Family Appreciation Weekend

Last weekend was dedicated to appreciating our host families. It was one of my most memorable events during training. I deemed that weekend necessary because no matter what situation we went through with our families this summer, they deserved to receive some sort of praise for allowing us to live in their homes. Here is a list of what my training site group did for Host Family Appreciation Day ( Saturday, August 3^rd, 2013):

1) Met at the high school is our soum to depart to the mother tree (eej mod).

2) Arrived at the mother tree site and said prayers while giving offerings (such as rice, milk, vodka, money, etc.).

3) Had a picnic where our host families prepared appetizers (such as pototo salad, fruits, bread and jam, vegetable and meat entrees of all sorts), played several Mongolian and American games, gave our families their certificates of appreciation, and engaged in various activities that I cannot recall.

Overall this has been a very good week. I also realize that I am a week away from final center days, where I will find out my site placement and participate in the final activities of my pre service training for Peace Corps Mongolia. I am excited and nervous at the same time but I am ready to see what mysteries will unfold themselves these next two weeks!

The Mother Tree (Eej Mod)

My Host Sister and Host Mom

My site mates and I presenting the cakes to our Host Families.

Team Teaching Week 1

This was my first week of Team Teaching. It was a wonderful feeling to have a class. I have consistently been going back in forth in my short 22-year-old life questioning if teaching was right for me. Me having the hands on experience in Mongolia has proved to myself that this is what I can imagine myself doing for a career. The classes were split into two groups. Beginner and novice –low. The group that I taught was novice low. What I admired most about these students was there drive and excitement to learn. There were the occasional talkative students but nonetheless they had a drive that I deeply admired. In America, education is a given right to citizens. There are many communities that you go to where students are disengaged to learn. I think some of the excitement is largely due to the fact that they are being taught English by native speakers. The students also love being around Americans because we are different from what they see everyday.

I also solo-taught this week. I taught the students the concept of time in English. I imagined it to be a topic that would be relatively easy to students but it was very challenging for them. At times when I was teaching and the students were not understanding the model of the language quickly, I had to constantly remind myself that this is not their native language and things that may come easy to me will not be so easy for them to comprehend. I overall love the feeling of teaching and not only that, I love making connections with students who genuinely want to be around you. I am trying to detach myself emotionally from these students because I will only be in my soum for 3 more weeks. We’ll see how the next few weeks of training plays out!

The Students in my team-teaching class.

Me and some of the girls in my class. They are very precious jewels!

Weekly Update/Naadam!!!

       So this is the week that all of the Pre Service Trainees in Mongolia have been waiting for! This is the week of Naadam.  Naadam is a national holiday in Mongolia. The two-three day event consists of the three manliest sports in Mongolia, which include wrestling, archery, and horseback racing. The excitement isn’t over yet! Aside from these sports, when you exit the stadium there are what seems like two dozen gers set up where community members sell hosher, which can be best described as a delicious Mongolian empanada and beverages of all sorts. Also there are a lot of arcade games and other fun activities to engage in surrounding the stadium.

            Being that I am TEFL I was lucky enough to be granted basically the entire week off. The day before Naadam, my Language/Cultural Facilitators (LCF’s) arranged a Mongolian food lesson with our group. We had this food lesson at my site mate April’s host family’s house. The foods that we learned to prepare were hosher, soyven, and bashn teh shol (dumpling soup). Please excuse my American spelling of the Mongolian foods. The foods that we created were very appetizing. I am also delighted that we were able to spend time with our LCF’s in a more informal environment where we could kick back, relax, and enjoy each other’s company. That day I consumed more food than my body could handle. Unfortunately it did not sit well with my stomach and I ended up paying the price for my overindulgence. Nonetheless I did not allow that to completely deter my fun for Naadam.

            The first day of the Suhkbaatar Naadam was great. It was my first time engaging in this new experience. The smiles on everyone’s faces, kids jumping up and down in a joyous melody, and people stuffing their faces with pounds of hosher brought along warmth to my heart. Although I was not feeling my best, seeing other people happy made me feel content. I also was able to see a few of my fellow PST’s who are training in sites relatively close to me. It’s always great seeing Americans even if it is for a momentary conversation or two. The first day I was only with my host dad, 18 year old sister, and 4 year old brother.  We did not stay to long because I was feeling a bit nauseous. Nonetheless I was able to view them eat hosher and I also played some of the games that were outside of the stadium and I won a precious tiger necklace. I also saw community members, adults and children. It was a good feeling being able to recognize their faces and being able to greet them with smiles and general conversation.

            Day 2 of Naadam went well. I was with my entire family and I was able to eat and consume more than water. My family and I took a lot of pictures. I was wearing my Mongolian del that was present from my mother with pride. The radiant orange and gold colors complemented my complexion finely. I also observed two of the three sports, wrestling and horseback racing. Mongolians I must say, have to be one of the strongest people in the world. The sports that are celebrated during Naadam take a lot of training and endurance. Watching the games with my host family made me feel like I was one with them and with the culture. Overall my week has been great and I have been savoring every moment as much as I can. It seems as though the greatest moments tend to flash before my eyes but I am holding on to each memory as it comes.

Me and My host family outside of the stadium

Health in Mongolia

Being in a country that is considered a third world nation has it’s many struggles. I often find myself comparing my life here to my life in America. In some instances I feel like it is unjust for me to do that because there are different factors such as culture and historic tradition that influence the way that people live in Mongolia. One of the first things that appeared different to life in “America Land” was the health conditions in Mongolia. I did not really notice this until I was placed in my training site.

Where I am currently located is called a soum. The best way to describe a soum would to categorize it as a suburb. Anyway, prior to coming and during my stay in Mongolia, I had to receive various immunizations to ensure that my health remained the same. There are many factors that influence the reason why Mongolians may not have the same health advantages that are offered in the U.S. For one there is a lack of resources depending on where you live. In the soum that I live in, most, if not all people do not have running water. They have to get their water from a well. Luckily for me, my family has a well in their hacha/yard. 

Aside from that the more isolated one is the less likely it will be that they will have a health facility that can surpass all their needs. When I traveled to the clinic that is in my soum one thing that I picked up on was that there wasn’t running water or that the work facilitators did not carry out certain cleanly traditions that were practiced back home (wearing gloves). Also I was told that if there were certain health problems that could not be treated in someone’s soum they would have to travel to the nearest aimag or to the capital Ulaanbaatar. Depending on where you live this trip to the capital could be anywhere from 5-15 hours.

Mongolians recognize that they are faced with certain conditions and they do take some steps to prevent illnesses. One thing I noticed was that Mongolians usually only drink water that has been boiled. Mongolians love their teas (milk tea, and green tea are my family’s favorites).  I am a fan of Mongolian teas. It has an acquired taste but once you get used to it, you begin to crave it throughout your day. Also Mongolians apply small portion of salt to their teas to prevent dehydration. This is something I would have never thought to do. I plan on doing it in the future when I am on my own.

Now I am not writing this blog to bash Mongolians, it is more to give an insight to friends and family members who are reading this to experience this part of the world through my eyes. I have taken the good and the bad and I beginning to formulate my own theories on how I will spend my next two years, trying to remain as healthy as I possibly can. I have to momentarily abandoned my American way of life and live like the Mongolians. I am more than excited to do so and I cannot wait to experience the hardships and also fantastic memories that will come my way!

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!