Beautiful Life

I am typing this from a Guesthouse's computer. I'm in UB for yet another eye exam. I have no idea how this exam will go-- but I'm hoping it will finally put my eye troubles to rest.

We've had such beautiful weather here! UB has trees and the trees are that magnificent color of gold and red and brown. There is a slight cool breeze that picks up the leaves as you walk. You can wear a long sleeve t-shirt and a scarf and be completely comfortable.This is autumn!!

But Wednesday brings snow and a temperature drop into the 20's. I'm eating it up while I can!

Speaking of eating...I think it's time for me to go find a cheesy croissant and bacon.

Window Seals

...Something I will never take for granted ever again. Last night while Justin and I were walking home from our weekly English speaking practice night at a cafe (we call it 'Monglish' where anyone in the community can meet all of us PCVs for dinner or drinks and practice their English speaking skills informally--and make friends!), it was dark and chilly. We passed by an apartment building.

When I'm cold and outside at night--could be walking, or driving-- I like to see lights coming out of windows into the darkness and imagine a comfy warmness inside of it. I was doing this exact thing while passing by this apartment window last night. The curtains were shut, but light was protruding to the outside darkness and on the window seal were trinkets: vase, picture frame, small figurines.

It hit me kind of hard. It's something I don't have and miss having. Never again will I see a window seal as just a window seal. When I'm lucky enough to own a window seal I will use it to its full ability. It's so useful. I don't have shelves in my ger, no where to just set things and no windows and hardly any sunlight. I will make sure my dream home has window seals and sunlight to the max! I'm making quite a list of requirement for my dream home. I hope it's not too much to ask.

Running with the Camels

While driving hours through the desert I wondered what these HUGE marks were, up close they are camel tracks. Not a place wasn't touched.

What an adventure of a weekend this past weekend was! Justin and I had been planning to run in the Gobi Marathon (half & 10k races) for several months now and last weekend was the much anticipated date. It wasn't just play though-- we worked our way down there and rewarded ourselves with the Gobi run (rewarded?).

It all started early Thursday morning. We made our last meal in the ger, packed all of our things and were out the door by 12:30pm on our way to the gas station. Why are we going to the gas station? Well, there isn't direct transportation to Dalanzagad (Southern Gobi Province Capital) so we basically had to hitch-hike a ride. We knew that the bus coming from UB to Dalanzagad was due at that gas station at around 2pm (but you're never sure of a time in Mongolia, so it's best to give  a few hours of leeway). So we sat and waited. And waited. And 4:30 comes around and no bus. Several other buses and cars had passed by, but none were going to Dalanzagad. We finally asked someone when the UB bus was coming and they told us it wasn't going to come. We were pretty upset we were sitting in 40 degree weather for hours. We were also a little nervous because we HAD to get down to Dalazagad. We were teaching at a Teacher's Seminar and needed a day of preparation. We called our teachers and other friends to ask them how we could get to Dalanzagad since the UB bus never came. No one knew. There isn't a lot of transportation between provinces here in Mongolia. Finally, someone let us know that another bus from UB should be arriving in Mandalgovi to get gas at around 10pm.

At 10pm we went back to the gas station and waited. And waited. This time the temperature is below freezing.

And the bus came! It came around 11:30pm. We ran up to the bus driver and asked if we could hitch a ride. He said, 'no'.

There is no way we were about to take a 'no'. He said he didn't have any seats available. We told him we needed to get to Dalazagad and that we'd sit in the aisle. He looked at us crazy, but said it was alright. So Justin asked how much it was and they guy said we didn't have to pay-- we're that crazy. So we got in and sat on our bags in the aisle of a bus for 6 hours. It was a really bumpy ride. That driver seemed to be hitting the hardest bumps and dips on purpose causing people to fly in the air (but I know that's just how the path is). We finally got to Dalazagad at 6am on Friday morning.

We arrived at a friend's apartment and slept for a few hours before getting to work on the seminar that we'd be presenting the next morning. Dalanzagad is notorious for power outages. They are unpredictable and only give the residents a few hours of electricity everyday. So we worked during the day and ate dinner by candlelight.

The seminar was a hit! I am so amazed at how well it went. There were about 20 participants who came from the Dalanzagad and other small villages (soums) around the province. We did work hard for it and I felt so satisfied. We did good work, the teachers learned a lot and wanted more. I'm in the processes of getting pictures of the seminar. I'll post those pictures soon.

Now, we worked hard for this-- but the time had finally come. The next day (Sunday) was the big race. We drove about 3 hours northeast of DZ and saw some spectacular views. The Gobi Marathon was taking place at the Flaming Cliffs. It was beautiful to drive! It was absolutely tough to run though. Think: SAND and hills.

There are more pictures to come. This was definitely a weekend I'll always remember. We hung out with our friends (Clifton, Joe, Rob & Ben), we prepared and presented an awesome seminar, we ran a race in the GOBI! and we traveled far too long. We work hard and play hard here in Mongolia.

"Leaves Are Falling All Around"

Leaves are falling all around,
on the house-tops on the ground.
Leaves are falling on my nose,
on my head and hands and toes!

I've been singing children's songs lately that refer to Fall. We don't have any leaves here, but the song captured the autumn memories from my youth. And good memories make me happy!

Mandalgovi had a 'Farmer's Market' day last week. People from other Aimags came to sell their goods (vegetables, homemade treats--i.e. arul, airag, and all other curdled milk products--, and handmade clothes). I really enjoyed the one they had last fall, so I was excited to go again this year. As I strolled through the aisles, I wondered why they don't do these more often. Everything is so unique, it's a gold mine for souvenirs and Mongolian culture. Then, I saw it. Big, Beautiful and orangy-gold. The essence of fall. The king of this season.

A pumpkin:

The women in the stall had a good time seeing our faces (Megan was with me). We asked how much and they weighed it and told us: 1,500 Tugrik (that's about $1). A whole, medium sized pumpkin for $1! The laughs that came out of mine and Megan's mouth were crazed and mental sounding. I hadn't seen, let alone, touched a pumpkin for 2 years now...for Megan it's been 3-- and here it is...only $1. Done and done. Sealed deal. I would have bought that pumpkin for 20,000 tugriks!

For now, it's sitting as a decoration. Soon (maybe in 2 weeks time) it will be carved into a Jack-o-lantern, then the meat will be taken out and pureed to use for pumpkin pies in November. I'm going to get as much use out of this pumpkin as possible. Fall decor in September, Jack-o-lantern & pumpkin seeds in October, Pie in November.

I went to that Farmer's Market during my lunch break-- so I had to carry it back with me to school. Boy, did I get major stared at. Not only am I a foreigner and am constantly being stared out...now I'm holding a large, bright orange, weird thing. I walk into my school and immediately "en yoo way?", "en yoo way?", "en yoo way?" (what is this?). I said 'pumpkin'. And then they all asked what it tasted like. Was it good? Was it a fruit? I tried to answer (they don't know any types of squash, so I could only compare it with a cucumber--because they steam their cucumbers like we do squash), but it was extremely difficult. And also as I tried to answer, I started to feel horrible. Here is a huge piece of western culture that I could use as a lesson and let them explore this new item. They were so curious! So much about the pumpkin could be taught: baking the seeds, a pie, the texture of squash, the smell, the fun you have making a Jack-o-lantern. I felt like I was depriving them of something marvelous and so dear to me, total American culture! But, at the same time I just...can't...do it. I can't.

I have plans for this pumpkin, and they are all for me--well, all of us PCVs here in Mandalgovi. We've stripped ourselves of American culture for them and having this pumpkin will bring some of that back to us. So I can't do it. But, I hear that next weekend they will continue this Farmer's Market and if there are more pumpkins, by golly I'll buy them for my students!

Is that completely selfish of me?

I tried making popcorn balls last night, why wouldn't they stick together to form balls?? Anyway it was delicious homemade caramel popcorn with a touch of cinnamon. I love fall!

Comfortable Living Part 2

Here's the big one. The one that will change my life completely here as a PCV in Mongolia. Mr. Blender is nice--but Mrs. I-will-wash-all-your-clothes-for-you-in-one-load-so-your-hands-don't-freeze-and-aren't-rubbed-raw-every-weekend-and-cut-your-laundry-hours-in-half is the ultimate winner here.

Please welcome: Mrs. Washing Machine!

 She's completed with pink flowers and pink rhinestones on the dial. She lives in Megan's apartment (because she has running water) and I make a weekly visit to see both Megan and Mrs. Washing Machine. She has a spin dry, but doesn't have a dryer. So our clothes will still be damp and we'll have to walk 10 mins in the cold with wet laundry, but it's a heck of a lot better than 3 or 4 hours of hand-washing every week!

We paid 160,000 Tugrik for her. But between the 6 of us, it was only about 27,000 each (roughly $22 each). We paid it gladly.

As for root beer float night: it didn't happen :( That day was freezing! We had a cold front come in and the high was only in the lower 40's. We decided to post-pone it until it was a bit warmer (which will need to happen before the end of this month, because October is when winter begins!).

I seriously feel like I'm living the life. What else do I need? I have absolutely nothing to complain about. My life here is easy. A microwave would be pretty cool, actually--but we honestly have no where to put it and I don't see us getting one. We have friends (Mongolian & PCVs), we have good food (because that IS important--you'll never know how important it is until you're surrounded by only steamed flour, boiled meat and fermented milk), and we're warm.

Comfortable Living Part 1

This year is going to be all about comfort. Last year I was in it to survive and did my exploring-- This year, I know what it takes. It was rough, it was brutal. I remember some very, very dark days. But I'm going in it with a fight this year to make sure peace will be made between us. And yes, I'm talking about you, winter!

Why am I bringing up winter on the 6th of September? Well because of this: 

That's the weather up in UB right now. Here in Mandalgovi it's a warm 41 degrees. I knew this cold front was coming. Last night before I went to bed I put on my leggings, put my long thigh socks on over them (I'm sooo glad I bought those from Target before we left...I actually bought them by accident, but they've been a life saver), then added another layer of socks: my fluffy, pink, knitted socks. Now up on top I have my undershirt, a t-shirt, a light sweater then my fleece sweater on top. I was NOT cold last night. I prepped like a pro.

The topic has come up between us experienced PCVs about how not right it feels right now. We are all basically constantly looking over our shoulder every where we go in search for winter. Like it's going to creep up and grab us when we're least expecting. It's just not right to be here and not be cold...I'd rather it be cold than in constant fear and anxiety of what lies ahead. Bring. It. On.

I have a "Comfortable Living Part 2" post coming later on today/tonight/ or tomorrow. I won't give it away just yet. But it's one of the better things that could happen to us--or me. Why we didn't do this last year, I don't know-- but we've lived and learned and will definitely make up for it!

Today is a busy day! I have to teach class within the next hour, finish creating my schedule (which means hunting teachers down all day trying to get their schedules so I can harmonize them with mine), create curricula for my English Clubs, Community English Classes, Primary Teacher Methodology Classes and National Exam Prep Courses and other grunt work-- but the fun part comes this evening. We're having the first Mandalgovi PCV Meeting tonight. We have 6 PCVs in Mandalgovi this year (3 English Teachers, 1 Social Worker, 1 Health Volunteer and 1 Business Volunteer)-- a lot! And we're going to sit down and discuss all the projects we're wanting to do this year and collaborate with each other. We have so many organizations between us (the Hospital, the Children's Center, Mercy Corps, 3 out of the 4 schools in our town, etc.) that anything is possible. Between the 6 of us we can do great things in this community this year! OK, so I am excited about the meeting-- but really I'm most excited about......ROOT BEER FLOATS! We can't have a social without some type of refreshments!

Last Spring my dad sent a package with root beer extract. We don't have root beer here-- and I haven't tasted its marvelous deliciousness in over 18 months-- but we do have club soda...and right now we do have little ice cream sandwiches and per the directions on the back of the root beer extract box we can make root beer floats with these ingredients. It's a chilly day today, it's a shame we didn't do this last week (or even yesterday), but it will be amazing.

It's time for me to get to work! Comfortable Living Part 2 up next!

1st Day of School for the 2nd time

The opening ceremony. All 1,600 students come to the outside assembly.

The governor of Mandalgovi came to speak.

After the assembly all the students come inside to hear the President of Mongolia give a lesson on the 1st day of School (on the TV).

I feel like the 1st day of School was the beginning of the end. This is it. One. Last. School. Year. So, what are we going to do about it? Work. Play. Make memories. I have to say, going into it (days before the 1st day of school) I was at a low point. Coming back to a ger after the amazing life you can live in an apartment-- in addition to the condition our ger was in when we returned home to it, I was uneasy about doing this again. The uneasiness didn't last for long though-- something clicked and I had a change in gears. We make life as enjoyable or difficult as we want it to be. And I've made a decision that my life will be a good but challenging one!

It's so good to be back in my own kitchen. Or I guess I should say, it's so good to be able to use my own kitchen utensils and appliances again! I brought back an item from UB that will change my life here in Mandalgovi:

Meet Mr. I'm-going-to-make-your-life-so-awesome-this-year Blender.

Already I've found Cherry Compote and made it into a cherry pie filling. Made probably the best pie crust ever--using my blender (pie crust was my thing back in the states...I can't imagine it getting much better, but it did--oh so flaky with just the right amount of buttery and sweetness to it!).

I've been wanting a smoothie for a while, but ice is a very foreign concept to Mandalgovians. "Why would you want to drink something cold? And if you want it cold why don't you just put it outside?" So ice trays are not available, BUT bananas ARE readily available right now and awesome when frozen. So, next I found some Strawberry Compote and...BAM!



Strawberry & Banana Smoothie



Now if only bananas weren't $2 a pop I'd be doing this daily. Next on my list: Peanut Butter.

Right now it feels like we're living the dream life. We have so many American sitemates here to talk to and hang out with, we've received great packages this summer with amazing food, and it's still warm out so we're not constantly slaving over the stove/bagging coal/cleaning up coal dust, dung dust or dealing with frozen things. Life feels relatively easy. I mean, there are still ger chores that must happen (taking out the dirty water, getting clean water, sweeping up the sand that finds its way through the sides of the ger, etc.) but NOTHING compared to winter ger chores.

The warm weather has been messing with my mind though. It doesn't feel right to be here and not be cold. The other night (about 9:30) I was reading in bed when I had an urge to go to the bathroom. I could hear the wind blowing and my mind went to winter mode and started thinking 'you can hold it in for a while longer--maybe even through the rest of the night'--prolonging the long cold walk to the outhouse. Finally I couldn't hold it anymore and got up and prepped myself to go outdoors. I opened the ger door with my eyes squinting, ready...and....warmth. It was warm. It made me happy and sad at the same time. Happy that I am warm. Sad that it won't last for much longer. (And yes, I hold it in as looooong as possible in the winter-- there is no going to the outhouse if you 'think' you need to go...you only go when you HAVE to go.)

This is a beautiful site to me:



The fact that our ping (the little shed/entryway they put up in front of our ger to protect from wind getting in through the front door and also serve as storage for our fuel) is not up-- they only put it up during the winter season and remove it once it's warm. The fact that you can see the sun shining through the door. The fact that the the door is slightly open (and it's okay, because it's warm!). It's a beautiful site, for sure.