My Birthday and Other Adventures!

This week has been quite the week!  I'm getting to know my area better and getting to know my site mates better.  This week, I've made dinner with at least one of my site mates everyday.  I have also been to my school a couple more times.  School starts on Sept. 1st and I'm not quite sure I'm ready.  I was banking on having some time to observe before I got started teaching, but I just found out that I will just jump in teaching....wish me luck.

Next in the news, this week I fell into a manhole...yes, a manhole.  I was casually walking along the street with my friend when I just fell!  Before you ask, yes I was watching where I was going.  The manhole was covered and when I stepped on it, it flipped!  I fell in up to my waist on one side while the other leg was still on the sidewalk (good thing...because it would have been awful to have fallen completely in...I could have broken something if I had!).  My friend and I laughed sooo hard!  I guess I can now list that as one of my many adventures in Mongolia.

This week I also visited many of the offices in my town with my counterpart.  I visited the administration office, the police station, the fire station, the land/construction office, and the hospital.  It was great to see all the people!  Many of them want me to teach them English.  Guess I have my 2 years filled!

The next topic will be my birthday.  Yesterday (August 28th) was my 23rd birthday.  It was strange to think about how it would go, especially with a group of people who I just met a few months ago.  It was actually great!  I slept in then went to a local restaurant to eat lunch.  Then later on my hashaa mother gave me a box of chocolate, a mongolian keychain, and a scarf with a matching hair clip.  I didn't even know she knew it was my birthday!!  After that, I went to hang out with my site mates.  We made dinner (DELICIOUS grilled cheese and tomato soup) and spent the night talking.  They even bought me a cake!  I was so full after dinner, I didn't even get to eat a piece of my cake!  I'm so glad I got the site mates that I have.  I also got a call from family in Jamaica and messages from friends back home (although most of them forgot...lol).

The second to last topic is a brief complaint that's been weighing on me for a while.  Since being in Mongolia, I've gotten many mixed reactions to being a person of color in this country.  Some people say I'm ugly while some people tell me how pretty I am (all in Mongolian, of course).  I also have people who stare at me and laugh every time I walk past.  Sometimes I find myself wishing that I could just fit in.  Although I'm very proud of my race and culture, it gets frustrating when no matter how well you try to integrate, you are always the odd one out.  I get tired of people telling me I'm not American just because of the color of my skin (although I'm not, I am supposed to be here representing America, so how useful is that representation going to be if no one accepts me as American?).  So what will I do with this problem?  I will try to turn the next 2 years into various series of teachable moments.  I will explain the diversity present in America so that there isn't just one view of Americans.  It may not change while I'm here, but at least the thought will be going for future volunteers here.

And lastly, on a lighter note *drum roll*:  I got a cat!!  I asked my counterpart if I was allowed to have a cat and she brought me a kitten that night (just 2 days before my birthday).  She is beyond precious (although she cries a lot, is always hungry, always in need of attention, and bites a lot)  and is just a little independent lady!  She doesn't have a name yet, though (can't decide on one, but I'm open to suggestions).  She doesn't help me fight the spiders in my ger at all, but i still love her!  I will be making fish and chicken for her for the next 2 years.  Now without further ado, a picture of the little diva:

She looks really calm in that picture, but don't let it fool you...she's quite the ball of energy!

Well, that's been my week!  Next week I will have beginning of school updates for you! 

Баяртай!!