As time goes on..

Hey Guys!

I know…my posts have been late every week.  And to be honest, it's mostly because I literally have nothing to write about!  The biggest thing from the past week is the Peace Corps event I went to.  It was a discussion on the experience of black volunteers in the Peace Corps.  There was a panel followed by a question and answer session.  It was great to hear that volunteers around the world have similar experiences when it comes to race!  Even the volunteers who served in African countries talked about not necessarily racially, but culturally as African-Americans.  It was definitely a great learning experience.  Outside of this event, my week has gone on about the same as the others: pretty uneventfully.  Hopefully I will have more to discuss next week!  By the way,  If anyone has any specific questions regarding my experience, feel free to ask by email or here (I can even make a Q&A post if anyone wants).  Talk to you next week!

The Highlight of my week! (Picture Post)

JANELLE MONAE!!!

Post slacking

Hey Guys,

So I literally have nothing new to update you guys on.  All I've been doing is sleeping, eating, and talking to Peace Corps.  But I just saw an article on Mongolian food and thought I'd share the link.  The three main dishes in Mongolia are buuz, khuushuur, and tsiuvan.  This link will tell you a little more about them.  Enjoy!!  I'll try to get you guys more entertaining things for next week!

News!

Hey Ya'll!

So I've been away for about 2 weeks.  I've had internet troubles and some other troubles.  Also, I'm currently on a medevac, so the next couple posts will be my journey back (Check out the link to find out what a medevac is).  That's been about it.  I did get a care package recently (super pumped!!) with all sorts of goodies.  Stay tuned for pictures!!

The package of greatness!  Granola bars, seasoning, peanut butter, thyme, crackers and smoked herring....sooooo excited!!

They even wrote messages on the box!

Well, on 2 sides.

And one of my favorite pairs of pants were in the box!  These are an awesome pair of wool camo pants!

2014 is here!!!

Hey guys!!

So I know I'm a little late (my school's internet went out...again), but  I'm here with a New Year's post!!  Since we last spoke, the 2 big events have been my school's Shine Jil party and the mini party that my site mates and I had.  At our school's shine jil party, we had lots of food, games, dancing, and singing (like most Mongolian parties).  It was lots of fun and everyone looked soo nice!!!  I left at about 11 pm (though the party kept on going without me....It started at 5!!).  Then on Tuesday night, my site mates and I all spent time together for the new year.  We tried to go out to dinner, but every restaurant was closed!  It was pretty crazy.  We cooked together and just hung out (one of my site mates' counterpart came to spend time too!), although I didn't make it til 12 (old age, I guess).  On Wednesday, no one had work or school so we spent the day resting and cleaning and later on we went to my site mates' counterpart's house for dinner.  Then it was back to work the next day.  That's been the past week, for the most part.  I am now back in my ger (and freezing...yay).  Thank goodness I can still make a fire!!  Anyway, here are some pictures from the school party!  Talk to you guys later!!

My library buddy (I'm now in the library when I have no class instead of in the teacher's room)

Some of the teachers from my school

Shine Jil dress!

Some of the teachers singing a Mongolian New Years song!

Cheers all around!!

The training managers, director, and accountants

Check out the dance floor (typical Mongolian dancing....in a circle)!

The one in the middle is one of my counterparts!

There was a game that they played where they had a guy and a gal from each table come up.  Then they used tape and taped around the men's heads, shoulders, stomachs, and legs and then see how many  balloons would use static to stay.  The team with the most balloons won.  Then they popped all the balloons....while they were still on!

2 of the teachers and I!

Christmas!!

Hey Guys!!

I'm a little late for Christmas, but Merry Christmas anyway!!  This past week has been filled with Christmas celebration.  My site mates and I have spent everyday since last friday together just watching Christmas movies.  It's been great!!  Although it isn't the same as being home, it's still good to have people to celebrate Christmas with (especially in a country that doesn't recognize Christmas Day as a holiday since they think Christmas is wrapped into New Year's celebrations).  We've taken all sorts of pictures since last week in preparation for Christmas.  In terms of the actual day,  I spent the entire night before awake and baking for my hashaa family and my teachers (I'm still in the apt, so it made it pretty easy).  The next day I woke up and delivered the cinnamon rolls I made to my family then went back to doll up to go to school (Since I had to make Christmas fun on my own, I decided to put on make up, straighten my hair, wear heels, wear a santa hat, and wear a christmas dress to help me along...everyone was shocked).  I brought in cookies, which disappeared.  Later on in the day,  my site mates and I continued our Christmas movie marathon and opened the stockings that one of my site mates' mom got for us.  It was awesome!!  Now here I am as everything is somewhat going back to normal.  Our school will be having a шинэ жил (Shine jil means new year) party on Saturday.  That will be the next exciting event.  Well, that's all for now!  I'll talk to you guys next week!

Because I brought 4 onesies to Mongolia (because why not?), we all had a onesie for a Christmas PJ photoshoot. 

More onesie madness!!

Pyramid!!

Our "formal" Christmas shot. Gotta love the props!

The cinnamon rolls I made for my hashaa family!!

I gave them the pretty middle pieces from the roll...these are the end pieces.

The 2 kinds of sugar cookies I brought to school for my teachers.  I made about 70 cookies (chocolate dipped and then i used a cinnamon sugar frosting with Christmas sprinkles on the other kind)!! 

Yum!

My school gave all the teachers gift bags like this one.  Super exciting!

Ahh Mongolia

So I don't have much for you guys this week either.  While in the big city I bought several goodies (Coconut oil....like a huge container, a new tie die winter coat....gorgeous, mozzarella cheese...because I need cheese in my life, coconut milk....because what is curry/most jamaican dishes without it, dried chili pepper....yay to pepper, a hair straightener....zelda is due for a trim, and my beloved christmas dress...fuzzy with reindeer on it), thus spending way more than I ever imagined I would while there. lol.    I got back to site at about 10 pm on Sunday to a frozen get (literally things I didn't think could freeze were frozen!!!).  When I got home, I was relieved but missed the convenience of city life (aka showering daily....like real showers, internet everywhere, not making fires, and, of course, the variety of food) and also the other volunteers.  It's still a little strange being back to site (between the rising prices, crazy students, and immense smog), but hey.  So it goes.  This week I switched with one of my site mates.  So I'm in an apartment this week.  Thats about it.  Talk to you guys later!!

Some of my Sukh 4 (Training Site) people.  Love them so much!!

Crashing the photo...because I can.

Some of the Sukhbaatar (Summer time people again) girls in the midst of a huge snowball fight during IST.  So much fun!!!