Training is over (thank GOD, that was rough...) and I'm on my third week at my Host Country Agency (HCA). I live in an apartment with a stove, oven, shower, toilet, and (now) a washing machine (so, for all of those thinking that I'd live in a hut somewhere, I don't. None of us in Mongolia do. Peace Corps Volunteers living in Mongolia either live in a ger (pronounced g-air, which is a fancy tent in a fenced in yard), an apartment, or in a wooden house. So far, everyone I've spoken to loves their living arrangement.
Here are some of the first lessons that I've learned so far. I'm excited to see how else I'll grow and will be blogging about it as the experiences come along.
It's not as bad as I thought (so far). I thought that I would be traumatized using outhouses and not having a hot shower everyday. That is the LAST thing that I think about everyday. The outhouses aren't bad at all; it gets a lot of fresh air so it doesn't smell (there's three walls, then a wooden fence door in the front, so in the front there's a huge "window"/gap where there's ventiliation). During training, I used a tumpin (wide, shallow bucket) to bathe and then I went to a shower house to shower once a week. The thing that was the biggest adjustment was being a constant topic of discussion in public. People stare, point, laugh, and yell to get my attention on a constant (more than constant) basis. That's VERY annoying. Not knowing the language is also a big barrier to living here because that's our way of communicating, expressing ourselves and connecting with others.
Anything is possible when you're motivated. On a related note, after my first language class I cried on my friend's shoulder (don't tell anybody, ya hear?). Nonetheless, I kept getting up, one day at a time, and walking to class. I studied, practiced with my host family everyday during dinner, and kept a positive attitude. After 10 weeks of intensive language training, I scored higher than Peace Corps' requirements. If there's anything that you feel is too hard, believe me when I say that it isn't too hard. Anything is possible with you're motivated. So get to it.
Screw that packing list. I forgot to tell you that I basically had to dump half of my stuff at the airport on the way to Mongolia. Some of the stuff I was mad about but honestly I didn't need it because I didn't replace half the stuff anyway.
Enough with that, here's some more pictures....
The famous Buddha statue overlooking Darkhan city.
Here are the host families making Khorkhog, which is mutton (sheep meat) cooked with hot stones in a container sitting on an open fire. AMAZING isn't the word...
Me and my BEAUTIFUL, loving host family. I love and miss them so much!
Playing in the river
