was horrible of course only getting a tidbit of milk, but now I can get as much as my sister. My host mom on the other hand is a champion and gets a full pail in the morning and at night.

            Peace Corps encourages us to show our interests and hobbies with our family so of course I brought out my camera and Khatnaa is a complete natural. She asks me for my camera at least once a day. I love that they are so interested and I never feel like the foreigner taking pictures with my camera. Last night I was downloading my pictures and the whole family gathered around to see them!

            We are also fairly close to the river and Khatnaa says they go swimming all the time. I am a bit skeptical due to the fact that the water is dark brown and animal poop just floats on by, but I guess I will try anything once.

            Many people have asked me about the food, and just to get everything straight, IT IS AMAZING! I love it all. Whoever said I would loose weight while in the Peace Corps never thought about Mongolia. Every meal I have some kind of egg, whether it is fried or boiled, along with cucumber and tomatoes, which I never imagined I would see in Mongolia! We also have milk tea at every meal, even in between meals, which has a little salt to it to add flavor. I help my family with almost every meal, making dumplings, home-made noodles, and chopping up meat (mah) and vegetables (nogo).

            The one thing I did struggle with was bathing and laundry. We have an outhouse, which a lot of other volunteers had some getting used to but I was in the clear. I have had regular bowel movements since I have been in Mongolia. Now you all may think why on earth would you include this information, but in Mongolia everyone is blunt, and honestly it is quite an accomplishment especially when other volunteers are going on a week plus not having gone number 2.

            Anyway, we get a tunpin or a bucket so to speak to bath in, wash our hair in, and even wash our clothes in. I was dreading this and lasted a week and a half without having to worry. But the next weekend came along and my hair was as greasy as pasta so I figured it was about time. I asked how to do it and my sister immediately took over. She washed my hair outside without any help from me! Unfortunately I did not portray I needed to wash the rest of my body so another 4 days went by until I told her I smelt. She chuckled like she always does towards me and started getting it all ready. I was able to wash myself and my hair too!

            Due to the fact that I had run out of clean socks, which are even more important than underwear here, I was now destined to do laundry. Now this was the worst. I had my underwear, about 8 pairs of socks, 2 pants, and 3 shirts which you wouldn’t think was much but man did it take forever. You have to soak the clothes in soapy water and ring them out. Then you have to soak them in clean water and ring them out again, but this time to the extreme. I of course being a newbie did not ring out my clothes good enough and they were hanging for days.

            All and all I love it here. I cannot wait to tell you more about my adventures. I am trying to keep up to one post a week, but don’t hold me to it. I am thankful to have internet for the summer but do not know if I will have it for the rest of my time here. Hope all is well for y’all back home!

 My summer site group.

 My mom and sister

 Tilthmoo!

 Me by the river. 

 My sister. 

 Statue of the third wife of Genghis, pronounced Chenghis. 

View of my town! Where I live is beautiful. No one can argue that. 

 My sister Khatnaa on the statue hill. 

 The view from the statue hill. 

 This is one of the shrines they have on almost every mountain in Mongolia. You are supposed to walk around it three times leaving something every trip, a rock, money, or scarf, whatever you choose really. 

 These are our two cows! I call them Cow 1 and Cow 2. Mongolians also do not name animals because they view them differently than in America. They see them as resources and not friends

 This is our Mongol face, because in Mongolia people do not smile... They just glare. 

Better late than never. The first week and a half here has been crazy! San Francisco was only the beginning. Once we arrived in Ulaanbaatar we were fortunate enough to stay at ger camp for a couple of days to get our sea legs. Here we got our shots, i.e. rabies because of rabid dogs….kind of terrifying, standard administration, and of course the immigration office! It as been a whirlwind! I was able to hike my first mountain, which they consider a hill, and it was beautiful. The altitude took me by surprise when I was ¼ of the way up and exhausted… After a farewell traditional Mongolian food picnic with the staff we were off to Darkhan for the real orientation.

            I was fortunate enough to room with a gal who I’ve enjoyed spending time with and we took in the Darkhan hotel in all its glory, cigarette in toilet and all. But it was nicer than anything I would have imagined in Mongolia. The food like most of our meals so far consisted of hotdogs and eggs. All of us were just waiting to try some traditional Mongolian food, but the stuff everyone eats, even in the countryside.

            The first day of orientation was a blur. We were honored by a presentation of Mongolians finest entertainment with dancing, instrumental music, and even contortionism. The three days of orientation flew by with safety and security meetings, cultural diversity sessions, and so many things y’all wouldn’t even understand (it’s a peace corps thing :P). We even had time to hike, or more like walk a few blocks, to the Buddha at the entrance to Darkhan. But the week ended on a high with the cultural fair where I tried my first smoked sheep skull! (picture included for all you squeamish folk) Next post to come soon! Most likely tomorrow or this weekend about my adventures of last weekend with my host family!