I’m laTe, I’m lAAAtEE, for a very important date!

In America, if you show up 5 minutes late to a meeting (especially a boss mandated meeting for) you are considered rude and will probably be reamed out.  In Mongolia, if people make it to a meeting you set up, consider yourself lucky.  We have been told there will absolutely be times where you call your counterpart (the social worker that we will collaborate with, or other people in the community) a million times and there will still be times that they will not make a scheduled meeting.  Other times, you will be asked to create an event, set up numerous meetings, and no one will show up to any of them.  A day before said event all of the sudden people may want to get together to plan.  At anytime, you may be called and told a meeting is occurring at that moment and for the most part the expectation is that you will be there.

So, how do you solve this problem? We have been advised that when we get to site and meet our counterpart, or pretty much anyone that is working with us, that we inform them that as American’s we like to plan, and if a meeting is planned it is important that you call if you are unable to attend. As American’s we also HATE when people stalk our phone asking us over and over again if we still have plans. In Mongolia, it is perfectly acceptable to call a person million times to make sure a meeting is still happening. It is also apparently normal to continually knock on people’s doors until they answer. 

I really am enjoying these afternoon sessions. Every tidbit of information helps the PCV’s to know what exactly they have gotten themselves into.  We have approximately a month and a half left till we receive our site information. We leave on Monday for Darkhan and the weeks are just flying by!

YoU Cut ME??? NO! I CuT YOU!

Have you ever been in a line at the grocery store, in America when an Asian person just kind of sneaks their way in front of you? Well, this is pretty normal practice in Mongolia. Lines are, as my classmate Tori put it, “a suggestion”.  I finally learned (yesterday) that if you want to get something behind the counter at a store (Delgore) you yell it out (eventually the clerk will get you the item) or people will continue budging you. This happens EVERYWHERE.  People here talk about ATM’s machines and how people will just walk up and budge in front of you. This will happen at banks as well.  Imagine American banks, how long the waits can take. Now imagine one computer, one clerk, a bookfull of account information and no ATM machine, at all. This is what our Soum bank looks like in Shaamar.  It takes at least 15 minutes to get through one person and if someone budges, well…you get the point. So from here on out, this lady is going to adapt. So, when I get back to the states and start budging people, kindly remind me that I am NO LONGER in Mongolia ;-)

6/26/2013 Election day!

Today is important for Mongolia because it is election day for the president.  Currently, there is a democratic as president and my sister Dana hopes that he will be re-elected. Not everyone feels this way. Older people do not see significant positive changes between the current government and the old socialist ways.  To further this significant governmental restructuring, Republican ideals have been around for approximately 80 years but Democratic views are new to Mongolia. My sister talks about what a big change it has been for people (mainly the older population) to adjust to democratic ways because it is so new and people don’t really know what Democracy entails.

Before 1990, the government was socialist and goods were imported from Russia.  After 1990, importing goods from Russia stopped and the only goods that were always accessible in grocery stores (Delgore means store) were salt (Avs) and flour (gorrill). Russian run factories were sold to people who were unable to successfully run them and many of those medium to smaller size factories closed. Candy, clothing and other goods were no longer being produced in Mongolia.  Leftover machinery from closed factories were sold to China because at the time they were buying irons and metals.

As of current the big exports of Mongolia are Cashmere, coal and iron. However, Mongolian factories are also starting to produce clothing, and other goods that used to be produced by Russia.

Governmental affects education. Tomorrow, Mongolia will find out who their new president will be and  I am interested to see how these changes will affect my work with the youth of this beautiful country!

BUsY As A BeE!

You drive with your family into an open field. There aren’t paved roads, let alone really dirt roads; so your bouncing out of your seat like a ping pong ball. After 15 minutes or so, you cross under some railroad tracks and the opening is barely wide enough to fit through. You make it, surprisingly, and come to a locked gate, Dana, your sister steps out of the car to unlock it and you drive into yet another overgrown field. “This is the place?”, you think to yourself. Another 10 minutes driving through the rough terrain and rows of watermelon, you stop. Dana hands you a hat and tells you to put on the pants and jacket your brought. You do so. A few minutes later you are walking towards 20 wooden boxes.  You expect to hear them but, all you hear is silence, until someone opens a box lid and wham, the deafening roar of the buzzing bees is all around you!

This was what I experienced yesterday. During breakfast I was informed that the family would be going to the hives and if I wanted to, I could come along. When we got there I was stunned at how silent it was. It did not stay that way for long. Each box holds 9 wooden screen-like rectangles that allow the bees to make their hives. It was insane. For each box, there is one EDG or mother Zoog (Bee). The mother bee is marked with a red or blue marker so that she is easier to find. THe only difference between the mother bee is that she is much longer than the other bees. THe have to pull out every screen and look for her until they find her. They then place a screen. This screen will around protect her when they shake the other screens to get the Zoogies off of them so that the honey can be extracted. When there is honeycomb on a screen, they have to cut it off so that they can then extract the honey.

THe honey is extracted when they place the screens (4 at a time) in a metal bin that you spin. The honey falls out of the screen and runs down the walls into the bottom of the bin. There is a spout that you open so that the honey can be placed for storage in much smaller plastic bins.

Toya and Pec (my sister in law and father) were the ones who would look over the screens and decide if they were usable. Some of the screens had babies on them, so in order to keep the population up, they would not be used to extract honey. I was able to hold a couple of the screen when we were looking for the mother bee as well. It was an insane feeling to be holding so many little creatures that can sting you at any moment. It took all day. This process took all day. Sometimes it took a few minutes to find the mother bees, but sometimes it could take 30 minutes. Examining the screens for honey availability could take a long time as well.  It was extremely hard work and I have a new found respect for beekeepers. You not only need to have the patients to go through all the boxes, but then you have to worry about being stung and not freak out (you will absolutely get stung more if you are not calm). I was astonished at how relaxed the bees were when we first started the day. They would land on you, feel you out and fly away. By the end of the evening the bees were not so happy, and that was when the majority of the stings occurred.  I cannot wait to participate next time. I have always feared being stung prior to this experience. Today I learned  that my behavior can affect how these little creatures will react to me.  If you are calm and collected, and move slowly, the bees usually do not sting. If you freak out be prepared to be attacked!

                                    

Don'T Slurp YouR SouP!!!!

When I was four, my Uncle taught me to slurp (as well as other bad habits) so I would eat my noodles.  I soon became a slurping expert; my soup, noodles, drinks and pretty much anything else that could be slurped.  I’m sure everyone has heard the saying, “don’t slurp your soup!”. American’s feel it is not proper etiquette to engage in at the dinner table.  I never quite understood the purpose of slurping, I just knew that it was entertaining at 4 years old and it got me to eat my soup.  Finally, after 24 years, I have found a reason for the slurp! In Mongolia; EVERYONE slurps. It is not just the little kids, but the grandparents, the parents, the extended family; EVERYONE. You sit around the table to a meal of hot tea, and soup and the slurping circle starts at the beginning of the meal, and doesn’t end until everyone is done eating.  If you (like me) are perplexed by this behavior, let me break it down for you. Soup (especially in Mongolia) is HOT. It comes off a woodstove after it has been boiled for a half hour or longer and Mongolian’s immediately start eating.  If you slurp it, it takes less time to cool off then if you blew on it or had to wait for it to cool off.  So, the next time someone tells you it is rude to slurp your soup/coffee/etc. feel free to ignore. I say, master the slurp. Slurp it loud and slurp it proud!

6/19/13 CommUniCATION is EvErYTHInG!

Kids (boys)  in Mongolia love to wrestle. On the beach, in the home, wherever they go, they will expell their energy through wrestling or straight up kick box style fighting. It is interesting to watch, but at times you will see kids, and adults alike walk away with a limp or hunched over. It starts in childhood but this aggressive behavior seems to continue throughout their life.  As American’s we were warned (more so the males in the group) that at some point we could be sized up and depending on how we respond, we could be attacked, especially after a local man has had a few drinks. THis in fact happened tonight to one of my friends while he was playing basketball at his house. He was talking to a gentlemen that clearly had one too many drinks and everything seemed to be going well,; until the man abruptly looked him up and down (he is a sizable guy) and made a fist. My friend’s sister saw this and immediately made him go inside to his room and lock the door.  While this type of behavior occurs in America, it doesn’t seem to be so frequent. We have all met the guy at the bar who gets snockered and picks a fight with the little guy, however,  alcohol abuse is an issue here in Mongolia.  In my classes, we have discussed alcohol abuse as well as aggressive behavior. It is clear that functional life skills classes (that are often taught by gym teachers or homeroom teachers that have a free period and no professional training) are necessary to communicate and help facilitate a plethora of appropriate skills that will impact a Childs’ development and success. The importance for children to be able to communication their feelings effectively so fights do not disrupt the learning process is the foundation to life, as well as being a successful student.  As Peace Corps volunteers we have this opportunity to share our knowledge of child development and make a mark (regardless of how small) on a community.  I am starting to count down the days to when I get moved to my site. I know it is over a month and a half away but I am excited to live on my own in a community where I can create something sustainable and leave my mark.

6/18/13 TrAsH In MonGoliA!

These past two days have flown by. We have homework every night ; it kind of reminds me of college. My language class remains hard but doable, as long as I continually study. We are starting to delve into what CYD (Community, youth development) work entails, and I really am digging it. We have a project starting this week where we and another classmate will find a counterpart, and develop a questionnaire to assess needs of youth within the community. I will be working with Shane since he is the closest PCV to my house (in the sticks). He also has a little sister that meets the age requirement and is able to speak a bit of English. We received the assignment today in class and have already written a questionnaire and interviewed Nikki and her friend. There are still some rough patches of the assessment but it is a good start.

Life here is so different. I feel like I repeat that every time that I write but it is so true. For instance, American’s adopt pets and love and care for them. The people here view dogs and cats (for the most part) as expendable. Hasha (yard)  dogs  are specifically used to herd cattle and protect the family. You do not really pet them because they are dirty and if you do they tend to nibble at you because they were never trained to show affection appropriately. Stray dogs, like Cheech and Chong (two dogs that seem to have adopted us at school) are usually seen as nuisances and people throw rocks at them to keep them at bay. A volunteer friend of mine came home from the river on Sunday to find two of her hasha puppies dead in the yard. There was no mourning from the mother, and as quickly as they died, they were gone the next day. Animals are kept for a purpose here, and not for love and companionship. For instance, cattle. Cows, sheep, goats, horses are all utilized for everyday life, and at some point, a herd animal will be killed for meat.  There is a ritual that goes with taking an animal’s life as well. While I have yet to see a goat or sheep being slaughtered, I plan on taking part in the practice at some point.

Another difference is the trash that seems to be in various places. My home stay father is an environmental officer and while he feels that trash is a big problem, I don’t know how far that concern stretches around the Soum.  He told me during a problem solving/assessment exercise that I had to administer this weekend that while there is a garbage dump within the community, people do not use it. They will throw bottles in the forest. I have seen this firsthand when I go on my hikes. In some places, broken shards of glass litter fields.  I found it interesting that this concern seemed to be shared by one of the girls we interviewed today. Perhaps someone will be placed at this Soum and if enough concern is expressed something can be done.

6/16/13 Oh YANNA! (OH MY)

This weekend went by quickly. Friday I met up with other volunteers and we played the games we learned in class and well just vegged out. I adore my family but it is nice to just hang out once in a while with my friends.

Saturday, I helped make Ho-sure. They are pastry’s filled with a potato, jeweltay (shallot like onions), and peppers. You fry them up in oil. They are super tasty. When my family cooks, it is as if they cook all day long! They got the jeweltay from their garden, and I assume the peppers and potatoes came from the garden as well. After I had finished cooking,Cal, one of the volunteers came down the mountain and we went on a hike. It is very hilly behind my house and there are some awesome views.  Cal and some of the other volunteers live up the hill on a plateau so the view is non-existent up there, but there are a lot of beautiful trees.  After the hike we went to Shanes house and met up with Angela and Jake, and from Shane’s we all went to the river. Mongolia’s geography is so beautiful and different from place to place. The river is set in a very open pasture. Behind the river there are mountains in the distance. As far as your eyes can see it’s mountains, green grass, blue sky’s and herds of animals. It was a great ending to a wonderfully relaxing day.

Sunday I woke up and decided to do my laundry, the old fashioned way. An hour later, my knees were sore, my back ached, but my clothes were clean and hanging. All of the volunteers had cleared going to the river with our language teachers, so around 1 I left with my nephew Gontolic, after being heavily warned that the river has a dangerous undercurrent and to be super careful.  It was a very beautiful day, Blue sky’s, puffy white clouds, and hot hot hot! The river itself isn’t very clean. If you step into the water it is really muddy, and I saw cows drinking out of the water, and probably pooping in it as well.  The water was really cold too, so I didn’t go all the way in.  While my friends and I were sitting chatting, we saw a herd (at least 20 strong) of what I presume to be wild horses come running into the field. It was an amazing sight to see; I predict for as long as I live here I will never be able to ignore a sight like that one.  Although this weekend was fantastic, I look forward to going back to classes tomorrow. It fills my time and I enjoy learning the language. I feel like I don’t know enough, but I have only been in Mongolia for two weeks and I have only been in language classes for a week. I know it takes time but it gets a little frustrating not being able to communicate with people who only speak Mongolian.  

6/13/2013 One WeEk LaTEr!

Tomorrow, I have officially been in Shammar a week. I am loving every moment of it…except for the bathrooms which are outhouses with no toilet seat and missing boards in the floor. If you are a girl you can relate to how hard it can be to aim while squatting. On a positive note, my thighs will be wicked toned when I leave. THis week was HARD. My class is moving quickly in learning the language. WE have learned how are you, how did you sleep, where are you from, what is your name, bye, stand up , sit down, I am eating an apple, listen, read a book, study, I am a Peace Corps Volunteer….etc. WE are also learning how to write in Cyrilic. Did I mention….the language is INSANE? THe alphabet has 38 letters and numerous vowels. Ah, eh, e, ee, ya, yeah, yo, y, uh, oh, are just the vowels. I am starting to get the hang of it but practicing every night is completely necessary. Tomorrow, we will be breaking up into two different classes. One half of the class will learn a lot in a short amount of time and will practice more next month and another will practice more this month and then next month will learn a lot of materials. It is a tough decision as to which class you decide to be in. THe peace corps placement office will also talk to us to decide what accommodations we want to live in. A Ger, house, or apartment. I have decided that I DO NOT want an apartment because if the electricity goes out in the dead of winter I do not want to have to pack it up for a night or two or a week and move to a friends house because its negative 50 out. If you live in a house of Ger you will have a woodstove. While they are both more work, and usually do not have running water, being warm is at the top of my priority list.

Today we learned a few games. Mongolians play a game called SHAGAI. You play with sheep ankle bones.  Each side represents a different animal. One side represents a camel, another a horse, another a sheep, and lastly a goat The game starts when one player tosses all the pieces onto the ground.. You roll all of the bones, (similar to rolling die) and you flick one bone into a nearby matching bone (similar to pool). IE..if you have a bone that lands on the horse side you have have to find another bone that is on the horse side and flick the first bone against that one. If you are successful, you keep whatever piece does not match another nearby piece. You continue this until the game pieces are all gone. It is a really fun game and there is a lot of thought that goes into the game.  There is also horse racing. You line up the bones, and your pieces. You have four bones that you roll and if one, two, three, or all four land on the horse side you move your pieces accordingly. Whoever reaches the end of the line of bones first wins!

I am learning so much here, from Dana and her father (Pec) and mother (Torga), and Dana’s nephew in law (Gondolig). He is 8 but in Mongolian years he is 9 because they count the time that the fetus is in the womb as a full year.  Mongolians are very hospitable people. If you show up at anyones house, they usually have something for you to eat and drink. I asked Dana yesterday why everyone tries to feed us so much and she told me that if the belly is full you will not miss home.

June 9, THE TUMPIN!!!

Today I was told that I could sleep all day. I don’t know if it was just because I was here or what, but at 9 a.m everyone was up and about. After a breakfast of about three kinds of talhlk (bread) I decided to take a shower. I am beyond pleased that I have running HOT water for a shower. But I also have to be cognizant of how much water I use because when It runs out of the electric water heater that it would take 20 minutes to warm more water up. Knowing this, I used my tumpin for the first time so I could shave my legs. A tumpin is a round plastic bin that you sit in to wash. It is barely big enough for me to sit in so I can only imagine how hard it was for some of the 6 foot volunteers to bathe!

After learning head, shoulders, knees and toes from Dana in Mongolian we left for the school. It is about a mile away uphill. The view walking up the steep his is just amazing. I am actually glad that I was placed downhill instead of on the plateau where most of my volunteer friends were placed. After shots we walked around Shaamar (near the school) and saw the other homes that people were living in, and then I headed home since it looked as if it would rain. Homemade pasta soup with Yamaa (Goat) intestines was for dinner, and was actually delicious! Dana tells me she will teach me how to make homemade pasta; I am looking forward to it.

June 8-9, 2013 GaMeS and Views

Dana’s sister (Toya) and brother (Hoya at least that is what I think his name is) in law came over today.  Toya is very interested in learning English so she and I worked on her English and my Mongolian. They pick it up so fast here. But I also know that some of them have been training for years. I am so lucky that Dana speaks such amazing English. Around 3 Toya and Hoya decided they would take me up the hills into the woods to pick some seeds off the trees. I am told they will be planted but do not know when that will be. After, we went to visit a family friend of theirs. Scott is staying with their family friend, Jake and Cal are near as well so everyone came over, played a matching game with bones, (Shagi) and drank some Russian beer. When it was time to leave, about 9:30 we went home and there was corn beef has with other things mixed in with it. It was pretty tasty, and it didn’t take me very long before I retired to bed for the night.

My homestay family is amazing! They give me space but always include me in things. They do funny things sometimes too. Dana is always asking me if I want more food, or if I want to take a nap. Torga is always smiling at me and when I ask her something she will usually follow me around until I somehow communicate what I want.  My homestay is on a little farm with 18 Unee (cow), two mores (cats), and two nohjey (dogs). Behind my house there are hills that overlook the som (town), and off in the distance you can see the mountains. It is simply beautiful and peaceful here.  No wonder I am sleeping so well.

June 7, 2013 CYD GoeS to the StICkS...SHAMMAR!

Picture this, you wake up, have a good hardy breakfast consisting of a cheeseburger with cucumber, pack your already overly stuffed bags with training  books, a water filtration system and sleeping bag that the Peace Corps provided you; and jump on a retro looking van to your homestay training destination with 11 other people. It’s an hour and a half ride with a couple stops along the way to tourist  spots that you know nothing about. You can cut the tense excitement with a knife.  Will your family like you? Will you like them? What will the living condition be like? Will they like your homestay gift? So many questions are running through your head as you travel from green hills and valley’s to an indigenous forest. This is not the landscape you were in an hour ago. This is new. It is as if you stepped into yet another country.  You finally get to your destination and are greeted with a plethora of children and families. You are offered milk, and candy.  People start leaving one by one with their families and you and two other people are left wondering when they will get a glimpse of your new family. You turn around right as a short and adorable old man comes up.  “Jennifer”, Zahar says, “this is who you will be staying with!”.  A short ride back to his house, you meet Pec’s wife Torgo a retired nurse,, daughter in law,  Dana who used to be an international tour guide, her husband Suudam (Named for his beard, similar to that of Saadam Husain) who is a farmer, and Michellet their 11 month year old daughter; over warm milk, Johnny, and some other fruit cake. Dana speaks fantastic English so you think, this transition will be easier than initially thought.  You meet the pets, two Hasha Dogs (Nahajo), two cats (More), cows (oonay) and some calves and you realize that this is going to be a blast!

So, you have met the family, learned about everyone in the family and have someone you can talk to in English. It’s now time to eat a real meal.  A londeon so to speak because it is at 3pm. Outside there is a small wooden round hut with amosquito nets around it. You walk around to the side and through the small doorway. Inside there is a woodstove and a table with chairs and a bench.  On top of the table there is a cutting board and various bowels. You notice the top of the stove has a huge metal bowl on top of it and inside are unrecognizable mach (meat).  You ask “IN YOU WAY?” What is it pointing at the meat.  “Yamaa” Torgo replies. You continue to point around the bowl “In you way, in you way, in you way?”  Stomach, intestine, liver, lungs some other indistinguishable part. You look at a red substance on the table…you ask again “In you way?”.  “Tsus, or blood” Dana reply’s. You won’t what will be done with the Tsus and you don’t have to wait long because Torga picks it up and with Dana’s help pours it into the small intestines. Well, you think this is the moment of truth! You have to learn to survive from the traditions of the people and you have three months to learn it before you go of on your own.

This is day one of living with a traditional Mongolian family. After about a second of thinking about it, I decide to help. I held the Yamaa intestines while Torga  dumped in the tsus and untwisted the intestines so the blood trinkled down. It looked like uncooked sausage. Next, was the stomach. Blood was dumped into this as well. I realized fairly early on that I probably should have taken my bracelets of, but made due by pushing them up my arm with my wrist. I was glad I did because when I got done helping Torga and Dana cook, I looked down at my hands and they were caked in blood. After placing the meat In the boiling water that was in the metal bowl on the woodstove, and a thorough handwashing, it was time to eat. THe meat was placed into another bowl and brought inside. As my family father Pec cut the meat from various parts and placed them on my plate, I wondered how I was going to do with the various bloody parts. I started with the meat I have had before. Liver, then lungs. He cut my off a piece of the intestines and the stomach. Inside, the blood had become solid…a jelly like substance. I threw it into my mouth and started chewing….and it wasn’t that bad. It was rich, but did not taste horrible. I was thrilled. I had survived my first traditional meal, Yamaa and I didn’t get sick or dislike it.

After unpacking and a nap, I took a quick hike up the hills that were behind the house. It was yet another spectacular view. You could see the entire town, and mountains way off in the distance. When I got back home Torga took my across the street to show me the Jimays or Fruit that they were growing. She also grabbed some Mot (wood) for the Gothhh (fire).  Since Pec was going to a convention for earth day and would be gone for two days his coworkers came (Environmental officers). I had heard that we would be offered vodka and if we could just take a quick sip instead of drinking the whole thing it would be easier to obtain respect because they would know we were not there to party but we also wouldn’t be turning their offering down so we would also be respectful. I was happy when, after I took a sip they did not pressure me into drinking more. It was perfect! After everyone had drank a bit of the vodka The male of the group who first was offered the vodka did the traditional offering by dipping his fingers in and flicking it up and to the side. It was really neat to see.

By nine I was in bed tonight. It was an exciting but exhausting day! Reflecting back on it, I am glad that I tried everything, and even tried to cook a little. I am looking forward to getting to know this family more and learning the language better in the coming months.