CHRISTMAS BAYAR MENDE XURGI!
Its hard to believe that it is really and truly Christmas as I sit here in the PC office at 7am having spent all night on a train after a most hectically interesting 2 weeks ... confused? Well lets take a little trip back to yesteryear.....
Saturday 15-
Meet up with all my fellow M18 volunteers and our Mongolian Counterparts (CPs) at the PC Office and caught a bus to Terelge, the ger camp where our IST was held...had a few training sessions...caught up with old friends...tripped and sat on the ger stove (thank goodness for thick jeans and long johns or my butt would be fried) 2nd degree burning my arm on the stove pipe...huddle shivering under blankets next to Dwan, attempting to keep warm in sub-zero temperatures
Sunday 16-
Woke up late and got "toast" (aka bread that may once have layed on a stove for 2.6 seconds) for breakfast, it seems as if most people have forgotten the sitting on the stove incident, until they see my arm. Have around 10 hours of training sessions...took my Language Proficiency Interview...died from the stress of it...came back to life to watch Indian Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark with my CP and remembered why I was in love with Harrison Ford as a child...hung out with my Sukhbaatar boys and helped Fahd to win big at poker
Monday 17-
Woke up late, again, had "toast", again, and had about 10 hours of sessions, again...realized that it takes 2 days for burns to really start to hurt...took a hot shower!!!!...hung out with my CP for a while...wandered around to the various gers attempting to find people to hang out with, but kept walking into awkward situations...accidentally walked into the Trainers poker game, stuttered confusedly, blinked 7.9 times, turned and left...decided to call it a night, went to my frigidly cold home for the week, and gossiped with the girls for a bit...had a random 10 minuet freak out during which I said "I have 2 brains and the little one is eating the big one" and also "Why am I such a young, stupid, white girl?"...that passed and we all laughed about it and went to sleep together in the big bed in an attempt to keep warm...it worked!
Tuesday 18-
Woke up not late only to realize that breakfast only included "toast" and slabs of fat that were trying their best to be bacon...10ish hours of sessions...Talent Show!!!!!! I helped in 2 skits, one on the proper method of cuddling to keep warm in winter, the other called A Day in the Life...of Sarah (wonder who came up with that idea hmmm ^_~)...was once again amazed by how talented Mongolians are...DANCE PARTY! and Video Games...back to the ger for some 13 (this awesome card game I play with my SB boys) and major winnings on my part...hung out with some of the CPs for a bit...stole Yoomie's sleeping bag and slept warmly
Wednesday 19-
woke up late and didn't even bother with breakfast...the CPs left...10ish hours of sessions...Kim's Bachlorette Party!!! which included a horrifyingly hilarious parody of a striptease by James, Chris, and Kevin...escaped the massive gathering of women to go play cards with the guys (and take more of their money!!!)...stole Fahd's bed as the party was still going on at my place and was warm thanks to Sharsons amazing fire making abilities!
Thursday 20-
Woke up late (surprise, surprise)...learned that sessions were cut short!!!!!...took too long to pack and was the last one on the bus...drove back to UB...checked into the guesthouse...had amazing Indian food...went to sleep early
Friday 21-
Decided that since I had a few free days I would go up to Sukhbaatar (SB) to visit the Mongolian Family...caught a car to Darkhan with Jacob, Fahd, Dwan, Peter, Jason, and Robin...3ish hours in a speeding car (horrify on Mongolian roads)...in Darkhan caught a meeker (van type thing) to SB...2ish hours later...Jacob, Peter, Dwan, and I visited our families, ate ALOT of food, drank ALOT of suutai tsai ("milk tea") and airg ("vodka" true Mongolian style)...crashed at Jacob's families house
Saturday 22-
work up earlyish...Jacob, Peter, Fahd, and I took a hike in the SB mountains...went to Jason's families house to hang out with the SB city folk and our Mongolian teachers...went back to Heraldo to hang out with our teachers there...realized that I don't know nearly enough Mongolian songs
Sunday 23-
woke up and had breakfast with Jacob's family...visited with Charlene's family...decided to skip the walk to the river to help teach my family how to use the computer they got...went to the store with the family to get marogen ("ice cream") as was our tradition...said our goodbyes...Jacob, Peter, and I caught a late night meeker back to Darkhan...took a hot shower at Peter's place...watched the end of Small Soldiers on his cable tv...feel asleep warm and comfortable
Monday 24-
was awoken at 7am by, wait, could this be real, am I dreaming, that's right it was Jacob watching, LIVE FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!! and a Patriots game too!(sorry Miami)...exhaustion took over and I fell back asleep...got up later, ran some errands for Cady (Peter's wife who was making us Christmas dinner)...chilled with my dvv ("little sister") who is studying in Darkhan...then went back to Peter and Cady's to have amazingly delicious Christmas dinner with the two of them, Yoomie, Dylan, Jess, Kevin, and Jacob...caught the 12:40am train to UB with Jacob
Tuesday 25-
was awoken upon arrival at UB...caught a taxi to the PC office...and here I am now...maybe I will go watch Rush Hour 3 later, or go for sushi with Sharson and Fahd...don't quite know...but tomorrow morning my plane leaves boku early...Merry Christmas!
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