...that's apparently one of the things that some volunteers do with their host families as an ice breaker, and Mongolians find it quite offensive. Haha.
In other news, I MADE IT! It's been wicked fun so far. I slept like a baby on the flight to Ulaanbaatar. When we got there it was quite rainy. We got off the plane and thankfully no bags were lost NOR did my hot sauce explode. Good news, amirite? When we exited into the main terminal, there were soooo many current PCVs and they were screaming and cheering and welcoming us to Mongolia and it was such a wonderful feeling. We loaded our bags onto a truck and stood around talking in the rain for an hour or so. We got to ask the current volunteers all sorts of questions about service and how their experiences have been. When we finally arrived around midnight at the dorm where we're staying in Zuunmod, we were pretty beat. I took a freezing shower, the first of many unpleasant bathing experiences in the years to come, and then I crashed. Although the beds weren't really the most comfortable, we were all so exhausted that I slept quite soundly. Nevertheless, jet lag had just about everyone up and kicking around 5 AM.. Hopefully that won't last too long.
After getting my bearings and arranging my belongings, we had a surprisingly tasty breakfast in the dorms. It was some sort of sausage and toast and mashed potatoes and, believe it or not, buckwheat. Then we went outside and played some frisbee, the perfect sport for a country this open. It's a beautiful day here, and this is a fucking gorgeous country. You can see for miles all around, and there are hills and mountains lining the horizon. The sky is enormous and blue, just like they said. It's supposed to rain sometime today, but it's almost 5:30 now and there's still no sign of it.
After frisbee, we had an orientation session and then were issued our water filters (so necessary), our mega-intense sleeping bags, and our first couple weeks of walk around allowance. We get a budget of about 2000 tugriks per day, which converts to about a buck and a half. Meals are taken care of, so there's nothing we really have to buy, but it's still pretty amazing to think that we can live comfortably with only that much to spend. Afterwards we played some more frisbee and then had lunch, which was also surprisingly delicious. It was a burger-like patty with an egg on top, as well as some rice, carrots, and cabbage. Oh, and there was a fatoush-like salad to start. Apparently we've been eating stuff on the higher end of the culinary spectrum here so far, but still, I'm glad to be enjoying the food so much. After lunch we went for a tour of Zuunmod. It's a pretty quaint little town, and it's filled with the cutest children on earth. They smile to excess and strike sassy poses when we walk by.
Anyway, that's pretty much what's up so far. My anxieties about this whole experience have all but disappeared, and I'm pretty much just having a blast at this point.
Bayartai!
In other news, I MADE IT! It's been wicked fun so far. I slept like a baby on the flight to Ulaanbaatar. When we got there it was quite rainy. We got off the plane and thankfully no bags were lost NOR did my hot sauce explode. Good news, amirite? When we exited into the main terminal, there were soooo many current PCVs and they were screaming and cheering and welcoming us to Mongolia and it was such a wonderful feeling. We loaded our bags onto a truck and stood around talking in the rain for an hour or so. We got to ask the current volunteers all sorts of questions about service and how their experiences have been. When we finally arrived around midnight at the dorm where we're staying in Zuunmod, we were pretty beat. I took a freezing shower, the first of many unpleasant bathing experiences in the years to come, and then I crashed. Although the beds weren't really the most comfortable, we were all so exhausted that I slept quite soundly. Nevertheless, jet lag had just about everyone up and kicking around 5 AM.. Hopefully that won't last too long.
After getting my bearings and arranging my belongings, we had a surprisingly tasty breakfast in the dorms. It was some sort of sausage and toast and mashed potatoes and, believe it or not, buckwheat. Then we went outside and played some frisbee, the perfect sport for a country this open. It's a beautiful day here, and this is a fucking gorgeous country. You can see for miles all around, and there are hills and mountains lining the horizon. The sky is enormous and blue, just like they said. It's supposed to rain sometime today, but it's almost 5:30 now and there's still no sign of it.
After frisbee, we had an orientation session and then were issued our water filters (so necessary), our mega-intense sleeping bags, and our first couple weeks of walk around allowance. We get a budget of about 2000 tugriks per day, which converts to about a buck and a half. Meals are taken care of, so there's nothing we really have to buy, but it's still pretty amazing to think that we can live comfortably with only that much to spend. Afterwards we played some more frisbee and then had lunch, which was also surprisingly delicious. It was a burger-like patty with an egg on top, as well as some rice, carrots, and cabbage. Oh, and there was a fatoush-like salad to start. Apparently we've been eating stuff on the higher end of the culinary spectrum here so far, but still, I'm glad to be enjoying the food so much. After lunch we went for a tour of Zuunmod. It's a pretty quaint little town, and it's filled with the cutest children on earth. They smile to excess and strike sassy poses when we walk by.
Anyway, that's pretty much what's up so far. My anxieties about this whole experience have all but disappeared, and I'm pretty much just having a blast at this point.
Bayartai!
i'm excited that you've having so much fun, johnny! i can't wait to see pictures from everything you've said about how beautiful the country is and cute the kids are - plus more, i imagine!
ReplyDeletelove ya!
xoxo
Yay Johnny, I am so happy to se you are having fun and eating well! I kinda knew you would be able to love whereever you ended up and I am sure that will continue as you proceed on this amazing journey. Will you be in the dorm for much longer? Should I send mail to the address you originally posted? How long does it usually take for a package to arrive from te US? COuld you ask one of your veteran buddies? Should we wait until after your two week break-in period? What would happen if you are not chosen? I love you, Claire
ReplyDeleteI am excited. So great to hear you are upbeat, but then that is your way, it is not.
ReplyDeleteRe-read some stuff and it turns out you will not be "selected" until 8/20. Interesting.
Will send consumables or burnables when have an address.
glad to hear you're all in one piece! lots of love!
ReplyDeleteRe-read my comment. In paragraph one, "it" and "is" should be reversed to obtain the intended meaning.
ReplyDeleteClaire, I'll be in the dorm until Thursday, then I'll move in with my host family. You can send mail to the address listed on the Contact Me page until at least September or October and I'll get it. Letters tend to take between two and six weeks; packages lean a little toward the higher end of that. No need to wait, send away!
ReplyDeleteIf I weren't chosen (very unlikely so it seems), I'd probably be given another chance to get good enough. If I fucked that up, I'd be seeing you real soon!
Children in sassy poses, John? Sounds like AWESOME! My only question is: why no rotten mare's milk yet? What are you WAITING for???
ReplyDeleteSmart Mongolians, does anyone like " whos got your nose"?? Hugs
ReplyDeleteSounds great John, glad to hear your settling in well--can't wait for more updates!
ReplyDeletehey Johnny, I am thiinking about what you are doing each day as I go through my own day. Maine weather...it was 30 degrees here last night. Quite chilly, what was the temperatures there? We saw a deer in our backyard this evening as we sat in the play pen watching TV. Are you watching any TV or is that a crazy question to ask? Have you made some nice new friends? ANyone in particular you are really interested in? We talk about you many times a day and check your block at least f or 5 times. We want to know what you are doing. Love you sweetie. If you tihnk of anything you ned, just let us know.
ReplyDelete