Since we last spoke, I had my swearing in ceremony, met my supervisor (on Thursday), and have gone to my site! A lot right? On Saturday, August 17, 2013 I (and the other 41 of us) swore in to become an official volunteer in Peace Corps Mongolia! It was an exciting, but sad day. We were all super excited that we made it through training, but then we had to say bye to some of our friends (the people who weren't leaving from the capital) and get on a bus to leave Darkhan. I cried so much...it was a little insane.
Then we got to the big UB. We stayed in some college dorms until it was time to leave for site. That night we got to go out on the town and hang out with the older volunteers. It was a good thing we had that time to spend with each other, because people started leaving for site the next day! I was there until Monday, so I had 2 days to be sad about all the friends I had made who were now going to the opposite ends of the country.
Then Monday came and i got on the bus from UB for the 8 hour bus ride to Arkhangai. It was definitely a ride filled with excitement and nostalgia. When I finally got to site, I got in a car to head home. I arrived and met my haasha family and walked into my beautiful ger. My family (my dad, mom, and little brother) seem to be great (and they live in a house right behind my ger)! And I have a haasha dog (who is the biggest punk...she rolls over if you even walk close to her)! My ger is also super cozy (after 3 days of trying, I finally made a successful fire by myself!). My site mates are also great. We've seen each other everyday since we've been here.
I must say I love my site. There are clear skies, beautiful mountains in the back, and just a great small town feeling to it (also it's pretty big compared to where some other volunteers live). We also have this great little cafe run by an Australian couple. They sell hot cocoa, lasagna, cinnamon rolls, and veggie burgers, just to name a few of the great things they have. I feel like Mongolia continues to impress me every step of the way. I'm so excited for the next 2 years! Stay with me on the journey!
Love you guys!
Lorre! You seem quite comfortable and happy at your site! YAY So you have suite mates in your ger? If so, that is super cool. I thought every one lives alone?? Also, once you're @ your site, you get another family? I thought that was during training only. Put pictures of your place!
ReplyDeleteMaybe everything you've written is actually pretty clear, but due to sleep deprivation I cannot connect the dots....
Samantha
I have site mates, so there are other people around town, but i live by myself in my ger...I wish we all lived in one place! And if you live in a ger, you get a family that lives in the yard in a separate house. If you are in an apartment, then you're truly on your own after training. I'll def put up pics once internet's fast enough!
DeleteOh that's right. You definitely said "site" not "suite"...what's wrong with me. But site mates are pretty cool - you're not all alone!! Also you get a fam too! Awesome. Now I understand. I'll be waiting for pics :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for clearing things up!
No prob! I should've made it clearer!
Deleteyay! it sounds amazing :)
ReplyDeletethanks!
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