...but only half thawed out.
We have now entered the point in Mongolia where it will continue to get colder and colder and colder. I'm a little nervous about how I will survive the winter in my ger, in the central region (which gets colder than my old place out East). I know I will be fine but still, when I wake up at night because I just had to have those last 4 cups of tea before I went to bed...and I take less then a minuet to pop outside to pee (no need for the outhouse in the dark of night!)...and return shivering and slightly miserable as I try to warm up enough to fall back into raptor haunted sleep...I get nervous. This is nothing. What is -11 when you know -40 is still ahead. My "dad" and "uncle" when out to the...well actually I dont know where they went, but the came back with my winter's supply of wood, and next week "dad" and I are gonna go buy me some coal. I won't freeze to death, but still I was pampered my first winter.
I wear make-up everyday I teach. It is interesting. In America, I rarely wore make-up, and when I did it was usually just mascara or eyeshadow. But here in Mongolia, ugly women just don't get jobs, or respect, regardless of their qualifications. Oh she is the prettiest, lets hire her. As it is I already feel like I giant beast in comparison to my co-wokers, the majority of whom have the figures of 15 year old girls, and my wardrobe, while nice, is hardly the height of fashion in Mongolia. So an extra 5 minuets in the morning to apply a full face of make-up is worth being able to feel at an even level with teachers, and its professional. I haven't quite gotten to the "I look kinda like a retired street walker" level of make-up application that is prefered by many Mongolian woman, but that is probably a good thing. LOL!
Now the big task for this trip to the city: can I find a pair of winter boots that a) I can afford, b) I can fit into, and c) dont have 3 inch heels?????
Friday, October 24, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
The bus is ten miles north on the Duesberry Road...
...and they're having a LOVELY time!
On the road today coming into UB (a sort of protest if you will, in the hopes that my school will finally winterize my ger after procrastinating for about 2 months), we hit a traffic jam. Do you know what it was? Goats. Yes, I had to wait an extra 10minuets in the Microbus with an unplesently full bladder, so that a bunch of goats could be herded across the little bridge into the city. Then in a little cafe where I stopped to pee and eat some breakfast I ran into one of the Mongolian soldiers who had helped repair our dorms! He bought my breakfast, that was nice. Then when I was next to Peace Corps I ran into one of the teachers from my college back in the Cho. We exchanged news, my hands went numb, she gave me a piece of gum (score!), and then we parted ways. I wonder if one day I will be able to reach my Grandfathers level of acquaintances (he runs into someone he knows EVERYWHERE! Its crazy! LOL!)
Next week starts my English Clubs. In Mongolia, English Clubs are actually just additional English lessons for the good kids who need to be challanged more. I will have a 4-5th grade club where the students will learn English songs and poems...I'm going to have fun with this one! Its cool to see how many kiddy songs and what not I still remember, though if you have a good poem shoot it my way I'm a bit low on those. Then next club is 7-9th grade club (remember we have no 6th grade O_o). This will be half songs half actual lessons. Finally is the 10-11th grade club, in which conversation and pronounciation will be our main goal (but I'll prolly end up teaching them songs too ^_^). In addition to the students I will be starting an Adult Class for the older memebers of the community who want to learn/refresh their English. I'm most excited about this one as I always have fun teaching adults, and I don't have to submit any of the evil lesson plans I sooooo hate. We also kinda maybe have internet at my site now, and I will be teaching internet/computer classes on the weekends...maybe. Its a little confusing now but we'll see!
We just had "Old People's Holiday" (don't be offended thats the litteral translation) on Wednesday. There was a concert, food, drink, more food, more drink, even more drink, and then parting gifts for the Elderly of the town. It was so cool to see people celebrating their elders, all of whom were dressed in there traditional Mongolian outfits and looking so cute and old and weatherd by their countryside lives. Then there was a dance for the younger people, that only lasted about 3 songs because the musician decided he didnt want to play anymore, but that made some people mad and because it was a holiday and most folks had been DRINKING a fight broke out, the broke a speaker, and I think the musician's nose, and it was cancelled.
Its been really cold and I keep dreaming about velicoraptors. Its most disturbing.
On the road today coming into UB (a sort of protest if you will, in the hopes that my school will finally winterize my ger after procrastinating for about 2 months), we hit a traffic jam. Do you know what it was? Goats. Yes, I had to wait an extra 10minuets in the Microbus with an unplesently full bladder, so that a bunch of goats could be herded across the little bridge into the city. Then in a little cafe where I stopped to pee and eat some breakfast I ran into one of the Mongolian soldiers who had helped repair our dorms! He bought my breakfast, that was nice. Then when I was next to Peace Corps I ran into one of the teachers from my college back in the Cho. We exchanged news, my hands went numb, she gave me a piece of gum (score!), and then we parted ways. I wonder if one day I will be able to reach my Grandfathers level of acquaintances (he runs into someone he knows EVERYWHERE! Its crazy! LOL!)
Next week starts my English Clubs. In Mongolia, English Clubs are actually just additional English lessons for the good kids who need to be challanged more. I will have a 4-5th grade club where the students will learn English songs and poems...I'm going to have fun with this one! Its cool to see how many kiddy songs and what not I still remember, though if you have a good poem shoot it my way I'm a bit low on those. Then next club is 7-9th grade club (remember we have no 6th grade O_o). This will be half songs half actual lessons. Finally is the 10-11th grade club, in which conversation and pronounciation will be our main goal (but I'll prolly end up teaching them songs too ^_^). In addition to the students I will be starting an Adult Class for the older memebers of the community who want to learn/refresh their English. I'm most excited about this one as I always have fun teaching adults, and I don't have to submit any of the evil lesson plans I sooooo hate. We also kinda maybe have internet at my site now, and I will be teaching internet/computer classes on the weekends...maybe. Its a little confusing now but we'll see!
We just had "Old People's Holiday" (don't be offended thats the litteral translation) on Wednesday. There was a concert, food, drink, more food, more drink, even more drink, and then parting gifts for the Elderly of the town. It was so cool to see people celebrating their elders, all of whom were dressed in there traditional Mongolian outfits and looking so cute and old and weatherd by their countryside lives. Then there was a dance for the younger people, that only lasted about 3 songs because the musician decided he didnt want to play anymore, but that made some people mad and because it was a holiday and most folks had been DRINKING a fight broke out, the broke a speaker, and I think the musician's nose, and it was cancelled.
Its been really cold and I keep dreaming about velicoraptors. Its most disturbing.
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