12-20-2008
I’ve been away from my site for about three weeks now, and just came back a few days ago. I have had a little bit of an adjustment period coming back, trying to get back into work and back into my ‘ger life’. It got significantly colder while I was gone and I came back to everything in my ger being frozen, including my huge jug of water. The ice expanded and blew out the bottom of my jug. I will buy a new one tomorrow. This is a bummer but in a way it is ‘lessons learned’. Lesson #1 is that I don’t need one that big and it is better to get two smaller ones. Lesson #2 is that I need to dump my water before I leave for a significant amount of time. (Dually noted)
I came back to a new counterpart (person I work with). It was a little awkward at first, but I introduced myself and we talked a little. I get the feeling that she was not told about me when she was hired and she just thinks I’m there to teach English. I am not just there to teach English, but I will teach anyone who is truly ready to learn. (These are few and far between)
I’ve been trying to make more of an effort to see more of the country this year. I want to visit other aimags and people’s soums. Before I leave, I’m definitely going to need to a little more traveling, even if that means COSing (Close Of Service) 30 days early and taking that time to take a look around. I recently went to Kharkhorin, which is a soum in my aimag. It is a large soum and very popular on the tourist’s map, as it is the late capital of Mongolia. There is a big and well-known monastery that attracts a lot of attention. I went there to visit a friend, and also to do some work. The good thing about traveling in Mongolia is that you can often work and travel at the same time. I visited the schools and observed some lessons that were a result of a training I did last year. Unfortunately, in my time in Kharkhorin, I did not make it to the monastery. But this is ok because it will just drive me to go again. It is not very far from my town and there are relatively reliable cars that go every day. When I was in Kharkhorin, I met up with some other PC volunteers, who came down from Arkhangai and were on their way to my town for the school break. We stayed a night in Kharkhorin and then all headed down to my town. It was fun having so many people here, but it can also be tiring when you have to work, but nobody else does. They stayed for a little while and then headed back to their homes. The following week, I decided to help some of the volunteers in Dungovi with their English Olympics. These are English competitions that go on throughout the country. The winners can get money, dictionaries, money for University, or an invitation to a University in UB. They can be taxing on the volunteers, but are important to Mongolia. We filled up a car with students and teachers who wanted to participate in the neighboring aimag’s English Olympics and headed for Mandalgov, the aimag’s capital. This gave me a chance to see another part of the country, support the students and teachers, see some friends, and help out the volunteers in Dungovi. Dungovi is in the Gobi desert, which I hope to visit again. According to Lonely Planet, the Gobi desert is the least populated area of the world. I was only in the aimag center walking with my friend, and couldn’t help but chuckle at the amount of enjoyment I got simply out of walking on the soft sand of the Gobi. I’m sure being in the Gobi in spring, when the winds are fierce, is NOT FUN! But for the time being I was enjoying the closest thing to the beach I’m going to get for a while. So, I walked in the sand next to my (New York) friend, who preferred walking in the snow. After we did the English Olympics (which begins in the morning and finishes late at night), I had a couple days to see the aimag center. My friend showed me around and took me to a monument of a LARGE Murenhuur (instrument), and a LARGE drum, often found at monasteries. I don’t know the history behind this monument, but it seems like every aimag center has something. The people in Dungovi were really nice, even when I said the wrong aimag in a toast (oops!).
After my time in Dungovi, my friend and I hopped on the bus to the capital to celebrate Thanksgiving a few days late, but with many friends. While in UB, I enjoyed a total of 3 massages! (that’s a splurge) But they were badly needed, and greatly appreciated. There is a place in UB that is legit and almost feels like America… Or so I assume, since I’ve never gotten a massage in America. For the Thanksgiving dinner, the embassy provides turkey and everyone else brings something. I brought a side salad that I had at a Korean restaurant. (I’m lazy) Many people made delicious cakes and stuffing.
Days in UB can get really expensive due to all the things you can get there, but nowhere else in the country. I ate a lot of Korean food (one of my new favorites) and other delicious things. There is even a few REALLY good vegetarian places that serve reasonably priced food and jenkin (real) salads with smoked cheese! I spent a few days enjoy the luxuries of UB and catching up with friends and a couple days planning for the training I was about to partake in. Then I headed for Nukht, a pretty nice hotel (my standards may be different than those reading this), and prepared for the next day arrival of the M19 volunteers. (These are the same guys as the ones I trained in the summer) Three and a half days filled with trainings, evaluations, food, and laughter and I found myself back in UB, getting ready to perform phase 2 of a project that I’m working on in Darkhan (the second, or third, largest city in Mongolia… depending on who you ask). I spent the weekend in UB and headed up to Darkhan with another volunteer, a translator, and my approved project money. We taught some lessons and headed back to UB the same day. Two days later, I was on a bus headed for my town.
Travelling around is a lot of fun, but can also be tiring. I came home to my frozen water, and a mess in my ger (my fault… I forgot to do the dishes). It’s only a couple days later, and I am enjoying the warmth of my fire and night to myself. It’s amazing how much I love and appreciate the time I get to myself. I’ve always been a pretty social person, but sometimes I feel like I could go months without seeing anyone and be perfectly happy. Before I leave Mongolia, I plan on doing a 10 day silent meditation. I know a couple people who have done it, and I really look forward to experiencing it for myself.
(As I write this, I get up every so-often to check on the fire and make sure it doesn’t go out, and add some wood and/or coal if needed. Tonight I have actually had a relatively steady fire and have managed to prevent turning my ger into a sauna. Progress.)
When I joined the Peace Corps, I had no intentions of teaching English. I even debated whether or not I believed people should be going abroad “imposing” their language on another people. I did not know the inevitability of teaching English abroad. I have since changed my views on the issue. I now find myself wanting to teach English for a variety of reasons. I don’t necessarily want this to be my sole purpose here, but I am not closed to teaching any ready and willing student. It is amazing the amount of people who have asked me to teach them English, especially when you compare it to the amount of people who continue to show up or message me for lessons. Now, I’ll admit, when I was in America studying Spanish I was not exactly the best student and didn’t study as much as I could have, and I understand the difficulties of learning a foreign language outside of a country that speaks it, and for this reason, I will teach any student who puts forth the effort to simply show up for a lesson. In my time here I have learned the importance of English in the international world, which trickles down to people’s everyday lives. I have first hand seen how English can make or beak someone, how reports from Unicef will come in English and they expect reports back in English, how a person who only knows a basic level of English will get any job before a person who does not know any English. From situations as simple as staying in the guesthouses to as complex as working for Child Labor, English has proven helpful, not to mention the accessibility of information in books and on the internet. While I have grown an appreciation for the importance and usefulness of the language, I have also, through first hand experience, gained the knowledge of its difficulty. There are too many instances when, even to the BEST English speakers, you can not explain why ‘we say it this way and not that way’. English does not always make sense, and there are so many rules, and each rule has its exceptions, and each exception has its exceptions. I give props to any person who has successfully learned English as a Second Language, as it must be very difficult. I have been learning Mongolian for a year and 7 months and still am not where I’d like to be (though, I still find myself not to be the overachiever I never was). I give EVEN MORE props to anyone who has successfully learned English as a Foreign Language, as this has got to be a trying feet. I have now been in English classrooms in Israel and Mongolia, and find that more often than not there are teacher’s who don’t really know English, teaching English. This is insane!!! At a basic level, it is ok to teach the principles of a language in someone’s natural language, but there comes a point when, for the kids to have a decent chance and sufficiently learning the language, the class needs to be taught in the language being learned. This I appreciate as much when I taking Spanish as I do now. I am thankful that English is the one language that I don’t have to learn. (Though I could significantly brush up on my grammar knowledge) Those who learn English and really know it end up knowing it much better than I do. I don’t know all the rules and tenses, but I am thankful that I can speak it.
I encourage all you English majors, and people who find English interesting to get out there and start teaching people. English is a useful tool all over the world and can only help those who are learning it. I remember when I was in University people would say that there’s nothing for English majors to do but teach. This sounded so boring to me at the time, but I didn’t realize how interesting it could be. Teaching English could take you all over the world, and the funny thing is, you don’t even have to have a degree. All you need is the ability to speak it. People will train and provide resources for you to come to their country and teach English. They will pay good money for natural English speakers; all you need is a college degree… in any subject.
I’ve been away from my site for about three weeks now, and just came back a few days ago. I have had a little bit of an adjustment period coming back, trying to get back into work and back into my ‘ger life’. It got significantly colder while I was gone and I came back to everything in my ger being frozen, including my huge jug of water. The ice expanded and blew out the bottom of my jug. I will buy a new one tomorrow. This is a bummer but in a way it is ‘lessons learned’. Lesson #1 is that I don’t need one that big and it is better to get two smaller ones. Lesson #2 is that I need to dump my water before I leave for a significant amount of time. (Dually noted)
I came back to a new counterpart (person I work with). It was a little awkward at first, but I introduced myself and we talked a little. I get the feeling that she was not told about me when she was hired and she just thinks I’m there to teach English. I am not just there to teach English, but I will teach anyone who is truly ready to learn. (These are few and far between)
I’ve been trying to make more of an effort to see more of the country this year. I want to visit other aimags and people’s soums. Before I leave, I’m definitely going to need to a little more traveling, even if that means COSing (Close Of Service) 30 days early and taking that time to take a look around. I recently went to Kharkhorin, which is a soum in my aimag. It is a large soum and very popular on the tourist’s map, as it is the late capital of Mongolia. There is a big and well-known monastery that attracts a lot of attention. I went there to visit a friend, and also to do some work. The good thing about traveling in Mongolia is that you can often work and travel at the same time. I visited the schools and observed some lessons that were a result of a training I did last year. Unfortunately, in my time in Kharkhorin, I did not make it to the monastery. But this is ok because it will just drive me to go again. It is not very far from my town and there are relatively reliable cars that go every day. When I was in Kharkhorin, I met up with some other PC volunteers, who came down from Arkhangai and were on their way to my town for the school break. We stayed a night in Kharkhorin and then all headed down to my town. It was fun having so many people here, but it can also be tiring when you have to work, but nobody else does. They stayed for a little while and then headed back to their homes. The following week, I decided to help some of the volunteers in Dungovi with their English Olympics. These are English competitions that go on throughout the country. The winners can get money, dictionaries, money for University, or an invitation to a University in UB. They can be taxing on the volunteers, but are important to Mongolia. We filled up a car with students and teachers who wanted to participate in the neighboring aimag’s English Olympics and headed for Mandalgov, the aimag’s capital. This gave me a chance to see another part of the country, support the students and teachers, see some friends, and help out the volunteers in Dungovi. Dungovi is in the Gobi desert, which I hope to visit again. According to Lonely Planet, the Gobi desert is the least populated area of the world. I was only in the aimag center walking with my friend, and couldn’t help but chuckle at the amount of enjoyment I got simply out of walking on the soft sand of the Gobi. I’m sure being in the Gobi in spring, when the winds are fierce, is NOT FUN! But for the time being I was enjoying the closest thing to the beach I’m going to get for a while. So, I walked in the sand next to my (New York) friend, who preferred walking in the snow. After we did the English Olympics (which begins in the morning and finishes late at night), I had a couple days to see the aimag center. My friend showed me around and took me to a monument of a LARGE Murenhuur (instrument), and a LARGE drum, often found at monasteries. I don’t know the history behind this monument, but it seems like every aimag center has something. The people in Dungovi were really nice, even when I said the wrong aimag in a toast (oops!).
After my time in Dungovi, my friend and I hopped on the bus to the capital to celebrate Thanksgiving a few days late, but with many friends. While in UB, I enjoyed a total of 3 massages! (that’s a splurge) But they were badly needed, and greatly appreciated. There is a place in UB that is legit and almost feels like America… Or so I assume, since I’ve never gotten a massage in America. For the Thanksgiving dinner, the embassy provides turkey and everyone else brings something. I brought a side salad that I had at a Korean restaurant. (I’m lazy) Many people made delicious cakes and stuffing.
Days in UB can get really expensive due to all the things you can get there, but nowhere else in the country. I ate a lot of Korean food (one of my new favorites) and other delicious things. There is even a few REALLY good vegetarian places that serve reasonably priced food and jenkin (real) salads with smoked cheese! I spent a few days enjoy the luxuries of UB and catching up with friends and a couple days planning for the training I was about to partake in. Then I headed for Nukht, a pretty nice hotel (my standards may be different than those reading this), and prepared for the next day arrival of the M19 volunteers. (These are the same guys as the ones I trained in the summer) Three and a half days filled with trainings, evaluations, food, and laughter and I found myself back in UB, getting ready to perform phase 2 of a project that I’m working on in Darkhan (the second, or third, largest city in Mongolia… depending on who you ask). I spent the weekend in UB and headed up to Darkhan with another volunteer, a translator, and my approved project money. We taught some lessons and headed back to UB the same day. Two days later, I was on a bus headed for my town.
Travelling around is a lot of fun, but can also be tiring. I came home to my frozen water, and a mess in my ger (my fault… I forgot to do the dishes). It’s only a couple days later, and I am enjoying the warmth of my fire and night to myself. It’s amazing how much I love and appreciate the time I get to myself. I’ve always been a pretty social person, but sometimes I feel like I could go months without seeing anyone and be perfectly happy. Before I leave Mongolia, I plan on doing a 10 day silent meditation. I know a couple people who have done it, and I really look forward to experiencing it for myself.
(As I write this, I get up every so-often to check on the fire and make sure it doesn’t go out, and add some wood and/or coal if needed. Tonight I have actually had a relatively steady fire and have managed to prevent turning my ger into a sauna. Progress.)
When I joined the Peace Corps, I had no intentions of teaching English. I even debated whether or not I believed people should be going abroad “imposing” their language on another people. I did not know the inevitability of teaching English abroad. I have since changed my views on the issue. I now find myself wanting to teach English for a variety of reasons. I don’t necessarily want this to be my sole purpose here, but I am not closed to teaching any ready and willing student. It is amazing the amount of people who have asked me to teach them English, especially when you compare it to the amount of people who continue to show up or message me for lessons. Now, I’ll admit, when I was in America studying Spanish I was not exactly the best student and didn’t study as much as I could have, and I understand the difficulties of learning a foreign language outside of a country that speaks it, and for this reason, I will teach any student who puts forth the effort to simply show up for a lesson. In my time here I have learned the importance of English in the international world, which trickles down to people’s everyday lives. I have first hand seen how English can make or beak someone, how reports from Unicef will come in English and they expect reports back in English, how a person who only knows a basic level of English will get any job before a person who does not know any English. From situations as simple as staying in the guesthouses to as complex as working for Child Labor, English has proven helpful, not to mention the accessibility of information in books and on the internet. While I have grown an appreciation for the importance and usefulness of the language, I have also, through first hand experience, gained the knowledge of its difficulty. There are too many instances when, even to the BEST English speakers, you can not explain why ‘we say it this way and not that way’. English does not always make sense, and there are so many rules, and each rule has its exceptions, and each exception has its exceptions. I give props to any person who has successfully learned English as a Second Language, as it must be very difficult. I have been learning Mongolian for a year and 7 months and still am not where I’d like to be (though, I still find myself not to be the overachiever I never was). I give EVEN MORE props to anyone who has successfully learned English as a Foreign Language, as this has got to be a trying feet. I have now been in English classrooms in Israel and Mongolia, and find that more often than not there are teacher’s who don’t really know English, teaching English. This is insane!!! At a basic level, it is ok to teach the principles of a language in someone’s natural language, but there comes a point when, for the kids to have a decent chance and sufficiently learning the language, the class needs to be taught in the language being learned. This I appreciate as much when I taking Spanish as I do now. I am thankful that English is the one language that I don’t have to learn. (Though I could significantly brush up on my grammar knowledge) Those who learn English and really know it end up knowing it much better than I do. I don’t know all the rules and tenses, but I am thankful that I can speak it.
I encourage all you English majors, and people who find English interesting to get out there and start teaching people. English is a useful tool all over the world and can only help those who are learning it. I remember when I was in University people would say that there’s nothing for English majors to do but teach. This sounded so boring to me at the time, but I didn’t realize how interesting it could be. Teaching English could take you all over the world, and the funny thing is, you don’t even have to have a degree. All you need is the ability to speak it. People will train and provide resources for you to come to their country and teach English. They will pay good money for natural English speakers; all you need is a college degree… in any subject.
