Saturday, June 27, 2009
Two Weeks in...
Wow, I’ve been here 2 weeks already!
I spent my first five days in Mongolia in Zuunmod with the whole M20 group where we were introduced to the things we will be learning at PST (Pre-Service Training) over this summer. It was a whirlwind of big-group-dynamics and all day classes as the Peace Corps got paperwork and basic knowledge in line for all 68 of us (one person has already left) to move into our training sites and begin the serious PST.
And believe me, PST is going to be serious! Intellectual boot camp, basically. Don’t expect to hear much from me over the next 2.5 months.
I’ve been in my training community for a little over a week now. I live in a ger (Mongolian yurt) in a small village of about 2,500 people. My training group consists of 11 other TEFL trainees and we spend our days taking classes on Mongolian language, culture, history, and community development as well as attending technical training sessions that will help prepare us to teach English in Mongolia.
My host family is great! The host “mom and dad” are very close to my age (25 and 28) and we get along really well. They have a 2 year-old son who is adorable and is finally warming up to me. Communication is going surprisingly well considering my lack of Mongolian language skills. They’re both very smart and good at using the simple words I do know plus a lot of carefully executed miming. It helps that Otgonkhuu (the dad) is an actor. I also like that he’s into film/video, drumming, and doing magic tricks. Shinezul (the mom) also plays guitar so we’ve been discussing starting a band. For jobs, she’s a teacher and he’s a social worker.
Shinezul’s mom lives nearby and we go over to her house often. There are three younger sibilings who live with Shinezul’s mom still. I see the most of her little sister, who is 14. Her name is Hongorzul and she helps me with my Mongolian homework. She’s incredibly patient and also very good at understanding a foreigner trying to speak her language. The grandmother is also very sweet and comes to check on me when she senses I might be feeling sad or homesick (which happens surprisingly often and at many different points in the day without provocation).
Mongolian language is really hard! I’ve tried out quite a few languages, but this one is by far the hardest. It’s really difficult to make the pronunciation happen, which also makes it hard to remember new words. I finally have the Cyrillic alphabet down, which is making everything a little easier.
Besides language, I’ve been learning a ton of great new skills! I’m slowly becoming somewhat capable of building a fire, chopping wood, retrieving my own water from the well, and washing my clothes by hand. I'm not too shabby at bathing in a bucket either! I like living in a ger because it keeps you keenly aware of the resources you are using. This is a r
eally neat experience and I hope to feel less lazy about it all in the future. Maybe when my arms actually have muscles in them.
The food isn’t nearly as bad as everyone had me scared to believe. Most dishes are some combination of meat (mutton or beef), potatoes, carrots, onions, noodles or rice, green onions, and cabbage, which, really, no combination of those things can taste that bad. There are a ton of different milk products too. Everything has a slightly different taste than I’m used to it having in the US. I noticed that the taste is getting less noticeable. Besdies that, most meals are served in portions too large for me to handle. I’ve been an embarrassed outsider to the clean plate club since I’ve been here (no different than most of my life really).
We drink tea like smoking cigarettes. It punctuates every minor daily event. Wake up, have a cup of tea - make breakfast, have a cup of tea – clean up after breakfast, have a cup of tea – take a walk, have a cup of tea – etc. Good thing I like the tea. It isn’t quite what you think of as tea in the states. It’s called suutetsay and it’s a black tea made with milk and salt. It’s relaxing and drinking it 10 times a day feels much better than smoking cigarettes.
As for the Peace Corps, I’m incredibly impressed with the program I’ve got myself involved in here and overall I’m really glad that I came to Mongolia this way, instead of on my own. They are doing a wonderful job of giving us a well-rounded and well-informed introduction to Mongolian culture, history, and language and I feel that, by the end of PST, I’ll know more about this country than any other one I’ve ever been in. They also did a great job of preparing us for what to expect from a Mongolian family while also preparing the family for what to expect from an American guest. Overall I think that preparation has made for a smooth first few weeks and I’m thankful for the effort they put into it.
That’s basically the lay of the land at this point. There’s no internet here at my training site, so I won’t be updating this very often (and when I do, it will come in a burst).
Thanks for reading!
I spent my first five days in Mongolia in Zuunmod with the whole M20 group where we were introduced to the things we will be learning at PST (Pre-Service Training) over this summer. It was a whirlwind of big-group-dynamics and all day classes as the Peace Corps got paperwork and basic knowledge in line for all 68 of us (one person has already left) to move into our training sites and begin the serious PST.
And believe me, PST is going to be serious! Intellectual boot camp, basically. Don’t expect to hear much from me over the next 2.5 months.
I’ve been in my training community for a little over a week now. I live in a ger (Mongolian yurt) in a small village of about 2,500 people. My training group consists of 11 other TEFL trainees and we spend our days taking classes on Mongolian language, culture, history, and community development as well as attending technical training sessions that will help prepare us to teach English in Mongolia.
My host family is great! The host “mom and dad” are very close to my age (25 and 28) and we get along really well. They have a 2 year-old son who is adorable and is finally warming up to me. Communication is going surprisingly well considering my lack of Mongolian language skills. They’re both very smart and good at using the simple words I do know plus a lot of carefully executed miming. It helps that Otgonkhuu (the dad) is an actor. I also like that he’s into film/video, drumming, and doing magic tricks. Shinezul (the mom) also plays guitar so we’ve been discussing starting a band. For jobs, she’s a teacher and he’s a social worker.
Shinezul’s mom lives nearby and we go over to her house often. There are three younger sibilings who live with Shinezul’s mom still. I see the most of her little sister, who is 14. Her name is Hongorzul and she helps me with my Mongolian homework. She’s incredibly patient and also very good at understanding a foreigner trying to speak her language. The grandmother is also very sweet and comes to check on me when she senses I might be feeling sad or homesick (which happens surprisingly often and at many different points in the day without provocation).
Mongolian language is really hard! I’ve tried out quite a few languages, but this one is by far the hardest. It’s really difficult to make the pronunciation happen, which also makes it hard to remember new words. I finally have the Cyrillic alphabet down, which is making everything a little easier.
Besides language, I’ve been learning a ton of great new skills! I’m slowly becoming somewhat capable of building a fire, chopping wood, retrieving my own water from the well, and washing my clothes by hand. I'm not too shabby at bathing in a bucket either! I like living in a ger because it keeps you keenly aware of the resources you are using. This is a r
eally neat experience and I hope to feel less lazy about it all in the future. Maybe when my arms actually have muscles in them.The food isn’t nearly as bad as everyone had me scared to believe. Most dishes are some combination of meat (mutton or beef), potatoes, carrots, onions, noodles or rice, green onions, and cabbage, which, really, no combination of those things can taste that bad. There are a ton of different milk products too. Everything has a slightly different taste than I’m used to it having in the US. I noticed that the taste is getting less noticeable. Besdies that, most meals are served in portions too large for me to handle. I’ve been an embarrassed outsider to the clean plate club since I’ve been here (no different than most of my life really).
We drink tea like smoking cigarettes. It punctuates every minor daily event. Wake up, have a cup of tea - make breakfast, have a cup of tea – clean up after breakfast, have a cup of tea – take a walk, have a cup of tea – etc. Good thing I like the tea. It isn’t quite what you think of as tea in the states. It’s called suutetsay and it’s a black tea made with milk and salt. It’s relaxing and drinking it 10 times a day feels much better than smoking cigarettes.
As for the Peace Corps, I’m incredibly impressed with the program I’ve got myself involved in here and overall I’m really glad that I came to Mongolia this way, instead of on my own. They are doing a wonderful job of giving us a well-rounded and well-informed introduction to Mongolian culture, history, and language and I feel that, by the end of PST, I’ll know more about this country than any other one I’ve ever been in. They also did a great job of preparing us for what to expect from a Mongolian family while also preparing the family for what to expect from an American guest. Overall I think that preparation has made for a smooth first few weeks and I’m thankful for the effort they put into it.
That’s basically the lay of the land at this point. There’s no internet here at my training site, so I won’t be updating this very often (and when I do, it will come in a burst).
Thanks for reading!
Here's two pictures of my ger - (the white one on the left)
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Seoul Sister
So far, Seoul good. We're on our layover in South Korea, all the m20s (myself included) are using the free wireless to update facebook on their location as we come one step closer to reaching our 'GOLIA. ha!
On the plane, I learned more about Mongolian wildlife:'
-----<"Sain Bain uu!">
Besides all that, I'm really digging Peace Corps and the M20s so far. Orientation was actually helpful and all the other trainees (there are 69 of us!) are really positive and friendly. There's an openness to friendship and a lack of cliqueness that I have never experienced in a group setting like this before. I hope it keeps up!
Next stop, Ulaanbaatar (universally UB for short), more impressively, THE CAPITAL OF OUTER MONGOLIA.
daaaaang.
On the plane, I learned more about Mongolian wildlife:'
- Musk Deer - Looks like a small deer, live in burrows like rabbits
, hop like kangaroos, and they have tusks! WTF? I will definitely be visiting the woodlands to locate one of these dudes. Apparently they are hunted for a gland that they have that excretes liquid used in perfume (a musky scent, anyone?)
- Wild Mongolian Gerbils - I had about 25 gerbils when I was a kid (all at the same time, i know...gross), but they looked just like this! Maybe I've got more experience with Mongolians than I thought
-----<"Sain Bain uu!">
Besides all that, I'm really digging Peace Corps and the M20s so far. Orientation was actually helpful and all the other trainees (there are 69 of us!) are really positive and friendly. There's an openness to friendship and a lack of cliqueness that I have never experienced in a group setting like this before. I hope it keeps up!
Next stop, Ulaanbaatar (universally UB for short), more impressively, THE CAPITAL OF OUTER MONGOLIA.
daaaaang.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Genghis Khan at first glance
Two things I know about Genghis Khan:
- He was born with an effing blood clot clenched in his fist.
- When he died, his body was taken back to his homeland and buried. Then soldiers on horseback trampled over his grave hundreds of times to disguise its locations. Then another group of soldiers murdered these soldiers to prevent them from telling the location. Then a third group of soldiers murdered this second group to prevent hearsay. Then the entire homeland was blocked off as a restricted zone and guarded by Mongolian soldiers for 800 YEARS. When the Soviets took over, they continued guarding the homeland to prevent nationalist uprisings. They stored heavy artillery around its perimeter. In 1990 the Soviet Union collapsed and Genghis Khan's homeland was opened for the first time in almost 900 years. The Soviet artillery remains.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
I wrote a letter to the president!
Dear Barack Obama (or Barack Obama's letter answerer),
My name is Alison Boland and I am joining the Peace Corps. I will be leaving for my 27 month stint in Mongolia on June 11. I am extremely excited to become a part of this program and nothing makes me happier than knowing that I am serving my country in a way that you fully support!
When I received my invitation packet in April, it included a welcome letter from the President. I understand that it takes time to get all of these things updated, but I was a little bit disappointed to see that it was still a letter from George W. Bush.
I know that you are very very VERY busy with all the important problems of the world, but I am writing to request that, when you are able to get around to updating the Peace Corps welcome letter, can you have it sent to all the people currently serving as well? Or just make it a Youtube video and send us the link!
You were a big motivation for my decision to join the Peace Corps and it would make me (and I'm sure many other PCVs) extremely happy to receive a letter of welcome from you.
I'm really glad you're my president and it's an honor to be embarking on this journey under your administration!
Sincerely,
Alison Boland
P.S. If, by any chance, you're in Los Angeles on June 11, do you think you could make time to stop by our orientation event? It would make my year (and this is going to be a pretty exciting year!)
My name is Alison Boland and I am joining the Peace Corps. I will be leaving for my 27 month stint in Mongolia on June 11. I am extremely excited to become a part of this program and nothing makes me happier than knowing that I am serving my country in a way that you fully support!
When I received my invitation packet in April, it included a welcome letter from the President. I understand that it takes time to get all of these things updated, but I was a little bit disappointed to see that it was still a letter from George W. Bush.
I know that you are very very VERY busy with all the important problems of the world, but I am writing to request that, when you are able to get around to updating the Peace Corps welcome letter, can you have it sent to all the people currently serving as well? Or just make it a Youtube video and send us the link!
You were a big motivation for my decision to join the Peace Corps and it would make me (and I'm sure many other PCVs) extremely happy to receive a letter of welcome from you.
I'm really glad you're my president and it's an honor to be embarking on this journey under your administration!
Sincerely,
Alison Boland
P.S. If, by any chance, you're in Los Angeles on June 11, do you think you could make time to stop by our orientation event? It would make my year (and this is going to be a pretty exciting year!)
Setting the Stag(ing)
I got my Staging information today!
The first email they sent said it was going to be in Washington DC (which would change ALL my plans) but now they've corrected themselves to a more appropriate Los Angeles, CA!
Notable developments in my understanding of what is about to happen to me:
I leave Little Rock in two weeks.
The first email they sent said it was going to be in Washington DC (which would change ALL my plans) but now they've corrected themselves to a more appropriate Los Angeles, CA!
Notable developments in my understanding of what is about to happen to me:
- We have to wear business casual attire to orientation. (I'm still not sure if this means what I think it means...I always end up under-dressed it seems)
- We'll be having orientation at the hotel near LAX.
- Our flight to Mongolia stops through Seoul, Korea.
- The Peace Corps is going to pump me full of more safety literature than I will ever be able to keep track of.
- This is getting REAL and FAST.
I leave Little Rock in two weeks.
Goodbye America, sometimes you disgust me!
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