LiVe, LoVe, LaUgH and EXPLORE!: September 2013

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

SepTeMbeR 17, 2013 Хэзээ (what time)? MoNGoLiAn TiMe!

I arrived at my destination (the gym) last night at 5:30, the time that the dance would be starting. At 6:30-7 баш (pronounced Bagsh {teachers}) started arriving. They showed me the dance and there were approximately 45 seconds to a minute in. At around 7:45 the бүжиг баш (dance teacher {Bugic bagsh}) arrived and within 20 minutes I was told to sit down. Now, when she arrived there was some very large discussion about where I would be placed so I can only assume that once a Mongolian dance has started, choreographing people in is not possible. Yes, I was kicked out of the dance! As I am leaving to go home...It's 8:30 at night by this time, I am told I will be apart of another dance. Today, around 5, I was then asked if I would do my Mongolian dance by myself for the 90th anniversary. When I responded I would but didn't have access to the music for it, a teacher said she would get it at my school and I would need to audition my dance for the ceremony. While I am still slightly perplexed by the events that have taken place around the dance for the past couple of days, I keep telling myself that this is Mongolia and Mongolian time, and I will just need to continue to go with the flow!

SEpTemBer 16, 2013 SuCCessFul MoMenTs!

Today I spent the majority of the day doing more exploration of my school and my site. I was able to find world vision with the help of Michael who came in from Tirat and his friend Urtaa. While Brittany and I were not able to meet the director we did establish a good time to come back tomorrow. Brittany was also able to come to my school and together we went to the dorms. There are currently 96 children and one teacher in the dorms. We have been told that it would be great to have us play games with the children as well as educate about Hygiene and perhaps Lifeskills. My counterpart has agreed to start Lifeskills classes with me when I return from Thailand. Brittany and I have also received the okay to run an English Club twice a week an hour and a half each time. We would have about 20 in our groups and we would have the younger and older population in separate classes. In the community, a Monglish club is also in the works. While we have all of these great idea’s, coordinating locations and starting them will be the real challenge. As of current, my school is very busy preparing activities for Tsetserleg’s 90^th anniversary, which is subsequently also my schools 90^th anniversary. I have been asked to dance and today I will be starting a group dance with a number of teachers here. Practice will start at 5:30 and could continue till about 8 or 9. I am also hopeful that when I show up in 10 minutes, I won’t be asked to teach a dance!!!!

My WeEkEnD wItH tHe CrEW! September 14 and 15, 2013

My site mates and I spent this past weekend doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Friday was spent in, watching Youtube Videos of Jenna Marbles (Poor Will) and movies. On Saturday, I enjoyed a nice day of absolutely nothing besides cleaning and watching movies. After being out all week in UB it was nice to just relax and lay around my Ger. Saturday night, was spent at the club, where my site mates and I have become quite the dancing machines. Sunday night, we were invited to dinner by the people who own Fairfields; a quaint little bed and breakfast that has marvelous food and cappuccinos. They live on a hill on the opposite side of town; are completely surrounded by mountains, and from their kasha or yard (sounds like Hasha) you can see the lights of the city. They even have a toilet you can flush paper down. Posh. We enjoyed all the homemade Pizza we could possibly eat and for desert we were given apple crisp in a homemade pudding. I was absolutely stuffed when I left!

PiNkY PT? FrIdAY ThE 13TH

I am currently back at my site awaiting my trip to Thailand. I was told that there is damage to the tendons and ligaments and I will need to bend and stretch my pinky using my other hand. I was also given a Bengay type of muscle relaxing cream that is supposed to rubbed into my pinky approximately 15 minutes before the bending and stretching commences. On the second of October I go to Ulaanbaatar to fill out paper work and on the 4^th I will fly to Thailand for surgery on the 5^th. I can say that there are worse places than Thailand I could be going to and I am thoroughly excited for this impromptu trip!

Today I have spent acculturating back into my site. After much interest in my pinky, I was asked if I would dance the traditional Mongolian dance I did in Darkhan for School one’s anniversary on the 26^th, by my training supervisor Dashka. They wanted me to dance today (Friday) however; since I haven’t practiced that dance at all I asked if we could hold off on the rehearsal till Monday or next week sometime. I also don’t have the music so this could get a little hairy.