Road Trip to the Countryside and My Birthday.

            Last weekend I traveled to the countryside with the teachers and administrative staff. I had gone to the countryside prior for the first day of school celebration, but this time I was with them for 3 days and 2 nights. Overall it was a fun trip and it was worth the 35,000 tugriks ($20) that I paid. During our short vacation with one another we visited other soums, the river (the only one that exist in Dundgovi), one of the highest mountain peaks, and an old monastery that was destroyed during the Soviet Union reign. It may seem as though this was a simple weekend but there were many complexities that cannot thoroughly be described.

Mongolians most certainly know how to have fun. I vividly remember maybe 20 minutes into the ride being offered a porcelain bowl filled with a shot of vodka. How could I refuse the offer? I indulged in the shot that was given to me and let the vodka pleasurably burn my esophagus. I was not worried about the journey but rather the destination of feeling more relaxed. During our ride the teachers sang Mongolian tunes, cracked jokes, and made a few rest stops to stretch legs and drink airag, more vodka, and eat candy.

Traveling in Mongolia I’ve realized that the natives do not have an urgency to get to their destination as we do in America. A typical 6-hour ride usually turns into a 12-hour ride. This occurs because of the frequent stops, cars breaking down, and other occurrences that are all apart of the traveler’s destiny. Nonetheless I embraced the journey and relished in being around my fellow peers. I wish I could describe to you all word for word everything that occurred during my weekend voyage to the countryside but I do not want to bore you with a 10-page essay.

Mongolia Vodka (left) and Airag (right)

Sea Buckthorn (really yummy by the way)

View of the mountain, halfway towards the peak

            Furthermore, I celebrated my 23^rd birthday yesterday (September 18^th). It was my first birthday and I was worried that I would be filled with grief. Generally I would bring in my new year of life with my friends and family. When I saw that my friends and family back home were posting comments on my Facebook wall I was consumed by sadness. The teachers at my school transformed my sadness into joy by being just as happy as I was that it was my birthday. They took me to my favorite restaurant in town and we ate delicious Korean food and then they presented a few gifts. I appreciated that they acknowledged this special day for me. While giving a toast, I told them that they were going to be my new family for the next two years and that I was excited to create many memories with them. After the food and gifts we engaged in some Mongolian karaoke. The songs were in Mongolian so I could not sing my heart out but I still participated!

Blowing out my candles.

Cheers!

            Overall my first month at site has been very good. There have been highs and lows but I am beginning to feel a sense of ownership towards my new position as a teacher and also I look forward to creating close relations with people who want to see me prosper and do great things for their community!