So just what do you DO???? Well, let me tell ya...

Oh, the stories... We have so many we need to post, but I've realized, by taking a look at all our posts, that I haven't written a lot about school or the work we do here. I suppose that is because we are still in our 'adjustment phase' and everything is still new, weird and difficult, yet, exciting...so writing about work would seem boring. But you be the judge:

I work in a School Complex (which is a school of more than 1200 students). In Mongolia (most of Mongolia) all grades are combined in one school. So there are 1st graders-11th graders in my school. I have 8 English teachers that I work with. They are my counterparts. I help them with their lesson plans, teach them new methodology, observe their teaching, team-teach with them, and also teach them more advanced English grammar on the side. One of the classes I team-teach is an English Club. This is just a fun club for students interested in learning more English and learning more about American culture. They also have a pen-pal program and communicate with schools in America. Finally (but not really, I have other things I do, but won't bore you longer), I also have 2 classes a week where I teach 19 Primary School teachers English as well as methodology.

So a couple of weeks ago was Alcohol Awareness week (per Peace Corps). This is the first time Peace Corps has declared this week as AAW (Alcohol Awareness Week) and all volunteers were encouraged to do some fun activities in their school to raise awareness. My English Club watched a video about victims of alcoholism and had a great discussion about the negative effects of alcohol. We also had a poster contest to finish the week. Here are some pics of the winners:


Don't worry-- I'm not gaining weight-- I just have about 5 layers of clothes on!!! Brr.

Every weekend for the past 4 weeks each school in Mandalgov has hosted a series of sports competitions for the teachers (there are 4 schools in Mandalgov). A couple of weeks ago Justin participated in a long distance solo run and a relay with his teachers. I tried to get a good picture of him running, but he was so far away! They got second place in this heat.

All of the teachers lining up for the awards ceremony:



Also, going on at the same time as that track meet was an ROTC type thing. I got a picture of my students preparing for this event the day before the track meet.


Justin's school is also a large school, but less than 1200 students. He has 3 English teachers that he works with and teaches several classes to middle school and high school students. A couple of weeks ago his counterparts took us to the 'park on the hill'-- called Monument Park. It is very modest, but special in its own way. Here are some pictures from Monument Park:


This is the view from the top of the hill. Mandalgov, our new home for the next 20 months.

They had a HUGE bell on the way to the top of the hill. I asked Justin if he'd take a picture of me ringing the bell....I never said my husband was a photographer...nice angle, hun.

This is one of my favorite pictures. It is of a wishing tree (and an ovoo-- the pile of rocks in the front of the picture). People come to the wishing tree to give a gift/offer (the silk scarves you see) and then bury their faces in the tree to do their wishing. I may try it soon...


And finally, a picture of my happy husband watching The Simpson's and eating a beloved bag of Doritos that his sisters, Deana and Kristen, sent to us in a package. We received triple packages this week (from his sisters and mine) and feel so loved! Thank you!

I just can't win.

So read my post before this first (if you haven't already). For the past couple of hours I have been in one of the toughest fights of my life. Ashlie vs. the wind. First of all, it is cold outside. COLD. Without a fire in our ger it would be in the 40's inside. But, because the wind blew away one of our windows we had to close our flap to keep the warm air in and the sand out. (A flap is a THICK blanket that covers all of the windows (to keep out sand during sandstorms, rain, water, etc.) And when the flap is closed you cannot have a fire, because the blanket touches the stove pipe (and if you had a fire, the blanket could catch fire from touching the hot stove pipe).

In this photo you can see our missing window, the duct tape, the flap and the stove pipe:



Well I had an ingenious idea to cover the window with cardboard and duct tape it. That way I can open the flap a little (enough so it's not touching the stove) and start a fire since it's FREEZING in here. So I did. After about 45 mins of bliss, the fire was dying down, so I put a small piece of cardboard on top of the coals and blew on it so the fire would start up again. At the same time as me blowing, a wind came down the pipe and got the fire aflaming! The flames came out of the grate and onto my face! The flame fringed my hair on the left side of my face. MY HAIR HAS BEEN BURNED OFF!

What do you do with fringed hair? I've already tried to comb out the frizzies, then splattered some hair conditioner on????



That's not the end of it. Then suddenly the cardboard that was covering the window got sucked out the window and also blew away. Now I have a hot fire that is still going, but just wasting coal because I'm not feeling any warmth with a window open. One more thing. The ash tray at the bottom of the stove wasn't cleaned out before I made this fire. So now every time a gust of wind comes down the chimney (about every 30 seconds) ashes scatter out of the grate. So my cold ger is sandy, windy, and ashy and there isn't anything I can do about it until the wind stops and we can replace that window. Oh, and the side of my head looks ridiculous. I'd like to go home now and lick my wounds please. Mongolia was fun for a little while, but today it is too hard to handle... Or just let me curl up somewhere so I can go to bed at 3pm and not wake up for a while until I'm back in a warm clean ger without wind. I hate you, wind.

And A Big Sand Storm Came And...

blew one of our windows away. We have 8 small triangular windows that make up a small circle opening on the top of our ger (one window is dedicated for the chimney pipe).

IT IS WINDY today! Justin can tell you more about his adventure in it later. As I type this our ger is shaking. Every ger has a rope that hangs from the top of the circle. This is your lifeline when the wind gets blowing. I actually had to use it one time this summer. We had a quick 5 min wind storm, but all of my host family and I had to hang onto that rope so our ger wouldn't blow away! I haven't had to use it yet today (mostly because my ger this summer had holes in it, so it was easier for the wind to pick up-- my ger in Mandalgov hasn't any holes and is a lot sturdier than my summer ger).

Well this isn't some 5 min wind storm. Since we are in the desert it is very much a sand storm! It's been going on since about 6am this morning (it is now 2pm). I went to school earlier this morning with a scarf tied around my neck and covering my nose and mouth. I had to walk at an angle against the wind. When I made it inside the school I had a handful of sand in my mouth and eyes and nose and ears...I also wore my calf high boots today, thinking it would keep out the sand-- nope. I had sand in my boots and stuck in all the wrinkles of my clothes. After I type this I will give my ger a wipe down & sweep. There is sand everywhere! But first, my adventure to the outhouse:

After I got home from school today I put my backpack and things in my ger, then ran with the toilet paper into our outhouse (called a jorlon in Mongolinan). Our jorlon is very short (maybe 5 feet tall) and very small (maybe 3ftx3ft)-- just enough room for you to squat. Well, I closed the door behind me and was squatting and doing my thing while watching the walls of the little shack shake and wave in the wind. I had a momentary fear of the whole shack collapsing on me and me falling INTO the jorlon hole (about 10 feet deep, with a pile of you know what at the bottom) when suddenly...the wind blew the door wide open! I am plain as day. Thankfully no one was around. There is a metal rope/handle on the inside of the jorlon door and NOW I know what it is for...windy days like these.

Typed October 10th...Washing Day!!

Today was dedicated to cleaning. The temperature has been dropping (only reaching 40 degrees today) and I wanted to get a good wash in before the cold unmotivates me. I did several loads of laundry--which reminded me how badly I need gloves! There are some available here, but I just forget to buy them, or usually when I see them I look at the price and I think "I don't REALLY need them" But dang. I do really need them. They are only about $1!! I have a cut from a knife on the palm of my hand from using my pocket knife while peeling potatoes. It stung quite a bit in the water. Also the temperature dropped below freezing last night and so our water in our barrel was literally freezing. My hands were numb. Then, I used a little bit of bleach in each load (what I mean by load is just a group of clothing that I wash in one tumpin of water--before I dump that water out and fill it up with clean water for the next load) and now my hands have bleach burns on them. Oh, and then wringing the clothes! OMG! As if my hands didn't hurt enough from being numb, the cut and the bleach--they were rubbed raw from handwashing, then burned more from wringing. We use two tumpins while doing laundry. One tumpin I use for washing. Then I wring the clothes well and set them in the clean water (rinse) tumpin. Then I give them a good rinse and yet again another wring. After that they go outside to the clothes line. Anyway, this is my 'chore'. I do it every Saturday, but because we were so busy yesterday I did it today (Sunday). Justin and I have divided the chores up pretty equally in our ger (which is necessary because of all the work it takes to keep it comfortable).

Because of the washing, our floor was soaking, so it deserved a mop (using a rag, a tumpin of water and me on my hands and knees). As a result, our home is once again comfortable and sparkling clean.

My favorite part of today was this morning....before all the washing. Well, it was pretty nice afterwards, too!



Update(Oct. 20th): I now have gloves and have done the laundry with my new gloves made in China---works miracles--No numbing, burning, or drying out!

The Jeweler

We have a Jeweler here in Mandalgov that makes all the jewelry they sell in the little shop. It is a shop that is about 10ft x 12ft and a young man and his wife work there. I walked by one day and saw him making some jewelry and I was amazed. It gave me an idea for a gift for Justin's birthday. As you've seen in the pictures we've posted (and probably heard about it in emails) Justin has lost a substantial amount of weight. His wedding band (along with his pants) doesn't fit and slips off too easily. So I had a great adventure going to the Jeweler's with one of my teachers (to help me translate) and had the Jeweler create a ring for Justin. He had several designs to choose from. I wanted this ring to symbolize our time in Mongolia so I chose a horse design. Horses are very respected creatures and have a long history with the Mongolians. They are very symbolic animals meaning happiness, strength, power. The design I chose has two horses on it. My teacher (who went with me) told me that it is very common for men to have some sort of symbol with two horses on it.

Enough about that. On with the show. The Jeweler laughed when I asked him if I may take pictures while he made the ring. He first weighed the exact amount of silver needed from silver scraps that he had. He needed 8.82 grams.


Then he melted the silver and made it into a ring shape.




Then created the design and sized it by hammering it onto the sizer pole very delicately.






This all took about 30 minutes and he did it all right before our eyes. I just found it all fascinating. The price was unbelievably low, too! Only 10,000 Tugriks (about $8). Now, I never said this was high quality jewelry. The ring I bought would probably only cost about $20 at most if I bought it in the states. But, it has meaning, history, memories and was made with love!

First but not last...

1. Made a fire with coal! (not the soft kind that comes in a bag at the supermarket---walmart, I miss you-- the kind that comes straight out of the ground in form of hard rock)

2. Woke up to a ger that was 45 degrees this morning.

3. Made chicken and dumplings last Friday and it was a success! Cooking in a ger IS possible...if you have the right ingredients--that's the hard part.

4. Got followed by a guy in a car yesterday. Yes, he was in a CAR and following me while I was walking. His head hanging out the window while he kept honking for me to look at him. It was EXTREMELY awkward, but I kept looking ahead and ignored him. He finally drove away.

5. Had a 'get together' with the other PCVs in my town. We had banana bread, apple crisp, pico de gallo & tortilla chips (all homemade). It was fun. We hardly all hang out because of our schedules and our mode of transportation (walking).

6. I went to a special shop yesterday and saw something amazing! I took plenty of pictures. I will post more about that trip this weekend...Can't give it away just yet.

7. Gave Justin his first haircut in Mandalgov. But, I know it won't be his last :( I'm not bad at cutting hair--I just really don't like to do it, then clean up after it...and clean up more after it (you can never get rid of the hair!).

8. Yesterday I found some fig newton type cookies and bought a kilo of them. While the store clerk was putting handfuls and handfuls in the bag and weighing it, I realized a kilo was probably too much. Next time: half a kilo.

9. Watched Justin participate in an all teachers track meet last Saturday. It was freezing (literally) in the morning and Justin had to run a 1500 meter race. So he was wheezing all day afterwards. Running in the cold is not fun. Oh, he got 7th out of about 30.

10. Yesterday I was talking with one of my teachers and she said, "Did you ever get that letter for you?" and I said, "No!". I was so surprised, I hadn't heard of ANY mail coming for me yet. And she said "Yes, the Librarian told me you had mail". I asked her when the Librarian told her this and she shrugged and said "Oh, back in September". It was hard for me to contain myself. September?!!! Today, I will finally pick this mail up. Sadly, I know circumstances like these will never cease while here in Mongolia.

11. Saving the best for last! I was told about an AMAZING store last week! I can't believe I've been shopping at other places! It is a store that's kind of hidden away. But it has EVERYTHING! Well, not everything. But it has a lot of things (including chicken...since all the other stores have magically run out for the past few weeks). It has Chicken, Pepsi, tuna, canned peas, ...and that's about it...but usually that would take a visit to AT LEAST 3 different shops. The only bad side is that it's the farthest shop away from my house. So going in the winter will not be fun. But, the good side to that is that it's pretty close the Justin's school...so maybe he can pick things up on his way home some days???

Graduation, Fur Hats & Nutrition

These pictures are actually from August 20, 2010. This was our big "Swearing-In Ceremony". We had just gone through a tough and unforgettable summer training for 2 1/2 months. Many important people (besides us!) attending this ceremony including the Acting Debuting Chief of Mission for the US Embassy, the Vice Minister of the Mongolian Ministry of Education, and the Chairperson for the National Authority for Children in Mongolia. This was the day we officially became Peace Corps Volunteers. Yay!

This past Saturday I started teaching my Community English Class with another Peace Corps Volunteer in my town. We invited all of the English Teachers from all 5 schools and will be building their listening and speaking skills as well as teaching methodology to increase their classroom management and introduce new ways of teaching. It was a very fun class. We had some great discussions. Justin even attending this class with me (he even participated in all of the activities! He's such a good, supportive husband!).

Afterwards Justin and I attended a Mongolian Exposition. It was a center filled with booths of goods from all the different provinces. There were handmade wool blankets, shoes, handmade fur hats, traditional clothing as well as any type of Mongolian food imaginable. It was a very neat experience. It only lasted for two days, but next time it travels this way we will be more prepared and might actually buy something. Justin really wants one of those fur hats, but refused to pay the 85,000 tugriks they requested.

There was a hat that looked just like this:


But most looked like this:


No thanks! I'd rather not have a dead animal on my head...faux fur please!

I am thinking about starting a baking/cooking class for the community. The small details are not planned out yet (like where we can have this class...what food we can use...where to get money for it, etc-- you know, the little stuff). I will have my eyes open for ideas. But I have heard of several people who are interested. And I'm all for expanding the Mongolian food palate!!! The reason why there isn't a lot of variety of foods to be found in my town is because if there were they would just go to waste because no one knows how to cook with it because it's not traditional food. Since it is not traditional food it isn't even considered!

Here is an excerpt from an online article that gives some insight as to why Mongolians eat the way they do:

Influence of social class
What people eat is formed and constrained by circumstances that are essentially social and cultural. Population studies show there are clear differences in social classes with regard to food and nutrient intakes. Poor diets can result in under- (micronutrients deficiency) and over-nutrition (energy over consumption resulting in overweight and obesity); problems that face different sectors of society, requiring different levels of expertise and methods of intervention.

Cultural influences
Cultural influences lead to the difference in the habitual consumption of certain foods and in traditions of preparation, and in certain cases can lead to restrictions such as exclusion of meat and milk from the diet. Cultural influences are however amenable to change: when moving to a new country individuals often adopt particular food habits of the local culture.

Source:http://www.eufic.org/article/en/page/RARCHIVE/expid/review-food-choice/

Mongolia definitely doesn't have a problem with over-nutrition, most likely the opposite. But their culture does result in 'habitual consumption of certain foods' as well as their traditional ways of preparing that food. However, that line about "restrictions such as exclusion of meat and milk from the diet" is the EXACT opposite!! The problem is that they ONLY eat meat and milk products. Therefore have very high protein intake with very little other vitamins. In fact, if a dish does not contain meat (chicken and fish do NOT count as meat here--and pork is practically undheard of--which also would not be considered a meat) or milk then most Mongolians wouldn't even want to try it. I've offered part of my meal to my neighbor once when he came over while we were eating dinner and he said no because he only eats meat. It just shows how strong their traditions are.

To end this post here are a couple pictures of a regular night in the Newberry ger:

Me washing apples:


Justin the can-opener! :) We had Macaroni & Cheese but without the cheese...