Closing in on Two Months at Site

Hehe. I'm no blogger. This is a fact. I always feel so ancie when I'm on the internet. There are so many things to do and i'm paying for the time and i don't really have enough free time to be here anyway!

So. I'm committing to this now. At least two paragraphs about where I'm at and how I've been. maybe more if my attention span hold out!c·

Life is underway. I know how to get around my city, I know the people at my job, I (kind of) know what's expected of me. I'm on the verge of having routines!

I spend the early parts of the work week waking up early, teaching classes, scheduling and re-scheduling and re-re-scheduling meetings with my counterparts, trying to keep my ger's supply of toilet paper, rice, potatoes and water at a level of constant availability, and just generally trying to keep up with all the millions of things that are going on at my school.

Every week there is a competition or a new class that needs a curriculum, or someone in a uniform is coming to visit. Lots of things to prepare for...not that i generally get the opportunity to prepare for much. Usually I don't know anything is going on until I'm in the middle of it and it's happening. Sometimes this is stressful but mostly it's just getting me really good at thinking on my feet and winging it. Now I can give a little speech about myself in Mongolian at the drop of a hat.

Later in the week, things slow down some and I have time to work on my secondary job activities like tutoring my counterparts andn; working on video projects!

Right now I am working on a Public Service Announcement about the new trash cans in our city. It's almost done and hopefully it will be playing on TV soon. Then hopefully maybe possibly this will lead to a longer string of community service type TV spots that ideally I would work with local TV stations to produce. We'll see. I'm trying to take things slowly.

I also went to the countryside with World Vision last week to shoot some video for them. The were hosting a whole day of activities in a nearby soum and wanted someone to video it for their records and for the news. So I got to go and act like a news photographer. Yay! It was so nice and peaceful out there. We spent the evening singing karaoke and dancing the mongolian waltz. I love these types of social events. They are so much fun and everyone is smiling and it's not centered on the consumption of alcohol which makes everything less complicated in general. good clean fun. ha! they love it when i want to participate. i am so much less shy here about performing.

On the way to/from the countryside i got the worst car sickness i have ever experienced. I am feeling a little intimidated by travel in mongolia at the moment.

On the weekends, I've been trying to visit at least one new mongolian friend at their homes. Mongolians are big on visits and it's a great way for me to get to know more people in my community. We usually make food and I usually learn a ton of new words. Last last¶: week I learned how to make Bortsik!

besides that, the PCVs in my town are getting organized. Yesterday we went and met a bunch of NGOs in our town and we're holding monthly meetings to keep in touch about work-related things. Also, we started a weekly English Speaking Corner meeting where interested people can come practice their English with us in a low key setting. So far it's been a great success!

We are also starting a pretty mean Sunday brunch club. Watch out NYC, you've got competition.

Tumpin (my dog) is doing well. She's house trained herself somehow and I am so grateful for this. Now that she's big, she accompanies me to school or the store or wherever I go everyday, then returns home on her own. I think she is so cool. She's pretty much my hero. I am so happy to have such a great dog-friend to accompany me through these two years and beyond. She seriously needs to get fixed though. i'm currently looking for a vet that can do that but so far no luck. its time to get serious on this search. I do not want to be a baby's momma's momma!

That's all I can muster for now. My life is nice overall. Of course there are a million ups-and-downs in pretty much every single day and I've had my sessions with negativity, but this is all to be expected and overall I've got a good life forming here.

SoonC¡ I hope to be able to quit thinking about myself and my life here and start thinking more about the people around me and their lives. This is something that also takes time though.

I'm on my way.

PEACE!