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.