Mongolia BROUGHT IT!

MY FIRST BLOG EVVAAAAA how global of me :) :) sooo i believe i have been in mongolia for about 3 weeks. since this is my first blog, i have much to catch up on but i brought my journal for assistance. i am using a computer at PC game, a place for kids to play video games. yes, they live in gers and, yes, this looks like an abandoned apartment building, but they still manage to play video games. With a million new experiences every day, it is hard to find time to write them all down and to capture settings properly. i wish i could upload pictures to help, but I will have to wait until i go to UB Aug. 20.

I live in a ger in a soum 145 km outside of UB. It is pretty small, but I absolutely adore it. All i have is a bed, dresser, table, stove, and makeshift sink. Every night, I make a fire (confession- i do have to use dung AHHH) to keep me warm throughout the night. there is a light in my ger, but i don't always have electricity. just like the internet, access to electricity varies day to day. some nights, i use a candlelight to do my homework and write in my journal. i feel like a character on an old PBS movie but without the feather and ink. My ger doesn't have running water so once a week i go to the waterhole and fetch enough water for the week. PC gave me a large water sanitizer and I also boil my water to make sure it is clean enough to drink.

My hasha family is an absolute hoot. they live in the ger right next to mine. we are getting along so well despite my inability to speak the language. everyday, they laugh and laugh at my terrible mongolian pronunciation.

My dyy (younger brother) recently left to spend the summer in UB, but, before he left, we spent every afternoon hanging out. He is ten years old and ran me all over this village playing jump rope, basketball, volleyball, herding cattle, herding goats, chasing horses by the water, throwing rocks at cans, and wrestling. I am really going to miss him, but my hasha family constantly houses new family members so i have plenty of young ones to distract me.

My host sisters are 16, 23, and 27. Every night, we hangout in my ger and they ask me questions about celebrities such as paris hilton, michael jackson, jennifer lopez, and shakira. They seem extremely interested in american culture and want me to take them home with me. Through miming and laughter we are able to understand each other. last night, my sister nayar boiled water and after it cooled offered to help me wash my hair. my other sisters sat on my bed laughing as they watched me try to scrub my head without spilling water all over my ger. The PC gave me a bucket which is pretty large, HOT PINK!, and plastic. In my bucket, I shower and wash my clothes. It took awhile to get the hang of showering and scrubbing clothes in a bucket, but by now I get my clothes just as clean if not cleaner than a washer machine in the states.

My EMEE (grandmother) and I share a special bond. She is 87 years old and at first she was weary about hosting a foreigner in her home, but we have become unbelievably close. For the first 2 weeks, I thought she was my grandfather and not grandmother. She has a shaved head and is always walking around with a cigarette she rolled up hanging out of her mouth. Most days, she wears pajama pants with HAPPIE written all over them and fake wannabe ugg boots covered with rhinestones. Throughout the day, she rubs on her Buddha beads and meditates. Recently, she became deathly ill. She hasn't eaten in days. Watching her struggle is taking a toll on me, because she needs to be hospitalized, but the family doesn't have enough money to take her to UB to seek treatment. Essentially, I am watching her die knowing that someone could help. Everyday, I give her my clean water and to pay me back (even though she does NOT have to) she gives me candies and rubs my back. I truly hope she hangs on for the whole summer or miraculously gets better soon...

On a lighter note, My older sister is teaching me how to cook. I know how to make bread, byytz, hosher, and many other mongolian meals. Soon, they are going to ask me to cook an American meal. I hope i don't let them down! I am thinking pizza, tacos, or spaghetti mmmmm...

During the week, I go to mongolian language classes from 9 AM- 1 PM. At 1, I have lunch with my host family and after lunch I teach or go to PC seminars. The class I am teaching is 6-10 years old. Currently, we are working on the alphabet and numbers. They are so excited to learn and every week students recruit their friends to come. Every week, my class gets bigger and bigger! I was nervous about teaching, but it is coming easier than a thought and I am really enjoying myself. At around 5:30 PM after lessons and class, I head to my hasha family to go herd the goats and help prepare dinner. After we prepare dinner and eat, I normally do my homework, read, write in my journal, or visit my American friends. there are 12 americans in my soum and they are all chill. last night, we all went to my friend mindy's to play cards and talk about how intense some of our experiences have been. It is so nice to be able to kick it and speak english for once!!!! Tonight we are throwing a full moon party out on the tallest hill by the OBOO (a shrine to a shaman god) for my birthday YAYY!!!!!

Most weekend mornings, I wake up and head to the plains to find our baby cows to bring home. We have four baby cows and they are adorable. Sometimes, my sister and I search for hours and can't find the cows. animals get lost behind the rolling hills and we can't see them. when this happens, we go to the highest point of the soum and look through binoculars. By the end of the day, we always find our animals, but I can't help but get nervous! So far, I have milked plenty of goats and watched plenty of wild animals get killed and skinned for meat. EWWWW. even though they use every part of the body and treat animals respectfully, i am tempted to become a vegetarian because the process is so foul. Okay- obviously i could go on and on and on but I have to go!! Thank you so much for taking time to read about my experiences :) i love you and miss you all. COME TO MONGOLIA PLEASE!!!! MUAHHHH!

Goodbye Suz!

Hey guys- this will be my first and last post, but I wanted to set this up for Suz so she could update us as soon as she arrives in Mongolia.

Suz left for San Francisco on Thursday, June 3, 2010. She flies out of SanFran today at 11am. Her bags are already checked... & no extra weight fee! Go Suzy!

We love you and miss you already! This year will FLY by and in no time you will be back in the dunes :). Stay strong, you're a stud, & love you sista.