I'm located in the small village of Javkhlant in Selenge Province, located in the north of Mongolia. The population here is about 1,800 people (pretty small) and about 120,000 animals (Let's hope the animals don't revolt!). The animal population primarily includes sheep, goat, horse, cow, and pig--though as some may know, I have seen camels while traveling to and from the large city of Darkhan, located to the south.
For a country of so little rainfall, we've received a lot of rain! And every rain washes out our dirt roads, transforming them into a gooey obstacle course of veining streams, slick bumps, and treacherous quagmires. I have been fortunate to have no face-plants yet! The rain can be a pain, but the sky the day after a rain is spectacular. The Mongolian sky is like nothing I have ever seen before, and is absolutely gorgeous.
Besides those small streams that come with the rain, there is no running water here, and I am growing increasingly adept at bathing in my tumpun (a shallow bucket). You'd be surprised how quickly you learn to live without things like that. We do have electricity--unless a storm or heavy wind blows it out--but, as you know, no internet. Again, though, you quickly adapt--and I've been keeping so busy that I don't know if I would have time for it!
I am in the process of learning the Mongolian language (San bain no? Nameg Karen gidik! Be horin zorgaa nastai). Mongolian is a pretty interesting language, very different from English (though related to Japanese). My language teachers are awesome, and so much fun. They've been really patient with the millions of questions I seem to always have, which I think has really helped me.
I'm currently living with a host family, who I love to pieces. My host father's name, Jargal, means "joy"--and he is aptly named. I often call him Aav-bagsh (Father-Teacher), because he's always helping me with my Mongolian. I also have two sisters, Ulaana and Tsagaana (whose names mean 'Red' and 'White' respectively). They've been so kind and sweet to me--and sometimes very affectionate. Their English is pretty good, and help me a lot with my Mongolian language practice--and just learning about the culture. Tsagaana, who is 17, will be going to a university in UB this fall, while Ulaana is working to become a spiritual Buddhist/Tengri healer.
A couple younger family relatives live next door, and I play with them quite a bit--particularly the older boy, Bombule, who is 9. We've had some pretty awesome football (soccer) games, and he's helped me go to fetch water a couple times. Really smart kid--and his little sister, Okna, is absolutely adorable.
I'm here at site with six other Peace Corps Trainees, and we all get along pretty well. We've been working closely on a lot of language, cultural, teaching, and community development projects, which have been a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. It's a pretty good group, I think!
I have about a month of Pre-Service Training left before I move to site, where I will be for the next couple years. I'm sad to leave PST, particularly my host family, but I'm really eager to go to site and get to work. I can't wait to start making a positive difference in this amazing country. I'm excited to meet the Mongolians I'll be working with (the people here are so friendly and generous!).
I probably won't have much internet until I get to site, so expect another month or so before you hear from me (I hope to relate some of the more interesting experiences I've had during PST). Before I sign off, though, I want to send a special shout-out to all those who I've received letters from: Kaachan, Touchan, Dustin (Big Brother!), Memaw, Paula-Koala, Brent, Ms. Gray, and Thomas.
It's been wonderful to hear from you, and your thoughtfulness means a lot. I will write everyone back--provided I can finally find the post office. If you sent something, I may not have received it yet!--mail takes anywhere from a few weeks to a month to reach me.
Thanks again! And much love to everyone!
Karen
