Unfortunately, however, they won't tell me. Not yet anyway. Yesterday we had a session and I asked Lisa, a head honcho in Peace Corps Mongolia, whether or not they'd figured out our site placements yet. She said that they'd just finished hammering them out that very day. A friend said, "so you're looking at us right now, knowing where each of us is headed?" She was.
It's crazy that we actually have a new home now, even if they won't tell us just yet. However, the wait is quite short now. This Sunday afternoon, August 15, a mere three days away, we'll find out. I'm so pumped, even though that means that less than three days from now, we'll have left our town and our families. That reality has yet to set in.
The last week has been spent finishing up projects, preparing for our language test, and doing various things around here for the last time. On Saturday, the day after I returned from Nalaikh, my mom took me to Ulaanbaatar for the first time. THAT was crazy. Let me tell you, after living in a tiny town of barely a thousand for two months, a place with no running water and no paved roads, a place which barely has internet, it's quite a culture shock to head to a city of over a million people, a city with high rise buildings and designer clothing stores and real American Heinz ketchup. Oh, and escalators too! I think it was my mom's first time on an escalator, as she kept almost tripping and smashing her face every time we got on and off one, and then she'd laugh hysterically. It was great. Probably no place in my life has ever been built up to the degree that Ulaanbaatar has. It seems like a pretty interesting place, and I look forward to spending more time there in the future. The reason we went was to get me a Mongol deel. A deel is the traditional dress of Mongolia, and as you can see, it's pretty freaking cool. It's basically an excuse to wear a big, comfy, badass bathrobe out in public.
A deel is something pretty much every Peace Corps volunteer winds up getting in this country, but I needed one ASAP for our community appreciation event. To show the town our thanks, we organized a concert and a dance on Sunday night. The girls out here performed two traditional Mongolian dances which were really beautiful (on a side note, the traditional dance of Mongolia is probably my favorite form of dancing I've ever witnessed... it has all the nuance and precision of southeast Asian dancing coupled with the energy and fervor of central Asian and Russian styles; you could probably find some on YouTube). Additionally, my friend Andrew and I performed a song called "Eejiin Chanasan Tsai," which translates to "Mother's Boiled Tea." It's a very slow-moving, epic song with a soaring melody all about how there's nothing as beautiful as a mother's milk tea. It's currently one of the most popular songs in Mongolia, which just goes to show you how different this culture is from ours. Could you imagine if Kanye released a song about his mother's milky tea? Yeah, that's what I thought. Anyway, we had our friend Sarah play "the mom" and feed us tea as we performed. It was a huge hit. We're going to perform it again at the swearing in ceremony. Also, all of us Americans sang a song called "Ayani Shuwuu," which means "Traveling Bird." This is a love song which is one of Mongolia's perennial classics. It's quite beautiful, and people really love it when we sing it. Finally, they requested that we perform an English song as well, so I played "Two of Us" by the Beatles. I even translated one verse (incredibly poorly I'm sure) into Mongolian.
Afterwards, the dance came. We had to have it in the atrium outside the auditorium because of recent repainting, but it went okay just the same. It was really nice to give a little back to this community that has taken us in and treated us so well. A dance and a concert aren't enough, but they're something.
So anyway, the next few days will see us taking our language and training tests (that's tomorrow actually), having one last big party with our families (for which Brian and Adi get to return!), and then heading out Sunday morning. We'll spend a couple days in Zuunmod, meet our new supervisors, and then head to Ulaanbaatar for several days to get officially acquainted with the nation's only real metropolis. A week from tomorrow, we swear in. I know I've said this a million times, but I just can't believe it's over. Tempus fugit.
In other news, the internet has sort of returned to our town, but not enough to allow me to post any pics today, so you'll all just have to wait.
It's crazy that we actually have a new home now, even if they won't tell us just yet. However, the wait is quite short now. This Sunday afternoon, August 15, a mere three days away, we'll find out. I'm so pumped, even though that means that less than three days from now, we'll have left our town and our families. That reality has yet to set in.
The last week has been spent finishing up projects, preparing for our language test, and doing various things around here for the last time. On Saturday, the day after I returned from Nalaikh, my mom took me to Ulaanbaatar for the first time. THAT was crazy. Let me tell you, after living in a tiny town of barely a thousand for two months, a place with no running water and no paved roads, a place which barely has internet, it's quite a culture shock to head to a city of over a million people, a city with high rise buildings and designer clothing stores and real American Heinz ketchup. Oh, and escalators too! I think it was my mom's first time on an escalator, as she kept almost tripping and smashing her face every time we got on and off one, and then she'd laugh hysterically. It was great. Probably no place in my life has ever been built up to the degree that Ulaanbaatar has. It seems like a pretty interesting place, and I look forward to spending more time there in the future. The reason we went was to get me a Mongol deel. A deel is the traditional dress of Mongolia, and as you can see, it's pretty freaking cool. It's basically an excuse to wear a big, comfy, badass bathrobe out in public.
A deel is something pretty much every Peace Corps volunteer winds up getting in this country, but I needed one ASAP for our community appreciation event. To show the town our thanks, we organized a concert and a dance on Sunday night. The girls out here performed two traditional Mongolian dances which were really beautiful (on a side note, the traditional dance of Mongolia is probably my favorite form of dancing I've ever witnessed... it has all the nuance and precision of southeast Asian dancing coupled with the energy and fervor of central Asian and Russian styles; you could probably find some on YouTube). Additionally, my friend Andrew and I performed a song called "Eejiin Chanasan Tsai," which translates to "Mother's Boiled Tea." It's a very slow-moving, epic song with a soaring melody all about how there's nothing as beautiful as a mother's milk tea. It's currently one of the most popular songs in Mongolia, which just goes to show you how different this culture is from ours. Could you imagine if Kanye released a song about his mother's milky tea? Yeah, that's what I thought. Anyway, we had our friend Sarah play "the mom" and feed us tea as we performed. It was a huge hit. We're going to perform it again at the swearing in ceremony. Also, all of us Americans sang a song called "Ayani Shuwuu," which means "Traveling Bird." This is a love song which is one of Mongolia's perennial classics. It's quite beautiful, and people really love it when we sing it. Finally, they requested that we perform an English song as well, so I played "Two of Us" by the Beatles. I even translated one verse (incredibly poorly I'm sure) into Mongolian.
Afterwards, the dance came. We had to have it in the atrium outside the auditorium because of recent repainting, but it went okay just the same. It was really nice to give a little back to this community that has taken us in and treated us so well. A dance and a concert aren't enough, but they're something.
So anyway, the next few days will see us taking our language and training tests (that's tomorrow actually), having one last big party with our families (for which Brian and Adi get to return!), and then heading out Sunday morning. We'll spend a couple days in Zuunmod, meet our new supervisors, and then head to Ulaanbaatar for several days to get officially acquainted with the nation's only real metropolis. A week from tomorrow, we swear in. I know I've said this a million times, but I just can't believe it's over. Tempus fugit.
In other news, the internet has sort of returned to our town, but not enough to allow me to post any pics today, so you'll all just have to wait.
John, It is so great the way you commit to what you are doing. I wish I could have experienced the songs you sand and the wonderful feeling it evoked there.
ReplyDeleteWe will send you a fresh supply of balsa gliders for your next family.
Your joy makes it sound so exciting.
Johnny, I got teary eyed reading this post. I think I can almost feel the emotions you must be experiencing, but I know that I cannot truly understand what you are going through. I have become engaged with your Mongolian family and I am extremely appreciative of their loving generoisity toward you. I know you are easy to love, but I could not imagine people so far away from us could make you a loving home. Please tell them I love them for this and will always remember their kindness to you and your family. I have been so reassured to know you are surrounded by their affection. I know you will miss them and I will miss hearing about them. Change is hard even when you experience it through the internet. I am looking forward to your upcoming adventures....I think it is rotten they tell you they know where you are going but make you wait a few more days to find out. Will you be with your family still so you can let them know? You will have to get their mailing address for me and I will send them a little "Johnny treat" from time to time. I love you dear nephew.
ReplyDeleteHow I would love to try some of that Milk tea! Love your blog, by the way. Best wishes!
ReplyDeletePS I just watched some Mongolian dancing on youtube...great stuff!