simply life

4-6-08
“Have you seen the herd of yaks hangin out in the river?”
This is a quote from myself, as a part of normal conversation with one of the other volunteers in my town. ‘The River’ is a place in our town that looks like maybe at one time it had water in it, but my guess is that it’s been a while. I love seeing herds of animals in my town. Right now we have a herd of goats and sheep, a herd of cows, and our newest addition, a herd of yaks. Maybe it is the fact that I had never even thought about yaks before I came to Mongolia, but I find myself loving yaks. They are such awesome animals. I was walking to my friends house, past the grazing yaks, when I decided to try and answer my own question about the kosherness of yaks. I walked up to the yaks, trying to look at their hooves, but also keeping my distance, as my knowledge of yaks’ temperament is minimal. It looked to me like they have a split hoof, but it was hard to tell. As I continued my walk, I simply contemplated the fact that I just walked up to a yak and that I was passing yaks as a normal part of my life. Every time I think like this, I can not help but smile. J


I used my friend’s washing machine today for my laundry. It has been around 10 months since I’ve really used a washing machine for a full load of laundry. I have been washing my clothes by hand since I got to Mongolia, which is actually surprisingly harsh on clothes. Washing machines here are different than in the states. They are not hooked up to water and require a little bit more work than what we are used to. But using this washing machine is MUCH easier than washing by hand. I find myself actually enjoying the extra physical work certain tasks take here. There is something more satisfying about working hard. I love to have a hard day’s work. This can be anything from busy at my job to washing clothes and my apartment. I love that feeling at the end of the day when your body is tired because you have worked it throughout the day. Right now, I lie here in my bed, my body is tired from doing laundry, cleaning my home, and the workout I did in my extra room and my hands are dry and tired from wringing my clothes and washing them. I think, in America, we get too used to things being easy and convenient. There is so much more satisfaction in something that you have really worked hard for. Part of the challenge of Peace Corps is adapting to another way of life. You begin to do things differently, and I wonder if these things will stay with me throughout my life. In America, my cooking consisted of whatever was quick, where here; I enjoy a night of chopping vegetables, and making soup over the course of an hour or more. In America, doing laundry was annoying, though so easy, where here; I actually enjoy the feeling of doing my laundry. It is more difficult, but also satisfying, and actually a good time to think. In America, “I need to wash my hair” is the typical joke of an excuse to skip out on a date, where here; it is a valid chore that needs to be done. Here, I will tell someone I am cleaning on Saturday and what this means is that I am going to clean my home, and then I am going to take a tub bath. I know that I definitely hold a warm shower in a special place in my heart, along with the availability of a variety of fruit and vegetables, but I also know that these are luxuries that I can live with out. It will be interesting to see the little ways that my life is changed after living here. The things that I miss about America have nothing to do with most conveniences that we have in America, and more to do with certain atmospheres. Only time will tell what I will miss about Mongolia. (and I still have another year to enjoy it, before I start missing it)