mongolhokie89

[mongolhokie89]

Mongolia’s Heart

With festivities  winding down and people  returning to work, I felt the need to reflect on my third Tsagaan Sar in Mongolia.  If you are just now tuning into my blog, Tsagaan Sar,transliterally means, white moon.  It is one of the two largest festivals in Mongolia (Naadam being the other). This festival, like several other countries (namely, China and Korea) celebrate the rebirth of the moon, which occurs on different dates each year.  Bituun(meaning full moon) takes place the day before the new moon arrives.  In the ancient world, many civilizations observed a lunar calendar year, rather than the gregorian calendar observed internationally in current years.  They marked each new year by the coming of the new white moon and celebrated its arrival every spring.  

As I have often alluded to, Mongolia has a very harsh, severe climate with especially long, brutal winters.  Herdsmen and nomads will be grateful to see the survival of the majority of their livestock, come springtime.  The symbolic nature of survival and perseverance continues to be celebrated by the festival to this day.  Mongolian families will greet their cherished loved ones to commemorate another year survived.  Particularly Tsagaan Sar is a festival which honors children and our elders.  Therefore, all Mongolian families visit the eldest relative on the first day of Tsagaan Sar to give them happiness and love during this special time.  Elders feel respected and honored if they receive many visitors and most are satisfied by the simple gift of milk.  

(My director Amarjargal’s home)

At every home you visit, you must greet one another, eldest to youngest, by lightly gripping each other’s arms (if you are younger you grasp your elder’s elbows and vice versa if you are older) and sniff kissing each other’s cheeks.  It may sound strange, but it’s their way to express love and warmth to one another, rather than a bear hug. Then the hosts will exchange their snuff bottle to sniff(most women just sniff the top and give it back) and you may also exchange yours if you have one.  Then you may have a seat as the host offers you milk tea and encourages you to try any of their dairy products or candy.  

(Oogii’s mom, who considers me to be her American daughter)

Each family will build a tower of fried dough bread(heviin boow) or rectangular aaruul (dried milk curd) to symbolize the strength and wealth of their family.  Young couples usually build a wall 3 stories high, while older more established families may have 5 or 7.  The president of Mongolia and other high position people may build a wall 9 stories high. On each tower, families will sprinkle candy, sugar, traditional cheese, and other dairy products on top. Most families will also make several different appetizers, including variations of salads, fruit, bread, sausage, cucumbers, etc.  The more food they offer to their guests the more good karma they are providing to themselves and their family.  

(Oogii, her daughter, me, and her mom)

Since I am a foreigner, they usually call me to formally invite me, but most families will simply visit each other whenever they have a free moment and usually visit around 30 friends and family over the entirety of the festival.  I’ve had the pleasure of seeing my fellow Peace Corps Volunteers graciously being invited into the homes of their Mongolian co-workers, students, family, and friends.  It’s been wonderful to see each of my Peace Corps friends all across the country, grinning from ear to ear as they visit their community members.  It makes me start to tear up thinking about the incredibly big hearts Mongolians have and their willingness to share everything they have with us.  

(Peace Corps Volunteers in Khovd visiting our friend Buyankhishig)

Sometimes Peace Corps Volunteers doubt their impact on their community,often asking each other “am I really making a difference? Have Mongolians gained anything from us? Have I wasted my time?” but the kindness displayed by Mongolians during this time is evidence enough that we HAVE touched people’s lives to the point that they treat us like one of their own.  In my case, my Mongolian co-workers and friends want to express their gratitude, appreciation and love for me so much that I’ve had to reject offers to visit their home.  Imagine almost a week of a Thanksgiving Feast.  After the fourth day(the first three days are most important), I had to consider my own health and decided to stop accepting invitations.  Of course people are bummed that I couldn’t visit their home, but Peace Corps medical officers also caution us to set our own limits, so I had to listen to my own cues that were saying “ENOUGH, I’M FULL!!”  However, I always express gratitude for being invited to each and every host and wish them well in the new year.  

(celebrating Bituun at my home)

This past December I returned to America to celebrate Christmas, New Year’s and to spend quality time with my family.  With some of the people I met with, they expressed feelings of confusion and amazement that I was strong in my convictions to return and continue living in Mongolia.  For me the decision is easy, with a community so willing to give what little they have and share their culture with me.  For that, I am always grateful.

[mongolhokie89]

A Glimpse into My Work This Year

Translations provided by:H.Bayarsaihan

Activities

Үйл ажиллагаа

1.      English for Medical Professionals:

 Summary:  On August 18, 2017 58 health professionals took an English exam, which determined their proficiency level based on their ability to speak, read, and write in English, as well as their knowledge of medical English vocabulary. Based on their results, they were divided into three different levels; Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.  Lessons began on September 3rd, 2017. Below you will find the order of lessons based on level:

  Хугацаа:

9н сараас одоог хүртэл

Хураангуй: 2017 оны 10 дугаар сарын 18 нд Эрүүл мэндийн мэргэжилтнүүдээс англи хэлний шалгалт авсан. Энэ шалгалт нь тэдний ярих, унших, бичих болон мэргэжлийн үг хэллэгүүдийн үгсийг шалгасан юм. Шалгалтын хариуг үндэслэн Анхан шат, Дунд шат, Гүнзгий шат гэж 3н түвшинд хуваасан. Хичээл 2017 оны 9 дугаар сар 3нд эхэлсэн. Доорхи хүснэгтэнд хичээлүүдийг дэлгэрэнгүй харуулсан болно.

  2.Life Skills at Disability Center

Хөгжлийн бэрхшээлтэй хүүхдийн төвд ур чадварын хичээл

Time Period: September-Current

Хугацаа:  9н сараас одоог хүртэл

Summary: Collaborating with fellow Peace Corps Volunteer, Valerie Kilgore, life skill lessons are taught every Tuesday morning for disabled children with mental and physical disabilities.  Topics include health, money management, colors, animals, and Mongolian songs.  In the future we hope to expose the children to life outside of the center by teaching them how to work as cleaners in places, such as the coffee shop.

Хураангуй: Аманда би Энх тайван корпусын сайн дурын ажилтан Валери Килгоритой хамтарч 7 хоног бүрийн 2дахь өдөр амьдралын ур чадварын тухай хичээлүүдийг сэтгэцийн хөгжлийн бэрхшээлтэй болон бие эрхтэний согогтой хүүхдүүдэд зааж сургаж байна. Эдгээр хичээлүүд нь эрүүл мэнд, мөнгөө хэрхэн зөв зарцуулах, өнгөнүүд, араатан амьтдын нэрс мөн Монгол дуу гэх мэт багтдаг. Ирээдүйд хөгжлийн бэрхшээлтэй эдгээр хүүхдүүдийг гадна ертөнцтөй танилцуулж нийгмийн амьдралд хөгжлийн бэрхшээлтэй гэж орхигдолгүй  хэрхэн яаж ажиллах мэрэгжилтэй болох ур чадварыг эзэмшихэд Хөгжлийн төвийн багш хамт өөр олон ажлыг цаашид хийнэ гэж найдаж байна.

 3. Improvements to Patient Meal Services

Өвчтөний хоол хүнсний нэр төрлийг сайжруулах нь:

Time Period: August-September

Хугацаа: 8н сараас 9н сар

Summary: Connected with chefs working in Gobi-Altai, Erdenet, Uvs, and Ulaanbaatar’s First Central Hospital.  After collecting the results, it was discovered that most of the other provinces were identifying the amount of calories in each meal they cook in order to ensure they don’t overfeed or underfeed patients.  I also developed my own recommendations for how to improve patient meals and shared my ideas with Chef Baigali. This past December, I taught the Kitchen staff how to improve their boortsog(fried dough) by adding carrots or raisins and using whole wheat flour rather than white flour.  This was a small but incremental improvement, since patients eat boortsog every day for breakfast.

Хураангуй: Говь-Алтай, Увс, Эрдэнэт болон Улаанбаатар хотын 1 дүгээр Төв эмнэлгийн тогооч нартай холбогдож тэдний хоол хүнсний цэстэй танилцаж, туршлага судалсан. Нийслэл болон эдгээр аймгууд нь цэсэндээ байгаа хоол хүнсний тэжээллэг чанарын /калори/ хувь хэмжээг тогтоож үүнээс үүдэн өвчтөнүүдийн өдөрт хоол хүнснээс авч байх ёстой тэжээллэг чанарын хувь хэмжээг хэтрүүлэхгүй мөн дутаахгүй байхад анхаарч байна. Аманда миний бие тогооч Байгальд яаж хэрхэн өвчтөнүүдийн хоол хүнсийг баяжуулах тухай мэдээлэл зөвлөмжийг өгсөн. Гэвч тэр хэлэхдээ хөрөнгө мөнгөний санхүүжилт бага мөн тогооч нарын цаг зав хомс байдаг тул цэсэн дээрх хоолны хүнсний тэжээллэг чанарын /калори/ хувь хэмжээг тогтоох, баяжуулах өөрчлөх, ажлыг хэрэгжүүлэхэд хэцүү байдаг гэж дурьдаж байсан.

  4.      Gobi-Altai Medical Conference

Анагаах ухааны Мэргэжилтнүүдийн зөвөлгөөн Говь-Алтай аймагт

Time Period:September 21st, 2017- September 22nd, 2017

Хугацаа: 2017 оны 9 дугаар сарын 21нээс – 22

Summary: I was invited to Gobi-Altai’s Medical University to speak on my experience teaching Public Health in Mongolia.  My presentation was “Self Determination Theory- Incorporating SDT into Mongolia’s Approach to Public Health”.  Self Determination Theory is the ability to choose their health behavior based on capacity to control their health behavior within their environment.  This theory is important when discussing public health problems such as alcoholism, smoking, and poor nutrition.  An example may be, if a countryside family wants to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, you must work with food that can easily grow in that area.  Suggesting fruits and vegetables which are difficult to find or expensive will discourage the family from trying to eat healthy. Therefore, health professionals must give realistic advice that reflects the patient’s physical and social environment.

Хураангуй: Говь-Алтай аймгийн  Анагаах Ухааны Их сургуулиас зохион байгуулж буй Анагаах ухааны Мэргэжилтнүүдийн зөвөлгөөнд Аманда миний бие уригдсан. Монголын нийгмийн эрүүл мэндийн тухай туршлагаасаа хуваалцаж илтгэл тавьсан. Энэхүү илтгэлдээ ­“ Өөрийн шийдвэр, Хувь хүний үзэл бодолтой байх”нийгмийн эрүүл мэндийн хандлагын тухай өгүүлсэн. Өөрийн шийдвэр, Хувь хүний үзэл бодолтой байх чадвар нь тэдний эрүүл аж төрөх болон эрүүл дадал зуршилдаа тулгуурлаж орчин тойрондоо хяналттай байж зөв дадал эзэмших юм.

6.Multicultural Training for Peace Corps Staff Members

Энх тайвны корпусын Монгол дахь ажилчдын олон өөр соёл, ёс заншлын тухай сургалт

Time Period: September 13th, 2017

Хугацаа: 2017 оны 9 дугаар сар 13

Summary: I was invited to teach new Peace Corps staff members about American culture and diversity.  America is an ethnically and culturally diverse country with many different religions, backgrounds, and races which make our country unique. Therefore, new Peace Corps staff members need to understand that Americans think and look different, so that they can better help volunteers while in Mongolia.  Sometimes, Peace Corps Volunteers who are in minority groups feel alone and disrespected if Mongolians are disappointed that their volunteer isn’t white.  For example, Domonique worked at the Polytechnic College in Khovd as a social worker. During her time in Mongolia, she often experienced disrespectful words such as “nigger” or “black face” or assumed to be from Africa.  However, Domonique’s ancestors have lived in America as long as my family has.  So, 5 peace corps volunteers were selected to share our experience representing different minority groups living within Mongolia.

Хураангуй: Миний бие Энх тайвны корпусын шинэ ажилчдад Америк орны соёл ба олон өөр соёл, онцлог байдлын тухай заахаар уригдсан юм. Америк орон бол олон өөр угсаатан ястан, соёл заншилууд, шашин шүтлэг, олон өөр угсаатны амьдралын түвшин хэв маяг эдгээр нь энэ орны давтагдашгүй онцгой байдлыг илэрхийлж байдаг. Америк хүмүүсийн бодох сэтгэх, ямарваа нэгэн зүйлсийн харах өнцөг нь өөр ялгаатай байдаг учраас Энх тайвны корпусын Монгол дахь ажилчид сайн дурын гишүүдэд туслаж, дэмжиж, ойлгож байхын тулд энэхүү сургалтыг зохион байгуулсан болно. Заримдаа Энх тайваны Сайн дурын ажилчид маань Монгол улсад цөөн тоогоор аймаг, сумдад хуваагдаж ажиллаж хөдөлмөрлөж байдаг болохоор тэд ганцаардах мөн тэднийг арьсны өнгө үзлээр ялгах санаандгүй байдлаар буруу үг яриа хэрэглэх зэрэг олон зүйлс эдгээр хүмүүсд сөргөөр нөлөөлж байдаг. Жишээнь: Сайн дурын нэг ажилтан Ховд аймгийн Политехникийн коллежид Нийгмийн ажилтан хийж байсан өнгөт арьстай эмэгтэйг “ хар арьстай, ниггэр, чи Африкаас ирсэн байх “ гэх мэт үл хүндэтгэн доромжилж буруу харилцаж байсан. Гэтэл энэ ажилтаны гэр бүл болон түүний өвөг дээдэс олон үеэрээ Америк оронд амьдарч байгаа билээ. Сайн дурын 5н ажилтанг сонгож энэ сургалтанд цөөнхийн бүлэг буюу “үндэстний цөөнхи, угсаатны цөөнхи, бэлгийн цөөнхи, өндөр настны цөөнхи” гэх мэт өөр өөр цөөнхи бүлэгийн талаар сургалт хийсэн.

 7. Diabetes Training

7. Чихрийн шижин өвчиний сургалт

 Time Period: November 14, 2017

Хугацаа: 2017 оны 11 дугаар сар 14

Summary: At 13:00 approximately 35 patients and or family members with diabetic patients attended hour long training on how to treat diabetes.  This event coincided with World Diabetes Day.  The training touched on proper nutrition, the importance of exercise, as well as daily blood tests to check blood sugar levels. For severe patients, it was explained that daily insulin medicine is necessary to control blood sugar levels.

Хураангуй: 13:00 цагт ойролцоогоор 35н Чихрийн шижинтэй өвчтөнүүд болон гэр бүлийн гишүүд нь энэхүү сургалтанд хамрагдсан. Сургалт Дэлхийн чихрийн шижинтэй тэмцэх энэ өдөртэй давхцан 1 цаг үргэлжилж, яаж хэрхэн эмчиллэх, яаж урьдчилан сэргийлэх талаар зөвлөмжүүд өгсөн болно. Мөн хоол тэжээлийн чанар, дасгал хөдөлгөөн, өдөр болгон сахарын хэмжээгээ шалгаж байх зэрэг хэрэгцээтэй мэдээлэл өгсөн. Инсулин гэдэг нь хүний нойр булчирхайгаас ялгардаг нэгэн төрлийн даавар бөгөөд цусан дахь чихрийн хэмжээг зохицуулах үүрэгтэй байдаг талаар тэдэнд тайлбарласан.

 8.Liver Project

Элэг хөтөлбөр

Time Period: September-Current

Хугацаа: 9н сараас хойш

Summary: Utilizing the “Whole Liver-Mongolia” database registered individuals was interviewed across Khovd. A mixture of urban and rural adults over the age of 40 were asked survey questions regarding their health history to determine risk factors that may have led to hepatitis virus b or c. Working alongside the hospital’s epidemiologist and a trained nurse, a total of 205 adults were called and 21 agreed to participate in the research study.  By the end of the study, it was evident that rural patients were unaware of the risk factors associated with hepatitis virus and weren’t informed about proper treatment of the virus.  Therefore, in November I shared the results of this study with the Liver Center in Ulaanbaatar.  The Liver Center is a non-profit organization that helps train and informs the public on how to prevent and treat hepatitis virus b and c. After meeting with Naranjargal.B (executive lead) it was determined that a group of patient trainers will be traveling across all 21 provinces to spread awareness on this very important health topic.

Хураангуй: ”Элэг бүтэн Монгол” хөтөлбөрийн мэдээллийн сан дээр тулгуурласан Ховд аймгийн насанд хүрэгчдээс авсан судалгаа юм. Энэхүү судалгаагаар Ховд аймгийн болон хөдөө орон нутгийн 40-өөс дээш насны иргэд хамрагдаж тэдний эрүүл мэндийн өвчтөний түүх мөн тэд яагаад энэ эрсдэл бүлэгт орсон, ямар замаар ихэнхи тохиолдол халдварласныг олж тогтооход түлхэц болсон. Өвчний тархалтыг судалдаг судлаач болон бэлтгэгдсэн сувилагч бид хамтран нийт 205 насанд хүрэгчдээс утасдаж судалгаа авсан бөгөөд 21н тохиолдол В, С вирустай байсан. Мөн ихэнхи насанд хүрэгчид ялангуяа хөдөө орон нутгийн иргэд Хипатит В, С вирусын мэдээлэлгүй вирустай иргэд хэрхэн яаж эмчүүлэх болон вирусын эмчилгээ эм ууж эхлээгүй байсан нь судалгаагаар илэрсэн. 2017 оны 11 сард судалгааны үр дүнгийн талаар Улаанбаатар хотод байрлах Ховд аймгийн”Элэг төв” ашигийн бус байгууллагын Анагаах Ухааны Доктор Д.Наранжаргалтай уулзаж ярилцсан. ”Элэг төв” ашигийн бус байгууллага нь Монгол орон даяар “Элэг бүтэн Монгол” хөтөлбөрийг амжилттай хэрэгжүүлж байгаа билээ. Хипатит В, С вирусаас хэрхэн урьдчилан сэргийлэх тухай мэдээ мэдээлэл, сургалт семинар зохион байгуулдаг. Тэрээр сайхан мэдээ дуулгасан 2018 оны эхээр тэд Баруун аймгаар “Элэг бүтэн Монгол” хөтөлбөрийнхөө хүрээнд сургалт семинар зохион байгууллана.

9.      Peace Corps Health Training

Энх тайваны корпусын Эрүүл мэндийн сургалт

Time Period: November 20th-November 28th 2017

Хугацаа: 2017 оны 11 дугаар сар 20ноос-28н хүртэл

Summary: In 2017, Peace Corps Mongolia developed a new health project which has been implemented in the central region of Mongolia. Peace Corps Mongolia’s Country Director, Gene Nixon met with officials from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science to approve the new direction of the health program.  In the past, Peace Corps Volunteers worked in health departments and hospitals. However, the current program health volunteers are working within the school system to teach health lessons for students.  The volunteers teach materials on safe sex, nutrition, exercise, mental health, and life skills in homeroom and English classes.  I was selected to be a leader and trainer for this new program and provide my suggestions and advice on how the new volunteers can best utilize their Mongolian co-workers to develop a health curriculum.  Peace Corps provided each volunteer and Mongolian colleague with health books, health modules and other lesson plans for teaching health topics. Unfortunately, there are no health volunteers in Khovd which work inside the schools.  Therefore, in 2018 my plan is to collaborate with Tserenlkham teacher to do training for countryside homeroom teachers on how to develop and lesson plan for health topics.  

Хугацаа: Төвийн бүсийн аймгуудад Энх тайван корпусын Монгол дахь салбар шинэ Эрүүл мэндийн төсөл 2017 онд хэрэгжүүлж  байна. Үүнтэй холбогдуулж  Энх тайван корпусын Монгол дахь салбарын захирал Жэнь Никсон Эрүүл мэндийн яам болон Боловсрол, Соёл, Шинжлэх Ухааны яамдуудын удирдлагуудтай уулзаж шинэ журам заавар эрүүл мэндийн хөтөлбөрийн талаар ярилцсан. Өмнө нь Энх тайвны корпусын сайн дурын ажилтнууд Эрүүл мэндийн газар болон Эмнэлэгт ажиллаж байсан. Хэдий тийм боловч Сүүлийн үед Эрүүл мэндийн Сайн Дурын Ажилтнууд дунд сургуулийн сурагчдад эрүүл мэндийн хичээл зааж байна. Мөн Сайн Дурын Ажилтнууд “Аюулгүй бэлгийн амьдрал”-ын хичээлүүд, Хоол хүнсний тэжээллэг чанар, Дасгал хөдөлгөөн, Сэтгэцийн эрүүл мэнд ба зөв амьдралын ур чадварууд гэсэн эдгээр сэдвээр англи хэлний багш нар болон ангийн багш нартай хамтарч ажиллаж байна. Энэ шинэ эрүүл мэндийн хөтөлбөрийг хэрэгжүүлэх болон сургалтын удирдагчаар Аманда миний бие сонгогдсон юм. Тиймээс би шинэ Сайн Дурын Ажилтнуудыг сургах ба зөвөлгөө зааварчилгаа өгч Монгол хамт ажиллагсдыгаа  энэ эрүүл мэндийн сургалтын төлөвлөгөө хөтөлбөрт хэрхэн яаж хамрагдуулах болон хөгжүүлэх талаар зөвлөдөг. Энх тайвны корпус бүх Сайн Дурын Ажилтнууд ба Монгол хамт ажиллагсадыг нь эрүүл мэндийн ном товхимолууд, эрүүл мэндийн багц хичээлүүд, өөр хичээлийн төлөвлөгөөнүүд, эрүүл мэндийн сэдвүүдээр хичээл заах гэх мэт эдгээр зүйлсээр хангаж байна. Харамсалтай нь Ховд аймагт дунд сургуульд энэ шинэ эрүүл мэндийн төсөл хэрэгжүүлэгч сайн дурын ажилтан байхгүй. Тиймээс миний бие Цэрэнлхам багштай хамтарч энэ шинэ эрүүл мэндийн төслийг Ховд аймгийн сумдын дунд сургуулиудын эрүүл мэндийн багш нарыг сургах болон яаж эрүүл мэндийн хичээлийн хөтөлбөрийг өргөжүүлэх талаар сургалт явуулахаар 2018 онд төлөвлөж байна

  10.Observed Healthy Habits Showcase

Эрүүл зөв хоол хүнсний дадал зуршилыг үзүүлж танилцуулах өдөрлөг

  Time Period: November 16th, 2017

Хугацаа: 2017 оны 11 дугаар сар 16

  Summary: The Pediatrics Department collaborated with Kitchen Staff to showcase healthy foods to offer children and adults to support a nutritious and well-balanced lifestyle.  Doctors, Nurses, and epidemiologists were invited to taste the food and provide suggestions on improvements.  From my observation, the showcase was a good idea to increase awareness on healthy food.  However, in the future they could include more explanation regarding the benefits of eating different types of food.  For example, what types of vitamins and minerals do fruit and vegetables provide?

Хураангуй:  Хүүхдийн тасгийн ажилчид ба Эмчилгээний хоолны тасаг нар хамтран “Эрүүл хоол амьдарлын үндэс” сэдвээр хэвтэн эмчлүүлэгч хүүхдүүд болон тэдний ээж нарыг хангаж байгаа, хоол хүнсний тэжээллэг чанарыг сайжруулж байх ба тэнцвэртэй амьдралын хэв маяг эдгээрийг үзүүлж танилцуулсан.  Энэ өдөр Эмч нар, Сувилагч нар, Өвчний тархалтыг судалдаг судлаач, бид уригдан оролцож тэнд танилцуулсан хоол хүнснээс амталгаа хийж,цаашид хэрхэн яаж сайжруулах талаар зөвөлгөө өгч ярилцсан. Миний ажиглаж дүгнэснээр хоол хүнсээ танилцуулж үзүүлэх өдөрлөг нь тэд эрүүл зөв хоололтын талаарх мэдлэгээ илүү өргөжүүлэх боломжийг олгосон зөв шийдэл болсон. Хэдий тийм боловч тэд  дараа удаа зохион байгуулахдаа илүү их ач холбогдол өгч хүрэлцэн ирсэн зочидод тэдгээр хоол хүнсийг хэрэглэх нь ямар ач тустай болох шим тэжээл, олон нэр төрлийн хоол хүнс хэрэглэж заншихийн давуу талыг тайлбарлаж танилцуулах хэрэгтэй. Жишээ нь: Ямар төрлийн амин дэмүүд /витамин/, жимс жимсгэнэ, хүнсний ногоо эрдэс бодисоор хангах вэ? гэдгээ мэдэж байж бэлтгэн хангах боломжтой болно.

Plan for 2018

2018 оны төлөвлөгөө

In 2018, instead of staying in office on the third floor, I will rotate to each unit within the hospital staying in that unit or department for two-weeks and then move to the next unit.  During my two-weeks I will speak English with health professionals, provide capacity building trainings, and teach profession specific vocabulary.  Based on the needs for the specific unit, it will allow me to divide my time equally for the remaining time I have in the hospital. Additionally, it would expose every worker to English which is a necessary skill for everyone in the hospital.  After I return to Khovd in January, the training manager  and I will begin a special project entitled “International Grant Writing Workshop”.  During this workshop, health professionals who are interested in funding a project will work together as a team to develop, design and write their own funding.  I will guide them through the international grant writing process and edit the English portion of the application.  The purpose of the workshop is to empower and motivate health professionals to learn these skills in order to help improve their hospital.  My service is ending in August and I want to leave behind skills, habits, and knowledge that can help the hospital in the long-run.  It is better to build the capacity of the local workforce, because it leads to sustainable change.  I will introduce an online platform called “indiegogo” which allows anyone around the world to donate toward a community project.  Once a project is selected by the group, I will teach them how to set up an online account and what to include in their description of the project. After setup is complete, I will share the project with my family and friends in America in hopes that they will donate to the worthy cause.  During the workshop, Altanchimeg and I will also touch on how to find local, national, and international grants from other methods.  Next year, we will focus on capacity building and empowering our staff to work as a team to achieve their goals.  

2018 онд өрөөндөө сууж ажиллахаас илүүтэйгээр хоёр долоо хоног бүр өөр өөр хэлтэс, тасагт цаг заваа зарцуулан ажилчидтай эрүүл мэндийн мэргэжлийн англи хэлээр ярьж тэдний ажлын байранд нь англи хэлээ сурч дадлагажих ба мэргэжлийн ур чадварыг нь хөгжүүлэхэд анхаарч сургалт семинар явуулж хувь нэмэр болно. Учир нь үлдэж байгаа багахан цаг хугацааг үр ашигтай зөв зарцуулж тэдний хэрэгцээтэй, шаардлагатай суралцахыг хүсэж байгаа зүйлс дээр төвлөрөн ажиллах нь хамгаас чухал юм. Нэмж хэлэхэд эмнэлгийн бүх ажилчидад англи хэл сурах нь маш эрэлт хэрэгцээтэй, шаардлагатай чадварын нэг болж байна. 1 сарын дундуур Аманда миний бие Америкаас буцаж ирээд сургалтын менежир  хамтран Олон Улсын санхүүжилт албан бичгээр олж авах англи хэл ��ээрх сургалт, семинар зохион байгуулахаар төлөвлөж байна.Энэ төслийн хүрээнд эрүүл мэндийн мэргэжилтнүүд сонирхож байгаа санхүүжилтийн төсөл хөтөлбөр дээр нь  хамтран ажиллаж, багаар ажиллах чадварыг нь хөгжүүлж мөн санхүүжилтийн бичих загварыг өөрсдөөр нь бичүүлж зааж сургана. Эдгээр чадварыг эрүүл мэндийн мэргэжилтнүүд маань суралцаснаар тэд илүү их ажилдаа дур сонирхолтой болж цаашлаад эмнэлэгийнхээ үйл ажиллагааг өргөжүүлэн тэлэх чадвартай мэргэжлийн баг хамт олон болоход туслана. Миний сайн дурын ажиллах хугацаа 2018 оны 8 сард дуусна. Тиймээс би явлаа ч та бүхний сурсан, мэдсэн, мэдлэг чадвар олон зүйлс эмнэлэгт ажиллах хугацаанд хэрэг болж урт удаан оршин тогтнох болно.Би цахим сүлжээний талбар дахь нэгэн “indiegogo” гэсэн вэб хуудсыг танилцуулаж байгаа билээ. Энэ нь дэлхийн өнцөг булан бүрт байгаа хүмүүс хандив өгч тусалдаг олон нийтийн хөтөлбөр юм. Тэд сонгогдсон төсөл хөтөлбөртөө санхүүжилт олж өгөхөөр ажилдаг бүлэг хүмүүс юм. Тиймээс би энэ төсөлд эрүүл мэндийн ажилчидын төслийг хамрагдуулахын тулд хэрхэн яаж бүртгүүлэх ямар зүйлс шаардлагатай байдаг талаар зааж сургаж зөвөлгөө өгөх болно. Үүнд амжилттай хамрагдсанаар миний бие Америкт байгаа гэр бүл, найз нөхөддөө бас дэмжиж хандив туслалцаа өгөхийг уриалах болно. Тэд төслийн шалтгаан, эмнэлэгт  хэрэгцээтэй байгаа зүйлсийг мэдэж ойлгомогц  дэмжиж хандив өгнө гэдэгт бүрэн итгэлтэй байна. Нэмж хэлэхэд эрүүл мэндийн мэргэжилтнүүд маань өөр олон арга замаар олон улсын байгууллагуудаас санхүүжилт олж авах тухай мэдээ мэдээллийн аргуудаас суралцах юм. Ирэх шинэ ондоо бид ажилчдын чадвар чадамжийг бүрэн олгож сайжруулахын төлөө анхаарлаа хандуулж хамтран хамт олныхоо зорилгодоо хүрэхэд нь тусалж баг болж ажиллана.

[mongolhokie89]

Taiga Trip-Life Off The Grid

This post is well overdue, but I’ve been traveling and moving apartments so you will have to excuse the delay.  At the end of June two groups of Peace Corps Volunteers made the long trek up to the Taiga (East and West) to visit with Reindeer Herders (Tsatsaan) and their families for a week. 

The people living in the Taiga hold onto their ancestral traditions of living in Teepees (Ortz) and herding reindeer.  Those living in the Taiga are actually from the Dukha ethnic group and originally from the Tuva region of Russia.  The Dukha (Tsaatan) people are a small Turkic community that call Northern Khovsgol their home.  The Dukha language is an endangered Turkic dialect, but most adults and children are quickly forgetting their language and primarily speak Mongolian.  The predominant religion observed by the Dukha people is Shamanism, to which their Ortz are adorned with Shamistic emblems and beeds.  Originally from the Tuva Republic of Russia, the Dukha people are the largest group of nomadic reindeer herders in the world. In present day, only 40 families continue the traditional lifestyle.

Between 1921 and 1944, Dukha people crossed the border between Tuva and Northern Mongolia freely, but after Soviet control they fled to Mongolia in search of a better life.  The Dukha people have strong trade relations with Mongolian people, so they live in Khovsgol peacefully.  Currently, the Mongolian government provides financial assistance to reindeer herders to preserve this rare lifestyle.  

A few days before going up to the Taiga the two teams of Peace Corps volunteers met in Murun(province center) to collect food supplies and lesson materials.  Each team had one health volunteer, a few community youth development (CYD) volunteers, and 4-5 English volunteers.  After packing our bags, we took a Russian Purgan (van) to the furthest village North to finalize lesson plans before our horse ride.  Once we reached Tsagaannuur village, we stayed at a Ger(Yurt) camp where we ate delicious fish khuushur.  We spent two days in Tsagaannuur to learn more about the Dukha people and complete our lessons for the week with the assistance of our Mongolian counterparts.

(me with two of our Mongolian counterparts, Azzaya and Monkhoo)

Journey to the Taiga

After two days we set off on our horse trek for the most breathtaking hours of my life.  By horse we passed mountains topped with deep forest, valleys, rivers, and snow-capped mountains with its endless beauty.  My horse was rather temperamental and kept trying to kick and bite the other horses, so the other volunteers nicknamed him after the rough WWF wrestler, John Cena.  :-/ I kept having to apologize on his behalf.  After 5 hours on a poorly made saddle my butt and thighs were so numb and raw that I could barely walk after dismount.  However, we finally made it to the East Taiga while the other team reached the West Taiga.  We spent the remainder of the day setting up our Teepee and cooking dinner.

(fresh reindeer cheese hanging from the wooden prongs holding up the teepee)

The following day, we made a valiant effort to visit and speak with all of the families in the East Taiga. Each family member invited us to snack on reindeer cheese (subtly sweet), fresh baked bread, and reindeer milk tea.  Although their faces are dissimilar to Mongolians, they have assimilated to Mongolian culture through language, music, and hospitality.

Volunteer Led Camp

The rest of the week we spent every morning with the little children (ages 2-7) from 10 a.m. to 1 PM.  Every morning we would brush our teeth and do morning exercise with the children.  

(morning exercise and stretches led by Molly)

The teenage students would arrive after milking the reindeer around 3 PM. They had more chores to do, so our lessons were usually brief.  Health and CYD would switch off days for lessons and English was taught everyday.  The health lessons focused on smoking cessation, alcohol abuse, nutrition, and exercise.  Rather than lectures, I tried to incorporate the Life Game developed by Tom Dutcher(M26 health volunteer) which touches on the financial burden of having children, drinking, and smoking. Additional interactive and hands-on models were used to explain health topics, such as lung and heart health.

(testing lung capacity in the nearby river)

Final Thoughts

By the end of the week, both the young children and the teenage students had a better understanding of English, health, and social science.  However, the peace corps volunteers may have gained more from the experience, taking away a greater understanding of the true value of life. The Dukha people value the natural world and the creatures within it, honoring the reindeer by crafting knives, tools, bowls, rings, and other jewelry to utilize the entire animal after it passes on into the afterlife.  Their strong connection to the spiritual and natural world is evidenced in their everyday life and peaceful isolation from the outside world.  It was an extremely rewarding experience that taught me a lot about myself and the things I value in my life.  It caused me to asses my own beliefs and how I perceive others so unlike myself.  I wouldn’t trade my brief time here for the world.  If you are ok with the difficult journey on bumpy roads and bumpy horse back to get here, I highly recommend you spend a week learning and growing from these truly remarkable people.

[mongolhokie89]

Closure-A Time of Reflection

(Our Swearing in Ceremony, August 2015)

(the 54 Remaining Volunteers at Close of Service Conference)

COS Conference

Two weeks ago, I attended my final conference with the M26 cohort of Peace Corps volunteers to Mongolia.  This conference was an emotional and reflective time for all of us and provided closure to our two year service.  While, myself and about 10 others (most through separate NGOs) will be sticking around Mongolia, many of us will fly home and start new chapters.  Spending this time with my cohort, while overwhelming at times, was something we all needed as we put an ending to the collective identity we have all shared.  I say overwhelming, because we aren’t used to being around such large groups of Americans anymore and the sudden shift can be over stimulating and exhausting.  

(Certificate of Completion with Country Director Gene Nixon, and Deputy Director Wendy Slee)

Personal Growth

Thinking back to our staging in San Francisco, our Pre-Service Training surrounding Darkhan, and our two year service our perspectives and outlooks have changed.  Joining the Peace Corps was my first experience living outside of the United States and was a challenge I could never prepare for ahead of time.  The books and anecdotes you hear from Mongolia can not truly prepare you for what life will be like in Mongolia. 25 years of my life I lived a comfortable suburban life with running water, air conditioning, refrigerators, indoor plumbing the whole nine yards.  So thinking back on the first time I took a tumpen bath was something I never knew I would become accustomed to.  Boiling water and filling it into a large plastic bucket, then laying down in said bucket turned from daunting and weird to just life.  Two years later I still have to tumpen during the summer months, because the hot water gets shut off as of May 1st-October. Adjusting to using the Jarlon (latrines), cooking Mongolian food, and washing and drying clothes are all skills I had to be retrained on.  Of course I still have more room to grow, but looking back on my past self its like night and day.  Things that used to shock me, such as cows roaming city centers, children peeing everywhere, and eating the innards of goats, cows, and horses no longer phase me.  

Thinking back to my time living with my host family, I remember getting annoyed that my little host sister was always knocking on my door, I never had privacy, and was always surrounded by someone.  As an American we value personal space and personal property, but Mongolians have a different perspective.  Their ancestors were nomadic herders living in small gers(yurts) with all family members sharing one living space.  The concept of having your own room with your own things is something they can’t grasp.  If you buy candy or an apple, it is not just your apple, it is customary that you chop up that apple and pass around pieces to your family or the people that surround you.  This was one of the many ways in which I had to adjust my point of view and adapt to their way of life.  Day by day I am learning new methods and ways to approach life and discovering new ways to tackle problems.  Since Mongolians have had to live with limited resources for centuries they are very clever at preserving water, food, and are excellent at repairing things.  In the western world it is our impulse to replace broken or old products, rather than take the time to think about ways to reuse or fix them.  In an effort to reduce the impact humans have on the environment, Americans can stand to learn from Mongolians in this regard.  The longer I stay in Mongolia, I realize that living a minimalist life sounds like an attainable goal to reach.  Sharing this perspective to the global community can serve to reduce our overall carbon footprint on the world.  

Internationalist

Prior to my stint with the Peace Corps, growing up in an affluent part of the country exposed me to an array of different cultures, languages, and religions.  While I was informed and educated regarding foreign cultures, until you remove yourself from your comfort zone it is difficult to truly grasp other viewpoints.  During my time in Khovd, I have become close with not only Mongolians, but people from all over the world, such as Germany, Colombia, France, Korea, Russia, and England.  What separated us before now unites us in a collective identity as “foreigners”.  Mongolians are exceptionally welcoming and friendly, but at the end of the day this is their homeland and they are just living the life they have known their whole life.  All of us that are coming to work from outside of Mongolia suddenly have a common bond of “what did I get myself into?!?!?! HELP!!!”.  Having a strong community of people that feel lost and confused just like you can really serve you in times of trouble.  

One funny memory I can recall occurred on New Year’s Eve.  The foreign community in Khovd met at our Fulbright friend’s home to cook a Turkey, eat lots of carbs, and celebrate the coming of the new year.  At midnight we had the idea to countdown the new year in the square, so the group of Koreans, Germans, Americans, and Colombian gleefully walked to the square. There were a few Mongolians roaming the square at that time, but it was clear none of them had the level of enthusiasm that we did. Then the countdown began “10... 9..8″ we looked at one another and soon realized that only the loud foreigners were shouting the countdown.  Our shared identity of celebrating the new year with kisses and a party was one such example of how we were a tremendous support for one another during holidays. 

Through my experience of learning and developing strong friendships with people from around the world, I can say with certainty that I hail from America, but now I am an internationalist.  Sharing food traditions, cultural beliefs, and learning from one another has changed my world view forever.  I will never forget the friendships I have made here <3

Evolution of my Own Self Worth

I’ve touched on this several times throughout my blog, but it is an important part of my personal growth as an individual.  The person I was two years ago and the person I am today are completely different.  Shortly after completing my undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech, I developed an unhealthy obsession with “clean eating” and overexercise.  For years I would blow off invitations to eat out with friends or go out for drinks, because I knew it would “wreck” the body I worked so hard to create.  My life became focused solely on what I ate and how much I pushed myself in the gym.  I sacrificed family relationships, friendships, and was too self focused to even think about dating.  I took this poor mindset along with me to Mongolia.  While I couldn’t go to the gym for hours on end, I soon developed my own routine of running every morning and doing insanity videos during break times for pre-service training.  I isolated myself from my fellow volunteers, as well as my host family and was too blind to see how I was pushing everyone away to uphold the image I had of myself.  I refused certain meals and sacrificed valuable bonding time with my host family and fellow peace corps volunteers.  I am so thankful for that first cold, bleak winter which allowed me the necessary down time to really ask myself the hard questions “what life do I want to live? Do I want to live like this forever?” and the answer was no, I don’t.  Seeing my host family again this past winter allowed me to truly appreciate the things I was too selfish to acknowledge before.  Through this experience and through my own personal development, I have changed from a restrictive shut off person to a warm, bubbly and energetic person who easily can make friendships with whoever I surround myself with.  It is worth the sacrifice of a “perfect body” to be truly happy and fulfilled in the life I live. 

What Follows?

I have afforded myself extra time by extending my service a third year.  Starting in August I will move organizations from the Health Department to the central hospital in Khovd.  I will work closely with the kitchen staff to develop meal plans, food safety measures, and other nutrition related programs for the patients in the hospital.  Additionally, I will work with the health social worker to design public health campaigns to encourage healthy behavior changes within Khovd.  Finally, I will continue the projects I have implemented already, such as life skills at progress school, International News Club, body image workshops, and life lessons through music.  What are my plans post peace corps? It’s too early to tell, but I have a feeling I will continue on my journey abroad and growing my own understanding of the world around me.  But where and with what organization is too early to determine.  For now, I will embrace the moments I have now and see where life takes me, naturally. 

[mongolhokie89]

Extending My Service

To my closest friends and family the decision to extend my service in Mongolia was an announcement they had been preparing for since I left America almost two years ago.  My mother and my closest friends from college were mentally preparing for the all to possible reality that I would choose to extend my service past the two years.  However, the rest of my family and friends who have been following my journey abroad might be left asking, why? Why stay longer? Don’t you miss your home? Your culture? Your family and friends?

My Decision

Over the two years I have been gone I have missed countless life events for my family and friends, to date I have missed:

-Daniel’s high school graduation

-Four of my close friend’s weddings

-I will miss Stephen’s college graduation

-I missed the new addition to my family, the fabulous Marty :-)

-The death of my Uncle Joe

These are some of the major things I have missed out on, but I have missed out on parties, birthdays, family celebrations, highs, and lows. As to be expected my family and friends didn’t stop living just because I was going to serve in the Peace Corps.

  It is both a blessing and a curse that I am serving in the Peace Corps during the era of Facebook.  I am fortunate to be able to communicate with my mother in some capacity every single day.  Speaking with my Aunt Sue who served with the Peace Corps in Gabon back in the 80s, I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to be so removed from her life back in America. I am always impressed by her stories!!  While it is wonderful to be able to keep in touch with family and friends, despite living on the literal other side of the world, it can also be very challenging.  Scrolling through my newsfeed I can easily begin to feel lonely, out of the loop, and sometimes depressed because of my physical distance from my home.  There are times I have the sudden urge to delete my Facebook to just remove myself from the constant cycle of checking it daily.  However, Facebook has become a necessary evil as a means to not only communicate with family back home, but also to plan work and social events within Mongolia.  So, for now I have to fight the urge to just be done with the whole thing. 

Looking back on my two years of service I’ve truly had the entire gamut of emotions anger,fear,loneliness,sadness,frustration but also happiness,pride, excitement, laughter,and curiosity.  The person I was in 2015 when I tearfully left Dulles Airport, will not be the same woman who returns.  The personal struggles and obstacles I have experienced and overcome have changed my perspective immensely.  Experiencing life through the lens of a culture so different than your own, truly changes your world view. The memories I have made and the people I have met have shaped the woman I have become today.  The emotional and mental strength I have acquired and the thick skin I have developed will serve me well in wherever I find myself in life.  

I am entirely grateful for the people who have taken me in as “adopted” family and the people that have shown me unwavering kindness.  Meeting people who struggle to simply just get by, yet have so much love and joy in life have truly made me grateful for everything I have.  When the application to extend service rolled around, I found that I had a pit in my stomach imagining the thought of leaving this summer.  The thoughts circled “I can’t believe it’s been two years... but there’s so much left to do.. my projects just started being successful”.  I felt this odd anxiety about the prospect of leaving Mongolia and my work prematurely.  

If you have worked in the development field, you will understand that “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and it often takes a year or two to get settled into a community, before you can even begin to see the benefits of your work.  Gaining your community’s trust and buy-in to your projects are absolutely necessary to be successful in any work you do.  Two years later and I have a strong network of social workers, doctors,teachers, students, and community members that I can use as resources for my projects.  This network was simply not there a year ago and was something that could only be fostered with time.  Khovd is the most ethnically diverse area of Mongolia, but it is also one of the areas most impacted by the economic downturn of the government.  High unemployment and economic strain has led to an increase in alcoholism and other poor health habits. 

When I last met with my host family in Darkhan it was discovered that my host father would struggle with the diagnosis of Hepatitis B virus for the rest of his life.  After learning about my host father’s struggle to manage this condition, I began to research the incidence of liver diseases and infections throughout Mongolia.  In fact, liver diseases and infections are a major health concern in Mongolia and an area that needs greater attention by health professionals and educators.  Because of my personal connection to someone I have grown to care about, I became passionate on working more in this health area.  

In 2015, my educational background focused primarily around nutrition and food, but my work here has grown exponentially and has led to tangents into other areas related to health.  My focus on alcoholism, smoking cessation, and STI prevention(sexually transmitted Infections) has truly transformed my role as a global health educator.  Even outside of health education, I have also become passionate about raising students to become global leaders.  The students I have worked with are some of the hardest-working and passionate individuals I have met.  Their dedication to learn English and become global citizens are truly what inspire me.  The possibility of helping these students along their journey truly calls me to continue on my journey here in Mongolia.

So it is with this, that I have chosen to stay a third year in Khovd, Mongolia.  In April, a Peace Corps regional manager will visit Khovd and we will discuss which organization I will work for and what type of work I will do over the course of my extended service.  So stay tuned! Remember that I love and miss you all! Don’t hesitate to ask any cultural, professional, or personal questions about my life here! 

Until next time,

Amanda

[mongolhokie89]

Tsagaan Sar-Year of the Rooster 2017

We survived the year of the monkey, which predicted a harsh winter season with bitterly cold winds and freezing temperatures.  The year of the rooster predicts there will be conflict, controversy, and debate that will challenge one’s mental, emotional, and physical being.  This year will not be easy for those that prefer being idle. but will prove to be a year that will test one’s limits to achieve greatness.  That being said, I tend to face adversity head on and find a way to overcome any challenges I come across.  I hope we may all survive the year of the rooster and emerge stronger more resilient people as a result.  

This is the second year that I have celebrated Tsagaan Sar (lunar new year) in Mongolia and the two years couldn’t be more different.  Last year, I celebrated Tsagaan Sar in Khovd visiting several homes over the course of the three day holiday.  Last year, I was a welcomed guest in my co-worker’s, friends, and students homes and was of course filled to the gills with mutton dumplings (buuz/bansh).  Contrastingly, this year I chose to celebrate Tsagaan Sar with my close friend in the capital city and spent the holiday tagging alone with her and her family.  In Khovd and much of the countryside of Mongolia, it is common to visit several homes over the course of a day. If you are well connected within the community, it is not uncommon to pop in at one home, then move on to another 15 minutes later. In the capital, some families will only visit their closest friends and family limiting the visits to 1 to 3 homes in a day.  This is primarily, due to the fact that UB is much larger and would be difficult to visit that many homes over the course of a day.  Nevertheless, whether you celebrate in UB or the countryside it is customary to visit the oldest relatives on the first day and then move down the ladder of age. The second and third day tend to be less formal and this is when you may visit cousins, co-workers, close friends, and others within the community.

First Day

This year, I visited my friend’s older brother in the suburbs of UB, because he shares a khasha(property) with his in-laws which are the oldest relatives located in UB for my friend to visit.  My friend’s brother is probably the most gentle, warm-hearted, and kind Mongolian man I have ever met during my time here in Mongolia.  He and his wife welcomed me to their in-laws home and their home with open arms and excited smile.  We spent a few hours catching up, singing songs, and eating food from the spread, but of course the main attraction were the buuz(mutton dumplings).  After visiting with the family, it is tradition for the host to give the guests a small gift which is usually chocolate, socks, sometimes small bags to wish their guests well in the new year.  We finished the visit and made our way back to my friend’s apartment to which we all took a nap from being full of food :-D

(my friend, me, and her brother)

 At every home you will find an elaborate spread of potato and carrot salads, candy, milk curds, and a tower of fried bread (Boov).  The height of the Boov tower reflects the age and success of the family. For example, a young family starting out may only have three layers of Boov, while a family that has been married for 35+ with a well-established life may have 5 or 7 layers.

(brother’s wife, me, and brother)

(my friend’s sister and me)

Second Day

On the second day, my friend’s older brother and his family came to her sister’s apartment to drink sea-buckthorn juice, milk tea, and eat buuz.  This day was exceptionally less formal and was a modern twist on the traditional holiday.  This day, no one wore their mongolian deel and everyone just joined around the kitchen table to laugh and enjoy each other’s company.  My mother had sent me the family calendar for 2017, so this was a perfect time to show pictures of my family and my life back in America.  Another wonderful and loving day spent for the holiday with my friend and her family.

Third Day

On the third day, we visited my friend’s cousin’s home and again ate traditional fare for the holiday.  After we were sufficiently full, the cousin offered to awaken their families ancestors through a shaman ceremony.  After the passing of their grandmother, their ancestors spoke to him and appointed him as the new shaman within the family.  I did not take any pictures during the ceremony out of respect for the family, but it was a very unique experience for me.  The cousin dressed himself in a shaman deel with adorned strings to resemble a snake.  After completing his shaman costume, he must play a drum song to call ancestors to speak through him.  After about 3 minutes of the drum song, the first and most vocal ancestor entered his body.  For each ancestor that visits it is important to feed them aruul, milk, and offer them a pipe to smoke.  The ancestor met with each family member individually going from the oldest (my friend’s sister) and so on.  The first ancestor was pleased that I had worn my Mongolian deel that day and appreciated my effort to respect the ancient traditions.  He also offered me a piece of advice, he said “you tend to approach your life,love, and conflicts through one path, but it is important to take a step back and learn to see several avenues to achieve ultimate success and happiness”.  I will certainly work on taking this advice to heart in the coming year!  After he spent time with every member in the family, it was time to call three different ancestors through the drum song.  In total the ceremony lasted approximately 3 to 4 hours, but was extremely valuable for both myself and the family.

Finale

All in all, I am appreciative that I chose to take this impromptu trip to the Capital City of UB to experience a different approach to the holiday.  After the formal 3 day holiday, it was nice relaxing and spending time with my friend and her family.  I even had time to squeeze in a hike to Bogd Mountain, but of course being my clumsy self, spent most of the decline slipping and falling.  My friend was not pleased and worried a lot :-/ I told her not to worry, because I am just clumsy by nature and is something I can barely control.  The sites visible from the hike were breathtaking.  It was nice to once again, get out of my daily routine and refresh myself for the start of the spring season. Happy Tsagaan Sar, everyone!

[mongolhokie89]

Winter Adventures in Mongolia

               Starting in December, things throughout Mongolia halt to a stop to accommodate the difficult weather ahead.  Between December and February, it can be very challenging to spend extended amounts of time outdoors, so many activities are postponed throughout the country.  In addition to the bitter cold, Mongolians begin preparing for national holidays, such as Shin Jil (New Year’s) and Tsagaan Sar (Lunar New Year).  Last year, I was ill-prepared for the standstill in work and social life within Khovd.  Consequently, I suffered from a mild case of seasonal depression due to the lack of sunlight and general inactivity that I felt.  Learning from my past experience, I decided to take a winter vacation to Ulaanbaatar and Darkhan, to visit my host family.  Many of the fellow Khovd foreigners were taking vacations to South Korea and Thailand, so I knew I needed to take time of my own.

               After the start of the New Year, a fellow Peace Corps Volunteer and I took the long bus ride from Khovd to Ulaanbaatar.  Fortunate for us, the buses have switched to Korean buses, which have reliable heating on the bus.  In the past, the bus can take up to 35-40 hours due to frequent break-downs and ill-equipped roads.  However, with improved buses and roads the trip only took about 26 hours.  Once we arrived, we immediately checked into our hostel and took showers to warm up from our brief time outside.  It was obvious that UB was significantly cooler than Khovd and the adjustment was rough.

               I spent most of my time in Ulaanbaatar at a Mongolian close friend’s home with her niece, nephew, and older sister.  She cooked incredible food, which saved me a lot of money on eating out.  Her sister showed me a remarkable amount of kindness by giving me two pairs of shoes (one for work, one for walking around), because she noticed a hole in the shoes I recently bought in Khovd (evident that the quality in Khovd isn’t so great). She also noticed a tear in my winter jacket and went to the tailor to repair it and later on washed my coat and now it looks shiny and new!  Her older sister spent two years working in Italy, so I bought her a vintage bottle of wine as a gesture of appreciation for the tremendous amount of kindness my friend and her sister showed me during my visit.  My friend’s niece is two years old and incredibly adorable, and her nephew is 10 years old and is a smart, well-behaved boy.  Her nephew enjoyed playing soccer, card games, and shadow boxing with me.  Her niece is incredibly cuddly and had an infectious smile and laugh ( I love Mongolian children’s laugh).  Most of the time, it was too cold to venture from the house, but her sister took all of us to go sledding on the nearby lake using RTVs and family-sized sleds.  We also went to the arcade and saw a movie in the movie theatre.  There are no arcades or movie theatres in Khovd, so it was fun to get out of the house and do fun winter activities that I can’t do in Khovd.  

Half-way through my vacation, my friend and I took a bus (3 ½ hours) up to visit my host family in Darkhan.  My host father picked us up from the bus station and still holds the record for “most loud Mongolian I know”.  He shouted “HELLO AMANDA! OBAMA!! DONALD TRUMP!!!”.  My friend wasn’t feeling so well, so she asked him to be a little quieter, but I think his voice only has one volume level, ha!  Of course, the topic of my trip was focused around my weight gain and their utter shock and surprise related to it.  I think, they mentioned it at least 4 times a day and Ankhzayaa(host sister) even tried to tutor me on stomach exercises, because she thought I forgot.  A topic that is ordinarily very sensitive for me was not as painful as it would have been a year ago, I know I have built a resiliency to the comments and stares, because they even brought out old pictures, to show me how much weight I gained. Instead I just shrugged it off and explained that it happens and with the help of my friend translating, I tried to portray how much more I enjoy my life and how much more balanced I am, that I would never wish to sacrifice all of that, just to be thin again.  

My friend and I spent three days with my host family, catching up on the year ½ I have been away from Darkhan. They were impressed with all the customs and traditions I have learned and my ability to eat Mongolian food.  In the year ½ that I was away, Ankhzayaa (host sister) has gone from being a fiery young girl to a disciplined, well-behaved girl.  My host brother, Ankhbayraa is probably one of the cutest Mongolian babies I have met.  He is starting to babble and walk around the home and has a cute little horse that he loves to play with.  During my Pre-Service Training (PST) my host father was a mechanic/driver and my host mom stayed home with the kids.  Now my host dad is a stay at home father and my mom works at a pre-school day care. My parents have transitioned nicely in their new roles, and my host father can even dress Ankhzayaa in her school clothes the way a mother can!  Ankhzayaa used to only eat pringles and candy, but now she loves vegetables and eggs (I hope some of that was my influence).  So much has changed and yet, so much remained the same, that our relationship just resumed from where we left it a year ½ ago.  

Now I am back in Khovd and have returned to work and all the activities that lie ahead. In February, I will be the head Peace Corps Volunteer responsible for the Write On writing competition, so I must begin meeting with the foreign methodologist, to decide a date and time to host that Aimag-wide event. Two of my fellow Peace Corps volunteers will be leaving this weekend to attend the Western-Regional Special Olympics.  Originally, I was going to join them for the event, but due to safety concerns only two Peace Corps volunteers per aimag were permitted to go.  In February, we will also have language IST (In-Service Training), which will help enhance and build-upon on pre-existing language skills.  At the end of February, all of Khovd will go on break to celebrate Tsagaan Sar, so I must prepare my stomach to consume a tremendous amount of Buuz (steamed mutton dumplings).  Ready to get back to the fray! Let’s do this!

Trip Highlights

Host mom (Ragchaa), Ankhzayaa, and me

Late night chats and card games

When Ankhzayaa decides I need the “Princess Makeover”

Cutest Kid Award 2017, Ankhbayraa

My friend making Ankhbayraa laugh from the window

Even had time to grab a drink with my best friend Aagii(Altaa) in UB

[mongolhokie89]

Эхийн сэтгэл-Mother’s Heart

Every week Alex(Fulbright Scholar) and I teach the Khovd Community life skills and lessons using the beauty of song. We have done songs, such as “Colors of the Wind” to demonstrate acceptance and earth sustainability, “try” by Colbie Cailait to promote self confidence, and “Imagine” to exemplify peace.  We not only explain the major themes of the song, but also discuss how it can be applied to their life here in Khovd.  For example, Khovd is the most culturally diverse areas in Mongolia with about 40% ethnic Kazaks calling Khovd their home.  When discussing “Colors of the Wind” we even touched on how Kazak-Mongolians might feel within society and how we might treat each other with more kindness and compassion.  During our “Imagine” lesson we had the participants divide into small groups and make their own posters with the title “You may say I’m a dreamer...” and they drew their ideal world without war and violence. 

(the eggs symbolize global citizens that are all nurtured and cared for, equally)

(At the end of every lesson, we teach them how to sing the song, they love singing)

Эхийн сэтгэл-Mother’s Heart

This past friday, I wanted the students to become the teachers and teach Americans about one of their most popular songs.  I chose this particular song, because my co-workers routinely sing this song when we all go out to karaoke and I hear the song on long road trips quite frequently.

Mongolian songs are divided into different categories, such as long-song, folk songs, throat singing, and modern songs.  This song would be described as a folk song.

Mongolian folk songs are reminiscent of American Country music, because the songs typically focus on family, horses, nature, and homeland.  This folk song in particular touches on mother’s.

  Эхийн сэтгэл, is a traditional song that has been remade several times by different Mongolian musical artists over the years. Most recently, a pop trio made their own version of the classic song:

The song is about a mother’s love and how they always strive to put their children first, which is a sentiment any mother can relate to. 

After the students taught me the basics of the song, I wanted them to share their ideas about their song with all of YOU.

Goal # 3 of Peace is “ To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.  

So going along this same vein, I wanted to allow them to share with YOU, what they think about the song and how they want you to understand the song.  Both groups used creative methods to share their viewpoints.  Here they are:

Group #1-Skit:

Group #2-Drawing:

[mongolhokie89]

Fall Is In The Air

After labor day marked the beginning of the new school year and with that clubs,activities, and seminars began to pick up again.  This past week, Peace Corps representatives came from Ulaanbatar to help conduct a counterpart training. The objective was to provide our main counterparts (CPs) with a greater understanding of the main goals of Peace Corps and how they can best utilize their volunteer.  To that end, it was a fairly successful two days.  It was nice to spend time with our main CPs and try to solidify goals for the school year and what training's we hope to include throughout the year.  On top of that, it was wonderful to see Tseegi, Udval, and Ginny from Peace Corps because they always make me laugh.

(Doctor Khulan and me)

(Aagii, Doctor Khulan, and myself)

Fall Schedule 

Aside from the training, I have settled nicely into a weekly routine that allows for a nice balance between social life, work life, and personal life.  

Monday

I plan for a few hours at my office and then head to the Fitness gym near my house around 10 a.m. After exercising, I quickly go home to take a shower and eat my lunch.  After lunch, I head back to work, in case there are health trainings or other activities to help out with.  Starting next week, I will restart my Medical English lessons for Doctors at the Regional Hospital.  After work, I have an hour to kill time before Monglish starts at 6 PM.  Monglish is a free flowing speaking club for any and all English speakers around town.  In the past it was primarily open to adults, but now it is open to anyone, so we have a large group of motivated students this year :-D 

Tuesday

(Alex leading the merengue lesson)

Tuesdays, my mornings are roughly the same, I am following a specific exercise routine so each day the muscles I target will vary.  This school year, I have been working with Amarsanna who is a teacher at Progress School on teaching life skills for his 8th grade students.  So far, the first month has been devoted to self acceptance and self esteem, which has proven very valuable for the students.

(selfie activity)

 After work, Alex hosts a latin dance class for the community in the basement of the Traditional Medicine Hospital.  I am good at swinging my hips back and forth, but the complicated turns throw me for a loop.  However, its nice to have an activity that removes me from my thinking mind and just lets me unwind and laugh at the end of the day :-D

(two students from progress school)

Wednesday

(poor Buddy :-()

Wednesday nights is when I host my International News Club.  It is a club that focuses on enhancing the community’s understanding of the world and improve critical thinking skills. This past month, we have been studying an article about an endangered penguin named buddy, who was stolen from a rehabilitation center in South Africa.  The concern is that Buddy may not survive, because he has never known life outside of the center. In the class, we have studied new vocabulary related to environmental sustainability and have learned how to identify the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where, and why)

Thursdays

For now, Thursdays are light in terms of obligations and activities.  I still exercise and go to work, but outside of that I have no commitments after the work day. This is the day I catch up on me time and spend time watching Netflix “Haters Back Off” or read books.

Fridays

On Friday afternoons, my fellow American volunteers and I help teach enhancement activities for Access students.  Access is a program geared toward low-income students and the aim is to improve their English skills in order for “countryside” students to compete with “city kids” from UB.  Hazel (british woman) and Buyankhishig (teacher @ progress) teach speaking, listening, reading and writing skills to the students during the week.  Us volunteers, help teach about American culture, games, and holidays that are important to us.  Next week we will be celebrating Halloween with them :-D 

After Access, Alex and I teach “Lessons Through Music” which uses songs in English to demonstrate life lessons, themes, and important mantras to live by.  So far, we have taught “colors of the wind” from Pocahontas and “Try” by Colbie Caillait.  I think this is one of the hilights of my week, because it allows me to re-awaken my passion for singing and music.

(Alex and I explaining a’capella and voice parts)

Volunteer Club

A club that encourages students and adults to give back to the community, we meet twice a month.  First, we have a specific lesson that we share with the participants (e.g. leadership, time management, networking) and the second time is to gather for a community project.  For this month, we have been gathering school supplies to hand out to low-income students in the ger district.  We had collection boxes at Progress School, Khovd University, School # 1, and School # 6.  On Saturday, we will be walking around with the Mongolian volunteers to pass out supplies around town.

Foreign Community in Khovd

(Sunday hike with Bob, Alex, Nancy, Hazel and Gioconda)

Outside of the joint projects the volunteers have together, we have also gotten together during the weekends to participate in Karaoke nights, games nights, hiking, and other fun bonding time. I never would have expected that moving to Mongolia would not only broaden my understanding of Mongolians, but also expose me to so many other cultures.  In Khovd we have an eclectic mix of Koreans, Germans, Colombians, British, Cuban-Americans, El-Salvadorian American,African American, and Neon white American(aka me).  We all bring a unique world view, but we also share a passion for helping others and an openness to learn and grow from one another. 

(foreigners in dance club)

I think it takes a year of trial and error to find your balance in a foreign country and to truly figure out how to make an impact on the community you live in.  I am also glad to be allotted the freedom to explore different activities that I might otherwise not be able to do in America.  For example, teaching yoga or teaching life skills would be out of the question in America, because I have no credentials for them.  I simply need to have an interest in sharing my experiences to be “qualified” to teach. It’s a nice feeling :-D 

[mongolhokie89]

Bayan-Ulgii Eagle Festival 2016

The Ride Up

Around 3 pm Friday afternoon, I packed my bag for the weekend and head over to my sitemate, Domonique’s house to wait for her program manager and family to arrive to take us to Ulgii.  Ruben (German man working for GIZ) and his girlfriend Ari( good mongolian friend of ours) were leading the way in Ruben’s Jeep.  In our little subaru it was Domonique, myself, Zagaa (program manager), her husband Bataa, and their adorable daughter.  In Ruben’s Jeep, there was Alex (Fulbright in Khovd), Ryan (Fulbright in UB), Jae (Korean volunteer in Khovd), Ari, and Ruben.  The ride up was picturesque, but boy was I nauseous.  Luckily it only took us about four hours to get up there so we made it by 7:30 pm.  

Once we got there, we met up with more of Ruben’s friends to grab dinner at a Turkish restaurant in town.  On first observation, I can tell there is a lot of development and money pouring into Ulgii.  The restaurants had more of a modernized feel with waitresses that were relatively attentive and had a paper to write down orders.  First time, I saw a basket of free bread in Mongolia as well.  There is a Turkish School in Ulgii so there is a large Turkish influence within the town.  At dinner, we were amazed at how international our group was, which included Germans, Mongolians, Japanese, Korean, and Americans.  Who knew that moving to Mongolia, I would get the opportunity to dine with so many different cultures at once?  After dinner we went to our respective places to crash for the night, to prepare for the next morning’s events.

Bayan-Ulgii Day 1

(The eagle huntress, who was made into a star)

The next morning we woke up and got ready to head over to the event area, which was approximately 5 km from the center of town.  The Eagle Festival also known as Golden Eagle Festival ( Бүргэдийн наадам/ бүркіт той) in Bayan-Ulgii brings Kazakh Eagle hunters together to compete in a series of events using eagles as hunters.  The Eagle Hunters and their eagles showcase their years of training through games, such as precision landing, small animal hunting, and discovering small golden coins and catching them in their talons.  However, due to environmental degradation, deforestation, and other environmental impacts of the 21st century, their are only a few remaining hunters that survive off the animals they hunt, while the rest are herders or have other careers. The festival has drawn an ever increasing crowd of international tourists, especially after the buzz of the documentary on Aisolphan, the first eagle huntress to rise to fame at age 13.  

(myself in a Mongolian deel with PC Staff Anne Martin)

During the festival, the tourists routinely overstep their bounds and would stand in designated “off-limits” areas to capture thousands of pictures of the eagle hunters.  The people running the event continued to announce in English for them to leave the roped off area, for their own safety as well as to not interfere in the competitions.  However, some tourists just continued to press on despite warnings.  I kept feeling, incredibly embarrassed and wanted to tell all the locals, “wait, I’m not like them, I live here, I’m not silly enough to do things like that!”. In spite of the obnoxious tourist scene, the atmosphere was really cool and I kept thinking “ I am so glad to be here, even though its incredibly windy”.  

The first day of the festival was a tad disorganized and like most Mongolian and Kazakh events you ask yourself “what exactly am I meant to be watching right now?”.  Nonetheless it was still cool to see the eagle hunters in full garb and practicing with the eagles landing on their fore-arms.  

After a few hours, Zagaa and Bataa took Domonique and I to a mountain closer to the center of town with an overlook to see the entire city.  It was breathtakingly beautiful and a perfect way to end the day.  We said goodbye to Zagaa and Bataa then reunited back with our Peace Corps Volunteers to socialize and hang out for the remainder of the night. 

(myself and Buyankhishig English teacher from Progress)

Bayan-Ulgii Day 2

(overlooking Ulgii with Zagaa, her daughter, Domonique, and myself)

The second day of events included coin snatching, camel races, small animal hunting, and more pictures to take.  The festival had tents set up to eat khuushur, milk tea, buuz and mongolian kebabs.  Kazakh artists also set up spaces to showcase bags, wall hangings, wallets, hats, and other items they’ve handmade themselves. 

(Some of the PCVs from Khentii, Uvs, Ulgii, Gov Altai and Khovd)

In total there were about 26 PCVs from nearby and not so nearby provinces that came to the festival.  Half had to skip out on the second day of the festival, because they were traveling to Uvs Province which takes about 10 hours to reach by mikr.  However, the rest of us, includingAlex, Ryan ,Ruben, Jae and Returned PCVs spent our Sunday back on the playing grounds to see the action before us.  I would easily say that this day was much more exciting, because there were clearly defined events and the eagles were swooping down with such grace and precision.  

(young Kazakh girl in traditional clothing)

We then left Ulgii to head back to Khovd around 3 pm.  All in All, I had a blast at the festival and so glad that Khovd was only a four hour trip away from such a unique experience.  If you find yourself on this side of the world, I highly recommend this festival!

[mongolhokie89]

Medical Mission Trip (8/29/16-9/2/16)

Immediately after spending a week in the capital city of UB, I was thrust into another project upon arrival in Khovd. The night I arrived back in Khovd, I attended an informational session about Emerging Leaders in Mongolia.  The session was sponsored by a USAID grant and was orchestrated by two young Mongolian women.  The purpose of the session was to gather interest and awareness for citizen engagement and strengthen participatory democracy within the emerging population (ages 24-40).  I encouraged some of my more democratically active friends to attend the meeting and motivated them to try to apply for the program.  However, I snoozed through parts of the meeting, because I literally had just arrived back from UB 30 minutes before the session. For more information about this program, follow this link:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=282020

After the information session, I ate a light dinner then past out from exhaustion, little did I know how chaotic my first day at work would be.

Monday (8/29/2016)

At 9 am, Khovd BOET Hospital workers, KOICA volunteers, and myself gathered outside the hospital for the opening ceremony of a week long venture with a medical mission group from America. The group was led by Dr.Hawley and Dr.Yeh, including surgeons, OB-GYN, Dietitians, Physicians, and medical students.  The medical team have completed several trips to Nepal, Inner Mongolia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and several other countries.  

(The team outside the hospital)

The primary aim of the journey to Khovd, was to provide medical consultations, perform surgeries, and distribute american medication.  The medical group got in touch with Oyuna Dashdavaa who is Mongolian, but a practicing nurse in Los Angeles, Ca.  Oyuna grew up in Khovd and excitedly recommended that the group visit the often neglected western aimag of Mongolia.  Turns out Oyuna is the aunt of Enkhbaatar. Enkhbaatar is married to Sarnai, who is one of my co-workers at the Health Department (small world).  Oyuna was a tremendous help throughout the entire week, explaining cultural significance, seeing patients, and translating on behalf of this organization.  Throughout the week we also had help from volunteer translators Tserenlkham Khaltai (School #3 teacher), Hazel Keroak (Professional English Capacity builder), Berdigul Minap (foreign language methodologist), and other helpful people within the community.

(Dr.Tom Yeh with Batsukh Altanchimeg Program Manager of BOET Hospital)

(Dr.Tom Yeh with Double Masters Student and our two KOICA Volunteers Hyerim Park and Juna Cha)

My best friend Altanchimeg Sainbayar (Emergency Doctor) aka Aagii and I were responsible for playing tour guide for the dietitians, medical students, and other volunteers that tagged along on the trip.  We toured the entire hospital, the health department, and the hospital kitchen.  After completing our tour, I took the group to the third floor to present on “Nutrition in Khovd” which was a 30 minute cultural explanation on the food availability, food culture, and food safety practices within a Mongolian context.  

(Aagii and I conducting tour at BOET Hospital)

After all of the day’s events, I took a group of 15 to the river to visit Batmonkh(my mechanic friend who works on Mongol Rally Cars) and see the inside of a ger.  Tuya (his wife) offered them warm camel airag (fermented milk) and of course Khovd watermelon.  A walk that typically only takes me 15 minutes, took this group near to an hour.  By the time we neared the river, the sun was already setting.  Needless to say, they were a bit grumpy with me by misleading them into a “quick trip” to the river.  In my mind, it was... woops :-/

Day 2:August 30th, 2016

So I don’t have pictures from the second day of their visit, because I was told at 9:00 am by Batsukh Altanchimeg that I must do a 45 minute long presentation regarding a comparison between Hospital Nutrition Services in America as opposed to Mongolia.  Normally, I have come to expect last minute surprise projects with a quick turn around.  However, I felt extremely stressed and nervous because not only was I to do this lecture in front of 20+ hospital staff, but also in front of American staff.  I didn’t want to falsely cite certain aspects of American nutrition, so as not to come off as out of touch or unaware of up to date knowledge.  

So I ran to Aagii to tell her that I can not help her on outreach activities, but instead I must work the entirety of the morning on a surprise presentation.  Since, she is Mongolian she understood the last minute addition and seemed to be able to handle the group on her own.

After 4 hours of speed reading through articles about hospital food services and organizing my presentation, my heart finally returned to a healthy beat.  I presented at 2 pm and Berdigul was a tremendous help in translating on my behalf. A link to presentation:https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ANArmH2_KATMNREiRt6B2DGMNEHIEI5YIciuvVRGEkg/edit?usp=sharing 

Day 3:August 31st, 2016

On this day, I casually walked to the Polytechnic College(vocational school for ages 13-19) from the Hospital in hopes to destress and relax after the chaotic day I had yesterday.  Aagii and I were under the misunderstanding that the Physicians would simply introduce themselves to students and do a tour around the facility to recommend changes to the the health facilities.  We couldn’t have been more wrong.

Apparently, no one called Enkhzayaa (school doctor) prior to our visit and the medical team was frustrated that there was not a line of patients or a room available to start the day of seeing patients.  After speaking with several teachers and trying to cut the language barriers, we finally decided to call Enkhzayaa over to the dormitory building, as she was currently in the administrative building.  She rushes over and immediately asks Aagii and I “Why didn’t anyone call me earlier?” We both shrugged, because clearly the message wasn’t received from either of us.

(polytechnic staff waiting to be seen)

Enkhzayaa and custodial staff hurriedly cleaned her clinic to prepare to see patients, while teachers called students and family to be seen by the doctors.  Within 15 minutes, we had a line of 35 people waiting outside the door and certainly not enough translators for every physician wanting to see patients.  I was asked to translate, but I knew my Mongolian wasn’t strong enough to be able to truly express medical advise and questions from English-to-Mongolian and Mongolian-to-English.  So I pleaded to Batsukh Altanchimeg to send more translators to help, so that we could get the proper care for these patients.

(Enkhzayaa and me)

(Oyuna, Dr.Tom Yeh, and a patient)

Eventually Aagii, a volunteer translator, and Oyuna served as primary translators for the American doctors.  Domonique(social worker with Peace Corps) was peacefully strolling by the dormitory building when she saw the commotion on the first floor.  For the remainder of the day, she and I switched roles between playing crowd control and assisting the makeshift pharmacy, explaining medicine directions.  We both at least can say “take once a day in the morning...”etc.  Needless to say, it was a rushed and sloppy experience, but we were able to help in some capacity, so that’s what counts... right?

(Domonique and her supervisor explaining medicine directions)

(we survived another long day)

Day 4:September, 1st 2016

In the morning, we saw about 45 patients at a nearby health clinic that actually is in the backyard of the health department.  The line was out the door, but the team had found its groove this day so it ran much smoother than the day before.

(Doctor at Satellite Health Clinic and myself, she’s a neighbor and her daughter and I practice English together) 

(waiting to receive medicine)

(me and the pharmacy team)

After lunch we took the show on the road and went to Buyant Soum (25 km from Khovd center).  We saw an additional 50 patients and the operation was even more organized and less chaotic, because of the avaiable space at this location.

(Berdigul translating for Dr.Hawley)

(two Kazakh patients, you can tell they are Kazakh because of the adorned hat and lighter hair)

(Aagii hard at work, while the baby plays with a dog balloon)

Day 5:September 2nd,2016

All work and no play, leads you to take a bus to the countryside and eat your body weight in watermelon, eat REAL Mongolian bbq, and breath in fresh air.  Along our celebratory trip, we dropped off a box of medical equipment and medicine in Erdene-Buren Soum (200 km from Khovd center)

(Dr.Hawley handing over equipment to Hospital staff member)

After visiting the hospital, we went a little further to a beautiful valley with a waterfall and beautiful mountains surrounding us.  We sat down to eat Mongolian BBQ one last time, before it gets too cold.  We took pictures, we ate, we laughed. Life was good.. True bliss... And then....

And then as went to leave, we realized the bus had gotten EXTREMELY stuck in the mud.  Berdigul and a few others, swiftly drove back into Erdene-Buren Soum and began knocking ger to ger to ask if anyone had a tractor to help pull out the bus.  After strange looks, they finally found someone willing to help and a tractor came through around 4 pm.  As we waited, one of the Mongolians that tagged along brought along a BB gun, so a bunch of us decided to play around with it, to kill time. 

After about 6 to 7 hours of gathering rocks and rubble to create traction for the wheels we were all losing our patience. The American doctors grimmaced when the Mongolians ultimately roped a cable to the back wheels in hopes to pull out the bus.  The American doctors thought to themselves “this doesn’t make sense, logic would show you that you will pull the back wheels off and we’ll be trapped forever”.  While the Mongolians countered this argument with “well if you hadn’t taken rocks for souvenirs, perhaps nature wouldn’t be so angry and we wouldn’t have been stuck for hours”.  Miraculously though, the wheels did not break from the bus, but instead we were finally free from the mud.  It was then 10 pm so we had to navigate back on gravel road in the complete dark.  Needless to say we got lost about 5 times driving back, so we didn’t actually get home till about 2 a.m.

I plopped down on my bed, exhaled, and the week was finally complete... Whew!

[mongolhokie89]

Q&A After Year One

After a year of service, I figured I would give you some insight on how my life has changed and give you just a glimpse of the life I lead here.  Like anything you experience for the first time (going to college, starting a new job, moving to a new home) everything doesn’t seem to work quite like you have grown accustom to. So, you adjust and grow to overcome the changes and hardships in life.  Mongolia is just the same as any other hurdle or roadblock you may face, it just happens to be thousands of miles away from everything you once knew.

1. When/what moment made you feel like it was normalized/made you feel like not a foreigner?

I can’t think of a specific time or instance, but I would have to say that interacting WITH tourists makes it very obvious that I am no longer one of them.  Summer is high season for tourists hoping to see the “true” Mongolia, but many have a time table of about 2 weeks.  Very difficult to fully grasp “true” Mongolia in such a short time.  Explaining Mongolian superstitions, culture, and food definitely has normalized my life here.  Tourists may think it strange: 

When livestock roam the center of town

When a Mongolian woman flicks milk to the sky, three times first thing in the morning

Eating sheep, cow, or goat innards

packing 25+ people into a Purgan (Russian Van) that comfortably fits about 6

Seeing naked baby butts all day during summer

Seeing children pee anywhere

5 year old boys riding horses like a pro and without a helmet!

Children not living in fear (stay outside all day long playing)

NOTHING is on time, that really shocks tourists.

2.  Now that you are settled into a different culture, is there anything about life in America that strikes you as odd from a Mongolian perspective?

I think  political campaigning  is drastically different than in America.  Mongolians can only campaign for their candidate for two weeks prior to the election.  Whereas in America we hear about the two candidates for about a half year and the presidential nominees about a year in advance!  Its much easier to remain neutral in Mongolia or not feel particularly passionate about one party or the other.  Many simply vote based on what will bring the country forward and hopefully keep the country afloat economically.

Another thing about Mongolian culture that I find striking is that I largely don’t live in fear.  Of course Mongolia has its challenges with alcoholism and domestic violence, but for the most part I am far removed from that.  However, in America whether I am going to school, work, visiting the capital I live in fear.  I always think in the back of my head what if there is a gunmen, terrorist, rapist, etc.  Bear in mind, Mongolia is a country of approximately 3 million compared to America’s  322 million.  Its been proven that the more people in a given area, the higher the crime rate is.  So, some of this is out of Mongolia and America’s control, but I still feel at a greater sense of peace than in America.

Thirdly, kinship and communal ties are extremely strong here.  When I first came to Mongolia I would have people introduce each other as “little sister” or “big bother” etc.  Come to find out in many cases they are not blood related or are far removed relatives. In Khovd, these terms are used as a term of endearment, admiration, respect, and love for those you hold dearest to you.  For instance, I would say Nim Jargal(Happy), Altaa(Gold), Tsaagii, Bimbzayaa (destiny) and so many others are my sister.  As sisters what’s theirs is mine, and what’s mine is theirs. Food is always a communal good for everyone’s benefit and there’s no such thing as a “secret” food stash.

3. What did I do in Uvs for the Color Run?

Some of you may not know that Michelle Obama, in addition to being passionate about child nutrition is also a very strong supporter of Peace Corps and gender projects we engage in abroad.  As such, she formed Let Girls Learn which is a grant that volunteers may apply for, if their project encourages gender equality in any capacity.  A fellow health volunteer in Uvs did a 6 week running program for girls in Uvs, but also included presentations on empowerment, professional development, and positive mindset.  At the end of the program, my sitemates and I drove up to Uvs (5 hour drive) to help her with her color run.  The Color Run 5K was open for any and all in the community and roads were blocked off by the police.  However, after about 20 minutes the police officers were starting to get bored so they decided to pick up the stragglers and drive them to the finish line... Pretty counterproductive, but kind of the mentality we often face.  Nonetheless we had a great time helping her out and Uvs was very beautiful! 

4. Talk about Darkhan Naadam vs. Khovd Naadam

If you didn’t get a chance to read my previous blog, let me provide you a brief explanation of naadam.  Naadam is a national festival and includes the “three games of man”.  The three games are wrestling, archery, and horse riding. Since I have already been to a Naadam before I knew not to arrive on time and not to truly understand what is going on in the opening ceremony.  This year I went to naadam with my two korean(KOICA) friends and later spent time with a peace corps volunteer and her mother who was visiting.  Last year, it was blazing hot and just watched wrestling for 5 + hours with my host family and two other peace corps volunteers. My host father wouldn’t let me eat anything but Khuushur (mutton pancakes) and we had plenty of Airag (fermented mare’s milk).  This time I had free choice as to what I ordered and I got a mongolian version of a kebab. We quickly became bored of watching the big fat men tackle the scrawny military men.  So we wandered and watched archery, which has expanded to include female archers! We roamed around a little bit, but since we have all experienced a naadam before there wasn’t that same level of curiosity and excitement.  After a few hours we went home, which was easy to do because the Khovd Naadam stadium is in walking distance.

5. What are your goals for the rest of your time there?

In the coming here, I hope to work with more men on my Good Father Project because I recognize it as a great need for the community.  I think this year I will moving further away from being a health volunteer and kind of move into being a community youth volunteer (social worker).  I still intend on doing projects with my KOICA friend regarding health and nutrition, but I feel compelled to make a difference with students and the community as well. In addition to my Good Father Project, I also want to do a “Let Boys Cook” club, which empowers boys to become strong cooks, cleaners, and other life skills.  It is my hope to bridge the gap between men and women and create a more inclusive home environment.  While women continue to comprise 80% of the professional jobs, men continue to hold traditional jobs (herder, driver, police officer).  However, as Mongolia becomes more modernized some of these traditional jobs are disappearing leaving many men unemployed.  This leads to feelings of despair and hopelessness which is a stem cause of high rates of alcoholism in Mongolia. So, I think I want to step out of my strict role of being a “nutritionist” and recognize that perhaps their is a greater need.

 6. What do you hope to do when you come back to America?

Good question and one I unfortunately don’t have an answer for.  A part of me would love to see the world and perhaps find a job working for USAID,Peace Corps, or other international organizations.  However, another part of me would like to have an impact on youth and communities domestically.  Perhaps working on positive body image, healthy nutrition, or gender empowerment projects.  Who knows.  But if anyone is hiring you let me know!

Hope this provided greater insight into my life here and a better understanding of my work here.  Feel free to post additional questions for me to answer in the future.  Love you all!

[mongolhokie89]

Good Father Workshop

On August 5th, I took a team of 20 Police Officers to a training site to expand their understanding and capacity of being a positive role model in their child’s life.  The training was fully sponsored by World Vision and included costs, such as colored pencils, paper, facility cost, two full meals, tea break, and transportation cost.  The workshop took place approximately 45 minutes from the center of Khovd at a training facility for both children and adults.

The project was facilitated by myself and my close friend Nim Jargal, who works in the health division of World Vision.  I completed planning of the Good Father Workshop by compiling presentations I believe would be helpful to educate police officers about.  Additionally, I took inspiration from past volunteers topic discussions related to time management, positive communication, and strengthening family relationships.

In May, I celebrated being in Mongolia for one full year.  With this anniversary, I have gained extensive understanding about the assets and needs for the Khovd community.  Unfortunately, domestic violence and alcoholism are two very challenging issues that the community faces.  Domestic violence and alcoholism impact the entire relationship structure and even influences their effectiveness at work.  After talking to several of my community member friends I decided to be pro-active and begin structuring an active approach to health education.  I wanted to move away from the traditional lecture in hopes that the men might retain more of the training.

I decided to start my Good Father Project with police officers, because I believe they are and should be the first line of positive role models in the community. If I can help provide them with strategies and tools to spending positive time with their family, perhaps others will follow their lead.  A police officer faces a lot of stress on the job and it is valuable to provide ideas on healthy ways to manage the stress.

In the end, my first major project was a huge success.  The police officers were active participants and open to listening to our thoughts on improvements. I am very pleased that Nim Jargal was supportive in so many ways for this project.

Here are some highlights:

Police Department of Jargalant Soum (Khovd Aimag Center)

Time wheel-how much time spent with family vs work

Group Activity: Plan a romantic trip with your spouse to the nearby lake (Khar-UUs Lake)

Helping them learn about identifying needs vs assets within the community

Included a limbo contest

As the winner of the limbo contest, he won cooking utensils for his family to cook healthy meals together

As the winner of the basketball shot competition, she won a teddy bear for her children

Bus selfie!!

The group!

Takeaways

Always go into a workshop with an open mind

Don’t expect perfection

Enjoy getting to know the group

Smile!

Will definitely do this again! (hopefully with Riza for security guards)

[mongolhokie89]

Traveling in Mongolia

This past week I spent a week in the neighboring aimag(province) of Zavkhan and did a Leadership Camp with five fellow Peace Corps Volunteers and 5 student counselors.  The camp touched on topics such as healthy personal relationships, communication, diversity, leadership, personal hygiene, and nutrition.  The camp combined team building physical activities (e.g blindfold tag) with brief and concise information on leading a positive lifestyle as they move into adulthood.  The children were rising 7th and 8th graders and they were an absolute joy to spend time with.  However, some of our instructions got lost in translation and at one-point capture the American turned into pull the American’s arm out of socket and claw through your opponents to collect as many scared Americans as you can.  We will clearly have to be more clear about what we define as “lightly tagging” if we ever play this game again.  I just got back to Khovd early this morning and thought it would be appropriate to share how traveling in Mongolia works, as it is completely counter to how Americans travel.

Traveling in Mongolia

1.       It is reasonably safe to trust un-marked taxi drivers and SUV drivers that offer to drive you to your desired destination

2.       Expect frequent unscheduled stops and interruptions while on your journey, off-roading can cause a lot of car issues

3.       In order to hail a ride, it is a good idea to stop in the Aimag center’s main market to see if any drivers have made announcements regarding travel

4.       If you aren’t familiar with your driver, be sure to learn at least the words for “how many children you have” “whether you’re married” and “where you are from”

5.       While making travel arrangements I recommend staying close to the transportation announcer in case better travel options suddenly become available

6.       If you are off the paved road, be aware that gas stations are very rare so be sure to fill up whenever you do pass one.

7.       Since there are very few gas stations, delguurs are also non-existent so stock up on snacks for the road before you leave

8.       There are no roadside restaurants so if your driver gets hungry, you will probably stop in a random ger and be fed a hearty meal with great company

9.       Never underestimate the kindness of Mongolians, several times I have been offered rides for free

10.   Traveling with strangers is expected and for the most part safer and more comfortable than taking the bus

11.   Remember, that one way or another you will get to where you need to be, just be flexible and understanding that it won’t be like travel in America

12.   I definitely recommend Westerners to try traveling through Mongolia, if only to gain patience and flexibility.

What would you like me to talk about next? Leave me a comment and I will try to answer your questions in my next blog :-)

[mongolhokie89]

This One is For All The Mother’s

Quick Recap

I know I haven’t written a blog post in some time, but things are busiest in the springtime. Students are still in school and the weather is more bearable than in the winter (minus sandstorms that shoot glass particles at your eyes).  I have been working closely with my Adolescent Doctor on STI prevention, Safe sex, non-smoking, and alcohol cessation.  She doesn’t know a lick of English, so she sometimes just rambles in Mongolian to which I can only understand every other word (I often just nod my head in agreement).

(STI Training at the Polytechnic College with Dr.Khulan)

When I am not working with Dr.Khulan I spend my time teaching English to the staff at the central hospital.  Two new Korean (KOICA) volunteers have started working in the hospital, so I hope to work on research projects and group education courses for the community and staff. One KOICA volunteer also has a background in nutrition, so we intend to make a survey(needs assessment) to determine nutritional deficiencies and cater our lessons around their needs.

Earlier in the springtime I had a healthy eating club with students from Khovd University.  Every Monday we would cook a healthy meal for students and teachers, in order to build their capacity of leading a healthy lifestyle.  I would have to say that the most interesting meal was the Gedec (sheep innards) pizza. For centuries Mongolians have survived off animals and their by-products they often gain nutrition by eating iron rich parts of the animal, such as the intestines,coagulated blood, liver, kidney, and stomach.  Unfortunately, Mongolians don’t have the luxury of getting fruits and vegetables all year round and can’t find “superfoods” like flax seeds, macha powder, and quinoa.  Mongolians hold on to the belief that Gedec should be eaten to prevent fatigue and illness, which can be attributed to its rich array of vitamins and minerals.  Either way, the Gedec pizza turned out nicely and all of the students had a great time making it!

(Myself and one of the student’s in the kitchen)

On the weekends I typically spend it with my sitemates, co-workers, or friends.  The past few weekends I have gone hiking, sightseeing, gone to children’s birthday parties, and spent quality time with some of my favorite people :-)

Onto Mothers...

Since every day is and should be Mother’s day I want to dedicate this post to all the mother’s I know all around the world.  The amount of gratitude and appreciation I feel is limitless.

In America, mothers are championed for their tenacity and ability to control, educate, and love their children.  While, family dynamics are now becoming more equal, the role of “mother” largely remains in the nuclear family.  In Mongolia the biological mother still holds the largest responsibility for her children, but there seems to be a greater emphasis on communal parenting.

The pressure to settle down and get married, usually starts at an earlier age for Mongolian women.  For a little context, one of my closest friend’s has two children(4 and 2) and she is only ONE day younger than me.  That means that I would have had my first child, immediately after graduating Virginia Tech. Was I ready to have children at age 22?  Did I have life all figured out? Do I have life all figured out, now? NOPE!

When I first came to Mongolia, I often wondered “how do they do it? They are all so young!”.  After living in Mongolia for a year and finally getting a grasp on the family dynamic, I can boil it down to a simple answer “communal parenting”.  Almost all of my co-workers and friends have AT LEAST one child, if not more! The truth is, young mother’s don’t have all the answers on raising their children, but its not expected for them to do it alone.  Grandparents, siblings, cousins, and friends all work together to help raise a child.  Whether a parent asks for help or not, people that care will offer advice and a lending hand.  Mongolian women don’t need to ask for help from others, its expected.  When I notice this dynamic I think back on the quote “it takes an army to raise a child” which absolutely applies in Mongolia.

I wanted to touch on the differences between Mongolian and American parenting, not to say one is better than the other.  But, more to appreciate both techniques.  Raising children isn’t easy, no matter where you live and mothers deserve a million accolades. So...

THANK YOU FOR BEING MOTHERS <3<3<3<3

[mongolhokie89]

How to Navigate a Positive Body Image Without Becoming a Hermit

Last night I finished Harriet Brown’s book Body of Truth.  In this book, Brown brings to light an often neglected aspect of the obesity epidemic, which is human compassion. Physicians, employers, and trainers alike often project their “fat” bias by refusing treatment, suggesting the patient is lazy, or in some cases firing employees who are otherwise competent and qualified employees.  She touches on raw emotions that almost everyone has experienced at some point in their life in their effort to fit the “ideal” image.  Women overexercise, under eat in an effort to be thin, while men take supplements that will help them reach optimal muscle growth.  I would be lying if I said that I have never felt inadequate, ugly, or fat in this often brutal world.  I share my story in hopes that it might strike a chord with you and may help you finally gain peace with your body.

As a child I was born to stand out, I was always playing with the boys and that suit me just fine.  My closest friends in the neighborhood were all boys and we spent most of our days climbing trees, playing with power rangers, and doing other stereotypical “boy” things.  One of my earliest memories was when I was 5 years old playing on a teeball league. In the 90s it was “in” to cut your hair in a bowl shape and since I was noticeably playing a male dominated sport, I was mistaken for a man.  I was elated for the mistaken identity, because to me being called a “boy” meant that they thought I was strong, tough, and capable.

Growing older, society pushed me toward spending time with my “own” kind and that it was no longer “normal” for me to be just one of the guys.  I never really parted with my tom boy preferences, which was painfully obvious when my friends would geek over makeup, clothes, and barbies.  Those things just never interested me and they still don’t today.  

Moving on into adolescence I made the decision to become a vegetarian.  I made this decision around morality issues and humanity issues surrounding animal husbandry in this country (whole other topic, that I won’t touch on today).  I didn’t take the time to research the nutrients I would need to supplement and the factors I would need to consider, if I wanted to live a healthy, balanced life.  Back in the early 2000s, restaurants were only beginning to cater to “special” diets and most places only offered side salads and fries as their vegetarian item.  Essentially, I was truly a carbatarian throughout middle and high school and my health truly showed it.  I had finished growing at 4″11 and remained 15 to 20 pounds overweight for all of high school.  I never received much attention in the love department and I’m sure my weight had everything to do with it.  However, like many women who don’t have looks to fall back on, I became the “funny” girl.  I was the girl that brought joy through my physical humor (unintentionally falling), my sometimes airy thoughts, and my “amazing” dance moves.  

Despite having several friend circles and a fairly active social life, I could never escape the inner hatred I felt about my body.  “Why cant I look like my friends?” “It’s not fair, they can eat whatever they want and not gain a pound!”.  While in high school, fad diets were all the rage and of course I tried them all.  One in particular was the “Special K” diet.  Eat a meal replacement bar for breakfast and lunch and you will lose x amount of weight.  I guess I enjoyed eating too much, because I would often restrict myself then binge right after school ordering quesadillas and fries from Cafe Sano.  Nothing about that diet was healthy, either I was deprived or I was over eating. 

I left for Virginia Tech in the fall of 2008 and without really even trying I began to lose weight.  Luckily for me, I attend the University with the number one dining services in the country. It was easy for me to choose healthy food that was delicious and I never felt deprived or hungry.  That’s not to say that I never indulged on cheese bread or mozzarella sticks or D2 cookies, but these were “treats” things that weren’t daily indulgences. As the weight began to come off, I started to enjoy activities I used to detest, such as running.  Running and weight training stayed in my routine all four years of college.  I think that my positive body image was probably at its peak in university, simply because I was too busy living my life to care.

After college, I entered a not so kind job market that led me toward retail/customer service.  I was admitted into a Masters program in Nutrition and was excited to learn about optimal health and nutrition.  However, somewhere along my journey I took exercise to the extreme and it took a toll on my health.  A once vibrant, friendly young person soon became an irritable, sleep deprived, emotional wreck. I took up biking, which started as a fun activity to share with my brother.  It soon became the object of my obsession “just 5 more miles and I can treat myself with grilled cheese tonight”.  I can’t explain what shifted in my brain to make me believe such dismorphic things about my body, but I can say that it can be all too easy.  I became gauntly thin, experienced chronic fatigue, and was emotionally distant from everyone around me.  

While my case was an extreme case of overexercise gone wrong, my story in some way or another touches everyone’s life.  Have you ever found yourself saying “I can’t believe I ate so many cookies, I’m such a cow.  Tomorrow, I NEED to burn it off.” or “ I ate greasy pizza last night, my diet starts tomorrow”.  We constantly cycle between behaviors of binge and restriction, but what if we simply just lived?

Moving passed my stint of overexercise, I managed to eat in a more balanced way and was able to put on 20 pounds of lean muscle.  My passion for life, exercise, and food shown through and I continually got comments by fellow gym rats that I was a role model and a source of inspiration.  Anyone can tell you that those comments go right to the heart and most of them felt more valid, because it touched on my lifelong desire to be thought of as “strong,tough, and capable”.  

After graduating from my Masters Degree in nutrition, I became a beacon of knowledge for public health, but little did I know that my health understanding was nowhere near complete for me.  I embarked on my journey to Mongolia with preconceived beliefs of how I would maintain “health” while abroad, but really it was hot to stay “thin” while away.  I came to Mongolia during the height of the summer so exercising outside was extremely easy.  I spent the majority of my PST (pre-service training) running, doing exercise videos and eating well.  I would venture to say that my routine border lined obsession and was a major block that stood between myself and my fellow trainees.  My fear of packing on the pounds drove me to over exercise and neglect the all to important social aspects of PST.  By the end of PST I had built a reputation for being self-disciplined and the girl with rock hard abs.  What about my silly side?  Certainly people picked up on that?  Unfortunately I was too fixated on keeping this mold that no one really got that side of me.

I got to Khovd in late August and my reputation proceeded me.  I was the “strong, American woman” that was crazy for running or lifting like a man.  In early fall I managed to get the flu and unintentionally lost about 20 pounds.  At this point even my size double 0 pants were beginning to slide off and my shirts were never filled.  I was visibly ill and weak, but the positive affirmations were probably at its peak!  Kind of fucked up, right?

In early December, I had to make the difficult decision to lower my exercise volume so as to make sure I didn’t sprain an ankle or get ill from running in below freezing temperatures.  A smart decision that ultimately changed my perspective and image in the eyes of my peers and mongolians.  As the weather changed and the holidays came through, I became less militant about my diet and figured “I’m only in Mongolia once, why deny myself?”.  And so I overindulged and paid the price.  My once rock hard abs had turned to flab and my physique was no longer something to marvel at.  After reading Brown’s book, I now understand that it was my extreme restriction, binge lifestyle that contributed to the majority of the weight residing around my abs.  

I spent many a nights engaging in self-loathing behavior, telling myself that I am fat, lazy, and unhealthy.  But am I?  Have I been fighting my genetic predisposition of being muscular and stout by denying myself joy through food?  Have I lost sight of the positive aspects of exercise as a productive way to eliminate stress, increase cardiovascular health, and improve lean muscle mass?  Has it become an avenue to “burn” the unwanted fat I wish to get rid of from my body?

At this point in my life, I feel like I have been given a second choice to choose what path I go on I could:

1. Run every single day, wake up early, sacrifice sleep, cut calories

2. Incorporate a variety of physical activities that I enjoy, eat balanced, and heal my body image

While number one would certainly get me intended weight loss at a quicker rate, what will happen to my overall health in the long run?  If I intend to live a long, happy, healthy life it seems like a no-brainer that the second option is the right path for me.  The second path does not adhere to any strict style of eating, like vegan, raw, paleo, atkins or any of the other diets of the day.  The second relies on intuitive eating and listening to your body to tell you what you need to thrive.  

So, perhaps my natural body profile will never get me back to size double 0 pant size, but maybe its time for us to accept that health comes in all different shapes and sizes.  Stop the discouraging fat shaming and help change society by fostering an environment of love and acceptance instead of hate and blame.

[mongolhokie89]

Khovd’s Ice Festival 2016

This past Saturday, the entirety of Khovd invaded the nearby lake to celebrate in this year’s Ice Festival. Apparently last year it was too warm around this time so they had to cancel it.  The festival is two days long, but most organizations only go to the first day.

 (me in a mini ger)

 I was instructed to meet everyone at the health department at 8 am in the morning.  Knowing that this was far too early for any Mongolian to meet, I planned on arriving 15 minutes later than instructed. While this felt weird to do, I was STILL the first person to get there.  Finally, an hour later we packed into several cars and started heading to the lake.  Unfortunately, Oyuntsetseg’s(my supervisor’s) car stalled 5 minutes on our journey, so we had to turn around and find alternative transportation.  Luckily Saruul-Od( my main co-worker) and her family were planning on leaving at roughly the same time.  She rescued us and we began our journey yet again.  

(my supervisor and I)

Once we arrived, we met up with our fellow co-workers and waited for the opening ceremony to begin. It was still early in the morning so the temperatures were miserably cold to stand and wait in.  My feet were completely frozen, despite doing light dance moves to keep the blood flowing.  Finally, two hours later we were announced to begin our march around the ice “arena” and wave the health department flag.

(Saruul-Od beside a tiny ger)

 After the opening ceremony we rushed back to our cars to warm ourselves and drink warm milk.  I hadn’t eaten anything at that point so I was cranky not only from being so cold, but also for being so hungry.  I felt like a cat being comforted by the piping hot milk tea that was offered to me.  Once I began to feel the warmth of the milk move through my extremities I felt a calm, contentment rush over me.  Then the feast began, to which we all scarfed down potato salad, meat, kimbap (korean version of sushi with ham instead of fish), and the main course KAZ (horse meat, which is traditionally consumed by Kazak’s but some Mongolians enjoy it as well).  After our bellies were full and our bodies finally reached a comfortable temperature we began a round of sumo wrestling.  I went up against Saruul-Od and I am sad to say I was defeated in a flash.

 (my coworkers being silly)

 Right after a bout of Sumo Wrestling, I was told to run a race that I was not prepared to do.  My stomach felt like it was about to explode, I had 4 layers of clothes on, and boots not suitable for running. I agreed anyway, but was quickly shown that this was just not the day for me to try to run. After about 100 meters a few of my coworkers drive by and pick me up to save me from my embarrassing defeat.  We drove around the track while they playfully heckled the runners and then let me out to “finish” my race right near the finish line.

Aside from sports competitions, the Ice Festival had numerous ice sculptures that included every year according to the lunar new year. I am pretty sure that I am the year of the snake so I took a picture along that ice sculpture.  A few of my coworkers also took the golden opportunity to take a picture riding a camel (temee in mongolian) and I was their official photographer for the afternoon.

 (Temee’s)

  Around 4 pm we piled back into our cars and headed back to town, to which we all took naps in the car.  I was so drained from the day even though I wasn’t doing anything physically strenuous, perhaps my energy was simply zapped trying to keep my body warm.  In any case I had a great time with my coworkers and am glad to have another unique experience to share with my friends and family back home.