I don’t think I will ever outlive the nickname Rojo. Whether it was destiny or not I will never know, but one thing is for sure Rojo is here to stay. It all began when my fellow volunteers at my summer site miraculously thought of the name. I decided not to tell them it had already been in place for many years. Once the ball got rolling my Mongolian language teachers began to use it as well. At first it took me aback, mainly because of their accent and the fact that it was adorable when they said it over and over again. The moment I knew it would never vanish was when the volunteer trainers got a hold of it. I decided to accept my fate and in the words of our country director, roll with it. So when my new school supervisor and counterparts, or English teachers, could not fully grasp my name I succumbed to defeat and enlightened them to Rojo. Now wherever I go I hear whispers of Rojo here and there. I know they are just practicing and trying to remember but a little part of me is always pleased to here it lurking in the halls.

As for my first week it has been a whirlwind. I flew to Bayankhongor on our 6 AM flight. Thankfully I was still exhausted from the night before I slept the whole way. We loaded my bags onto the meeker, got some snacks, and then were off on our 5-hour drive to our soum, or town. I never thought I would be able to sleep on a road as bumpy and wild as that one, but by golly I slept most of the way. I settled into my new room and met my new family only to take a 5-hour nap right after. When I awoke I unpacked and had a mental battle with myself. I have been living with a family for the past 3 months but I wasn’t sure if I could do it again. Realistically I am the only volunteer living with a host family inside their house, sharing their common areas and cooking areas too. Most other volunteers lived in apartments or at least their own gers where they could escape and have their space, figuratively and literally. I quarreled with myself for about 20 minutes as to whether I had to go out and mingle with my new family or not. I finally decided I shouldn’t be a hermit and emerged from my dwelling. I hung out with my host mom and siblings for quite some time and she even took me down to the river. It was beautiful. I could not have imagined a more beautiful place. Granted the natural side of things is not that pretty, it is all brown and dead brush, but there are animals everywhere, 2 rivers (one for water and one for bathing, which I should probably figure out which is which), a giant mountain a few miles away, and amazingly generous people. My mom said she takes her daughter to the river every night and I almost teared up just thinking that I will be apart of this tradition for the next two years.

The next morning we went to school and I was introduced to all 38 of my teachers. I had to give a speech in Mongolian on the spot and not to toot my own horn or anything but I could hold my own. Many teachers complemented me on my Mongolian as well. After a short time we headed back onto the meeker and were off to our Aimag, or capital city, for another 5-hour drive for a seminar for teachers.

Just before leaving my host mom asked me where I was going to stay. I was a little confused seeing as my supervisor was the one who wanted me to go in the first place. She then repeated, “I will stay at my brothers, where will you stay?” I frantically called my friend Joanna who lived in the aimag and was thankful when she assured me that I would always have a place to crash. On the ride over I got to know a few of my teachers, but mainly just looked out the window at the countless herds of camels.

The seminar was surprisingly helpful. Even though most of it was in Mongolian I could still understand tidbits here and there. It was also rather exciting because it was the first seminar Bayankhongor has ever put on. There were over 1,000 teachers and I was able to make a lot of connections with the English teaching community for our state. The second day was more my cup of tea. The seminar leader asked for our help and we basically planned the whole day for her using the materials she had already picked out. We focused on the four teaching topics of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It was actually really fun and most of the teachers got into it too! This was probably the first day where I felt like I was contributing to something. I really enjoyed this time because it allowed me to get to know two of my CP’s (counterparts, or English teachers) in a less formal manner. We joked and laughed and I like to think bonded in a way. After a long three days we headed back to Bogd soum on our 5-hour meeker ride. This time we left around 8 so we didn’t get back until around 1 AM or so. Oh I almost forgot to mention that every time we venture on the traitorous path to and from Bogd soum the meeker breaks down at least 2-3 times along with the fact that babies are literally being passed around from lap to lap. This time we got a flat tire and simultaneously couldn’t get the jack to keep the car up for more than 1 minute. But we finally made it safely and I crawled straight into bed.  

Friday was amazing. I slept in late, went to the river with my siblings, and met my first student! She is already very good at English too. I suspect that I will be working more with my teachers, which is fine by me because they are all incredible. The rest of the afternoon I spent with my CP Gerlee. She is most likely in her 30’s, unmarried, lives with her mom, and the sweetest thing you could ever imagine. She took me up the little hill to a statue or sculpture or some sorts and we spoke for quite some time. We wandered around the soum and she showed me where all the important people lived. She is my neighbor, which makes it even better. Afterwards I fetched water from the river for the first time! I was finally able to wash my hair and man did it feel nice. Even though I don’t shower here, just the feeling of clean hair is probably one of my favorite feelings ever. It even beats out food cravings.

The weekend was a boring blur. I holed myself in my room, watched movies, and wrote in my journal. I know I should have been more social but I was exhausted, mostly mentally. Also scared that I will get fat because there is nowhere for me to hike here, so add stress to my list as well. On Sunday I finally ventured out of my cave and went down to the river with my brother. He is 6 and well a 6 year old. I know it is just the beginning but I can already tell I am going to like my 1-year-old sister better. He may grow on me, I don’t know, but for now I am going to try and set some boundaries so that he is not barging into my room every 5 minutes yelling at me in Mongolian to do something I am not responsible for. Let’s just say I cannot have my lock put in soon enough.

This Monday was my second favorite day so far. I was finally able to go to school and meet all of my teachers. Ichka is so advanced with her English skills it is unreal. We chatted for some time and then met with the schools supervisor. We talked about my time here and if living with my host family was ok. There was talk about moving me into a ger, which I was ecstatic about. I always wanted to live in one ever since I arrived in Mongolia. I received more kitchen supplies for my tiny room, which is smaller than a Holiday Inn Restroom in the states. I was able to meet the Mayor and found out that next year will be the 90^th anniversary of Bogd soum! I can’t believe I will be here for this and am extremely excited. Once we got back to my house my teachers and supervisor inspected my room and decided to rearrange everything. They got rid of a chair so now I actually have a kitchen area, aka a table to put my water boiler and electric stovetop on. Although it doesn’t seem like much it is starting to feel like home. I spoke to Gerlee about the ger situation and she said maybe I will live with my host family for one year and then in a ger for the second. I was a little bummed at first because the ger talk just seemed like a tease but all in all I think I will do better here. Yes I know it will be awkward like it always is, and I will probably be perceived as antisocial. But when school starts I don’t plan on leaving all day. I hope to only use my room as a space for storage and sleep. I want to try and experience everything that I can and if that means holing myself up in here for the first couple of days to get myself situated and comfortable so be it. Also here is my address:

Robbi Jo Robyn, PCV

12 Year School “Ikh Bogd”

Bogd Soum, Bayankhongor Aimag, Mongolia

Mongolia (via China)

Robbi Jo Robyn, PCV

12 жилийн сургууль “Их Богд” сургууль

Богд сумын, Бауанхонгор аймаг, монгол улс

Mongolia (via China)

*Please include both English and Mongolian!


 Anything is welcome! But pictures and granola are encouraged.

Much love from the Gobi,

            Rojo