The Art of Washing Clothes.

As I have said before, there are many things that we take for granted in America. Our simple way of living is considered luxury when you visit most countries around the world. Sunday. June 16^th 2013, I lived through yet another hardship experience from living in Mongolia. Well at least for me it was difficult and very time consuming. This task is known as washing clothes. And no I do not mean throwing my garments into the washing machine and allowing it to do its job. I’m talking about scrubbing and wringing, hands pruning, blistering, back in the olden days, hand washing.

Prior to this event I was aware that I would be having to hand wash my clothes for the next two years. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal because in the past I’ve washed simple garments such as my underwear that barely took anytime. I give a lot of props to Mongolians because although hand washing is not difficult it can get tiring, especially if you have a large load of clothes. Luckily for me I only had about a week or two worth of clothes, most of them being clothes I just kept recycling because I didn’t want to hand wash too much things.

I asked my host sister to help me with this task because I had no idea what I would be doing at first. She was very helpful, and she instructed me on what to do. The hand washing process consisted of placing my clothes in a tumpkin filled with powder detergent and water, and scrubbing it with a soap bar. I did that to all the garments I had. The level of scrubbing depended on how dirty or smelly my clothes were. That took maybe about an hour. Then I emptied the tumpkin with the soap filled water and got fresh clean water to rinse my clothes. Luckily for me my family has a machine that spin-dries the clothes so they are not soaking wet when you line them up to dry. The entire process probably took an hour and a half to two hours. This does not include the drying process either.

Although it was a strenuous task, hand washing my clothes was quite fun. While I was washing, my mind was able to roam about other things that were going on in my life.  I began planning out my week, practicing the Mongolian language in my head, and I had a few brief conversations with my host dad. I also had a friendly visit from one of the house cats that lives in our yard. The cat kept me company while I was washing my clothes. Furthermore, I am going to set a goal to wash my clothes once every week or once every two weeks. I figure that if I wash my clothes somewhat frequently, I won’t be spending hours upon hours washing. I look forward to washing my clothes again!

Week 1.

So today, Friday, June 15, 2013 is officially my one-week mark since I have been at my training site. So much has happened in this one week. I wish I could share everything with you but I cannot remember every single detail. Some of the best recollections can only be experienced hands on. I will tell you about my highlights during the week.

This was the first week of our actual training. Before we were in Ulanbaatar and Darkhan. We had orientation but it did not compare to the classes I had during my first week. The Peace Corps Mongolia staff gave us a taste of what our classes would be like. Anyway, since Monday we’ve had 4 hour language course with 2 breaks in between. Then we leave for lunch and return for our technical sector classes, which focuses around TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and our Needs Assessment tasks. The language courses were generally the best part of the day because it was fun and interactive. It’s one of the things that everyone coming into the country anticipates. Learning the Mongolian language has been extremely difficult and frustrating at times, but when I look back at my progress I am proud of myself.

Ok! So now for the interesting juice you all have been waiting for! Being in Mongolia is extremely different than living in the concrete jungle. I went from the big city to the country life. I was not able to experience the real difference until I was placed in my training site. When I first met my host family, it was the most awkward experience ever. We didn’t share the same language so we had to play charades and figure out how to communicate. It was humbling not being able to verbally communicate with someone but using body language to establish a relationship. The first day being at site, I broke down. I was trying to be so strong up until that point. I let out one big cry when I was at the hospital with my host mother and sister. Saddened, my host mother began crying and hugged me closely. She then kissed me on the cheek. At the moment I knew that this was home. It just got a bit overwhelming for me to process everything that was going around me. I was scared for my life because I was going into something where I was very vulnerable. I vividly remember my first meal encounter with them. My hands were trembling under the kitchen table because of my nerves. Nonetheless, my host family has been very loving and accommodating to my needs.

Another interesting event that happened was my first bathing experience. In Mongolia, there isn’t running water so all the water that we do get comes from the well or an electrical water outlet that is located in our hosha (yard). I told my host mother that I wanted to take a bath. Delightfully she agreed. I did not know she was going to be the one bathing me. She boiled the water for me and placed it in my tumpkin, which is a large bowl, which in Mongolia is used for bathing. We went in my room and I stripped down to my bare skin and my mother bathed every inch of my body except for my private areas (that was my duty). As my mom was bathing I began to feel comfortable. I gathered that it was another bonding experience that would only be shared between the two of us.

Overall my first week was amazing. Life in Mongolia is not as fast paced as New York but I love the calm life. I’m much more appreciative of what natural beauty the world beholds in front of me. I can’t wait to share with everyone what lies ahead in my future.

Day 1

We arrived to Ulan Bator a little bit after midnight. We were exhausted but none the less it was still time for a celebration. A group of the PCV's that are currently in Mongolia from groups M22 and M23 greeted us at the airport with cheers and happiness. I was a bit flustered when they were clapping for us. I felt the love and support instantly before I even exited the airport. When we were driving we were led down a dirt road path. It has been a very long time since I've been driven on an unpaved road. There were no lights, no building, just deep dark silence. When we arrived to our ger camp we had to lug our 2 HEAVY suitcases up a path. I was extremely exhausted. One of my fellow M24's helped me bring my bag into my ger.

Overall today went by really fast. We had a few workshops. The safety workshop I'd say must have been the most interesting. Apparently some Mongolians, usually men, have a habit of walking up to people and punching them in the face. It was very amusing. It does not happen often but there are some precautions to staying out of danger. I am not too worried about being endangered. I am just happy to be here and I cannot wait to start training. We went hiking which was amazing and we we saw the sun set as we walked down the mountain. The only thing that I did not like so far was the food but it will take some time and adjustments!