Year 2, New Beginnings!

Hey all! How’s it going? So it’s been forever since I’ve last written a blog. I don’t even think I know how to write well anymore since it’s been so long. A lot has happened so I may not be able to recount all of the details in regards to what happened within this year. But anyway this blog is going to be about my fun but short summer experience and my new found perspective on life in Mongolia as I go into my second year of service. With one year down I finally believe that I have a better grasp for being in the Peace Corps as well as living in Mongolia.

            School ended for me on June 6^th of this year. I was on a plane headed to America on June 9^th. I knew I was going to miss America while being in Mongolia, but I didn’t think I would be so desperate to return to the country that I chose to leave behind. When I went home my family had a small surprise gathering to welcome me home. Everyone was close to tears when they saw me. Being separated from your loved ones you don’t realize how much you’ve missed them until you are reunited. Entering my home I was greeted with a dozen helium filled, metallically colored balloons, smiles from ear to ear on my family member’s faces, and delicious Guyanese cuisine.  Going back home in June was also the first time in over 5 years that I was able to see one of aunts again. It was great to see her as well as my cousin. Everyone was happy to be united with me once again but moments after settling down my mother had hinted to me to take a shower. I guess my Mongol funk greeted them as soon I walked in the door. I was unaware of my new interesting smell because it became normal to me.

            Anyway, my time in America was great but went by very fast. One of the best things that I was able to do was drive my car again. I missed driving when I was in Mongolia and I yearned to have my hands strapped to a steering wheel driving down the paved New York City streets. I drove everyday, everywhere. I journeyed through all 5 boroughs and Long Island. Another great thing about being home was the variety in everything. This included culture, cuisine, shopping centers, outdoor locations, etc. I engaged in eating almost every kind of food imaginable and spending my Sundays laid out on the shores of Riis, Robert Moses, and Far Rockaway beach.  I didn’t realize how much I missed the coast until a stuck my feet in the cool, semi-opaque waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. I reminisced about the times before that I went to the beach growing up and I felt very delighted to be home. Although the feelings of nostalgia began to engulf my memory again, I realized that I’d outgrown the desire of being a New York City girl.  After 4 weeks of being in America I was more than ready to head back to the place that had been my home for the past year.

            Coming back to Mongolia was not nearly as difficult as I had imagined it being. I was ready to get back into the swing of being the foreign girl that lived in a town of 10,000 people. I also was anticipating reuniting with my fellow cohort that I had grown to love over the past year. I was back in Dundgovi for about 2 weeks until I embarked on my next adventure into Darkhan city and later Selenge aimag. In both locations I participated in English summer camps with 4 other Peace Corps volunteers. It was a pleasant experience to work with Mongolian students and adults from different regions of the country besides Dundgovi. I honestly feel like having interactions with family and other Americans during the summer was a release and a good seg-way into the upcoming school year. I do not regret for one moment my decision on not being at my site for an extended amount of time during the summer.

            That being said I am more than ready to see how my final year in Mongolia will unfold. I intend on traveling a little bit less and using this time to focus more on my community and continuing to build relationships with the new volunteers present as well as the faculty and staff members at my school. Going into year two I have more of an upper hand because I know what to expect. I also know what triggered me to spiral into different emotions, happy and melancholic, and I think I will be able to better control my “destiny.” I’m ready for you year two! Let’s make this one a good one! Until next time…

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

            I hope all of you brought in your New Year with your loved ones! For those of you that celebrated New Years alone, I hope this year brings you all the happiness and aspirations you plan to accomplish. I brought in my New Year in the South Gobi aimag of Mongolia. I’ve also been in Mongolia for 8 months! Wow! Time feels like its slipping out of my hands.

            Not much has occurred since I last blogged. I’m still forging ahead while combatting winter in one of the coldest countries in the world. The temperature has dropped tremendously since October. Although Mongolians claim that this is one of the warmest winter in years, there have been days when the high in my town has been 0 degrees Fahrenheit. The lowest temperature thus far has been -17 degrees Fahrenheit. Nothing can describe the feeling of the bitter cold air greeting you as soon as you step outside. After walking for about 15 minutes, I feel as though 1,000 daggers have sliced my delicate face. My nose hairs freeze and icicles form on my eyelashes. I’m usually walking with an upbeat speed because I want to get to my destinations as quickly as possible, resisting frostbite.

            Besides the cold weather being a pain at times, it is the holiday season! Tsagaan Sar (Buddhist New Year) is around the corner and I am looking forward to that. I intend on visiting my host family from the summer in Selenge aimag. I have not seen the bulk of my Mongolian family since the summer and I miss them dearly. I know that it will be a time of celebration including a lot of buuz (which are Mongolian dumplings), gifts, and lots of alcohol. I am going try my best to sustain from drinking as much as possible because I do not enjoy drinking vodka.  

            Aside from that, life has been the same. I am still teaching and living my day-to-day life as an American in Mongolia. I have improved in the language and I am still eager to learn more.  It’s a good feeling when you can understand conversations and talk to people with somewhat of an educated response. When I first arrived to my site I was sounding very primitive and using mainly hand gestures and other form of charades to communicate my thoughts and feelings. My Mongolian dictionary was also within my clutch at all times. But anyway, I will stop rambling! I will post pictures and share experiences about Tsagaan Sar after it has past. You will be hearing from me soon. Take care friends and family!