No Plan is the Best Plan: this is my adventure

Sick

2012-01-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

So, I ended up buying a last minute flight home and arrived in the U.S. on the evening of Jan. 4. I went straight to the emergency room and have basically been in the hospital since. They have been testing me for all sorts of things but still don't know whats wrong with me. Really, they are just giving me tons of antibiotics and trying to kill whatever is there while also waiting for the test results. I almost went to the hospital in Thailand, but after everything that I have been through I am happy to be home. I will finally go home this evening. It'll take a couple weeks before I totally feel better again and after that I will be moving to Long Beach and looking for a job. Its strange, but I'm actually looking forward to having a job. Not the job search, but to working. I've been avoiding it for a long time now and have really loved the path that I have created for myself, but it is time for me to take a new and totally unfamiliar step. For me, that means to get a "real job". One with benefits and that pays more than a students salary. It's time...

Just an update.

2011-12-31T02:47:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted in a while, and I've made some big changes.

1. I took a trip by myself to Pokhara, Nepal and stopped by this beautiful lake called Begnas Lake. The place was completely empty while I was there and the himalayas could be seen just over the mountains.

2. After a lot of thought, I decided to leave my volunteer program early and am no longer in Nepal. I have all sorts of justifications for this decision, but the most important one is that it just wasn't working out for me. It wasn't an easy decision, but I don't regret it at all.

3.I am now in Goa, India where it is warm and beautiful. The part of goa that I am is relaxing and not filled with all the crazy parties that Goa is so infamous for. \

4. Unfortunately, I have been extremely sick for about 5 days now. I went to the doctor and he gave me a bunch of medicine, which seem to be working temporarily.

5. It's New Years Eve and there's now way I'll be able to celebrate with the way I've been feeling. But I am quite satisfied with the past year and look forward to the year to come.

6. I have to leave India by Jan 12. I'm either headed to the U.S. or to Thailand. I haven't quite decided yet.

hopefully more in-depth posts to come. Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T05:17:00.000-08:00

The history of Thanksgiving that we learn as children is so friendly. As we grow older we learn the skewed reality of the "thanksgiving story", but one thing remains the same. We take the time of Thanksgiving to cook giant meals and get together with friends and family. We sit at the dinner table and everyone says something they are thankful for. Usually people are thankful for their friends, family, and the food on their table. This is my third Thanksgiving outside of the U.S. Even when I am in the U.S., I spend thanksgiving with my friends and family, but there is also a lot of family and friends that are very far away. I have fading memories of spending thanksgiving as a child at my Aunts house or with other family friends. But for many years now, my family of 3 has spent all our thanksgivings with my "second family". When I was very young, this family invited me and my family to become a part of their family and over the years they have become really like family for me. For thanksgiving, each person will make something and bring it over to their house and everyone will join together to share and amazing meal. I am here in Nepal, where the poverty is blatant and the opportunities that people have are limited. Most people in this country will never eat a meal like the one on the thanksgiving table. The other Americans I am with and I will put together the best Thanksgiving meal we can and we will show the Israelis what its like to have a Thanksgiving meal. We will go around the table and have everyone say what they are thankful for. What am I thankful for?

Everything.

I am thankful for my friends, my family, my education, my freedom, my knowledge, my mind, my physical ability, the physical and mental ability of those around me, and I am thankful for my open mind. I am thankful to be in a place like Nepal, where I can learn a new culture, a new way of life, and expand my mind and knowledge. I am thankful for my empowerment, my capability of speech, the internet, and the feeling of really LIVING my life. I'm thankful for all who love me and all who I love. And I'm thankful for all the difficult situations that I have experienced and the opportunity to turn them into learning experiences and growth.

Happy Thanksgiving. This is the only time of year I get a little homesick while I'm away.

The Himalayas

2011-11-24T05:03:00.000-08:00

I feel like I have gotten only small tastes of the Himalayas so far. From India to Nepal, I have tempted myself with the foothills, but have not gotten close enough to see the enormousness of this famous mountain range. In India, I went to the Everest Museum and saw an amazing diagram of the Himalayas. I find myself becoming more and more fascinated and more and more drawn to them. Before coming to Nepal, my one goal was to do the "tea-house trekking" lower part of the mountain range. Upon arrival to Nepal, my goal was to see Mt. Everest; to find the best view of the mountain that I could. Now that I've been in Nepal for about a month and a half, I can feel my goals changing. I feel this drive to do the Mt. Everest basecamp trek. It is a 14 day trek both ways, which takes you to the basecamp of Everest. The place where the hardcore trekkers who attempt Everest begin. My program ends in February, so it will be very cold. However, it is one of the most popular times of year to trek in Nepal because the visibility is better. I think I want to do it. I dream of it. I'm sure if I will do it. I leave my plans always open to change, but at the moment I really want to do this trek. If I decide to do it, it'll cut my trip shorter because can be pretty pricey. I have time to think about it. But I love having these types of options. It's amazing!!!!

Flying High!

2011-11-24T04:42:00.000-08:00

I waited with 2 other volunteers to catch our bus to Kathmandu. We stood by the side of the rode waving our hands at buses, which ultimately flew by us full with people. As bus after bus passed us, I started waving at some of the truck drivers head for the capital, hoping to find a ride. Eventually, a bus stopped and us and the Nepalis waiting for a bus rushed toward the doors. The driver didn't take anyone inside, and we headed to the back to climb to the top, just to watch it pull away from us. Eventually another bus stopped for us. The Nepalis pushed their way on and the 3 of us foreigners were instructed to climb up top. We were a little excited for this, our first chance to ride the top of the bus. It's an experience that we all wanted before leaving Nepal. We climbed up the ladder and made ourselves "comfortable", sitting on people's bags. We made sure our bags were relatively secure and found places to hold on as the bus took off. Now, if I were a bus driver with human beings riding the top of my bus as I drive the windy and bumpy roads of Nepal, I think I would manage my speed a little to make sure nobody got hurt. This is not the philosophy of a Nepali bus driver who has been putting people on the top of his bus since he first started driving. As we rounded each turn, we shifted our weight and grabbed various parts of bags and the small railings to feel more secure. The reality is that we were fine, but this was not an experience we were used to. As we worried for our lives and I pictured us tumbling off and down the mountain, we tried to use Beyonce as a way to destract us. It worked. The truth is, it was really fun. If it were slightly safer, we had the best seats on the bus. We watched as the bus pulled away from the magnificant views of Nepal and starred in awe at the top of the Himalayas. The cool breeze against our skin, sun on our faces, and really feeling a part of the scenery. It was also funny to see people's reactions of seeing 3 foreigners riding the top of the bus. It is common to see people packed on the top of the bus around Nepal and India, but it is never only 3 foreigners. People waved as we passed by, trucks honked, men and women on motorcycles smiled and waved and lowered their bandanas from their mouths to say "hello" before putting it back to protect them from the pollution. There was even a few guys riding the top of the truck who were joking about how tight we were holding on. At one point the money collector for the bus swung his body onto he roof as we were holding on for our lives. He was so comfortable moving along the outside of this bus while it traveled down the windy roads. As we approached the checkpoint to enter Kathmandu, we were instructed off the rooftop and into the bus filled with Nepalis, and we headed to our stopping point.

Mud Mansion

2011-11-24T03:57:00.000-08:00

When I first arrived with my 6 roommates to Mahadav Besi, we arrived to our mud house and were overwhelmed with the amount of work it needed. Our task of the first few days in the village was simply to make our home liveable. The house sits in a beautiful location with views of mountains/hills from all angles. Their are fields everywhere and it is on "the road" in this small part of the village. We have neighbors attached to our house and the next nearest house is where the Nepali staff of my program live. Other than that, there is a "Rye Village" about 10 minutes away, another "Rye Village" past that, and those living in the stone quarry down by the river. There is one school at the top of a hill where many of the "Rye" children go to school and farms everywhere. It is absolutely beautiful. It felt like cleaning out someone else's garage as we pulled everything out of the house and layed it out front. We cleaned and went through everything, deciding what to throw, what to keep, and how to make this place a home. The structure is made of wood covered by mud. After all the clean-up, here is what it is like. From the road, you walk down a path, which is more like a "walking trail", lined to the right by sugar cane and to the left by fields waiting to be churned and replanted. Now, we had begun our garden, which is along this path. We are also building a small fishpond in this area. In front of the house is a porch and open area, which is shared with our neighbor 'hajur buwaa', an old man who is slunched with missing teeth and an cathedar, but still tends the sugar cane fields and works with the grains. What a tough old man. On the front of the porch is a hammock, built by one of my roommates who I swear can build ANYTHING and really has the innovation and energy to do them all (hence the fishpond). Approaching the front door, on the left is another door that leads to one of the rooms. You duck your head through the front door (the whole place is built for people no taller than I) and to the right is the "living room" and kitchen. It is basically a mud room with a table, a couple blankets and pillows to sit on, a 2 burner stove, and a fireplace made of mud (which we don't use due to poor ventilation techniques). A little forward, and you run into the wall, but to the left is the ladder. Going up the ladder to the second floor, you are exposed to a bigger room, filled with 3 beds. There is an attic area above there, but it's hard to get up there and I'm not interested in whats up there. Then through the doorway takes you to a large balcony separated by a doorway. One guys sleeps on the balcony sometimes, but started to get cold. To the right, is another door, which leads to my mud room, which I share with another American. The beds are are basically wooden boards with a few blankets on top. I don't sleep well. I keep warm, but when I sleep on my side, I feel like my ribs are crushing into me. I must add that it is not the worst bed of my life and my bed in Mongolia was much worse! I mostly stay awake from the mice. The mice on the metal roof and in the walls is absolutely insane!!! I've tried earplugs, I think I put them in wrong. I've tried listening to my Ipod, the stimulation to my brain keeps me awake. The mice are most active between the hours of 11pm and 6 am. They drive me nuts! And up until the other night, dew fell on my face as I was trying to sleep in the morning, which gathered on the metal ceiling. My builder roommate put up plastic to stop this. So nice of him. He's also build a fire oven outside and an outdoor "shower". It's quite impressive the things he comes up with. I think I learn just by watching him. We also have an outhouse... which is..... an outhouse.

We are making the most of our mud mansion.

Mahadav Besi

2011-11-24T02:49:00.000-08:00

I am back in Kathmandu after about a week and a half in the town of Mahadav Besi, where I will be spending the next 3 months. The village feels like its in the foothills of the mountains. It is absolutely beautiful. The hills look like they have giant steps, which are the fields where the people get their livelihood. They grow rice, potatoes, cabbage, and whatever else. Their crops are not very diverse but as time goes by, they are widening the variety. The land is green and beautiful and from walking around and talking to people, I am slowly learning more about agriculture. One day, we took a hike down the river and through countless rice fields to one of the nearby waterfalls. It was absolutely beautiful, but hurt as I stuck my head underneath to wash my hair and body. The weather is amazing, with the sun shining basically every day. The temperatures drop around 6 pm as you watch the sun fall behind the mountains. The evenings are not too cold, but then the temperature drops again around 11pm and I am happy I bought a good sleeping bag from the REI used sale right before I left. The night sky is pitch black, with almost no light pollution. The stars illuminate the sky with clarity, but I must admit, the view is nothing compared to that of the countryside sky of Mongolia. Where I live, is along a road that is connected to the "city", which consists of a piece of the main road that is lined with small shops and vegetable venders. Behind the market are a couple schools, the health and police posts, and a few more shops. The roads are full of children in their school uniforms, indicating which school they go to. Throughout the village and the market area are men, children, and women carrying impossibly heavy loads with a strap that goes across their heads. Few people in this area speak English. I find it difficult to meet people, but I have become friendly with 2 people in the market. They are brother and sister and work in a fabric store with their family. They are a Muslim family and I am hoping the girl will take me to the Mosque with her one of these days. I eat lunch at the same place everyday. Nepalis eat Dhal Bhat (rice with vegetables and lentil soup) two times a day. I am not a huge fan of Dhal Bhat and occasionally switch it up with spicey chicken dumplings or vegetarian chow mein (neither of which are very tasty).

The Volunteer work is coming along.... slowly, but I am really excited for some of the work opportunities. There is a group of people who work in the stone-quarry. They have a very difficult life and work hard breaking stones into gravel. They are borderline in a debt bondage situation and I plan on assessing if it is trafficking or not. Other than that, I will be working with 2 women's groups on issues of HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, and sexual abuse awareness, along with communication styles and financial management techniques. I will also be working with a youth group in this area. These people live on the riverbed and work really hard. They live in temporary housing situations but get stuck for more years than intended. I must say, their lives are very difficult but they are a very strong people and live in a very beautiful place. Also, I will be working at a blind children's school and another school. I am excited to dive right in!

my "prophecy"

2011-11-04T21:44:00.000-07:00

We were asked to write a "prophecy" regarding the world. It was very open and we were given 20 minutes to come up with a song, a quote, a picture, to write, or whatever other form we decided to express our feelings about mankind, social justice, or whatever way we interpreted the assignment. Much of it was in Hebrew, so I was not able to understand what most people said or wrote. On the English and visual side; one person took a picture with a black background and money in the foreground, another read the song "wear sunscreen" (or whatever its called), another read a quote from the John Mayor song "waiting for the world to change", someone else referred the group to a movie and a song which concentrate understanding a cycle that people get stuck in and not to judge people based on what "they're best" is. Here's what I wrote:

You exploit your workers til they feel pain,

You reap the gain that comes from their daily strain,

Good intentions you claim as they're driven insane.

They come out maimed as you sit on your thrown in vain.

You keep people down and think that your tough,

But what you don't realize is that life for them is rough,

And the strength that they have is stronger than your monetary love.

With a little help they will get through this stuff,

And they'll come out the other side like a diamond in the ruff.

As you lie on your self-proclaimed death bed,

You'll realize what you should have done instead,

Was to work together to move ahead,

and together you could have positively progressed and the road to prosperity you would have led.

Deewali is the festival of lights.

2011-10-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

Tihar, Diwali, Deepawali. This holiday is really amazing, but also pretty complex. My understanding of it is limited, but I have been trying to learn, and I have definitely been celebrating. There are days to worship different animals; the crow, the dog, and the cow. There is also a day to respect brothers and sisters, where brothers give money to sisters and sisters give tikka (red dot between the eyes) and gifts in return. The animals also receive tikkas and garlands of orange flowers on their respective days. I will describe the first day of Diwali

I left the house and headed to the thamel with no particular goal in mind. I just wanted to wander around and see what happens on this festive evening. I had no idea what to expect. As I walked down the small streets of my section of town, I passed by many families and shop owners making sand pictures on the ground and lighting candles through the entrances of shops and homes. I noticed small crowds of young children singing to shop owners and receiving small rupee notes. It can be slightly compared to caroling, but they all sing one of 2 songs. I continued down the winding streets of closed shops and lights, candles, and celebratory flags strewn everywhere until I ran into a mob of people. It took me a minute to figure out that inside the mob was people singing and dancing "nepali style". The people on the outside of the circle sang and clapped along. I continued on my way to dinner. After dinner, I wandered into the streets of thamel, usually a very touristy place but on this night full of lively nepali singing and dancing. I walked with my new Nepali friend to meet up with some of his friends. He works for a cultural arts organization and him and his friends all play instruments. (i met him as my drum teacher) We joined his friends in an alley of this maze of walking streets where we celebrated life with whiskey, song, dance, 2 drums, and 3 nepali string instruments. (i forgot what they were called) The group finished in this space and moved to the storefronts of one shop to another. I followed their dance moves, their shouts and chants, and they were excited by the lonely westerner joining in the fun. My german friend who I'd met in India passed by the group and we joined him in some bar hopping and people watching. The night ended with a group of 4, each from a different country; America, Nepal, Germany, and Mozambique sitting on the top of a building in Kathmandu. The festivities slowly dispersed as the police tried to get everyone to go home and people just move their celebrations from one corner to the next. We shared cabs home and when I arrived at "the big house", I collapsed in my bed exhausted from the night of song, music, dance, lights, and a whole city celebrating the joys of life. It is amazing to see everyone celebrating the same holiday and really celebrating all together.

Now in Kathmandu

2011-10-14T02:30:00.000-07:00

I left India and arrived in Kathmandu. The following day, I met up with my volunteer group. We put our luggage on a truck and walked through the bustling streets of Kathmandu to find the house that will be our home for the next month. We are a group of about 25, almost all Israelis. It was interesting to meet the people in the group. Most of them are just starting their travels and this is there first opportunity to travel and volunteer for an extended period. Everyone was so appreciative to be in Nepal and to be here to volunteer. I kinda felt bad because I had mixed emotions about leaving India. I found myself stuck between two amazing experiences. I was not quite ready to leave India, which left me thinking about Indian culture, music, the little bit of hindi and Indian way of think that I've picked up. I'm usually pretty good at taking each experience as it comes, but as I flew to Kathmandu, met with my house mates, and was introduced to the program, I realized that my head was still in India. It's taking a longer time to make it to Nepal than I thought. Though, I find that with each Nepali lesson, I find myself being brought into Nepal. I really look forward to volunteering in the village, and hope to end up as far away from Kathmandu as possible. As I meet these people who have gotten themselves into the unknown for the first time, I remember a little bit what it was like when I first began Peace Corps. The fascination with every tiny change in the ways of life, the wonder how people perform daily tasks without this convenience or that, the excitement of learning a totally new people, culture, and language. I almost miss the excitement. I am really excited about the new people, culture, and language, but I think the differences in way of life have lost some of their excitement. I walk down the street and see the vendors selling tubs for holding water, and I get nostalgic about my ger. I now know, firsthand, that no matter what conveniences are not available, I will be fine and I might even appreciate the simplicity. It is less a challenge, and more an acceptance. Things are "same same but different". The more I travel, the more I find this to be true.

Seeing India

2011-10-14T02:11:00.000-07:00

Poverty, Malnutrition, Child Labor, Domestic Violence, Rape, Human Trafficking, Exploitation, Inequality, Unequal distribution of wealth, etc....

These are just some of the harsh realities of the world that we live in. These are things that happen all over the world. In India (and I think Nepal), these things feel much more "in your face" (for lack of a better word). Many westerners who travel through India hate it because it makes them uncomfortable. It is so sad for them to see the examples of extreme poverty, it makes them feel guilty for the life they have, and they would much rather return to their ignorance. Where children with pot bellies, skinny arms, covered in flies only exist on their television screen. Where they can send a check to an organization and tell themselves they are not ignoring the rest of the world. It is these blatant challenges to life that I appreciate in a place like India. In India, nobody can pretend that there aren't people who need their help. It is much harder to live your life without being reminded how lucky we are. I wish these westerners would see the harsh lives of these people and realize this is reality. This is the world. Not everything is shiny. One is not necessarily better than the other. It is often the most economically desperate people who know true happiness. Whats bigger is NOT always better. Want and Desire are causes of true suffering (to borrow from buddhist philosophy). I wish people could come, see, experience, help where possible, and most of all LEARN. LEARN. LEARN. Learn from the people, learn from a different way of life, learn from the conditions, learn from your reactions to everything that comes up, learn to appreciate, learn to understand, learn to SEE.

Musical Mcleod

2011-10-14T01:43:00.001-07:00

I have so much to write about! I have been really having an amazing trip and I get so caught up on all the experiences that I forget to write in my blog. So, I want to try and give a full and complete update.

INDIA

I think that India challenges travelers in every way. While I was there, there were so many situations that came up where I really had to observe my reactions to things and figure out what to do next. I didn't have any of the unsafe experiences that fill the popular attitude of a single female traveling in India alone. I have met many female travelers enjoying a solo journey. When I meet women who have been to India and say they would never travel alone, I can't help but wonder what type of experience they had and what it is that keeps the fear within them. India is an amazing place with beautiful people, along with its many difficulties. I wonder if it's simply their attitude to travel or attitude towards locals. Or maybe they are just not comfortable being on their own without another person as a crutch. It makes me sad that people's own insecurities, misunderstandings, or negative attitudes lead to many misconceptions about India abroad. I spent my second month in India in Mcleod Ganj, the official residence of the Dalai Lama. My time there was as progressive and changing as my traveling period. I began with the Dalai Lama teachings and skipping vipassana. I then spent some time really into yoga and discovering a yoga teacher who I do not now his name, but will remain in my memory for a very long time. I then found myself getting to know many foreigners and locals. I and the people around me progressively formed a small community of people, engaging in musical conversations on a nightly, and sometimes daily, basis. I discovered my musical self. I have never been a very musical person. I am not one of those people who always downloads music, or has music on in the background. Actually, I spend most of my alone time in silence. For a long time, I have wanted to learn to play a certain type of drum, but music was never important enough for me to learn. In Mcleod, I discovered a musical being within myself. I finally bought a Djembe and decided to learn from anyone who wanted to teach me, instead of taking formal lessons. This was to save money, but more importantly because the love that I have developed for music involves people. It is a connection between people and rhythms that creates an atmosphere which is inherently spiritual. No matter what the situation. So, I learned some rhythms on the drum and as I practice have been learning how to also make my own rhythms. Now, I am in Kathmandu and have been missing the music and the people of Mcleod. I find myself in this volunteer house with Indian songs playing in my head and wishing people would suddenly break into the lively song and dance of Mcleod. At first, it appeared I was the only one who brought an instrument. Now, slowly, instruments keep popping up. I have heard a flute somewhere in the house, a guitar was found in one of the rooms, and my roommate used to sing in an acapella (sp?) group. I hope I will find a new musical outlet. The musical conversations of Mcleod were something I had not experienced in my life, and I now feel I can not live without. It will not be the same. But it is impossible to duplicate the bamboo hut on the top of the guesthouse in the foothill of the himalayas. The chilled evening air, beautiful stars in the sky, and the mix of Indians, Tibetans, Nepalese, American, Germans, Dutch, Brazilians, Israelis, Portuguese, Chileans, French, Australians, Kiwis, Mexicans, and many more coming together in song and dance in various languages but speaking the common language of music and movement. Here, we will create a new musical environment and different types of connections. I'm sure the experiences here will be just as beautiful and meaningful as those with Mcleod. I just feel gratitude for all the experiences and people that come by way.

Time to go...

2011-10-07T23:05:00.000-07:00

I leave Mcleod Ganj tonight on a bus headed for Delhi. From there, I will take a flight to Nepal and begin a volunteer program. I have stayed in Mcleod Ganj for much longer than I intended. It is a tourist/backpacker haven, which makes me feel guilty for spending so much time here. But at the same time, I have learned A LOT. It is a magical place with nightly vibrations of music, where travellers, Indians, and Tibetans join together in song and dance. I have had the opportunity to make some very good Indian friends. They have taught me about marriage in India, attitudes and opinions towards Tibetan refugees, and the clashes between the Indian way of life and the tourism industry. I plan to write the things that I have discovered, but don't want to spend my last day here on the computer.

I am sad to leave Mcleod and sad to leave India. I feel like I have just scratched the surface of what India has to offer and plan to come back to see south India after Nepal. We'll see how things work out.

Namaste.

Pictures

2011-09-11T03:28:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed. I have not posted any pictures. I am having a hard time getting my pictures on a computer and am too scared they are all gonna accidentally be deleted. So, you can just google (images) the places that I go :)

India with a Purpose?

2011-09-11T02:55:00.000-07:00

It seems that most people who travel to India come with a purpose. Whether it be for the yoga, meditation, religion, trekking, tibetan language, hindi, or the food. Everyone seems to have a purpose to coming to India. Some are searching for something and it is really interesting to see people who come to India searching for answers or for some sort of meaning of life. I think many of these people really just need to look within, however, India seems to have that effect on them Others get so caught up in the buddhism as a way to answer whatever question it is that they have. Before coming here, I had thought about this. I was on the airplane from Chicago to Delhi and I remembered that when I used to read travel stories of India, it often seemed people were either looking for something, or escaping something. I thought hard; why am I going to India? I didn't really have an answer. I wasn't going with any purpose. I chose India because I had heard a lot about it and it was a place that just seemed like it would be interesting. Even while travelling through the first section of my trip, I wondered. Why here? what's here that has drawn me? Still no answer. I am simply here to experience. I am here to travel. I am here to see what happens. And having no plan and no purpose has been one of the very best things about my trip thus far. It has served me well and seems to me to be the BEST way to travel India (for me).

I got to Dharamsala ready for the Dalai Lama teachings. I didn't even know why I was going, simply because everyone seems to get so excited about him and so I felt like I should check it out. I had tickets to see him in Long Beach, but he got sick and I wasn't able to see him. I was disappointed but not devastated. Here, in Dharamsala people were REALLY excited to see him. Innitially, I'd decided to see his teachings because they ended the day I was going to start my Vipassana, so I might as well go early and try to see him speak. And so, I did.

The teachings were about achieving a state of Bodhiccita, a state of beings that kind of serves as a stepping stone to englightenment. Now, I'm no teacher, but what I got out of a lot of the teachings and the talks around the teachings is this:
people want to become the best person they can be. They want to refrain from hurting others, and reach a state of self-realization and truth. They want to create positive energy for the world and to create "good karma" for the benefit of "all sentient beings". Basically, everything that they work hard to achieve is for the greater good of all people and living things.

This, I understand.

However, I was having a hard time with this idea at the same time. I had a hard time understanding how meditation and creating a better self was going to solve many of the worlds problems. I know the buddhist answer to this. According to Buddhism, creating a better self will help you reincarnate into a better being, and if everyone would work on better theirself and releasing themselves and others from suffering, the worlds problems would eventually be fixed. The most basic causes of this suffering are attachment, ignorence, and desire. I could go on and on about this, but I'm not going to. Anyway, to me people seemed pretty "attached" to this "desire" to a achieve or work towards enlightenment. My social worker mind is of couse thinking about the other types of suffering; famine, abuse, and lack of resources. I know the two are intertwined, it's just figuring out how. If only, I could tell people to meditate and to learn to detach themselves from whatever it is that is causing their suffering. If only it were that easy. This thought process, along with a couple other experiences I have had in India (good and bad) have made me realize that India has turned me into a social worker. Through my two years of MSW education, I fought with myself over where I wanted to take it, and even if I was studying the right subject. I graduated and didn't know which direction I was headed. I've never been into planning things, so I was pretty comfortable with this. I headed to India with no particular purpose, but now I feel like India is giving me it's purpose. I am taking yoga and learning from many different experiences and it is helping me form. I don't know where it will take me, but I have realized that India has a lot to teach social workers. I almost consider this as a part of my social work education. For the first time ever, I actually WANT to take the things that I am learning and will continue to learn and use it in social work practice. For me, thats a BIG step in a new direction. There are tons of things to learn here and I will be making the most out of these opportunities. I'm not saying I'm on a quest to search for opportunities related to social work, but I will say that I have finally discovered that I am naturally inclined in that direction. Without even trying, I happen upon experiences that will help me to better serve others. In this way, my meditation and learning is benefiting "all sentient" beings, and I don't have to become a nun. I'm still figuring out all the details and inter-relatedness, but in due time, it will come. The other day, I had just finished my yoga lesson and I was just thinking about some things and I realized that for the first time, I KNOW that I got my masters degree in the right field.

I do not concentrate on the future, I only concentrate on the present, but I know that these experiences are shaping my future in a way that only time will show what is to come.

Additionally, I have decided to keep this blog up to date. I never really know what I'm going to write, but I have realized that the majority of people that I know will never make it to India. Because of this, I guess I feel a sense of responsibility to share my experiences. To give others a taste of India that they would otherwise not have. Though the people reading this are getting a taste of "my" India, it is a perspective that does not exist anywhere else and will never exist again. India is giving me it's gift and I am giving my gift.

Mcleod Ganj

2011-09-11T02:33:00.000-07:00

I have now been in Mcleod for a little more than 10 days. I really love it here. There are too many foreigners, but in a way that's good too. It like a little subculture in itself. I have had many great experiences and have met tons of great people. I am at the point where I walk around and run into friends all over the place (tibetan, indian, and other travellers). I have been enjoying the yoga classes the most. I have been going every day (except today) and sometimes twice a day. Yoga here does not feel the same as yoga at home. At home we are so over-obsessed with working out and physique that yoga has taken on a totally different meaning. Here, the yoga is all about being mindful of your breathing, doing the postures correctly wo that you can reach maximum benefit, and minding your own practice. Maximum benefit in yoga here does not refer to loosing weight or being flexible, it is about maximizing the flow of energy in your body. I feel like I could stay here and take yoga classes forever! I took a two day Indian cooking course in hopes that I will be able to make some delicious Indian food when I get home. I have also attended a few other "functions". One was to listen to a tibetan ex-political prisoner speak about his experience, and another has been to volunteer in a conversation class with other tibetan ex-political prisoners. The plight of the Tibetans is something that we, in the U.S., know very little about. This town is filled with Tibetans seeking refuge and hoping to one day be able to safely return to their homeland. (though, I"m sure some want to stay here too) I have been increasing my knowledge about the Tibet but still do not feel knowledgable enough to be teaching. So, with that I say, go research Tibet and find information about what is going on there. Additionally, I have been reading a book called, The Jew in the Lotus. It has somewhat lost my interest now, but the first half of the book is very interesting. It talks about a dialogue between the Dalai Lama and some Jewish rabbis. It also compares and contrasts the Tibetans and the Jews.

The eclectic mix of people here is really amazing to observe. Every night there is people playing live music on top of one of the guesthouses. It is a mix of Indians, Israelis, Brits, and much more (korean, american, german, dutch, etc...). I started to learn how to play the drum ( i forget what kind it's called) with this Austrian girl. I want to take lessons, but at the same time I feel it is time to move to my next place. I am stuck with deciding where to go. Here are the places that I'm thinking about:
Leh is supposed to be absolutely beautiful and the ride from Manali to Leh is an adventure in itself. There is trekking up there and it is at a really high altitude. I have heard stories of people having a hard time with the altitude and also of buses getting stuck.
Manali is also supposed to be beautiful, it is much closer and I'll probably head there next, then decide...
Rishikesh is known for it's yoga and I have looked into a yoga ashram that includes yoga, meditation, and teachings
Kashmir is a place I've heard a lot about in reading about in India, but have only met a couple people who have visited. One guy told me he didnt' feel like tourists were welcome there. Its strange for me, realizing that I'm a tourist :) Anyway, I have made some friends from there and I could go with them to visit.

I will decide soon.....
The freedom to be able to go anywhere and do anything is really amazing. I was sitting at dinner with some people and these two girls just randomly decided to head to Bali together. It was awesome to watch the process and to watch their excitement grow as their realized they were really gonna do it!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE (sub kuch milega)

The Dalai Lama

2011-09-11T01:50:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Dharamsala and immediately took a bus to Mcleod Ganj, the part of Dharamsala that holds the official residence of the Dalai Lama. I had heard that you can see his teachings for free (rather than the $150 I'd seen to register online). So, I dropped my stuff at a guesthouse and headed out to find out where to sign up. It wasn't very hard to find the line of (mostly foreigners) waiting to register at the last minute to see the teachings. I got my registration card and spent the rest of the day figuring out what is where. When I found the temple, I saw the are filled with blankets and pillows, some marked with people's names. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to pick a spot, so I decided to keep the meditation pillow that I just bought with me, and I'd find a spot in the morning.

I woke up early and headed for the main temple. I found a free place to sit and watched the people trickle in. Tibetans, Indians, and foreigners from all over the world found their places and awaited the arrival of the Dalai Lama. Some of the foreigner groups found their designated signs which read, "Japanese translations", "Korean", "spanish/portuegese", etc... People did their cora (not sure how you spell it, but it's when they walk 3 times around the temple usually with prayer beads and uttering mantras under their breath). I could see the "om mani padme hum, om mani padme hum" coming out of the lips of people from all over the world. I sat and observed. The leader of the Southeast Asian group (the people who payed $150) started chanting a beautiful matra over the speakers as the place FILLED. There were people everywhere. A person in this place can not be in need of the "personal space" that we cherish so much in the U.S.

Finally, the chanting stopped and people started to slightly rise in hopes to catch a glimpse of the Dalai Lama. He entered the temple accompanied by security and a few monks. You could feel the excitement in the air. He walked into the temple and took his seat. Everyone stood out of respect and once he sat down, most of the monks, nuns, and others around me performed their 3 prostrations to the Dalai Lama and to the giant Buddha behind him. We sat down and I got ready with my radio to listen to the English translation. He started with a few prayers and then with an buddhism introduction in ENGLISH. I was surprised, and so were the tibetans around me. I handed my radio to the Tibetan nun next to me as she frantically wondered what he was saying. She became my learning partner throughout the 3 days, as we shared the radio, tea, and tibetan bread. The Dalai Lama talked in English about some basic buddhist ideas including; detachment, love and compassion, helping others, the fact that you don't have to be a buddhist to gain from buddhism, quoted the buddha on finding your own truth, and shared a few jokes of his own. He then explained that he is not confident in his English and switched to Tibetan as he went through a 2 day teaching on the Bodissatva (sp?). The book he was teaching about it a book that explains how to reach "Bodhiccitta" (sp?), which is basically a state of being that is like a stepping stone to attaining enlightenment. The first day was intense. He covered a lot of material and some very complex ideas. It was hard for me to follow everything, but I also found myself drawn to his teachings. I am not a Dalai Lama follower. I have not watched any of his teachings on Youtube and have never read any of his books. However, I must say; some people come with a certain presence that draws others to them. He has a very light (as in the weight) state of being. I left the teaching with questions and a little bit of confusion, and at the same time a feeling that I had just recieved a teaching from a very smart person. In a way, I felt lucky to have learned from him, as you feel lucky when you realieze you have recieved a really great professor. Only, he is teaching about life.

While heading out of the temple at the end of the first day, I ran into a foreigner who I'd met at a restaurant the night before. He asked me what I thought of the teachings and I explained to him that it was a lot of information. He informed me about a review at a nearby meditation center, where I'd be able to ask questions. I ate and rested a little, then headed for the review session. The walk was absolutely beautiful! At the foothills of the Himalayas, Dharamsala is made up of breathtaking views of massive "hills" filled with trees. I made it to the review and asked a few questions and gained more of an understanding of what the Dalai Lamas teachings are all about.

Day #2 of the teachings started out in the same way as day #1. As I saw the people finding their seats, I realized how lucky I was that I happened to end up in a seat with a clear view of the Dalai Lama. People sit in the same seat for the whole teaching, but most foreigners (including myself) didn't know this ahead of time. So, people would switch around and the monks and nuns would say nothing. There was one lady (australian, I think) who seemed pretty frustrated and chose not to be quiet about her state of being. Maybe she needed the teachings more than others. For day #2, I felt like the Dalai Lama had really become my teacher. I had more of an understanding of the teachings, and found a copy of the text in English so I could follow along better, and I guess there was slightly less amazement. I still felt lucky. I once again attended the review session. I found myself a bit frustrated with some of the teaching and there was a section that I really wanted to dive into. I didn't get the chance. (i will explain a little about this in another post)

Day #3 of the Dalai Lama teachings was very different. It was full of people taking laypersons vows, and vows of refuge in the 3 jewels of buddhism. It was filled with blessings from the Dalai Lama, red strings, and red blindfolds. It followed with a slew of white (khataks, in Mongolian) prayer scarves, which I had learned in Mongolia were for teachers. I almost left early, but something kept me there. In the end, I was glad I had stayed. I had moved my seat closer to the door and had watched as everyone made their prostrations and accepted their blessings. I took a few blessings and vows of my own, keeping within my own sense of being. (ie: no vows of celibacy or not to drink alcohol for me) It was actually a very beautiful ceremony and I now wear my red string, which have been blessed by the Dalai Lama on my wrist as a reminder of the teachings and blessings that I recieved.

After the ceremony, I headed out with the rest of the blessed mob and ran into the same friend at a coffee shop. I sat there and debated if I was going to start my 10 days of silent Vipassana meditation that day. I didn't feel ready and felt like I had a lot of opportunities for learning in Mcleod Ganj and I didn't want to be in 1 place for 10 days. I bailed. Looking back, I think it was the right decision.

Delhi #1

2011-09-06T05:50:00.000-07:00

During today's downpour I'll update this blog :)

From Agra, I headed to Delhi. I didn't do too much in Delhi. I was pretty focused on getting over that cold and not feeling so tired all the time. I stayed with my friend in Delhi and the city is so big that I was somewhat overwhelmed with what to do. People say that the Red Fort and the Mosque are not to be missed. I will see them next time I'm in Delhi. I went to a few cool places with my friend's friends and had a night on the town. I did take the opportunity to visit the Mohatma (sp?) Gandhi museum. I was actually much more impressed with it than I was expecting. It was filled with quotes and example of his leadership. It was also the sight of his assassination. They showed his home and how he lived, along with all the different political activities he was involved in. What a great man.

I will see more of Delhi next time...

Agra

2011-08-26T00:50:00.000-07:00

I had to leave Varasani at some point, though I could have stayed longer. I boarded a train and headed for Agra.

Anyway, I boarded the train, only to find that I had been put in a part of the train with all the tourists. The ride wasn't too bad, I got some sleep, sat and talked a little bit, and then we arrived in Agra. You could see the Taj Mahal almost immediately. I shared a tuk tuk with another guy to the guesthouse. We arrived and after checking in, I checked out the rooftop view. It was AMAZING! The Taj Mahal looks exactly like in the pictures! I was feeling pretty tired and weak, left over from being sick. I fell asleep and basically slept the whole day. At night, I went to the top of the guesthouse to eat and look at the view again. It was pretty cloudy out, but still as the sky changed colors from the slow descent of the sun, so did the Taj. It turned shades of blue and then shades of purple. Even in the darkness of night the Taj can be seen pretty clearly. I vowed not to sleep the following day and go see the Taj up close.

In the morning, I woke up still feeling pretty weak but knowing that I wanted to leave Agra the following day. I rustled myself out of bed, took a cold shower (feels wonderful in the heat of the Monsoon season), and headed out to see this magnificent building. I'm not one to be particularly impressed by architecture, but the Taj Mahal is an exception. And to think about the man-power and labor that went into constructing this building is insane. You walk through the entrance and you are immediately inside a post card. You know the one, with the water leading up to the Taj. People are taking all sorts of fun pictures. This is unfortunately the only point that I got a picture of myself with the Taj because my batteries died before I left. I walked down the steps and found my way to the entrance of the actual building, after taking off my shoes, of course. The marble and intricately inlaid stones into beautiful flower designs are seriously impressive. I walked around and looked at everything, but in light of my utter exhaustion, I felt like I couldn't appreciate it the way I wanted to. I walked towards the exit and was happy to see people sitting and laying down in the shade of the Taj, enjoying the cool marble. I joined the crowds and passed out in my little corner. Once I got up, I was feeling a bit better and decided to go through the Taj again. I took my time looking at the flower designs and beautiful Arabic in the marble. I then walked out and into part of the gardens in front of the Taj. This is when I found myself looking back to make sure this majestic building was really there. It had a strange translucence to me. As if it could be a mirage in the dehydrated mind of a human in the desert. I sat on a bench and just enjoyed the scenery filled with interested Indians and foreigners admiring the Taj and the beautiful trees, plants, and tiny squirrels. I allowed some Indians to take pictures with me, wrote in my journal, people-watched, watched people watching me, and admired the beauty of the three great buildings in sight. Once I got up, I wandered around the Mosque and the 'other' building (built for symmetry), looked around the not as impressive museum, and wandered along the wall of Indian sights to see. Eventually, I was hesitant to leave, but it was time for me to head back for a skype meeting.

The next day, I left Agra. There's not a whole lot in Agra, but there is ruins of an ancient town not too far out the city and also the Agra Fort that people visit. I wouldn't have minded seeing these things, but wasn't set on them either. I decided to concern my energy and hop on a train to Delhi, where I could rest a bit and get ready to head to Dharamsala.

Once again, I bought the lowest class ticket and bumped it up once the train came. Part of me almost feels guilty for doing this, like I should just ride in the lowest class.... I will at some point of my trip, when I don't have a giant bag. The lower class tickets are standing room only, and you know those pictures you see of people in India stuffed into and hanging out of buses? Well, it's like that, but in a train and VERY hot! It almost reminds me of some pictures from the holocaust of people stuffed in trains, but there are windows and these people are free to get on and off as they please.

I am in Delhi now and will see some of the cool things here, but so far have just been resting up.

The Burning Ghat

2011-08-26T00:21:00.000-07:00

Varanasi:

According to the Lonely Planet India, otherwise known as "my bible", Varanasi is one of the oldest consistently inhabited cities in the world. It has been knocked down and rebuilt a few times, but it continues to exist. If I remember correctly, the ancient name of Varanasi is Kashi... google it.

I arrived to Varanasi so proud of myself that I had gotten on the right train and gotten off at the right stop all by myself. I was immediately shuffled into an auto-rickshaw by a guy trying to convince me to stay at a guesthouse of his friend. I emphatically declined and was convinced to stay at the guesthouse that works with the Brown Bread Bakery, a German organization who engages in development work and receives a percentage of the guesthouse bill for the Live for Life (something like that) foundation. The rickshaw-wallah (man) drops me off in front of an alley telling me at 5am that I need to wander down these alleys to find the right place. After some hesitation, I pay the man and head down the alleys. Within 10 minutes, I feel a bucket of presumably dirty water being dumped on my head. I was pissed! I look up see someone's linens out to dry and I assume that's where the water came from. On purpose or a thoughtless mistake, I don't really care. Luckily, I'm already filthy from the travel and the hot muggy weather. I continue down this maze of back alleys and tiny streets littered with sleeping people, and ask a few people along the way where this bakery is. Most aren't so sure. A very short man in a surong is trying to convince me to follow him, saying their are 3 guesthouses when I run into Spanish guys looking for the same bakery. I tell them that I'm a little uncomfortable and am gonna stick with them, only to have them wish me well on my way. (in my head at this moment: F this city, I'm gonna see the burning places and get the heck out of here!) I follow the short man and eventually the Spanish guys show up again headed to the same guesthouse I am and invite me to join them in checking that one out. We head in, I check out a few rooms and pick one. I shower and sleep.

When I wake up, I'm feeling a bit groggy and read the Varanasi chapter in the Lonely Planet. I basically just wander out of the guesthouse to start figuring out where the heck I am. I am immediately shuffled into a massive crowd of people heading towards the fires. Dead bodies burning. I get skiddish and convince this 'guide man' that I'd rather watch from afar, with respect to the families, and secretly for my own comfort. I finally rid myself of this mans unwanted company and start heading back to my guesthouse in an effort to make sure I remembered where it was. Before I get there, another guy starts talking to me. I start to brush him off when he starts saying, "that's the problem with you tourists. You want to come see the sights, but you don't want to learn. Why did you come to India?" I eventually let this guy talk me into sitting for a cup of chai (tea) and I'm glad I did. This guy was actually really cool. I met a few of his friends and spent the next few days hangin around the city with them.

On my first day there, I attended a Shivah ceremony filled with smoke, loud drums, incense, an old holy man with grey dreads, and the loud chimming of the thick bronze bells. We were in a circle in the small Shivah temple. Outside the window was a few other foreigners sitting and listening to a man explain to them about the burning ghat. Past them was the ritual burning of bodies.

Here's what I learned:

The bodies must be burned within 24 hours of death. The family pays for the wood, which is relatively cheap, and the bodies take about 4 hours to burn. The family stays in the area while the body is burning and take the time to wash in the Ganga (Ganges). On women, the hips are the last thing to complete burning and on men, it is their chest. This is because the chest is most strong in men from hard work and the hips are most strong in women from child birth. After the burning of the body, the family returns to someone's home for a small ceremony. The women do not attend the burning because one time a women jumped in the fire. Also, nobody cries. Tears are believed to taint the burning in some way (i forget exactly). The bodies are burned to get rid of the person's sins before they are returned to where they came from, the Ganga. There are 4 types of bodies that are not burned because they are already pure: a pregnant women, a child, a person with lepracy, a Brahmin, or a holy man. These bodies are brought on the same stretchers as the burning bodies but are wrapped in a light cloth. They are then tied to a large cement slab and some of the family takes the body on a boat to the middle of the river, where the body is ceremoniously dropped into the water. Sometimes, the bodies come undone from the cement and this is when you see bodies floating down the river. The Ganga is seen as the holy Mother for people all over India. The people who have the job of actually burning the bodies are of a lower class. They gather the ashes and empty them into the Ganga, also sifting for gold. If bones are found not fully cremated, they are taken on a boat and dropped in the middle of the Ganga. Also, every evening there is a ceremony performed by two Brahmins that is dedicated to the Ganga.

Spending time in Varasani, it is impossible not to see the procession of a family chanting a mantra, carrying the body of a loved-one on a bamboo-made stretcher. The body is cover with a bright, gold colored cloth. I think they burn at least a hundred bodies a day at the burning ghat, the main holy burning sight. There are many other places throughout India that are appropriate for burning, but this one has a special significance. It is inappropriate for people to take pictures of the burnings or of the procession of the dead bodies.

The city of Varanasi is a mix of tiny old streets, almost resembling those of parts of old Jerusalem. The streets are packed with people and lined with food, cotton clothing, and silk shops. There also cows and buffalo who add to this interesting little place. I loved sitting on the empty steps of an unused building, sipping chai and watching as the buffalo wade in the water. They dip there heads just slightly and seem to be in utter enjoyment as the cool water slides over their face. I didn't know until this trip that buffalo and cows could swim. This is the high season for the Ganga and it was interesting to see pictures of beach and parts of the city that are under water 3 months out of the year. Everything moves up, into the city as the water rises. A friend explained to me that normally, the burnings are much lower and they are separated by class. He said one thing he liked about this time of year is that all the burnings are done together, regardless of class. This is the young person's mind next to ancient tradition.

Closing note for this blog session

2011-08-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

I'm now in Veranasi, where they burn the bodies at the Ganges. I seriously hated it the first hour I was here, but have grown to really like it a lot. I leave in 2 days for Agra to see the Taj Mahal.

I could write forever. Some things I would write about:

-All the crazy ideas and warnings about India have not been validated to me yet. I have had no harassment, have taken risks, and have met some really awesome and fun people.

-Food: it's not what we, Americans, think of when we think of Indian food.

-Diversity: India is INCREDIBLY diverse in land, people, and culture

Namaste

Is this your first time to India? (asked so much its almost like another saying)

2011-08-20T06:05:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Bodhgaya at night time, not a clue where my guesthouse was. I started asking around and after heading down what seemed like a shady street, I headed to an internet cafe and the nice boys working there called the guesthouse. They explained it was down that street that I wasn't so comfortable with, but when I didn't seem happy about that they directed me to a closer guesthouse. I followed their instructions and what invited on the motorcycle of an Indian man. I am hesitant to get on Motorcycles and even more hesitant a motorcycle of a random man in the middle of the night. He saw this and rode slowly until we found another foreigner walking on the street who was headed to the same guesthouse. I went with her and we found our way, thanks to my handy headlamp. I checked in and retired for the night. The next day, I read the chapter in the lonely planet and set out for whatever was to come. I headed to the Bodhi tree and temple where Siddartha is said to have achieved enlightenment, becoming the buddha. On my way there, tons of people tried to sell me things, offered me a tuk tuk, and even to show my way to the tree. These two boys started walking with me. At first, I was somewhat annoyed, knowing I wasn't going to give them any money for a "tour". Then they talked about practicing their English and I remembered a good friend of mine in the Peace Corps who lived in a nearby town that had a major tourist sight for Mongolia. Her English students would hang around the monastery and practice their English with the tourists. I talked to them for a minute while I walked to the enterance of the temple and left them there. I entered and noticed the tourists from all over India and the world. There was a huge delegation of Sri Lankans engaged in a pilgrimage to this holy site. I sat at the tree for a while and appreciated all the worshipers. It didn't take long for one of my friends from outside to find me with his other friend. I sat and talked to them for a while and people would come up and for a photo with me. I agreed and my new friends explained that they were from other parts of India and had probably never seen a white person before. I spent the whole day walking and talking with my new friends, who ask people for money for their school, but they never did ask me for $. They explained to me how the felt about tourists. The state of Bihar is one of the poorest states in India and some of the scenery in the state is that you would find when looking at pictures of Africa. People just as dark as Africa, carrying things on their heads, colorful saris, working hard, and extreme poverty. Bodhgaya is filled with monasteries built in the cultural fashion of many different countries. I visited most of them in one day, and the last 2 another day. There is also a giant statue of the Buddha, which I found somewhat less impressive, but other people really enjoyed. It's neat to look at, but seems a little anti-buddha to me. Bodhgaya was a very interesting place, but I was sick and the mosquitos drove me absolutely insane.

Everything's Possible in India (an Indian saying) Sub Cuch Milega (in Hindi)

2011-08-20T05:42:00.001-07:00

The way out of Darjeeling was an adventure. I was told there was a bus leaving from a nearby town, Siliguri, every half hour until 8pm. They lady even called to confirm. Apparently she didn't call the bus people because I arrived at 630 (already dark) and the last bus heading toward my next destination was sitting full, ready to head out. I tried and tried to talk my way into a seat on the bus and was sent back and forth in the night, talking to different people to figure out what to do. I finally accepted the fact that I was not getting on that bus and started asking about trains. Supposedly, there was a train leaving at 10pm from the nearby train station, but I couldn't confirm this until I went to the train station. Rickshaw and tuk tuk drivers tried to get me to pay 100 and 150 rupees to get to the train station. I held off and paid 20 in the end. I arrived at the train station and stepped over people selling vegetables in the street, through tuk tuks and tuk tuk drivers trying to get me to go places that I wasn't going, and over and through sleeping bodies who looked like they'd set up camp at the train station. My introduction to the train stations in India. Now I know, tons of people sleep in the train stations. And it actually might be one of the safer places to sleep if I' m ever in a bind. I'm talking full families, camped out with cooking supplies and all. I waited in line and noticed the lines were filled with men. I shrugged at this and waited... until people started edging me to the front of the line. I had noticed the sign marked "ladies", but it didn't seem to lead to anything, so I'd kinda ignored it. I finally realized after people pushing me forward saying "ladies first" that women are allowed to go right in front, while the men wait patiently in line. I'll take it. I got to the front and explained that I wanted to go to Putna, which would lead me to a bus headed for Bodhgaya. She agreed but then explained that this counter is not for sleeper class, it is just for _____ class (i don't remember what it's called). At this point I was hot and tired and feeling a little frustrated, so I didn't pay much attention and just agreed, as long as I got on that train. A ticket in my hand, I was relieved. I stepped over sleeping bodies and through family and friendly dinners as I scoured the train station. I had a few hours to kill and wanted to become oriented before I joined the crowds sitting on the ground. I figured out what was where; the first class women's waiting room, the first class men's waiting room, platforms 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, the signs that announce first in Hindi, then in English what trains are arriving and the status of the other trains. Finally, I realized I was about to embark on a 12 hour journey and when I saw people benched up on the train, looking pretty hot and uncomfortable, I probably wanted the sleeper class. EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE IN INDIA. This is a saying that I have heard since the first moment I arrived in India. I found my way to a help desk and asked what I need to do to change my ticket to sleeper class. They sent me to another office. I never found that office, but when I found a different office and asked they said better that I get on the train sitting in the station now, waiting to part for my destination. This train I didn't know about. I had been told the next train wasn't for a few hours. I listened to the man and found my way to the train. I asked the men near the train how I change to sleeper class; one younger man lead me to about 4 other men one after another, and finally me onto the train into my new sleeper class seat. He didn't really ask for $, but I didn't want any problems later, so I asked how much. I paid 100 rupees and asked if he needed to write something on my ticket. Behind him, an older man said not to worry about it and that he'd be sleeping in the seat next to me and if there was a problem he'd take care of it. (how nice of him) Throughout the ride, this man treated me with the Indian hospitality that I have learned about, buying me tea and treats on the train, interested in my India and English books, and watching my bag as I watched his when headed for the bathroom. At the beginning I was weary of him, but it didn't take long to realize he was just a nice man. In the end, I ended up giving him one of my books as a thank you for making sure I was alright and that I got off at the right stop. Lesson of the train system: know the name of the train station, not just the city where I'm going. I got off the train and took a rickshaw through the crazy streets of Putna to where I could catch a bus to Bodhgaya. I arrived in one piece :)

Darjeeling

2011-08-20T05:18:00.000-07:00

After Assam, I headed for Darjeeling. This was my first "traveling" experience in India, where I had to figure everything out on my own. I boarded the correct plane, arrived safely, and took an airport cab up to Darjeeling. Darjeeling, known for it's tea, is a small town on the side of a hill. It is literally sprawled on the side of the hill/mountain, no flattening anything. The ride up is not for the weak at heart, as is no ride or transportation in India. But the ride was absolutely breathtaking and we proceeded up the windy road passing through beautiful, lush, tropical scenery with waterfalls, and the higher we went the more exposed the view of the valley became. It was on and off raining and it felt like we were climbing into the clouds. The one lane road was filled with two-way traffic and thoughts of slipping down off the road were blocked from my mind, which was filled with the impressive landscape. Upon arrival, I was dropped off at the taxi area. I had picked a guesthouse out of my "bible", the lonely planet, and basically just asked around. Everyone was super friendly, and the police handed my a not-s0-legible map of Darjeeling. I hiked up and around the road in the light mist and found my guesthouse without trouble, other than my lungs' acknowledgement of the altitude. I arrived in the guesthouse, checked into my tiny, but quaint and very inexpensive room. I headed to the restaurant on the top of the guesthouse, had some tea and food and retired for the night. In the morning, I scanned the Darjeeling chapter in the lonely planet and decided some of the sights that I might want to see. I'm not too good at finding things, and I didn't want to walk around with my giant lonely planet in my hand, so I basically just started walking. I noticed the tibetan influence of this city right away and found a certain comfort in the familiarity of Mongolia. I was walking around with no direction and decided I'd start with seeing a monastery. I had no idea that Darjeeling is filled with Monasteries. I just asked a guy on the street where's the nearest monastery, and followed the school children down a narrow path until I eventually found one. It was closed. I walked around and noticed the 2 other foreigners taking pictures. They left. There was a monk making prayers in the 2nd floor of the monastery. I looked up, trying to figure out where it was coming from, and found the monk looking out the window at me. He invited me up. I found my way up the stairs and entered his tiny room, sans the shoes. I sat in silence as I watched and listened to his prayers, mantra, and drums. It again reminded me of Mongolia. Some of the men in the Monastery even kind of looked Mongolian. Monks would peer into the room, I assumed from seeing the foreigners shoes outside. They'd smile and disappear. When the meditation was over, I thanked the monk, who didnt speak any English and got lost finding my way back up towards where I was staying. I loved my short time in Darjeeling, but I'd heard its a lot like Nepal and it reminded me a lot of Mongolia. I planned to head out and my last day, I made some tourist friends and directed them to the tibetan refugee center, which I'd hiked to the day before. Me and one other guy headed for the zoo. The zoo had some interesting animals, but I'm not the hugest fan of animals in cages. What was cool was the Everest mountaineering museum. I am absolutely impressed by the people who climb Everest and the museum helped me gain an understanding of the Himalayas, which in a better time of year are viewable from my guesthouse. I hope to do some hiking around the base of some of these impressive mountains.

Full Power 24 hours! (an Indian saying)

2011-08-20T04:46:00.000-07:00

INDIA!!! (i'm going to do my best for a full update before my internet time is up) p.s... the shift button doesn't work, so forgive me for lack of capitalization.

After having a blast in Michigan and New York, I set out for INDIA. I used to talk about traveling India, but there was a part of me that wasn't sure when/if I'd ever make it.

1st 24 hours in India:
While in NY, I had a arranged to meet a friend of a friend in New Delhi, India. That is the only 'plan' that I had at that point. When I arrived to India (around 7pm), I had the cab driver call this friend and we found my way to the flooded garden that led to this friend's apartments. That night, I decided to join him to his family's house in the northeastern state of Assam. He was leaving in the morning, so I bought my ticket online and hoped for the best. In the morning, as we were getting ready to head to the airport, his maid (for lack of a better word) came, cleaned the dishes, set out toast, and did whatever else she does. This was my first interaction with the 'help' of India. Turns out, it was just a taste into what I was about to dive into. We headed to the airport and all I could think about was my friend, Karishma, in the states who is deathly afraid to fly ever since she nose-dived in an airplane in a local flight in India. We didn't nose-dive :) Upon arrival, I met Nalin's mom and driver. We drove through the streets of Guwahati through lush green, tropical landscapes, to one of the most beautiful homes I've seen in a while. I could tell they were quite well-off as the gate man opened the gate, unleashing the tropical paradise that serves as their yard. They have beautiful flowers, exotic trees, a small lake, and a nice porch to enjoy the scenery. The dog took a liking to me, and I didn't enjoy his slobber. The next few hours were filled with lots of friendly conversation and good food with Nalin's family. This was my introduction to the four approximately 15 year olds cooking and cleaning for this family. They live there and work very hard. I took a liking to a few of the girls, but they were pretty shy around me. It took me some getting used to, but I knew I had to learn how things work here. Later, I found out that the girls are able to buy land and houses for their families, and don't necessarily speak Hindi. They speak a mixture of Hindi and some native dialect. I don't know what part of India these girls were from. After 2 years of studying human trafficking and child labor, I found myself conflicted, not sure how to act or what to think. So, I thought nothing, and just observed. This is a new country with a new way of life. Nalin's family are the nicest and most friendly, hospitable and welcoming people ever! They fully welcomed me into their home, gave me a room and his mom took it upon herself to make sure that I had lots of cultural learning experiences; something I am so grateful for. Their family owns a tea farm... or tea company... or something like that. They ship tea off to be mixed and packaged and sold. The business obviously serves them well. I attended the 2nd day of a wedding, which consisted of a colorful assortment of Indian food and Indian versions of other food. I tried a little bit of almost everything. Nalin's mom and her friends were so friendly and made sure that I was able to experience. And I was surprised by how agreeable they were to the fact that I was traveling India without a plan. At the wedding, I was impressed with all the beautiful saris and bracelets that decorated the women.
We left the wedding and headed back home, where I met up with Nalin. We went out and met with some of his friends, went to a small club with a live band, rather weak drinks, beer, lots of fun dancing people. While in Assam, I was definitely the only foreigner around, but people's English and knowledge of America was so good that sometimes I forgot. After the club, we went back to the house and went to sleep. I woke up in the morning and was laying on my bed, when Nalin's mom came in and said their was a massage lady at the house and asked if I wanted a massage. I hesitated, asked how much, waved me off, and I agreed. I had a massage in one of the rooms of the house for about an hour and a half. I think the rest of the days in Assam were mostly filled with food, relaxation, and getting over my jetlag. One of the days, they had the driver take me to a bunch of the famous temples which are in the area and another day they made sure I tried traditional Assamese food. I was so greatful for their amazing generosity and hospitality. I have been keeping in touch with Nalin and will meet up with him in Delhi at some point. Also, I invited him to meet me when I get to a surfing spot and promised to teach him to surf.

last day with my monks class

2009-07-09T00:26:00.000-07:00

picture's captions (i don't know how to do it right... just deal)

2009-06-30T04:14:00.001-07:00

So, this post and the 3 before need to be read in order. first the one called 'playing catch up', then he one with all the pictures and this one. the pictures need to be looked at from bottom to top. and here's the captions from bottom to top:

bottom:
Khentii river (where the pig roasts)
Snow in June??? We're from CA, we don't play that game!
Monastery ruins
The album cover (my tourist group)
Camping
Sand dunes
Flaming cliffs
Can't ever beat the Mongolian sky
The Porgon, driver, and tour guide
(on the right) ice gorge
(on the left) Dinner
Beautiful Omngovi
(next 5 pics) the process that leads to deliciousness! (not for vegetarians)
two humped camels
Country
(on the right) just past sunset
(on the left) mongol on the sand dunes
Meditation seminar
My new Tattoo (great mongolia)
My new Israeli friend
(2 on the right) Irden Zuu
one leg to our private concert
(on the right) Me and my little brother
(on the left) Arv at night

now for the pictures

2009-06-30T02:59:00.000-07:00

Playing Catch Up

2009-06-30T01:22:00.000-07:00

The past month or so has been quite interesting for me. In order to make sure I cover the major bases, I will separate them into chunks:
1. Khentii and COS conference
2. Gobi Desert
3. Meditation Retreat
4. Harhorin and Israelis
5. What's next?

1. Khentii and COS conference:
I left my site headed for the not-so-kosher Khentii Pig Roast, and annual tradition among the Peace Corps Volunteers in Khentii. This is where they buy a big, kill it, skin, clean, and chop it and then cook it on a fire near the river. I did not go last year, but decided to go this year since it was immediately before my COS conference. It was a good time of sun, beer, and good food... though I don't eat pig. Those of us headed out to Chingis' homeland piled into a Microbus and were fortunate enough to have a comfortable and timely trip both ways. This was a part of my efforts to see more of Mongolia before I head out. After a few days of hanging out by the river we headed back to UB for out COS conference. This is our final Peace Corps gathering where we talk about all the paperwork and medical appointments we must do before we can leave. It's a surprising amount of work. I am officially set to leave Mongolia July 24th. We also spent some time talking about resume's, cover letters, and what its going to be like trying to adjust and find a job in America. The most interesting part was talking about some of the things we will miss the least, what we have done, and how we think Mongolia has effected us. It was interesting to see everyone's answers.

2. Gobi Desert
Following COS conference, I had about a week to kill that I didn't have to be at work. I was going to take the bus out to Omngovi and try and find my way around. At the very last minute, I decided to join a tourist group who was headed out the next day. This proved to be a good decision. Omngovi is very big and I would have had no idea where I wanted to go. It was definitely a different way of travelling mongolia than I am used to. I found myself spending a lot of time with the guide and the driver. It is obvious they are not used to having people who speak Mongolian on their trips. I could understand just about everything they said. And I also learned some new vocabulary words. I was on the trip with 4 other people; a german, a danish, and 2 americans. We had a really good time. I found myself explaining certain things about Mongolia and Mongolian culture and I really started to realize how much I love this country. It was really interesting seeing all their reactions to things.... especially the amount of camel pictures they took. I ended up with a lot of great photos from this trip. The guide asked me what my favorite Mongolian food was and I said "horhog". (this is the REAL Mongolian bbq) Him and the guide decided we would do horhog before I left the trip. So, one day, we were driving through the desert and stopped at a herd of goats and sheep. We bought a goat and took him in the car to where we spent the next few days. It was a beautiful place right next to the sand dunes.
The killing:
One of the men took the goat and layed him on his back. He cut a small cut, maybe four inches thick. He stuck his hand inside and pinched the main artery. The goat died immediately and without any cries for help. It was all very humane and it showed they'd done it millions of times. Once the goat was dead, they took the goat inside the ger and started to take the skin off. Still, there was no evidence of blood. Once the skin was separated and the insides taken out, they took a bowl and collected the blood. Every part of this goat was used for something. Mongolians don't waste. The good parts to eat were separated and hung ready to be cooked. The innards were taken to the other ger and given to the family hosting us. (we weren't going to eat them) A little later we started to make the horhog. First, rocks were collected and heated in the fire. Once they were hot, they were put in the togoo (big cooking bowl) with the meat, some salt, potatoes, and carrots. Horhog cooks over a hot fire. When it was ready, we feasted. It was delicious. The way you eat horhog is simple. You pick up a bone with meat on it, and you rip off the meat until the bone is clean. You get grease all over your hands and face. When you are done eating, you pick up a hot rock and hold it in your hands. This is supposed to be good for your health. You then rub the grease into your skin and wash your hands when you are ready. After every horhog, you must take a shot of vodka. This is to help your stomach digest the food.
After we ate, we hiked up the sand dunes and tried to get there in time for the sunset. Some of us didn't quite make it for the sunset but it was still a beautiful scene when we reached the top. The colors the sky creates over the sand dunes is really amazing. I was sure to fill my water bottle with sand. Gobi sand is found all over the world. Hiking up the sand dunes was quite a task. With every step you take, you slide down at least half the distance. Later we realized we had simply gone up the wrong part. haha.
The day, I woke up early and helped the guide by making hushuur while he got ready for other things. I realized in my time there how comfortable in Mongolia and around Mongolians I have become. I gained an overwhelming feeling of not wanting to leave Mongolia.
The highlights of the gobi trip: ice gorge where it is hot outside but stays frozen most of the year, flaming cliffs are beautiful but not very high... i was surprised, ruins of one of the monasteries from way back when, sand dunes, camel ride, and maybe a couple other things. We eventually headed to Arvaikheer, where I was going to separate from this tourist group. I showed my new friends around my town, said hi to my work people and a couple friends, and had my group over for some tea before they headed on their journey. I think it was interesting for them to see a ger of an American living in Mongolia. It was a big compliment when the driver said he needs to go to America for 2 years so he can learn the language and the culture as I have Mongolian language and culture. I said goodbye and started on my next adventure.

3. Meditation Retreat
That night I took a car into UB. The next morning I met up with the people who were in charge of the Vipassana meditation retreat that I had signed up for. The head people had really good English and put me in a car headed out to where the retreat was to be held. I got there and was pretty quiet, just observing my surroundings.... not to mention I was absolutely exhausted. Many of the people had no idea that I speak Mongolian and could understand everything they said. It was funny. They thought I had already begun my 10 days of silence. I was sitting in the ger while everyone was getting situated when someone called me outside. It was really funny how worried they were about me staying in a ger... even when I explained that I live in a ger. To my surprise, there were 3 Americans there. I didn't realize it at first, but they were the one facilitating the seminar. Turns out, they were peace corps volunteers in Napal a long time ago, and they have studied Vipassana meditation in India with Goenka (the real teacher of this retreat). The majority of the instruction and talking of this retreat were from tapes that Goenka taped at a seminar in CA. He spoke in English and a Mongolian translation followed, so I had no problem following along. The next 10 days were the most challenging and most interesting 10 days.... possibly of my life. I encourage whoever is interested to try it out. You can find more information at www.dhamma.org there are these seminar in countries all over the world, including 2 Vipassana centers in CA. I plan on doing another seminar one day, and may even challenge myself to do a 30 day seminar. It is very difficult for me to explain what this seminar was like. It was intense. We meditated about 10 hours a day. When you are trying so hard to concentrate for so long... it is inevitable that your mind will wander. Even though I was trying to keep my mind from wandering, it was very interesting to watch all the random places that the mind wanders to without you even noticing. Vipassana also concentrates on the body and feeling sensations. This was also extremely interesting... observing your body in a way you never have before. At the beginning of the retreat, I wasn't so sure that I really believed or agreed with some of the things they talked about... but as I continued, I started to see for myself what they meant and now I find it entirely possible. I have noticed a small change in myself since this seminar, something I didn't expect. I don't really want to explain it but I do hope this change stays with me. I do plan on continueing to meditate, though I will admit, I have only meditated 1 time since the closing of the seminar. Not talking was really easy for me... definitely easier for me than some of the people around me. There were times when we would talk a little about how our meditating was going with the teachers... sometimes I didn't want to talk but I did anyway. A few words doesn't disturb the silence. At first I would come up with questions that I had and I would try to hold them in until the end, but then there came a point where I felt the need to ask immediately and I would go through all the questions that I had. This would prove good for me because it would help me let go of the idea so I could focus better on my meditating. At the end, there was a time where the silence was broken, but we were still meditating. As soon as we could, the people around me wanted to chit chat. It was really wierd for me. My senses had become so heightened that the sound of people's voices hurt my ears. I walked from the meditation ger to our housing ger and it was really funny. One girl standing in the middle opened her arms and said "hello". I said "hello". She then giggled and said "english finished". I smiled and proceeded to tell her in Mongolian that it is ok because I speak Mongolian. From this point on the room murmered with small conversations about how the American speaks Mongolian. It turns out the person sleeping next to me has family in LA and I plan on calling them when I get back to America as I head down the road of "operation make Mongolian friends". The people at the retreat were very diverse; men and women of all ages from 15 to 92. Meditating can be rough on the body at he beginning and I really admire the older men and women who persisted through. There might have been a couple people who went home early but I really don't know... I wasn't concentrating on that. After the retreat, I thought of the one person I think would really benefit from this the most is my mom. We'll see if I can convince her to give it a shot. The truth is that I could think of a long list of people who should try it out. If nothing else, its definitely an experience.
At the end of the retreat, I sat talking to one of the Americans for a little while. Turns out he was headed for harhorin and I arranged to have him in contact with a friend who might be able to help him see the wild horses...

4. Harhorin and Israelis
After the retreat I decided to pass through Harhorin on my way home. I have been to Harhorin a few times but still hadn't seen the famous monastery, Irden Zuu. Harhorin is the ancient capital of Mongolia, has the most preserved of the ancient monasteries, and is the home of one of my good friends. It also happens to be in my province and on my way back to Arvaikheer.
In the guesthouse, I was in the kitchen making tea when an Israeli noticed my belt and asked me where I got it. I had totally forgotten what I was wearing and had to look down before I knew what he was talking about. Turns out, I was wearing an Israeli army belt, given to me by a friend that I met in 2002. We started talking and he had just arrived to Mongolia. He had no plans, so I offered for him to come with me to Harhorin and Arvaikheer. He thought about it for a while and by the end of the night decided to join me. I also told him that I was headed out to get a tattoo and after showing his worry about getting a tattoo in Mongolia and my explaining that the guy is clean, he started to seriously think about getting his nose pierced. In the end, he and 2 other people came with me. (i'll post pictures in the next post...) My tattoo is on the back of my neck and says "ikh Mongol" meaning "great Mongolia". I'm a little sad that I can't see it, but I was trying to be a litte more discreat this time. That night, I took a few people from the guesthouse out with me to meet up with the group that I had travelled with and a few of my other Mongolian and American friends. It was a good time.
The next day, me and my new friend headed to Harhorin. It was funny watching him react to all the small things that I don't notice anymore... like packing people into a microbus, the openness of the countryside, the question of where to pee, etc... I took pictures of him drinking milk tea and standing with mongolian countryside in the distance for his photo record. We got to Harhorin and met up with my friend. Her ger was the first ger he had gone to and my ger was the second. We walked around the town and he saw how difficult it can be to find things... usually when you really want them. The following day, my American friend from the meditation retreat joined us and we all went to the Monastery. We couldn't get a car to Arvaikheer that night, so we stayed an extra day. This was good for us for two reasons; its cheaper to take the post car and it turned out we got our own private concert of Mongolian instruments and throat singing in my friend's ger. It was a really neat experience. Harhorin is a really beautiful town surrounded on one side by huge mountains and on the other side by absolutely nothing. The Monastery, the mountains, and the concert provided for lots of great pictures and some really good experiences for our friends new to Mongolia.
My Israeli friend ended up staying with me for almost a week combined. In this time, I realized how much I miss Israel and how bad I want to speak hebrew.

5. What's next???
I also learned that I have been put on the waitlist for the CSULB graduate program. I really don't think I'm going to get in. This has caused my mind to swirl with thoughts and ideas of what I want to do instead. I don't know if I want to stay in the US if I don't get into school. There are soooo many options of what I can do instead. I have thought about Israel, Latin America, and more of Asia. I have thought about going back to community college and learning a new discipline or getting a job somewhere and just working and going to the beach. I really have NO CLUE what I will do. Right now it is all up in the air. For some reason America intimidates me. I don't feel like I am ready to return to the American lifestyle. I know that returning will most likely be a lot easier than it seems right now. It will be really nice to see my friends and family and to speak fluently everywhere I go. It wil be nice to go to the BEACH!!!!!!!!!!! Man I can't wait to surf! There are tons of things I'd love to do in and outside of the US... which will come first... I just don't know yet. I have learned new skills to learning languages and have compiled a small list of languages I want to know: Spanish, Hebrew, and Arabic. I want to begin with Spanish and Hebrew because I have a basic knowledge of both sitting somewhere in my brain (though I can not access it at the moment). Once I know these, I will move on to Arabic. I feel like the options are endless!!!

random pictures

2009-05-14T01:56:00.000-07:00

Arkhangai

2009-05-14T01:40:00.000-07:00

Arkhangai
5-11-2009

Traveling in this country is always an adventure. You can never know what to expect. A friend who lives in Arkangai came to visit my town and I decided to head back with her. We planned to take the post office car to a town called harhorin (the ancient capital of Mongolia) and then I would catch a ride, either on the bus or in a car, to Arkhangai. I had heard from many people that Arkhangai is beautiful and probably one of the more beautiful provinces of Mongolia, so I really wanted to see it before I leave. The day before we were supposed to leave, we got word of bad weather and wind storms coming the following day. All the schools were cancelled and the post office car decided not to leave that day. All buses and cars were not leaving the aimag that day, so we decided we’d wait a day and go when we could. The next day was absolutely beautiful and the wind storms never came…. So, we boarded the bus headed for Ulaanbaatar when we could and planned to get off at Sansar, the lunch stop. From there, we would (hopefully) catch the bus that is coming from Ulaanbaatar headed for Arkhangai. To our surprise, the bus stopped somewhere just short of where we wanted to get off. The way that traveling goes in Mongolia and knowing limited language; this would have been kind of nerve wracking if I were riding by myself. My friend and I prepared ourselves to be riding all the way to UB, just in case something went wrong. As usual, everything was fine and we got off the bus at Sansar. We sat in a guanz (small Mongolian restaurant) for about an hour and waited for the Arkhangai bus to come. The one thing about this trip is if the buses had passed each other, we would have been stuck at this lunch stop. We probably could find a ride from there, but it wouldn’t be very fun. Usually when I am at this lunch stop, there are many buses and cars stopped and many people around. Being there when nobody was around felt like the beginning of a horror movie; two female travelers waiting for a bus at a deserted rest stop in the middle of nowhere. We were sitting and talking, keeping our eyes out for our bus when a women came up to us asking where we were going. We told her and she told us that the bus was here, but it was parked on the other end of the strip of guanzes. We got up and headed for where she said, to our surprise to find the bus rolling up at exactly that moment, headed straight for us. We found the bus driver and asked for a ride. He tried to overcharge my friend a little bit who was headed for a town very close to where we were, and after a little arguing, he gave in. It is moments like this that I am glad I know Mongolian. Right as we were finishing up our discussion with the driver, a man walked up and asked in perfect English if we needed some help. We said no thank you, but proceeded to talk to this man. It doesn’t seem very often that we meet an older man who knows English, and especially not fluently. Turns out he studied in Russia for a while and then came back to Mongolia. After everyone finished up their lunch, we all boarded the bus, which surprisingly wasn’t full. My friend got off in harhorin and I proceeded to Arkhangai.
Arkhangai is absolutely beautiful! There are huge rock mountains, tons of trees and rolling (soon to be) green hills. The weather was great and everything was really beginning to take on the lush green color of the Mongolian summer. My town will not get so green because we are on the edge of the desert and don’t have much grass. There is a small stream of water coming from the freshly melting mountain snow running through the middle of the town. I now know of two parks in Mongolia; one in Darkhan, and one in Tsetsterleg (the province center of Arkhangai). The one in Arkhangai has way more trees. In Tsetserleg, I met up with a friend, dropped off my stuff and took a little walk around the town. I walked to the big Buddha on the hill and checked out what kinds of stores they have in town. We had dinner at the western style restaurant; a place I would eat 3 more times before I left Arkhangai. During the summer Arkhangai gets a lot of tourism and is equipped with large stores and lots of western things like tuna, American face washes and lotions, and an expensive guesthouse with western food. The following day, I got a ride out to my friend’s soum (a small village). I’ll explain how you get rides in Mongolia: you go to where the cars and drivers hang out, find a car going to where you want to go, give them your phone number and tell them where you live, and ask an approximate time. This time is never correct and you can expect to wait up to 3 or 5 hours for a driver. They will leave when their car is full and they are ready. To my surprise, the driver said he’d come at 3 and he came at 3:30. amazing! I headed to my friend’s soum and asked him what I should tell the driver if he doesn’t know where he lives. He told me, “that won’t be a problem”. He was correct. We stopped on the way to help a guy who’d crashed his motorcycle. He was slightly hurt and his bike wasn’t working so well, so one of the people in the car took his bike and he got in the car. Turns out, we were just over the hill from our destination. We dropped the biker off and proceeded to another hashaa, where we the women next to me told me is where my friend lived. This village is so small, they have 3 small stores, everyone knows everyone, and of course; everyone knows where the American lives. In this town, my friend and I walked around and hung out with some cows when walking to the rock formations that are at a distance from the village. It was beautiful and green everywhere. It felt like the longer I was in Arkhangai, the more green it got. After some time in this village, I headed back to the province center, met up with another friend and headed out to his village. His town was set up a lot different than the previous and had a certain quaint vibe to it. It was surrounded by large mountains, creating a beautiful skyline at sunset. The following day was a full day of traveling for me. I got a ride back to the city center, and from there found a car that would take me to harhorin (which is in Uvurkhungai). To my absolute surprise, this driver was ready to leave even before I was ready. Usually when a driver says he is leaving ‘now’, this means he is leaving ‘now’ when his car is full. I was eating lunch when he called me and asked to wait just a minute. When I walked back to my friend’s apartment to get my things, he was already there, waiting with a full car. This is unheard of! I put my things in the car and got in, observing the back of the truck piled with sheep skins and a wolf skin on the top (probably for good luck). Turns out, I was with a family who was really nice. We were caravanning with one other car carrying only a few people. We made a stop at a stream to help a man with his car and continued on. When you are getting off before the final destination of the car, many drivers will drop you off at the edge of town but this driver asked me where I wanted to get dropped off. I had him drop me off at the market, where I met a friend and found a car headed for my town that evening. Maybe two hours later, I was in a car headed home. With the amount of traveling I did on this trip, it was amazing how lucky I got with timely (and sober) drivers, not too packed cars, and really nice people wanting to help me out. I have never experienced such timely drivers in my town… maybe it’s from the tourism.

Hovd and Bayan Ulgii

2009-05-14T01:20:00.000-07:00

4-30-2009

It is crazy to think about how quickly my time here in Mongolia is coming to an end. I’m not going to lie, I did think about staying an extra year. Now that I have officially decided to head to the states, there are three topics that enter the mind:

What do you want to do before you leave?
How do you feel about your time here?
What do you want to do when you get back to America?

These are 3 huge questions with very intricate answers.

What do you want to do before you leave?
Outside of my work, I have decided to make more of an effort to see more of the country. I got on a bus headed for the western aimags and found myself 43 hours later in Hovd. At the beginning of the bus ride, I didn’t lead people on to the fact that I speak Mongolian, but it ended up coming out anyway. They all think it’s cute. There is an interesting dynamic when you are stuffed into a small bus for the long-hall. Whether you speak or not, there are interactions between each person… sometimes going undetected. The women next to me found a nice pillow on my shoulder and I found a nice pillow against the window. The first night, I was pretty dang cold, but the second night was not bad at all. I slept the majority of the way and got really tired of countryside people who aren’t used to seeing foreigners ignoring me or having trouble understanding me. Sometimes, it feels like people just don’t try. The first leg of the trip went through my aimag and was the same scenery I’ve seen a million times. The next was through Bayankhongor, which is pretty brown with a few mountains. The 3 part is through Gov Altai, which is basically when I came too and was really beginning to appreciate the scenery. The snow-capped Altai mountains were absolutely beautiful. The last part of the trip is through Hovd, headed for the aimag center. I got there pretty early in the morning, met up with a friend, and went back to sleep. I spent a couple days in Hovd, somewhat recovering from the long trip and relaxing. Hovd is absolutely beautiful and it was funny how happy it made me to see things like the melting river turning into moving water, huge and real mountains (as opposed to the hills we have in my town), and trees (even if they didn’t have leaves on them. Also, the west has a lot more diversity than my town, in their Mongolians and their foreigners. I went through a time last year where I literally craved any amount of diversity in my life. Had I been out west, this may have been different.
From Hovd, I gathered a few friends and we all headed out to Bayan-Ulgii. This is the furthest western province in Mongolia. Due to the Kazakh presence, it almost feels like another country. The city reminds me somewhat of the Middle East, the way it is set up with the stone walls and street alleys. In the stores, some people wanted to speak Kazakh instead of Mongolian, and I once again felt slightly intimidated when walking in to grab something. Some of the store owners were happy to see that me and my friends spoke Mongolian and were willing to converse with us in Mongolian. During the summer, Bayan-Ulgii gets a lot of tourists coming through to see the famous Eagle Hunters and Kazakh embroidery. I think the store owners were surprised to find a group of five foreigners; 2 of which speak Kazakh and the rest who speak Mongolian. In our time in Bayan-Ulgii, we walked around the city, threw around a football with a bunch of people in the market, walked on the river (it was still frozen), checked out the museum and bought cool Kazakh embroidered bags and purses. It is really interesting to see the mix of cultures out there; it is like nothing else in Mongolia.
After Bayan-Ulgii, we headed back to Hovd. I hung around for a couple days, and then got on the bus to head back to my town. I decided to make a quick stop in Bayankhongor to see the town and a friend before going back to Uvurkhungai. Though shorter, the bus ride from Hovd to Bayankhongor was much worse than the previous trip. I was on the “hot seat” on the bus. This means I was sitting on top of the engine or the radiator (or something), causing me to extremely hot and uncomfortable the entire ride. Me and two boys shared the hot seat, and switched it up who sat at the hottest part, but for the most part the entire ride was awful. I was dropped off on the edge of Bayankhongor and called my friend to figure out where I was. Bayankhongor is a town similar to my town, but with a little bit less infrastructure. Their claims to fame are really nice benches and trash cans, a western style restaurant, and a Dinosaur Park. Apparently, there used to be tons of Dinosaur bones but people have since picked them all up. I spent two nights in Bayankhongor before heading back home. The final leg of my ride was pretty short and rather nice, since I got a ride with a family in a Land Rover. Once back in my town it was nice to home, in my ger. I realized that I really like lighting fires and that I wanted to spend a lot of time with my Mongolian Family before I leave.

Rockin the Shofar!

2009-03-16T02:38:00.000-07:00

I forgot to write about the World Music Festival. I mentioned it, but didn't mention the most important part! There was this Israeli band called Esta. And the drummer did something I have never seen before and it was absolutely AMAZING!

Have you ever seen someone rock the shofar? I mean seriously!? I'm not talking like at the end of yom kippur, I'm talking like really use it like a real instrument! It was awsome! And another guy can rip on anything that requires lungs. They were very talented, but the Shofar was unbelievable!

check them out: www.estamusic.com

really! you gotta see this! They travel all over the U.S. and the world! I sure hope to catch them again!

February and March

2009-03-13T02:43:00.001-07:00

I got back from Thailand the day before my birthday. I spent my birthday relaxing at the guesthouse, watching movies. I only left to go out, eat dinner, and by a little beer.

When I returned to Site, it was time to not do a whole lot because everyone was preparing for Tsagaan Sar. A pretty intense Mongolian holiday. Since I wrote all about the rites and rituals of Tsagaan Sar last year... I'm not going to right now. (it's still there, go read it) This Tsagaan Sar was very different for me because I am now living with a Mongolian family. I got to see a different side of the holiday. I spent Bituun (the night before) and the following day with my family, going to many homes for buuz, mongol beer, salads, airag, and milk tea. The next two days, I went to a couple houses, but I lost my phone and after that my Tsagaan Sar was a little slow. I wasn't too disappointed. Tsagaan Sar is supposed to last 3 days but in actuality, it lasts as long as it wants to. I think it's really... until the food is gone. I didn't have a phone for a little over a week and I actually really enjoyed it. There were certain times when it would have been a nice convenience, but all in all, it was liberating. Some people are still celebrating Tsagaan Sar...

This brings me almost up-to-date. I am currently waiting on one last letter of recommendation (hhmmmm... if you're reading this) and I am ready to submit my application to a graduate social work program at CSULB. So, if I get in.. the plan is to move back to Long Beach and do that. I'm also going to work towards my Child Welfare and Attendance credential, so I can one day be a School Social Worker. The truth is, I don't know exactly how "soon" that will be, but it's a good job that I know I could do... once I"m ready to settle down a little. The problem is that Peace Corps has opened my eyes to a lot more things that I want to learn and get involved in: child labor, human rights, science of some sort, human trafficking, community development, international relations, etc... etc... etc...

I 'might' be taking a little trip to Hovd and Ulgii, and then to Hovsgol... i'll let you know how they go.

possibly more reflections at another time...

peace, love, strength, understanding, and stay positive. these are the important things in life.

Thailand n stuff

2009-03-13T00:28:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while...

I haven't written in a few months. I place complete blame on the fact that my computer cord is broken. I do all my 'blog writing' at home, but without a computer, cannot. So, what have I been up to? I'll take you month by month:

January- I found out in the beginning of January that I would be going to Thailand for a little while. Only 5 days(ish) later, I was on a plane to Bangkok. When talking about Bangkok, where to begin is a constant dilemma for me. I'll just give an overview. I got there not really knowing anything about Bangkok, or Thailand. My hotel was in a very central area, so on the first day/night I simply walked around. I ended meeting a lot of people and learning a little about the city and where I was. My hotel was right next to "lil Arabia", across the street from "sleezy street" and down the way from big fancy malls (these are my own nicknames). I met Saudis in McDonalds and some women in the 'big fancy mall' area... now known to me as the central point for the skytrain (cuz i forget the real name). Anyway, the women that I met were selling jewelry made by women who had been helped out of being trafficked and out of prostiution. Though illegal, prostitution is rampant in Thailand, as most people are well aware. They informed me a little about the city, and of course, my first question was.. "how do I get to the beach?" I wrote down a few places that they'd suggested in and around the city, thinking I'd only be there about a week. The next day, I began my self-guided tours of the city. Bangkok is HUGE and there's sooo much to cover! It was wonderful to be in a place where you really can get by without knowing a single word of the language. People were really helpful, and I wasn't afraid to ask. I felt pretty safe in the city and didn't get nervous walking around at night. Forms of transportation in Bangkok are: taxi, tuk tuk, bus, sky train, river boat, canal boat, and i think there's a subway, though I never saw or used it. Anyway, of course, I headed straight for the river boat. It's crazy how much you miss water when you are sooo far removed from it.

A few days after my arrival in Bangkok, I learned that I'd be there a little longer than intended. To no surprise I'm sure, I B-lined for the Beach. I had met a Peace Corps Kirgestan (sp?) volunteer in the PC office and we headed out together, antsy like two children waiting in line for the bathroom.

Most of the busride, I stared out the window, knowing I wasn't going to be doing a lot of traveling in this trip to Thailand. I watched the scenery and the people go by and stared at everything green (another thing we lack out here). I find that I have completely know sense of direction but I can almost always point in the general direction of the beach, and I ALWAYS know when I'm real close. The girl I was with kept saying she thought we were close and maybe we should get off, I sat tight and simply stated, "i'm not getting off this bus until I see the ocean". As the ocean became visible, I felt all the troubles of work and travel and everything else slightly lift. It's like they were there, but I had MUCH MORE important things on my mind: 1. Get me off this bus 2. where do I get in 3. are we going to make the last farry?

It didn't take long to learn that we had to wait to see if there were going to be enough people for the final farry of the day. I'll tell you what, I was determined to get myself on that Island. I realized I hadn't brought sunglasses to Thailand with me and purchase a huge sunhat instead. We waited, and I starred out into the ocean, my eye on the island in front of us. Just as the sun was getting ready to set, we paid extra money to take a farry across (i didn't mind).

We found a place to stay and kinda parted ways for the next few days, though running into each other for some dinner here and there.

For me, the next few days were absolutely glorious. In Mongolia, I was kinda having a tough time and on my way to using my "mental health" days to take a little breather. The ocean does WONDERS for the mental health! There are very few things sooo physically different from January in the "lower-hungai" (where i live) and the beautiful white sands beaches, warm "cold season" sun, of Koh Samed. I spent the days laying by the beach, eating delicious fruit, swimming, a Thai massage on the beach at sunset, and simply enjoying the free feelings of warmth and no obligations to anyone. I met some people but preferred my time to myself. I was unbelievably sad when my available beach time came to an end and it was time to head back to the BIG city.

I got back and spent the next days running around seeing all the cool sites and monastery's... and of course, riding the river boat wherever I could. The Monastery's were amazing, but after a while they all start to look similar. And I secretly get pissed off when they charge so much for foreigners and nothing for Thai people. I'd be happy to leave a donation for the benefit of your monastery, but since you already forced it out of me, I'm just gonna walk around and people watch til I'm over it and feel like leaving.

I ended up staying in Bangkok for just short of a month and after running around when I first got there, I had time to relax and just enjoy the city afterwards. The rest of my trip was filled with discovering all the different sides of a city of contradictions... and good food! It is interesting how in one city you can have the very poor and the rich Thai people, destinct arabic and african areas, the european expat bars, the sleezy areas, rampant with sex trade and unfortunate females. A place where you can see people selling themselves, either by choice or not, and across the street is full birka-clad women following the men in a train.

As referred by the women I met the first night, I headed to a place called Kousan Road. This ended up being a place that I frequented a few times a week.... and especially on Shabbat! That's right... I SAW JEWISH PEOPLE! haha. I was walking along Kousan watching the hippie paradise going on around me and trying to figure out what gave it that certain vibe... when, to my surprise, I saw a sign in hebrew, "bait chabad" it said. We have chabad house throughout America, but I was not exactly to find it in Bangkok... little did I know they are all over the world! Not knowing really what it was, I walked up and started asking questions. It was funny, the guard was very suspicious of me and it took me a while to convince him that I'm Jewish. Due to my Mongolian learning process, I find that I no longer know any Spanish or Hebrew and honestly could not even put together a sentence in Hebrew. By the end of my trip, it started coming back to me.

Shabbat in Thailand:

I returned to the Chabad house for my first legit shabbat in a LONG TIME. I honestly didn't know what to expect, but somebody had told me to come for shabbat, so I did. I arrived and the place was empty. I found some stairs towards the back. I walked up, into a post-prayers room of eating and talking Jews. It was amazing! There must have been about 400 people there! I sat down in a free seat and had already gotten used to explaining to people, "I don't speak hebrew" ( i need to learn!). It was funny because when people found out that I don't speak hebrew, they immediately assumed that I don't know anything about Judaism, including the American I met. Most of the people were Israeli, with a few other foreigners. After dinner and singing (the same songs we sing at home), I met up with some people I had met earlier in the week and we joined the group for Oneg Shabbat. There was UNLIMITED amounts of food. It was such and interesting feeling to be back in a room full of Israelis. Keep in mind, I was in Israel right before I came to Mongolia. For Oneg Shabbat, we sat and talked and ate for a little while, and then the rabbis started asking people to stand and introduce themself and tell a story, or sing a song. Everyone was speaking in Hebrew, when he looked at me and asked me to speak. My friend told him to wait ask someone else to go, while he explained to me what was going on (something I'm WAY used to). After, I understood that the Rabbi was just asking me to say something, and some of the things others had said, I informed my friend to tell the Rabbi that I wanted to share a story. I can teach any lesson without feeling any amount of nerves, but for some reason, in this situation, as I do when called upon in a class, I get really nearvous. Despite this, I stood up and apologized that I don't know Hebrew and would be speaking in English. Of course, everyone in the room knew English, and were just happy that I was going to share. I introduced myself, explained that I live in Mongolia and celebrate/acknowledge each Jewish holiday on my own. A room full of travellers who make sure to spend every shabbat with either resting, or with Jews, were absolutely shocked. I could hear people saying things about how horrible that was. I continued to describe a tiny bit about life in Mongolia and began telling them the story of when I first discovered this Chabad House: After convincing the guard that I am infact Jewish, and showing him my passport, per his request..... as if there's JEW stamped across the top, I proceeded through the kosher restaurant, immediately engulfed in smells and sounds of Israel. I walked up the stairs towards the back and observed the people around me; reading, chatting, drinking tea, on the internet, sleeping, and calling Israel. I was completely mesmorized by all the hebrew and shocked at how this whole exprience was effecting me. At first, I didn't even want to talk to anyone. I walked towards the back where there is a small synagogue/ study room. I looked at the tallitot strewn about the chairs, books on the tables after an obvious study session, and I peered inside the modest ark with a single Torah resting inside. I sat down in the back of the room, continued to the listen to the bustling hebrew outside the door, and to my absolute surprise... my eyes started to water. I was that moved by the whole scene, how much I've missed the Jewish community, and the fact that I found this in place where I wasn't expecting. Coming to Thailand, I knew there were more likely to be Jewish people in Thailand than Mongolia, but I didn't expect to just run into them.

After sharing this story at Oneg Shabbat, a lot of people approached me telling me what the thought. Some were inspired, others felt bad for me, others were mad at the guard for making me convince him I am Jewish, some had questions about Mongolia or were planning trip to Mongolia, and others simply wanted to speak English. Turned out there was one other person who didn't know hebrew, one canadian, and on American who had made Aliyah. For maybe 5ish hours people sat around, telling stories, talking (and translating), eating, and singing songs. There came a point where I knew that if I was going to come back the next day, I would have to go to bed. Unfortunately, I could not completely keep Shabbat, due to my hotel being far away from this place. I returned the next day in time for lunch, singing, conversation, and prayer. By then, I was familiar with a lot of people from the previous night. After Shabbat, a group of us headed to a World Music Festival that was going on in Bangkok. The following two nights were filled with good company, wonderful music, and good food. I even ate crocodile ribs! And it was delicious.

I can't possibly write about everything I did in Thailand, but let's just say... it was awsome! I really hope to go back one day and see more of the country. While I was there, I met some of the Peace Corps volunteers in the office and learned a little bit of another side of Thailand. I never really considered myself the "lone traveller", but I learned in Thailand that I love it! I met people everywhere I went, and I think that you see things in a different way when you are just wandering around by yourself. Though, there were a few Peace Corps friends who passed through Bangkok while I was there and some people I met in the Airport in Korea on my way back from the states were also there. Some of the coincidences and ways I have met people in the past 2 years is a little bit crazy... just the world working in mysterious ways...

Seein Mongolia

2008-12-21T23:31:00.000-08:00

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.

A shout out to the fam!!!

2008-10-27T23:53:00.000-07:00

10-26-2008

This weekend was my cousin’s bat mitzvah in Michigan. In my time abroad I have missed out on weddings, birthdays, babies, and other momentous occasions of my friends and family. The only time I get a little homesick is when my work isn’t going well and one of these moments is passing me by (luckily, work is going pretty well). I have found that I am quite the family person. My family has been spread out throughout a few states for my whole life, and I always looked forward to the times when we all came together for whatever occasion it was that brought us there. I remember when I was young, first telling my mom that I wanted to move to Michigan one day… then some amount of years later, I changed to Arizona. These days, I know better. Michigan is a great state and I now know that I can handle the cold, but I would never commit myself to dealing with the cold year after year… with no known end. Arizona has a lot to offer, but I just can’t imagine being somewhere warm and not having the beach. I used say that Arizona would be perfect if it just had the ocean. However, the best things these states have to offer me is family. Many of my Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins are in Michigan right now, celebrating the Jewish coming of age of my only (first) cousin younger than me. The last time everyone gathered together in such an event was my other cousin’s wedding. And the next time (I think) will be one year from now at another cousin’s wedding. Over the years, we have only seen each other sporadically; sometimes more than others… but every time despite the physical distance I have always felt a closeness with my family, even if we don’t talk all the time. I may not have been there for every relationship, or breakup, wedding, child, or other momentous occasions, but that does not change my love for them. Some I haven’t talked to in years and others, the internet has provided an easy way to say “what’s up” every once in a while. We all have gone our separate directions leading our lives differently. In my family, we have a beautifully wide array of life paths; we’ve got doctors, lawyers, iron workers, probation officers, computer techies, store workers/owners, secretaries, teachers, and much more. (I’ve never been fond of groups of people who are all the same). We’ve got the outdoorsy, and the indoorsy, the book worms, bike riders, sports fanatics, and whatever other classification you decide to come up with. And somewhere, I fall into that mess. But we all come from the same blood. (and I include any and all members who have married in… in this instance, blood is used figuratively)
To be honest, I have few solid memories of my times spent with my family, as I was pretty young for most of them. I could probably come up with more if I thought hard or had the chance to reminisce. But this loss of recall of specific memories does not change my love for them.
Our family seems to only gather for occasions. Being the (2nd to) youngest of a bunch of cousins, I was pretty young for many of the occasions and have foggy memories of all the bar mitzvahs, deaths, and weddings. I think where my memory starts to become a little more clear is my grandmother’s death (though still patchy), and though it was a somber occasion, there is nothing more beautiful than spending so much time together (due to the Jewish tradition of sitting shivah). The next, I believe was my bat mitzvah… a whirlwind of events that I hardly remember, ending in my aunt and cousin moving to Michigan. If I recall correctly, the next time a large amount of us were together (that I was there for) was my Cousin M’s wedding. It had been a long time and we had all grown quite a bit. And thanks to my photo happy hands, I have some awesome snapshots of my family that I was sure to bring with me to Mongolia. That was the last time I was at a large family gathering, and the next will be my for my other cousin M’s wedding, which will be immediately after I return from this whirlwind of challenges, experiences, and at times, solitude, that we call the Peace Corps. There is nothing I would rather do after completing my time here than to see a large chunk (at least) of my family. You’ll notice, I never refer to these gatherings as my WHOLE family… this is because my WHOLE family is never there. Due to the size, some are always missing for whatever reason… leading to even larger gaps between the times that I see some family members. But the truth is, no amount of time can go by that will cause me to lose site of the meaning of family. And I think that being so far away has made me more apt to keep moving when I am back in the U.S. So, if you are reading this (some are)… be ready for some visits!!! (maybe I can even drag my mom along ; ) and for those of you who are reading this and are not in the family…. I’ll briefly explain. She’s not exactly the ‘traveler’ (sorry ma! It’s true! But my public props to you for getting out a little more while I’ve been gone) If I’ve done nothing else in the peace corps, at least I did that… unknowingly influenced my mom to go somewhere new.

And this is where I’m going to take a minute to give some props to the other part of my family… commonly known as my friends. The way I see it, there are small differences between ‘family’ and ‘friends’… at least, for a person who has been as fortunate as me to have many lifelong friends. It is very interesting when you go so far away to see what happens to your relationships. Some you hear from every day, some once in a while, others you’ll never hear from until you are back… and that’s ok. I think I’ve made it clear above that a person does not need to be in my eyesight, or even earshot, for me to hold them dear to my heart. There are many people that, even when I was in the states, I had somewhat lost touch with, but this doesn’t change the love. Some of my friends I have known since preschool or kindergarten, others I met when I was in middle school, high school, college, or post-college. And with each person, there is a connection that drew us together. No matter what path we pick, no matter our mistakes, achievements, or idleness, there is always the connection that caused us to become friends in the first place. Just like my family, I can not see these people for many years, but the moment I see/talk to them, the relationship is picked right up with an ease that makes you appreciate the invisible energy force that brings two (or more) people together.

And to come full circle, I want to end this blog with a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to my cousin D for her Bat Mitzvah. I’m sure that she did wonderfully and I can’t wait to see the pictures. I’m sad I was unable to be there for this occasion, but I’m sure you all enjoyed and appreciated your time together. And I best see you all in a year!

ger livin.... ger lovin

2008-10-27T23:51:00.000-07:00

this was written a little while ago... but might as well post it. i'll just apologize a head of time for the crappy writting lately, i just haven't been in the zone... lucky i'm writing at all!

My life has changed a bit since I moved into my ger. First of all, it is great to have a Mongolian family to live with. The children love to hang out in my ger, and Baatar, who lives in another ger, loves to come by to watch English movies or to speak English. I don’t have as much time to myself, but it is well worth it, and it’s possible that will change a little as winter sets in. I now get my water from the well and light fires to keep warm. Lighting fires is possibly one of my favorite things about my ger. In the winter, there will be some very cold times… usually in the morning, but once my fire is well-lit my ger warms up pretty quickly. Also, my family gave me dung, which is GREAT because it lights really quickly! It is pretty well insulated, so it holds the heat for a sufficient amount of time. I love the feeling of the warm fire on my skin. No matter how cold it is outside, I can make it nice and toasty in my ger. It’s like having a bonfire in the middle of the room. It must be the California girl in me that likes to make it nice and hot in my ger… and then I step outside to feel the cold air on my skin. I don’t think I will ever claim to be an expert at lighting fires, as sometimes it takes a lot longer than others. I love the feeling of lighting the fire to stay warm and enjoy cooking over the fire as well. Not having running water is really something that I have become indifferent to in my time in Mongolia. True, I don’t take regular showers, but bucket bathing gets you just as clean and can also be relaxing. (not to mention, that I had to do this even when I had running water and I could always go to the shower house…) It is really hard to explain to people who have never been in a ger, how comfortable they are. It sounds weird, but there really is something about not living with corners that creates a very relaxing and comfortable atmosphere. My ger is small, but I really don’t need much space. I’ve never been one for LARGE living spaces, so I kinda like the size.
Winter is just beginning, after a pretty long fall… I get the feeling that the winter is going to be a little more difficult for me this year. Part of this is self-induced by moving into a ger, but the other part is mental. I always new that I wasn’t really a ‘cold-weather’ person, but had never really tested myself. I am now going on my second winter living in one of the coldest climates in the world… and I can honestly say; I am dreading it. I know that the winter will come progressively, as it did last year, and I will continue to add layers to the clothes that I wear, but I also know that the winter is LONG… really LONG. I know that it will be cold for a long time. On a good note, I have my ger, and I can make it as hot as an Israeli summer in here if I want. But it’s also a bit of a walk from town and I will end up spending a lot more time walking to and from work this year. I know that I just need to get in the right mentality. Last year, it was all very new to me and was more about seeing what it was like to live where it’s too cold, while this year, I feel like I will be mentally testing myself. I know I hate to be cold, and I knew it coming into the Peace Corps in Mongolia, but after this I can check it off my list of things to do… live in a cold place (check), then I’ll grab my surfboard and stay in warm places for a while. Believe it or not, despite all my griping, I can tell that I have toughened up a little since last year. This time last year, I was already wearing my long johns and my heavy coat. This year, I’m still wearing my California-made jacket. Only yesterday did I step into the world of wearing a beanie, but I left it at home today. This is either due to global warming… or it means the cold doesn’t defeat me as quickly as it did last year. (I’m hoping the latter)

Ha Ha, check out this article! <3 mongolia!

2008-10-26T22:11:00.000-07:00

The Mongolia Obsession
The Most Disgusting Food. Ever.By Tim WuPosted Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008, at 6:58 AM ET

I have eaten my fair share of food that some people might label "gross." There was even a time, in my early 20s, when I made quite a habit of it. Pigs' ears or fried crickets? Please. That's kids' stuff. I prefer to test my limits: Pass the duck brains.
It is a test of will, not unlike diving off a high cliff, when you order your hand to put something into your mouth while every instinct screams, "No!" And sometimes a food that looks strange can be quite pleasant in ways you don't expect. I have fond memories of the time I ate a squirming live octopus tentacle in Korea—not only did it taste pretty good, it also brought fond memories of a woman who used to twirl her tongue while French kissing. I wish I could say that snake blood brought on fond memories, but it just tasted like a nosebleed. On the happier side, I can report that deep-fried scorpion tastes just like cricket.
Unfortunately, none of this prepared me for the culinary horrors of Mongolia. I, who consider myself the owner of an iron will and a stomach to match, still shudder when I think about some of the things I ate and drank there. There were times when I longed for a nice plate of deep-fried scorpions.
If you have ever wondered why we generally drink cow's milk, I can tell you: Most of the other types of milk are just disgusting. They get under your skin in a special dairy sort of way, rather like eating a stick of butter every morning might. Forced to choose, I think I'd say the best is yak milk, especially if it's hot. But I would stay away from horse milk unless it's been distilled into alcohol. Camel's milk, I shudder to recall, is musky and feels like drinking bottled smoke. (I think I finally understand why Camel is a brand of cigarettes.) Consider also that Mongolians like their milk heavily salted, and the phrase acquired taste takes on new meaning.
As an all-dairy nation, and probably the world's worst place to be a vegan, Mongolia is very cheese-centric. I am below no man in my taste for what some people might describe as abhorrent forms of cheese. I like English cheddars that have gone rotten and overaged gorgonzola that has turned brown. But the problem with Mongolian "cheese" is that it is nearly as hard as rock and as acidic as battery acid. Eating it is not horrific, but it is rather exhausting.
All this is surely survivable. It is the mutton, the unending mutton, that gets to you. After just a week, I felt like the Troll in The Hobbit who complains, "Mutton yesterday, mutton today, and blimey, if it don't look like mutton again tomorrer."
The common complaint about mutton is that it is gamey. Granted. But the insidious part is not so much the flavor as the smell. When I returned to Beijing, Evan Osnos, now at The New Yorker, who has done some great writing on Mongolia's gold rush, asked me, "So, do you still smell like mutton?"
I did.
To be fair, Mongolian cuisine had certain satisfactions. After a day of hard riding, gnawing on mutton bones seemed entirely appropriate. Mutton dumplings and mutton mixed with noodles can sometimes be good. And after a while, I developed a taste for fermented horse milk, particularly when distilled to a clear liquor—though it may have just been that a few shots did wonders for the mutton.
I can also report that Mongolian vodka did the job, though I wasn't that excited about Bimba's way of preparing it. In the morning, large black beetles would gather under our tent seeking warmth. Bimba thought it a good idea to flavor the vodka with a few of these beetles—their death throes adding a Genghis Khan touch to the whole thing.
On our very last morning on the road, the mutton problem became a crisis. At fault was our dear driver, Bimba, who decided it was time to celebrate the trip by buying a whole sheep and slaughtering it. As we went into a local ger to eat breakfast, I noticed that the sheep's head had been removed, and the internal organs were being poured into a giant pot, the same way you might empty a can of beans.
Surely this was to feed the dogs, I thought. No one really wants to eat the lungs, stomach, and intestines of an aged sheep.
Au contraire. I'm sorry to say that we had to watch the whole mess boiling for a while on the dung fire, yielding bubbles of brownish-gray scum. Afterward, a giant steaming bowl of internal organs was placed before us with some ceremony. Out came knives and a mixture of anatomy lesson and breakfast as we sampled one organ after another. I must stress the degree to which our dear friend Bimba considered this the way to cement our friendship. There was no backing away from trying each and every organ and making a good go of the whole thing. Even fearless Miki looked a little pale.
Comparatively speaking, I suppose the stomach and heart were the highlights. Despite our host's enthusiasm, I felt there was something deeply fishy about the lungs—they had a spongy texture that you had to bite hard to get through. There were many organs that I didn't really recognize but also did not enjoy. And as for the intestines and connecting flesh covered with fat, I felt, for the first time, what 19th-century writers refer to as "rising bile." I said to myself, "This is like a horror film, except I am eating the special effects."
All the while, the sheep's severed head sat off to one side, watching us sadly. Next to him sat his forearms and legs, placed in a small pile. But fear not. We did pack that head into our jeep, and back in the capital, we ate him for lunch. "Omoshirokatta," said Miki. "That was interesting!"

http://www.slate.com/id/2200544/entry/2200548/

Milk tea and progression

2008-10-08T00:07:00.000-07:00

10-10-08 (i think)

(this picture was taken from the internet)

I was in the countryside with my director and her family, visiting some good friends of theirs. After going through many of the usual rituals of drinking tea, airag, and vodka and after the usual discussion about how good I am because I drink Mongol tea, eat Mongol food, and drink Mongol airag; the Mother of the household went outside to get some milk so she could make a fresh batch of milk tea. She milked a few goats and came back with a tin pail full of milk. She lit the fire, poured water into the large wok, along with the green Mongol tea leaves, and when the tea was brewing to her liking, she added the milk she had just retrieved. She proceeded to churn the tea with a large deep spoon, filling it with liquid, lifting it above the wok and pouring it back in, in a series of fluid motions that she had done millions of times throughout her life, probably beginning around the age of 4 or 5. She then added some salt and sifted a little while longer; all the while the rest of the people gathered in the ger, (around 8 or so) talked, drank airag, and played the finger game around her. I sat there, participating in the finger game, airag drinking, and conversation where I could… all the while my eyes kept returning to the woman making milk tea. It was nothing I hadn’t seen a million times before, and it seems everyone makes milk tea the same way, but the motions of her weather worn hands caught my eye each time I found myself in between conversation opportunities. In these situations, I either leave the Mongolian that is too fast for me to understand as background noise to my thoughts and my body simply feeling the experience, or occasionally I test myself to see how much I can understand. As the woman put the strainer over the tea pot and poured the freshly made milk tea through it, leaving the tea leaves behind, my thoughts returned to the woman making tea and I watched her serve each person in the ger, beginning with the oldest male of the household, proceeding to the oldest woman, and so forth. I sat with my tea, allowing the Mongolian words to swirl around the room with the steam rising above my hands. I began to think of the entire tea making process that I had just witnessed. It was at this very moment that I realized how far I have come in my cultural development, for this woman had just milked a goat for our milk tea, and I sat there and drank it without a second thought. In fact, I didn’t even blink twice when she went outside and came back with a tin full of milk. In the past year, I have been exposed to many different situations that I would NEVER experience in America, and it is interesting to think what kinds of things I have gotten so used to in my time in Mongolia, for this is a truly amazing country with a beautiful culture.

I sit here writing this, burning hot in my ger, almost exactly 24 hours from our first snow of the year. I have kept my fire relatively lit throughout the night, and it is like a furnace in here. Every so often, I step outside to feel the brisk “winter” air on my open skin. I put winter in quotes simply because this is not even close to what the winter will get to… this is just the beginning.

Do Something!!!

2008-09-26T00:12:00.000-07:00

My friend is doing a triathalon (swimming 1 mile in the SF bay, biking the length of a marathon, and then running a 10k) and raising money to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma society.... so get out your wallets and check out the website!!!!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/treastri08/bjacob23

She has two upcoming events. All proceeds go directly to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society:
This Sunday, September 28th: YARD SALE at 1519 1/2 Alameda in Burbank. If you have anything to donate please contact me. bjacob23@hotmail.com
Sunday October 5th: CAR WASH at the Shell Station on Olive and Alameda in Burbank. Help or donations of rags is greatly appreciated. Come get your car washed!

Side note: people are always telling me how good it is that I'm "doing something to help the world". Well, I want you all to know that you DO NOT need to move half way around the world in order to contribute. You are surrounded by opportunities to make a difference..... this is just one of them.... It's being handed to you... .all you have to do is make the decision to help!!!

countryside

2008-09-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

My Mongolian teacher and her family in the countryside.

Me and my Mongolian teacher (and friend), Chuka.
Milking goats...

Horse trip through the countryside.

Watching the herd

Goat!

I live in a Ger!

2008-09-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

Building my new home...

closing summer...

2008-09-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

A small hike in the Arv. and one of the Monastery's in town.

Sumo by the river

Friends of Mongolia

2008-09-09T18:49:00.001-07:00

This is an email sent by friend of mine/ peace corps volunteer who just finished her service.

Take a look:

Dear Friends,

As you know, I have recently completed two years of service in the Peace Corps in Mongolia. As a former volunteer I am member of The Friends of Mongolia, an organization that provides funds for community development projects, scholarships and other activities to benefit the people of Mongolia.

Friends of Mongolia is currently raising funds to bring 12 secondary school students and 2 teachers from a small town in the Gobi to Ohio to participate in the Middfest International Mongolian Festival in Cincinnati this Ohio, in which they will perform traditional Mongolian music and dance. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these Mongolians as well as a wonderful chance for Americans to meet these talented young people and experience a piece of their beautiful culture. You can read more about this initiative at the following address:

http://www.friendsofmongolia.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=145&Itemid=1

Currently a few thousand dollars more is required to pay for the airfare of the participants. I'd like to ask folks, especially those who have been to Mongolia and care for the place to make a donation to help them out. If you would like to make a donation, please go to the following website:

www.friendsofmongolia.org/donate

No amount is to small! It's all tax deductable and it's secure through PayPal.

Thanks a lot!
Dayla

sorry ma!

2008-09-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

My new tattoo. Don't worry, it was completely clean and safe. The guy did tattoos in New York for 3 years and has an American license. This was taken right after...

visitors?

2008-09-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

I am writing this letter to those people who I feel have sincerely expressed interest in coming to Mongolia to visit. Some have asked me when would be the best time and I have been very vague. The best thing I can say is to come when time permits you. Things in Mongolia aren’t really planned in advance, so I hope to travel around Mongolia after I COS (close of service) but this can not be guaranteed. If anyone is interested in this possibility, let me know. I am now beginning my second year in Mongolia and we are well into fall. Winter will begin around Novemberish and continue through the end of February. March, April, and May are spring, which means wind and dust storms. As for holidays, there is tsagaan sar in February and Naadam in July. It really depends on what type of experience you are looking for. Summer is obviously the best time for travel, but it is still possible to travel other parts of the year. As for my work, I technically work all year, but there are slower parts in January/February and in the summer. I have 20-something vacation days left and can take vacation if needed. If you truly intend on coming, now is the time to starting thinking about it. Also, keep in mind that even if I have to work, I can still send you in the proper directions for cool adventures. Any questions? Let me know!

Love,
Robin

pictures!

2008-08-31T21:20:00.000-07:00

lovely nature

2008-08-31T21:09:00.000-07:00

8.22.08
It’s crazy the transformations that we see in Mongolia. Nature has such a presence in Mongolia, even in the Capital. It has been rainy every other day for a few days now and it is absolutely beautiful. With each rain, you can physically see the difference in the land. It is as if you can watch the grass drinking the rain. The day before yesterday was a rainy day, and I was slightly annoyed because the streets in the city turn to rivers, cars splash on you, and I had found myself caught in the rain wearing sandals. (though I have since debated which is better for a rainy day, my running shoes or sandals) My friend and I were taking the bus out to where she lives, in Ulaanbataar, but a little further away from the city center. We were hurrying through the rain and puddles when I hear, “oh my G-d, look at the sky!!” in almost an alarming voice. I quickly stop, first look at my friend, and when my brain registers what she said, I look up, only to see the MOST MAGNIFICANT RAINBOW I HAVE EVER SEEN. I thought I had seen beautiful rainbows, (usually in Mongolia) but all other rainbows do not even compare to the site of that day. The colors were so distinct and bright. It was as full as a rainbow can be. Complete with the second rainbow right below it. We stood in the street marveling over the beauty in the sky, referring it to “complete ROYGBV” or “like a skittles commercial” and wishing we had a camera. It took a minute to realize we were close to her house and HAD to go quickly to get her camera, as who knows if we will ever see something so fabulous. We tried to hurry to her house, but had serious problems getting our eyes off the sky. People all around us were taking pictures. When we finally got to her place, we ran up, put our stuff down, explained to my friend’s husband that he MUST come outside, and ran down, camera in hand. By the time we got back, it wasn’t quite as bright as before, but the second rainbow had changed and it seemed to be reflecting the main rainbow, with the colors going in the opposite direction.

Today, I was in a car driving from Darkhan to UB. It’s a four hour drive, so I brought my book. There I was reading about the torturing of Tibetan prisoners, when I looked up, only to notice the amazing scenery. The lush green grass, soaking up the rain and getting greener with ever drop, the clouds shades of blue, purple, grey, and white; the sun creating amazing shades of pink and purple in the sky; The clouds blocking some of the sun’s rays, so it shown so bright and clear on one side of a hill but with hidden on the other side, only creating a bright green opening in the middle of gloomy rain cloud shadows. It was a scene that even the best artist could not come up with on his own; a picture that can only be painted by nature.

8.31.08
Yesterday, I was walking to my friend’s house and stopped in my tracks, just to look up at the sky. The entire horizon was like one giant rainbow, starting with shades of red right about the mountains (more like big hills) and continuing with each color of the rainbow fading into the next as you looked higher into the sky. And on my way home, I couldn’t help but stare at the stars, causing me to walk crooked and slow, but totally worth it.
The Mongolian sky is absolutely amazing!

less about experiences, more about how they've felt

2008-07-31T19:56:00.000-07:00

5-7-08
Spring has been quite an interesting and introspective experience. First of all, the parallels between life and death have been astonishing. Something I never expected. One night, after I sat in a car for 3 hours waiting to leave, I was in a car headed to visit my friend in hujurt (a soum, smaller town, near me). The sun set beautifully over the mountains as we finally left my town. Sitting in the front seat I could see where the headlights hit the “road” and it felt as if I was watching the green grass grow. Winter in Mongolia has left the land brown and dry, but spring has provided warm enough weather for a little rain and to allow the snow to melt, allowing the grass to begin to grow. Soon the country will be the beautiful green Mongolia that I arrived to. For the first time in my life I have been able to witness the metamorphous of seasons. People always say California doesn’t have seasons. I never really knew what they meant by this until now. Even through fall and winter, I just chocked it up to ‘our seasons are just REALLY short’. But as spring transforms this country and people begin to spend time outside, I have ditched my long johns, and there is even beginning to be more meat in the market, I feel summer on its way.

7-27-08
It has been a LONG time since I have written and so much has happened! The above writing is something that I began to write about spring, but never really finished. I have decided to still include it on my blog because it is something that I thought a lot about. At the time, I was completely amazed at the effects of spring and the transformation of the country. It is now well into summer and I am up in Selenge aimag where the land is beautiful and green. A lot has been going on since the last time I wrote. I will begin with America:
At first, I was pretty nervous about going to America. I thought it was going to be really awkward and I was not sure how it would feel to be there. I was also nervous about being gone from my site for so long. As time passed and I came closer to my departure, I started to get excited. Everyone kept asking me what I was going to do (and eat) in America and people in America wanted to make plans. I decided that the best idea would be to go to America with no definite plans, so I could feel things out and decide what to do from there. I was unsure about how I would react to being back in America. My excitement was in full gear by the time I boarded that plane to china. The travel was not bad at all and all my flights were on time. It was interesting to think that the new group of volunteers was on their way to Mongolia at the same time I was leaving. I sat on that plane and watched as I departed Mongolia, and I realized that I definitely was not ready to go home for good. I was happy to go to America, but I was sure that my time here in Mongolia was not yet finished. This is reassuring, seeing that I have another year left in my service. When I think back, I remember standing in the customs lines in San Francisco, and hearing English all around me. At that moment, I knew that things were going to feel a little funny in America. It’s weird, but sometimes I find a comfort in not understanding the languages around me. It gives me a lot of time to just observe and be in my own head. Those who sit and try to understand the conversations around them are the ones who really do well at learning the language. I however, find myself zoning out and just thinking. Hearing and understanding everything around me for the first time in a long time was a little overwhelming for about a minute and then it was kind of nice, but I found myself listening to other people’s conversations, simply because I could. The flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles was really short and my flight was actually a little early. My mom, my brother, and some close friends met me at the airport and we went for my first “American” meal. The ultimate question… “What’s the first thing you ate?” IN-N-OUT OF COURSE!!! It was delicious and nice to sit and chat with some of my favorite people. From that moment on, it was surprisingly easy to sit and talk with all my friends and family. There was a lot to catch up on, but also as if no time had gone by. I often express how lucky I am to have people who I am so close to. Before I left Mongolia, I had told my mom not to go grocery shopping until I got there. Knowing my mother, she would have wanted to go out and buy all sorts of things that she thought I would want, but the truth was, I wasn’t sure what I would want to eat. Also, I just wanted to go to the grocery store. She took me to Whole Foods (I think), and it was a very interesting experience. I told her I needed to just walk around and look at everything. I did just that. There was sooooo much stuff, and after spending more time than necessary, I ended up walking out with a couple bags of granola, whole grain bread, and two different types of cheese. The thing that I ate the most while in America was vegetable sandwiches with cheese, on some kind of oat bread. Enough about the food. Other things that I thoroughly enjoyed: the freedom of driving (something I never miss), the beach, the sun, and the Jacuzzi. Going to the beach was like a spiritual experience, every time. I may go many places in my life, but I (may) never leave the southern California beach. My surfing skill has severely suffered by my lack of nutrition and inability to work out in the winter. Usually, when I don’t surf for a long time and then I go surfing, I get really frustrated knowing that I should be doing better. However, this time was different. This time, I absolutely sucked at surfing, but I didn’t mind. I was just happy I was out there. Unfortunately, my surfboards need some repairing, and I was nervous to use them too much because I do not want them to get water logged. It was funny seeing how happy it made my mom to see my surfboards crammed in her tiny apartment. If you can’t live by the beach, you might as well bring part of the beach to you. There is something about the beach and reminders of the beach that create a calming and relaxed atmosphere. When I am in Mongolia, I long to go to the beach, but I find comfort knowing it will be there when I get back. When I went surfing, I spent time just wandering around the beach, watching the interactions between different people. My favorite interactions to observe are those between surfers. It sounds cliché, but surfing puts you in this “relaxed, open-minded, one love” mindset. There is something that you can only gain through surfing and the feeling of riding that wave. It’s something that all surfers know, but can’t really be put into words to be expressed to those who have never been. In the surfing community, everyone knows, there is much more to surfing than the thrill of the sport. There is certain spirituality to surfing that connects you to the ocean, to nature, and to the world as a whole. After you have experienced this connection, every trip to the beach is a totally different experience. You will never see the ocean the same. I could write forever about how much I love the ocean, the beach, surfing, and the surf community, but I’m pretty sure that most of the people reading this will not completely understand, or just need to go out and feel it for themselves. We can chock it up to “hippie thoughts” and move forward. Instead, I will move forward to some of the interesting experiences of America. It was a lot of fun to be “vacationing” at home. I was able to be in Southern California and not have to worry about a job, or any type of obligations. I was purely there to enjoy. To enjoy time with friends and family, to enjoy the familiarity of (most) everything, to enjoy being there for significant life moments (like Lindsay’s wedding and finding out Jess is pregnant, Taryn’s birthday, Aunt Annette in CA, Wail’s birthday, etc…), to enjoy seeing how things have changed, and to experience a different perspective of “home”. There are quite a few experiences that stick out in my mind. Like, when I went to the ‘Israeli fair’ (now called something else). It was right after I got to California, and my first time in over a year, to be around lots of Jewish people. I was still in ‘Mongolia mode’ and as I walked around and looked at all the booths, all I could think about was possible projects and ideas for projects in Mongolia. I was happy to learn of Jewish organizations devoting themselves to helping other people. I used to feel like Jewish organizations were always devoted to ‘tikkun olam’ (helping the world), but it never felt like they were interested in helping the non-Jewish world. This perspective was changed in my trip to America, where I was happy to learn about Jewish people performing tikkun olam outside of the Jewish community. I understand the idea of helping your own, but I do not think it is good to limit yourself to this. I believe in helping those who need/want it. It was hilarious to see people who did not expect to see me or people’s expressions when they heard that I live in Mongolia, or that I’m in the Peace Corps. At the Israeli fair, it was nice to hear Hebrew all around me and to sit down and eat falafel (though it was not the best falafel). My connections to Judaism, Jews, the Jewish community, Hebrew, and Israel is something that sometimes makes complete sense to me and other times is something I just don’t understand. But it is fact; it will ALWAYS be a part of me. And I have realized, being so far away from it all, that it is a part of me wherever I go and I sometimes miss having access to indulge that part of me. While on the topic of ‘Jewish stuff’, I should mention my visit to synagogue. Before I left Mongolia, I had it in my mind that I would try to go to synagogue a few times while in America. This did not happen, and I ended up going only once. I’ll admit; I skipped services to go surfing… both a spiritual experience, just in a different way. I tried explaining to my mom that going surfing was like going to services, but she wasn’t having it. That’s ok, it’s something that makes sense to me, and that’s all that matters. This is the beauty of spirituality. I was glad I went on the specific day that I did because it was a girl’s bat mitzvah. Where at one point, I knew everyone at temple and knew when and who was having their bar/bat mitzvah, this time I had never seen her or her family before. The odd thing is; I was still just as happy to be there for it. I feel being there, watching this girl read from the Torah for her first time, seeing the looks on the faces of her, her family, and her teachers, was a beautiful thing. I tend to go back and forth with my connections to the synagogue, but on that day, I was happy to be there, sitting in the front with my mom while the rabbi and this young girl conducted the service. I’m sure that after so many years of being a rabbi at this synagogue, the rituals become second nature, but for me, someone who has been removed from this community for some time, I remembered the connection and why it all meant so much to me. That is who I am, and it always will be. Judaism is definitely more than just a religion.
While in America, I made sure to go to a few places that I love. I jumped at the opportunity to go camping at San Onofre, spent time at Newport Beach, in Long Beach, on the Santa Monica pier, and made sure to make my way to Venice. These are the places that are “home” to me. Irvine, though I lived there for so long, does not feel ‘homey’. It does not have the relaxed, open atmosphere. In Irvine, it is weird to see someone walking down the street, unless of course, it is a group of two or three women, getting their daily exercise at 6am before they wake the kids up for school. I was able to see one of my best friends in, what will be her home; a place suitable for her and her husband to have their first child. It’s an amazing thing, to see how life progresses. Though I feel so far away from that life, I am so happy for those who are entering that stage. My friends and I had a poolside bbq before I left and it was so much fun to spend the day playing with their kids in the pool.
Many people asked me what I would be doing after the Peace Corps. To me, this is a funny question. I feel that I am so caught up in what I am doing, that I really have not begun to think about what I will do afterward. I first need to take this for what it is and see how it affects me. I have a lot of life ahead of me (I hope), and I don’t plan on planning any of it out. I feel that there is no point in making any long-term plan because I know that I would never feel obligated to stick to this plan. I have some friends who are facing the question, “what do I want to do with my life?” This is not a question that I feel I need to ask myself. And when other people ask me, I have a very simple answer, “I’m doing it”. I want to live and to experience life. I want to do the Peace Corps… (I’m doing it). I do not feel the need to plan further because I do not know what I will want to do after this. But I do assure one thing, I will find something else that I want to do. Whether it be a beach bum, a student, a traveler, a volunteer, a tax agent, or even a waitress; I will find something, and then I will do it until I find something else. Sitting on the beach in Santa Monica, in between halves of the Lakers loosing the Championship, I had some of my favorite conversations of my trip to America. In a conversation about life, one of my good friends asked me “if someone knows they have the ability to cure cancer, are they obligated to? Or is it ‘ok’ for them to become a bar tender”. (Obviously this is a figurative question) This is a good question, but I feel that the answer is easy. If someone knows they have the ability to cure cancer, they will (most likely) not be satisfied with themselves unless they do it. Then they can be a bar tender. If someone knows they have the ability to cure cancer, but they are perfectly happy and satisfied with their life being a bar tender, then there is no reason for them to feel obligated to cure cancer. (But if they do feel obligated, then obviously they are not satisfied.)
I was in America for about 3 weeks. I had a complete BLAST being there. But around the end of the second week, things in America did begin to feel a little weird. I was enjoying myself, but I was ready to come back to Mongolia. I spent lots of time with close family and friends, ate vegetables, and just kind of waited until it was time to leave again. I was not sad to leave my friends and family, I knew that I would be back. It was hard to explain to people that I was ready to leave again, and I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. The fact is, Mongolia is where I’m supposed to be right now. I am in the middle of something that I have EVERY intention of finishing. It was easy for me to slide right in and easy for me to slide back out. Through some airport trouble, I got really frustrated thinking I wasn’t going to be able to leave that day. I was ready. The flights back to Mongolia were just as easy as the flights to America. I met some people in the Korean airport and ended up running into them in UB later that week. Upon my Mongolia arrival, everyone wanted to know what I did in America, what I ate, how it felt to be there, if it was hard to come back, and what I brought back. I developed simple answers to these questions, as I was still processing everything: I went to the beach, surfing, dancing, more beach; ate lost of veggies and Mexican food; it was FUN; it was easy to come back; and all I brought back was nuts, granola, and dried fruit…. Oh yeah, AND GIRL SCOUT COOKIES. When it came to figuring out what to bring back to Mongolia, I didn’t really want to think about it. I ended up just grabbing a couple things from my mom’s cupboard and sticking it in my bag. Looking back, I forgot to get things for some of the Mongolians that I wanted to bring things back for…. Oops.
After a few days in The ‘big’ City, I headed up to Darkhan, a fairly large city in Mongolia where I am now living while I train the new volunteers. It is exciting to meet the new volunteers because they are going to be around for the next year, and the other group just left. Some people have asked why I decided to apply to do training, and my answer is simple: I believe in the cause. Coming to Mongolia is an interesting experience, and in those first 3 months, while living with host families are pretty intense, but there is a lot to be learned before you get to site. The things that I teach in my lessons will help the trainees when they get to site. Knowing as much as possible about Mongolian culture, working in Mongolia and (for my position) the situation of children and child-service providers in Mongolia will help them to adjust and integrate when they first get to site, as it did for me. The group that came here 1 year before I did just left last weekend. I went into the capital to hang out and see them off. I have long said that Peace Corps is like a social experiment, and I feel the experiment keeps on going. It is weird how we become so close to people and then they are just gone, a whole group of them. I truly value many of my relationships I have made out here. Some of the people I have met are really amazing people and are going to do great things in life. Others are people that I feel I have learned from, simply by our interactions… whatever they may be. I am interested to hear about their reactions to moving back to “the land of the plentiful”, as America is often referred to. (Along with the mother land, home, the other side, and real life) It’s interesting how in a moment, your support network out here changes. Something else that strikes me is that some of the people that I have met out here are the future politicians, diplomats, and decision makers of the world. Some will move on to hold certain political offices (maybe even president), others will become permanent ex-pats. Where do I fall in this group? I think, neither. That’s all I know for now. It will be interesting to have friends all over the country, and all over the world. I do know one thing; I hope to continue my travels for the rest of my life. And I hope that one day I can spread the knowledge that I am gaining to others.
I sit here on my window ledge while it rains profusely outside, pleased by the absence of the recent heat and the fresh moist air. This morning I said to my roommate “in California, we call this winter”. A nice rain storm is so refreshing in the middle of the scorching summer. And with the rain, the land gets greener. I look forward to my Tuesday ride to Sukhbaatar, where I see the difference in the color of the land, simply produced by one rainy day. Tomorrow will probably be hot again. My favorite thing about the ride to “the Sukh”, other than the beautiful hills, lush grass, and trees, are the herds of camels. We don’t see lots of camels where I live, and DEFINITELY don’t see so much greenery. Where I live is on the edge of the Gobi desert, and still has the dryness of the desert. During the summer there are green things, but it not like here (up north) where the plants rise out of the ground and turner greener with every rain. Ah… beautiful Mongolia is back. When I first got here, I was constantly amazed with the Mongolian sky. This is still my favorite thing about Mongolia. It’s not just the stars and lack of light pollution, it’s the intensity of the deep blue sky with distinct white clouds, as if in a painting. Today, the clouds are covering the sky and they are a little bit of a grayish color, but there are still bright white clouds to be seen. It is obvious to me why Mongolians have worshiped the sky for so many years and why mountains are so highly respected.

That is it for now, but I say one thing to my readers. I welcome questions and comments, if they are insightful, educated, or not meant to be a nuisance.

Here are some quotes that were in an e-mail that was sent to me. I picked out the ones that caught my eye. I don’t necessarily agree with all of them… but they got me thinking. Some of them made me think of certain people, so I have included their names in parentheses so they will take a look. Enjoy!

Will Rogers:Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."- Henry David Thoreau
(amy)

"Shun idleness. It is a rust that attaches itself to the most brilliant of metals." - Voltaire
(steven)

"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."- Lao Tzu(Amy)

"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want." - Ben Stein
(Amy)

You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.Mark Twain

And some humor:Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

to all them mom's....

2008-05-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

simply life

2008-04-07T02:31:00.001-07:00

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)

mmmm......

2008-04-02T03:07:00.000-07:00

mmm.... yak’s milk
My counterpart just brought us yak’s milk/yogurt. It is soooo good. I think this means the beginning to delicious dairy products again. Hurray! Spring is here!
Better yet, it’s almost summer!!! (kinda)

Here’s a question for the rabbis....

Is milk from a non-kosher animal also non-kosher?

Are yaks kosher?

Thought provoking

2008-03-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

Eight steps to enlightenment
‘Awakening the Buddha Within’
Tibetan wisdom for the western world
By: Lama Surya Das

The following is a series of quotes taken from the above book. Some are by the author and some are by other people. I tried to remember to write down when it was by somebody else, but I know I forgot a lot. You’ll just have to go read the book! Seriously, I recommend this book to anyone and everyone! It is one that I plan to read over and over again. For now, enjoy the quotes. I do not necessarily agree with all of them, they are just things that caught my eye and made me think.

Spiritual energy is healing energy; when any group gathers with a dedication to something greater than one’s finite, individual self, the accumulated energy is almost palpable. Sangha

The spiritual life is the search for answers. Who am I, why am I?
“to be enlightened is to be one with all things”
“we are all lit up from within as if from a sacred source”
It’s a fact: you are not going to find truth outside yourself….. The only place you are going to be able to find truth is in your genuine spiritual center” Truth is found by living truly- in your own authentic way.
When you genuinely become you, a Buddha realizes buddhahood
You become a Buddha by actualizing your own original innate nature. This nature is primordially pure. This is your true nature, your natural mind.
Buddhism says yes, change is possible. It tells us that not matter what our background, each of us is the creator of his or her own destiny.
How does the Buddha feel? Completely comfortable, at peace, and at ease in every situation and every circumstance with a sense of true inner freedom, independent of both outer circumstances and internal emotions.
What we seek, we already are. Everything is available in the natural state.
Often raising the right questions- your own head, deep-down, burning questions- may actually be more important than having the right answer, should there ever be one.
Dzogchen- The natural great perfection, “one instant of total awareness is one instant of perfect freedom and enlightenment”
Leave everything as it is and rest your weary mind, there is a nirvanic peace in things left just as they are.
Don’t follow past thoughts, don’t anticipate the future, and don’t follow illusory thoughts that arise in the present; but turning within, observe your own true nature and maintain awareness of your natural mind, just as it is, beyond the conceptual limitations of past, present, and future”
The inner truth, the inner teacher, the absolute guru- not just to know and experience reality with the rational, logical computer brain, but to know with the intuitive heart. That’s something you can really rely on: finding truth within your won experience
Let go, open your heart, unfold your spiritual sails, open your angelic wings, and soar on the wind. Enjoy the infinite.
How wonderful! How wonderful! All things are perfect exactly as they are!
“As long as you stay unconscious, asleep at the switch of your own life, true happiness will prove elusive”
“Wisdom is self-knowledge: wisdom is truth manifested as clarity of vision. Wisdom sees that light and dark are inseparable and that shadows are also light”
“Buddha said- we should all keep the reality of death in the forefront of our consciousness so we can better prioritize our daily activities and thus better direct our attention to that which is most significant and meaningful”
“each of us becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, the proverbial accident waiting to happen”
The thought manifests as the word;
The word manifests as the deed;
The deed develops into habit;
And habit hardens into character;
So watch the thought and its ways with care,
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings…

As the shadow follows the body,
As we think, so we become
-from the Dhammapada
“wisdom tells me I am nothing, love tells me I am everything. Between the two, my life flows”
“if it feels like love, but it’s not wise, its not love”
Love everyone, even if you don’t like them.
“truths are many, but truth is one”
“when you accept yourself, the whole word accepts you”
“everything is empty, like a dream. But it’s not like an empty room; it’s a sparkling sunlit day, and the sun is filling all the spaces”
“Enjoy this natural great perfection, things just as they are”
“something made greater by ourselves and in turn that makes us greater” –Maya Angelou (about work)
“the value of anything is always the value we vest in it”
“I firmly believe that your true vocation of calling is knowing yourself and being yourself”
“awakening to this present instant, we realize the infinite is in the finite of each instant” –Zen master
“forever is composed of nows” –Emily Dickinson
We all have all kinds of thoughts, but that does not mean we are defined by them.

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.
Do not believe in anything because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason, and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.
-The Buddha

Rely not on the teacher [person], but on the teaching.
Rely not on the words of the teaching, but on the spirit of the words.
Rely not on theory, but on experience.
-Buddha

We live in illusion,
And the appearance of things
There is a reality.
We are that reality.
When you understand this
You see that you are nothing.
And being nothing,
You are everything.
That is all.
-Kalu Rinpoche

a warmer day...

2008-02-21T20:35:00.000-08:00

2.18.08
I have thought before about the effects of weather on people, and today this was brought to my mind, as I noticed the significantly warmer air, the sun out, and a women standing outside praying. I have seen women throwing milk on the ground and praying before, but while watching this women, I realized I hadn’t seen this since fall. As I walked through the still Tsagaan Sar deserted market yesterday, I notice that though many of the shops were still closed, there were more young people hanging out in the market. It is the change in weather lately that brings people back out of their houses and gers to enjoy the feeling of the sun and their hands and ears not freezing. I was walking to work, when I first noticed this praying women and as I proceeded across the street, I continued to notice the changes in the physical conditions outside and in the change in the atmosphere. Today is an abnormally warm day, compared to the past few months, and I am pretty sure it will be very cold once again. So, in the midst of the knowledge this warmth is not going to stick around, I take my time on my walk to work. I notice the ice that has been on the road since the first snow is slowly turning to slush, the people walking around town are walking slower, and are more lively. It is possible that it is just my own change in energy due to this warmer weather, but I think it has affected everyone around me. I continue to work contemplating the effects of weather, referring to past thoughts of the effects of weather on crime in the United States, something I have always silently wondered about, but really don’t know the answer to. As I always do, I walk in the street in the best position for absorbing the sun’s warmth, I finally cross and my thoughts are interrupted by “meow…meow…meow”. I turned looking for what could be only the 3rd cat that I know of in my town. I didn’t see anything and was about to continue my walk when I heard it again. This time I look up in the direction of the sound, only to find a furry and dirty orange, white, and brown cat sitting on the tree branch. I look up at him wondering if he is stuck or just enjoying the weather, as I am. I stand there watching the cat as he stands up, looks down, turns around, turns back, sits down and meows again. I want to help him, but there is really nothing I can do. I look around to see if anyone has noticed this cat stuck in a tree, thinking to myself, ‘this is something you only see in story books. At this point in the story, the firemen would come with their big ladder” but I am not in a story book, there are no firemen and no one around seems to care that this cat is stuck. I look to my right to find two men fiddling with their motorcycles, and to my left, I am surprised to see a couple goats walking. Whenever I see animals walking through the town, I can’t help but let out a gentle laugh at the difference between here and “home”. Of course I keep watching the goats, only to realize there are not just a few, just as I turned to finish my walk to work, I notice more goats coming around the corner. I smile to myself and stand there watching as about fifty goats and sheep cross my path with their herder walking behind them with a small whip in his right hand. After they pass, I take one more look at the cat, and continue my walk, smiling inside at the random things that happen on a daily basis. It is not normal for a herd of goats to walk through this part of the town, at the same time it is not that unordinary. There are times when I am crossing the street, where we recently got a traffic light, (we now have 2 in our town) only to find a few cows in the center divider. Sometimes I forget that I live in the countryside, then these moments bring me back. Things here became normal really quickly, but it will be interesting to see what I think when I go back to concrete California.

TSAGAAN SAR!

2008-02-11T17:56:00.000-08:00

about the deel picture.... the 'pocket' is the part above the boos (the green thing) and you stick things in from the side. people hide EVERYTHING in there! cameras, phones, gifts, bottles of vodka, etc...

2-11-08
I have officially completed my first Tsagaan Sar. I found that right before certain situations, I got slightly nervous that I’d do something wrong. I have heard that Tsagaan Sar will still continue until all the buuz are gone, but the official holiday is over. On Thursday, I was at my home, not doing much, when I got the text that read “The Catholics want to know if any of us want to go to the hudoo with them to celebrate bituun.” Sounds funny, I know. Let me explain. ‘The Catholics’ are a small group of people, possibly the only other foreigners living in my town. They are all a little older and are Catholic Priests and Sisters. They are incredibly nice and amazing people. If I recall correctly, 2 are from Italy, 1 from Argentina, and 1 from Mozambique (possibly spelled wrong). I have used the word ‘Hudoo’ in a few blogs, but for those who forget or don’t read regularly, it is the Mongolian word for countryside that has made it’s way into my normal vocabulary. Even in English. Finally, Bituun is the day before Tsagaan Sar begins that is kept for family time. It is not usual to invite a bunch of foreigners for Bituun, but I jumped on the invitation, eager to learn and experience something new. I got ready to go to the hudoo, slightly worried that I would be really cold because it was my first time wearing my new deel (Mongolian traditional clothing). I made sure to stop to get something for the family before all the stores closed. Finally, I put on my deel and walked to my friend’s house. We met up with Catholics, this time consisting of just 2 of them, and loaded ourselves into the car, ready equipped with our amazing, Peace Corps issued Alaskan sleeping bags. (I love that thing so much, I’m like a walking advertisement) The car load was a Priest, a Sister, and 4 Peace Corps volunteers, two of which were slightly ill. (sounds like the beginning of a joke) We started twisting through the Arvaikheer roads only stopping at a house to pick up a TV wrapped in Animal skin and fur (finally I get a small hint of what people do with it. I always see them sold at the market). At this point, one of my fellow Peace Corps who is visiting from The City (Ulanabataar) feels privileged to have already experienced more Hudoo than in the year and half he has lived in Mongolia. Living in Ulaanbataar is very different from living anywhere else in Mongolia. It’s like comparing living in Los Angeles to living somewhere up north, where there’s cows and stuff, maybe Humboldt… I don’t know, never been there). Anyway, after picking up the TV, we proceed to the road towards UB. At some point we veer off the road and start following the path ‘clearly marked’ by previous tires (towards zoonbayanulaan). I admire G (the Priest) for driving in Mongolia, I know I couldn’t do it! We drive for a while on a bumpy road made mostly of rock, surrouded by the beautiful country and snow covered mountains (or large hills), while G tells us how he met this hudoo family. He was driving with some of the sisters and saw a man on a motorcycle stuck in the mud. They helped him out and have been friends since. The family brought him a few gifts and calls him every so often, always asking when he will come visit. The family wasn’t doing so well for a little while, the Sisters gave them a cow, they made money from that and now they seem to be doing pretty well. While listening to this story and other chit chat in the car, I can’t help but realize that we haven’t been on any kind of path for a while and we have turned around a few times. G tells us that we are looking for a man on a motorcycle who is supposed to come meet us and guide us to where we are going. We keep our eyes peeled but don’t see anything, but animals (cows, horses, yaks, goats, etc) and mountains. Nobody has cell phone service, so we can’t call. G heads in the general direction that he thinks it is (directed from the family’s summer home). Finally, we see two men with motorcycles, one can’t get his started. G asks them in his admirable Mongolian and finds out where we are supposed to go. We drive up to an area with 4 gers and a bunch of animal pens and meet the family who we will be staying with. G goes with another man to help the guy on the motorcycle and we sit in the ger struggling with our bad Mongolian. A little while later, G returns and we begin the Bituun rituals. Learning time. G explains to us that the reason everyone stays with their families on this night is because it is the last night of the year, there is no moon, and there is negative energy that is being pushed out, so the year will begin on a fresh and postitive start. (my version of it) We begin folding the blue scarves (same one as when I first arrived) in thirds and greet everyone in the ger in the traditional way. This is with two arms out, blue scarf in hands. The older person puts their hands on top of the younger persons, you lean forward and sniff or kiss the cheek of the other person while saying a Mongolian greeting for Bituun. Little did I know that there would be A LOT of this over the next few days. Then we sit down, the men pull out their snuff bottles and pass them around, while the woman of the ger begins with the ritualistic serving. First, the plate of rice is passed around (everyone takes a pinch), then the flour mixed with some other grain and a little sugar, next is the plate of .. (I never remember what it is called, but it is made from the stuff that gathers on the top of milk when it has been sitting), followed by a bowl of candy, and a plate of aruul (milk curd, which I really didn’t like at first, but now I love it). These are the ‘white foods’ and it is white foods month. Also, included in that mix is su te tse (milk tea, which I also didn’t really like at first, but love now) and a plate of meat with a little bit of fat. Next comes the salads, buuz, and airag. We were told that after we have eaten buuz good, we will go greet the people in the other gers, but he failed to mention that each ger would bring over a plate stacked with buuz. The first of everything is always put on a plate and added to the Buddha shrine on the North side of the ger. This family was very kind with teaching us some of the traditions that we didn’t aleady know. After to were stuffed to the brim, we sat and passed around a small amount of Mongol airag. I found it funny, when the Priest sitting to my left mentioned that to me that Vodka would help with the digestion. He is right, but I don’t know many Priests and wasn’t expecting it. After a while of sitting we stepped outside and walked to the ger two gers over. We walked in, only to find a goat hangin out in the ping (the part before the door, used to freeze food, and hold firewood). We entered the ger and repeated all the same traditions, from greeting with the blue scarf to the passing of snuff, white foods, and mongol vodka. We sat and chatted for awhile, and found out there were 2 english speakers in the group. This family was soooo nice and inviting to us. I don’t remember if we ate more buuz there, but we probably did. Then we returned to the other ger to sit and pass airag. Each time we sat, the snuff bottles were passed. Just as our stomachs began to really digest the night, some of the people left the ger and we all set up to sleep. We rolled out our sleeping bags on the floor and slept. The ger was extremely warm and I was in my warm sleeping bag. I had trouble sleeping, nothing new. In the morning, we woke pretty early, and took our time getting ready to go to the other ger (this day was my birthday, for those of you wondering what I did for my birthday). On the first day of Tsagaan Sar, everyone greets each other at sunrise. We sat in the ger and waited for the sun to come over the mountains. Once the sun was in the right spot, we walked to the ger we had gone to the night before. We started with greeting each other with the blue scarves, sat and passed many snuff bottles, and white food plates, along with salads. The buuz came out, airag, mongol vodka, wine, and vodka were all passed around. This time we also had Mongol Beer, made of… I don’t know, but it has raisins floating at the top of it. The drinks that are served for Tsagaan Sar are the same as a wedding, but are different in the way they are drank. Tsagaan Sar is nice, it is much more relaxed. We talked to our new friends, took a TON of pictures, and sat for a while longer. We ate a ton of buuz, but this family had prepared 2000 buuz, so we really only made a crack. In the gers, wearing whatever layers we have put under our deels, including the burning fire, and the body heat, it would get soooo hot. So, at one point, I slipped outside to put one of my layers in the other ger. I walked to the ger, and there was a goat standing in front of the door. Now, I haven’t been around many goats in my lifetime, so for all I know they could be silently vicious animals, maybe a guard goat or something (it could happen). I stood there looking at him, inching my way closer to see how he’d react, when the door to the ger I’d come out of opened. It was one of the English speaking gers, she saw me and I asked if goats are mean. She didn’t quite understand so she came to me, saw the goat, took one step close to it and it ran away. He was cute though. She came in with me as I shed my layers and we again joined the group. Not much later, a goat came running into the ger, when he showed he didn’t want to leave, they decided to feed him some scraps they had been saving for the goats anyway. This family wanted us to stay longer, but The Catholics had another Tsagaan Sar obligation. They gave us Tsagaan Sar gifts of bread and aruul (because that’s the custom. The host gives the guest a gift as a thank you for coming)As we filed out of the ger to get our things, I watched the goats return to their pen in perfect line. It was amazing. We said goodbye and thank you after giving our gifts to the head of the family. We loaded ourselves in the car, and it was cute how everyone came outside to say goodbye, even to wave as we drove away. We were invited to come back during the summer, and I fully intend on going back. I’d also like to get this family like a football from America or something. I think they would enjoy it, and they were so incredibly kind and hospitable to us. This situation shows the general attitude of Mongolians.
Upon getting back to Arvaikheer, I am dropped off at my home, climb my stairs, my stomach feeling much better than the night before, and head straight for bed, I need a nap. I find myself referring to Tsagaan Sar as an eating marathon because these traditions that I have described are repeated at every house you go to. I guess, in a way, I am lucky that I don’t know too many people, I don’t know that my stomach can handle it.
I wake up just before it is time to start heading to another house for Tsagaan Sar. This is a little bit of a different experience because it is people that I know and one of them knows excellent English, but it is all the same foods and drinks. They are very nice, and we eat a ton…. Again. Once we are stuffed and have enjoyed each others company, we get ready to go.
After a little while at home, I head to an Americans house to hangout with our ‘city friend’ and he expresses how much he has enjoyed our Tsagaan Sar experience. I also have enjoyed this, but I am happy that I am in the Hudoo (which I’m not really, but compared to the city, I am) because I have more of an opportunity to experience the culture. I am shocked to find out that he has been living in Mongolia for a year and a half and has never been to a wedding, or even a Mongolian’s house. Life in the city is completely different than out here, and cultural immersion is much harder. Also, in The City, everyone seems to be trying to be Western. I did notice that many of the younger people wear deels and I think that this tendancy to stray from the cultural aspect of Mongolia is sad. This is an amazing country with amazing people, customs, and culture. I’ll admit, I get a little smile when I see young Mongolians with a deel and LA or Yankees New Era hat tilted to the side. This is the effects of MTV. (Not to mention that they probably don’t know who the Yankees are, or anything about baseball for that matter. Many will know Los Angeles, but not anything about it) It’s also funny to notice that it seems to be the cool thing to do to wear your boos (belt on a deel) low.
My second day of Tsagaan Sar was filled with three house visits, all consisting of the same rituals, with slight variances. My first house of the day was the home of my director. I got there, and I was the only one visiting at the time. She explained some of the Buddhist symbols to me, answering some of my questions, and then I sat down. It was funny because she seemed to be Americanizing everything for me. But I wasn’t sure if it was just because I was the only one visiting at the time. She poured me a glass of milk tea. While I was eating some salads and buuz, she poured a glass of airag, and I sipped it, getting ready to hand it back in the mongol tradition, when she placed another cup on the table in front of me, explaining it is Camel’s airag. And then a shot glass of strawberry vodka stuff. It looked like Margarita mix, but it was Vodka with a hint of fresh, yet sugary strawberry flavor. I did not expect it to be strong, but it was. It would be great as a Margarita for those who don’t like Tequila, but would need a little juice added. She asked me how to pronounce it, thinking her sister got it from America. I didn’t know. (how would you pronounce XUXU?) Later talking to a friend, combined with what my director said, I figured out that she had gotten it in Beijing, and it was pronounced Shushu. While I was visiting, a group of people I had never met entered the home, along with one of my coworkers. Every sat and began the Tsagaan Sar rituals. My director began preparing things in the kitchen and called me in, asking me to sit and offering me hot chocolate or coffee. I politely said no, and that I’d like to sit with the Mongolians. She liked this, but it was funny to her, and she felt the need to share it with everyone in the room. I didn’t mind. She followed it by telling them that if they speak slowly, I can understand. This lead to conversation and a great time for me to practice my Mongolian. After a while, they all left, and I stuck around a few minutes to tell my director, again, what I keep telling my coworkers. I really enjoy learning and being a part of Mongolian cultural activities. At this point, it was time for me to leave, I digested for about an hour before I had to go to my next house (my translator and friend). This was with all the Americans. It was all the same foods and rituals, beginning with entering a room of Mongolians that I have never met, pulling out my blue scarf and greeting everyone, beginning with the oldest. When it was time to leave this house, it was time to go to my 3rd and last of the day. This was a Mongolian friend that I have made. We again, did the same rituals; greeting, white foods, airag, plate of meat, vodka, wine, buuz, etc. This time we had a little scotch to go with the meal, and I tried Yak tongue. At first I was not much of a fan, then she brought out another plate that was warm, and I actually kind of liked it (that’s puts me at Yak heart and tongue, as the yak eating goes thus far). Kosher? I don’t know. They are almost like cows, so maybe they are a kosher animal, but it defiantly doesn’t have any of the other things making it kosher. After this house, I hung out with the Americans for a little while and went home. The 3rd day of Tsagaan Sar was not so Tsagaan Sar-esque. I didn’t visit any houses. I simply got ready for the next day (today). Today, I had Tsagaan Sar at work with my work people. We each brought food and we had all the same Tsagaan Sar foods, but less ritualistic. (no flour, or white food plates) I brought American food. When I took deviled eggs out of my bag, my director was a slightly skeptical, I could tell, “eed eed” I said as all the Mongolians say. Each person tried them, and they were the first thing gone from the table. They LOVED them. I was slightly worried because I don’t use much mayonnaise (which Mongolians love) and I add spices (salt, pepper, season salt and red pepper), but it went over well. The other thing that I brought was Peanut Butter cookies which everyone loved. Success. I don’t know what it is, but I get a little nervous before certain situations. This was one of them. I was nervous that they wouldn’t like the food, that I was expected to bring more than I did, and that my gift for the gift exchange wasn’t what was expected, and even that I would be the only one wearing a deel (weird, I know). But as usual, everything went well. They loved the food, the gift was appropriate, and everyone except my director was wearing a deel.
Now I am sitting at my home, writing about the past few days, not even sure what’s happening next. As far as I know, tomorrow is a work day, but I also know that I’m in Mongolia, so I should be ready for anything. Contrary to popular Peace Corps belief, I never once had to eat Sheep butt, the sheep butt sat on the table as part of the set up, next to the stack of bov (bread stuff) piled with candy and aruul. According to my fellow Peace Corps volunteers, Tsagaan Sar seems to go on for longer than the said 3 days, we’ll see what happens.
For now, Tsagaan Sar has become one of my favorite holidays, along with Passover (in Israel AND American), Thanksgiving, and Israel Independence day. I have enjoyed the holiday, but I am seriously ready to get back to work. Work has been very slow lately because EVERYONE was getting ready for Tsagaan Sar and had to prepare buuz and food. “how many buuz did you make?” is a common question this time of year. Also, Tsagaan Sar has given me extra motivation to practice my Mongolian!!!!

I hope this blog finds everyone in good health and high spirits. And I wish everyone health, happiness, luck, and success in the year to come. Going by the Chinese calendar this is the year of the earth rat and is said to result in good livestock and productivity.
Sakhan shinjeelare to all. (it means have a good new year)

I almost forgot to add one more thing:
As if Mongolian children are not cute enough! Mongolian children running around gather candy from whoever will give it to them wearing a deel to their feet is the most adorable thing ever. All little kids are adorable, but there’s something about puffy red cheeks and doing the Mongol kneel in a Mongol deel and even taking sips of a bowl of airag bigger than their face that will put a smile to anyone’s face. Next year I will be better prepared. There is a tradition for children to knock on doors and people give them candy and/or money. I was not ready for this. I got some kids knocking and I stepped outside and talked to them, not really sure everything they were saying, just figuring they were looking to visit someone for Tsagaan Sar, but got the wrong house. A few asked me if people were here, and I said no and they left. Then, on my way to my way to visit my director, I was leaving and some kids asked if they could come in, I said, no, I was on my way out. They looked a little mad. So, when I got to my director’s house, I asked about this. She told me that she gives them candy and a little bit of money. Now I will know for next year…

Shabbat Shalom

2008-02-05T01:16:00.000-08:00

a few pictures

2008-02-04T22:29:00.000-08:00

Ger Livin

2008-02-04T20:58:00.000-08:00

So, I asked my Host Agency and tried to make the arrangements to move to a ger. I found an awsome family and everything. Turns out, I am not going to be able to move into a ger :(

Why do I want to live in a ger?
-I love them.
-There's something very zen about living in a circle
-You can control the heat during the winter
-It is probably my only chance for that experience
-I love gers. did I say that yet?
-To live with a Mongolian family
-It would do wonders for my cultural immersion and language skills
-The Mongolian family I found is awsome
-the husband is a Lama, and I wanna pick his brain
-They have pet guard ducks

alright, well it's just too bad it won't happen. Oh well, my apartment is really nice.

Tsagaan Sar

2008-02-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

Tsagaan Sar is begins this weekend. I am excited to wear my new deel (traditional clothing) and my Mongol boots.
So, this will be my first Tsagaan Sar, but this is what I know so far: (then I'll write after)
-we will eat lots of buuz (some of my favorite mongol food)
-we will eat a little bit of sheep butt
-we will drink vodka (funny that nobody has been able to buy vodka in Mongolia since New Years, but the week before Tsagaan Sar, the shops are stacked with vodka again. coincidence? I don't think so)
-We will go to many different people's houses and eat buuz
-the guys will compare how many buuz they can eat in one day
-we will drink hudoo (country) airag (hurray. i like that stuff. but the airag has been bad lately.. and i'm excited to have good airag)
-supposedly Tsagaan Sar is the end of winter, but many Americans don't believe this.
-Mongolians love to see the Americans in deels
-Mongolians will laugh at me because I am wearing my buus wrong
-Tsagaan Sar is the same as the chinese new year.... but don't tell Mongolians that
-According to the Americans... Tsagaan Sar is three days long, but celebrated for a little under a month
-I need to bring little gifts to people's houses, but Mongolian tradition focuses on giving the guests gifts

That's all I know for now, and it is all from word of mouth.

by the way... something exciting for me... after a few days of avoiding most websites... I will finally be able to watch the superbowl tomorrow!!!! HURRAY!!! The Ambassador taped it for us and we are all set up for a superbowl party!
What could be better? first the superbowl, then tsagaan sar, then work starts being busy again, then we have another training, and then it will be YAK FESTIVAL! I'm really looking forward to Yak Festival!

Lucky Jeans

2008-02-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

.I’d like to take a moment to tell my friends and family a little something about Mongolians, as a people. Mongol Chod (people) have this amazing way of surviving dangerous situations. Known to many Americans living in Mongolia as the “luck gene”, Mongolians can outlive probably any American. You know all those safety hazards you were warned against as a kid? The ones like, don’t play with matches, don’t play with uncovered wires, don’t play with fireworks; well, these DO NOT apply in Mongolia. In Mongolia, you can set off fireworks inside buildings, off your felt ger, or in the middle of some of the driest brush in the country. You can also play with the gas pipe in your car while smoking a cigarette. Not only do Americans baby safe their homes, covering sharp edges, and putting plastic plugs in the outlets, but they also trust their children with only a select few people. In Mongolia, almost every home has uncovered wires sticking out of the wall, kids learn to build a fire along side learning to walk and talk, and every person in Mongolia is fit for watching your child for a few minutes while you go to the toilet. It’s this ‘luck gene’ that makes these things possible. While Americans need to get their car towed or taken into the shop at the first sign of system failure, Mongolians can use scotch tape to repair their cars, as good as new. They can fully recover from broken bones with the simple advice of “don’t move too much”, while Americans need ex-rays and casts, followed by physical therapy to gain complete recovery. I would in no way advise trying any of these things at home, and I don’t even try them out here. I don’t have the ‘luck gene’ and I don’t need to burn down a theater or electrocute myself to find that out. Thinking it is something else that keeps Mongolians chopping wood and building fires until they are 90 years old? I don’t know what it could be. It can’t be the water, because they only drink HOT water, any extra nutrients would be boiled out. It can’t be the milk, because the ‘good’ milk is only available during the summer. They do eat a lot of meat, but half of that is fat, which has got to clog the arteries…… eventually. Once again, the ‘luck gene’ prevents all of Mongolia from random heart attacks.

Ok, lost my train of thought, so that’s it for now.

ice skating and a mongol coat

2008-01-30T23:42:00.000-08:00

I went ice skating OUTSIDE!!! My hands were FREEZING! But it was fun! The kids were really good! I'd love to see these kids play some ice hockey, I think they would be REALLY good! If they can skate that good on bumpy ice, I can only imagine how they would skate on clean ice.

CA Beaches!!!

2008-01-24T01:09:00.000-08:00

So, I'm not really aloud to talk about American Politics, so just read this: (let's leave it at... San Onofre is my FAVORITE surfing spot!!! It has a very distinct wave that is GREAT for learning how to surf, for long boards, and for good practice on a consistant wave... Not to mention the atmosphere!!!)

Taken from website:

San Onofre, or as the locals know it, San “O” is the best longboard surfing on the California Coast, or in my opinion, the planet.
It is a great place to learn to surf since the breaks can be long and rolling and the bottom is normally sandy and forgiving.
Also, it is the last place in California that you can still drive your car all the way up to the sand (on a dirt road) and set up day camp!

COASTAL NEWS
01/21/2008GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER THROWS TRESTLES AND SAN ONOFRE UNDER THE BUSGovernor Announces Support For Environmentally Harmful Road San Clemente, CA (January 16, 2008) – Yesterday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a letter in support of the proposed 241 toll road extension in South Orange County. The letter was issued just two weeks before a critical vote by the California Coastal Commission to determine if the proposed extension violates the California Coastal Act. A staff report prepared by the CCC concludes that it does. “We are absolutely taken aback by this,” said Surfrider Foundation CEO Jim Moriarty. “For the Governor to take this unprecedented step of interfering with the workings of an independent and non-political commission, an entity which was established by California voters and whose sole responsibility is to decide the future of California’s coasts and beaches based on law and fact, is entirely inappropriate.” The disappointing announcement comes just six days after the California Governor unveiled his plans to close forty-eight California State Parks, allow for the early release of prisoners from state correctional facilities, and raise Department of Motor Vehicle fees. “We had hoped that Governor Schwarzenegger was insincere in his threat to close state parks and beaches,” says Moriarty. “It now appears that he is absolutely intent on sacrificing our state park system and natural resources for his political objectives.” The California State Parks Department has maintained that they may be forced to abandon nearly sixty percent of San Onofre State Beach Park, including the popular San Mateo Creek Campground, should the proposed extension to the 241 toll road be completed, Governor Schwarzenegger’s failure to support San Onofre State Beach Park by endorsing the 241 toll road extension is in direct contrast to the efforts of his Republican predecessors, President Richard M. Nixon and then-Governor Ronald Reagan, both of whom worked to establish San Onofre State Beach as a part of their legacy; hoping that it would exist as a resource to be used and enjoyed by future generations. The Surfrider Foundation activists and other opponents to the planned toll road will be gathering in Oceanside, California on February 6th for a planned rally outside the California Coastal Commission hearing. All members of the public are invited to attend. Please go to http://www.savetrestles.org/ for more information.

christmas and new years in mongolia

2008-01-06T01:12:00.000-08:00

Many people ask about Christmas in Mongolia. Technically, Christmas is not celebrated in Mongolia. However, Mongolia has adopted many things that are "western", they celebrate 'new years' and 'christmas' as one holiday. There's a ton of tinsel, christmas lights, and christmas trees. Everyone has a new years party with their work that is in the days before the actual new years. On New Years, there are insane amounts of fireworks, and it seems most people are with their families. For new years, I got together with the other Americans and we walked to an open area. We sat and drank champagne while fireworks went off from every direction. It was probably one of the coolest firework show I have ever seen.

typical life in mongolia

2008-01-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

12.27.07
Wind in my hair, sand in my teeth and caking my skin one layer at a time, I walk holding a bag of horse meet in one hand and the other hidden in my jacket to stay warm. The wind makes it hard to watch where I’m going and the exhaust of the motorcycles make me not want breathe. I hold my breath as I pass the random trash pile that has been lit on fire and will be buried eventually. I finally arrive at my apartment building, hike up the stairs, protected from the wind and enter my apartment to find my cat meowing at the top of his lungs. I ignore the screeching sound, set the meat on the balcony where it will stay cold and freeze over night. The meat inside a bag, inside another bag, inside a box, on my balcony is protected from the wind and the dust. I head out my door, cover both hands with mittens and start the trek to work. As I walk I think about a question that many people ask me, “What is your typical day like?” I never know the appropriate answer. I could describe a situation like this, where I am watching the people on the street who are rapped in scarves, coat, gloves and hats, just like me. Or, I could just describe my typical day of going to work, going home for lunch, and then going back to work until sundown, when I go home again. It’s not the exciting answer they are looking for, but it is the truth. The differences between my life in Mongolia and life in CA do not seem as big as they did in the beginning. Maybe this is because I have running water, or maybe it’s because I have now lived here for 7 months and have gotten used to things here. Not to say that everything is ‘normal’ here, but being abnormal has become normal. I walk to work, eating sand and my nose freezing, thinking about what cool things I could tell people, but I feel at a loss for ideas. I start watching a bag as it seems to be walking with me in the wind and think of the movie I watched last night (American Beauty). The character describes the bag as the most beautiful thing he has ever filmed. “Hi, how are you?” my thoughts are interrupted by somebody practicing their English on me. “Hi, I am good, how are you?” I immediately respond while passing the individual and his friends on the street. Of course I realize that this may be the only English he knows and continue walking towards my destination. Immediately following this moment, I realize maybe these are the things people want to hear about at home. About the little kids on the street who yell “hello, my name is Bumcharin, what is your name?” and don’t know what to say next when they get a response. Or the kids behind the hasha fence that yell “hello, hello, hello, hello” as you round the corner. Or the kids who we refer to as the “sniper hi’s” because they are standing on a balcony 4 flours up and yelling, ‘hello’, as an American walks by. When in Sukhbataar, where I trained during the summer, I would ask, in Mongolian, how much something is and would get a confusing response that turned out to be Russian. Sukhbataar is near the Russian border, and most white people there are Russian. Or the people who applied to be my translator, didn’t know any English but wanted to be my best friend, so they could practice English. My “typical day” is typical, just like any day in CA, but instead it is in Mongolia, it is the little things that make my “typical day” a little bit different. A saying that I heard while in Israel comes to mind, “same, same, but different”. Life in Mongolia is the same as life other places in many ways, at the same time, life in Mongolia is very different than life in other places.

A Description of the Market: (maybe one day I’ll take pictures)
Entering the market begins with walking past the piles of skin traders who are sorting out their skins, placing the intestines in between layers. What this does, I have no idea, but one day I was waiting for somebody and I just sat watching these men sorting the skins into piles and placing them in rotation bloody side up, intestines, bloody side down, and so forth. I still don’t know what these skins are used for, but I do know that some are traded outside of Mongolia. Passing the piles of skins, and dodging motorcycles, cars, and people is a simultaneous task. Next come rounding the corner filled with motorcycles and drivers waiting for riders to cross into the market. To the left are rows of large storage bins which serve as storage for the many different vendors. Everything is sold from clothes to material, to various house supplies. This would be the place to buy a dry sink or a bucket, boots or a coat, rice or flour, along with many other things. Across from the massive storage bins are various stores, restaurants, or bars. Throughout the market are many “guanzes”. These are little places to get food and tea. They are smaller than a restaurant, but often sell the same food. The choices in Mongolia don’t vary very much. I have yet to figure out where the best su te tse (milk tea) in Arvaikheer is. As you walk through the market passing vendors selling anything from sponges and washcloths, to long underwear, gloves, and socks, there are many people walking throughout the street with the occasional car going way to fast for the amount of people around. There are people of all ages, from child to adult, selling carrots, onion, potatoes, and cabbage. There are also young boys pushing heavy carts, and you can see the work that shows on their skin, clothes, and in their eyes. When I go to the market, I head straight to the vegetable market, where there are about 10 women selling various vegetables. This is the place to look when wanting other vegetables, Russian cheese, or curry powder, among other things. In the same building are the meat market and the white foods market. Walking into the meat market is like nothing you would ever see in the states. It is not uncommon to be walking in front of, behind, or almost run into a man or woman carrying an entire skinned animal over their shoulders. I walk in the meat market looking at all the animals hanging up and lying on tables. Seeing the white girl, people start yelling “adony makh, adony makh” at me. Knowing the Americans usually buy horse meat, they correctly assume this is what I’m looking for. I examine all the meat and find the one that I think looks the best and purchase one kilo “okhgui” (no fat). The minute I say “okhgui” the person standing next to me, buying meat starts to chuckle, but I don’t mind, as long as I don’t get a kilo of fat. Crazy American is who I am. I collect my meat, pay for it, and head out as quickly as possible to escape the foul smell of the meat market. The white foods market is a small room that I rarely visit. All different types of dairy products are sold; things like aruul (milk curd), this other stuff that is made of the crap that gathers on the top of milk when it sits out, among other products that I don’t know what they are. Walking out of this building are more guanzes, outdoor pool tables and other stores. The market is about the size of a block and filled with dogs of all ages searching for food. It is hard not to just pick up one of the adorable little puppies and take them home. There are maybe four or five stores that have many different types of food in the town. This would be where to get things like large bottles of juice, soda, different types of sweets, or the only oatmeal in the arvaikheer.

There is nothing worse than going to the bank in Mongolia. Ok, so that might be an exaggeration, but it’s really not fun. It is almost always packed, people push and shove, and just hold their papers out, hoping the teller will take them next. It is impossible to go to the bank without any physical contact with random people.

These are a couple descriptions of “typical life” in Mongolia. I just read back on what I wrote, and life in Mongolia is very different than life in CA, but in the simplest sense, it is the same. That is, going to work every day. It’s all the in between that is a totally different world than life in CA. Not to mention the absence of language barriers, stares, and surprise when people learn that I eat Mongolian food, drink Mongolian tea, and speak minimal Mongolian. I decided a long time ago that I would not keep kosher while I traveled and I really believe it was the correct decision. I love the ideas of keeping kosher, but at the same time, food is such a HUGE part of culture, and I am glad to be able to take part in that part of my cultural integration.

Happy Chanukah

2007-12-05T23:46:00.000-08:00

It's Chanukah and I made a make-shift menorah, so I could light candles.

frustration

2007-11-21T19:53:00.000-08:00

I love mongolia and I'm sooo glad to be out here.

I am constantly presented with new frustrations. New obstacles to overcome in order to be successful in the Peace Corps. I am confident that these frustrations will persist throughout my entire Peace Corps service and I can only hope that I will find the correct ways to deal with all the random situations that come up....

thoughts on religion

2007-10-22T21:58:00.001-07:00

The following is something I wrote one late night in my apartment. It has not been edited, except for a few minor spelling errors, for fear of losing the essence of the thought I was having at the time. It is no composition and may be hard to follow. That's ok. It does not necessarily define my belief about religion, but it is more food for thought. It is what I was thinking at the moment. All thoughts regarding the topic are welcome and even encouraged. It is good to work you mind every once in a while. Here it is, take it for what it is.....words on a screen.

What is religion? Religion in it’s most basic form consists of 4 components. A common belief in an idea, traditions, spirituality, history. These four components are often accompanied by some unifying source of knowledge that conveys the way you are supposed to act. Now, let’s break it down. “a common belief in an idea”, this is something that for many people is somewhat bendable. It is perfectly healthy and natural to constantly be questioning this idea. In fact, I feel sorry for those who accept it matter of fact and do not take the time to look further into what they are basing their whole belief system off of. This is where the “unifying source of knowledge” comes in. These books that some people base their belief system on and accept as the word of a higher power are all written by man. This is not to state that they do not have every possibility of being complete fact, it is just to say that many of the stories in these books date back to a time before written documentation. This means that many of these stories were passed down through word of mouth until someone decided to write them down. If you have ever played the ‘telephone’ game, you know that things that are passed through word of mouth are easily changed and misconstrued. This being my least favorite game to play with kids, it can actually teach a valuable lesson. Don’t believe everything you hear just because it was told to you. Many people believe in this philosophy, but they throw it out the window when it comes to religion. Now, that I have expressed that I don’t think ones beliefs should be set in stone, let’s move on to traditions. Tradition is one of the core and most important part of identifying to a religion. Your belief is something that exists within you, tradition is something that is on the outside that you use to express openly your identification to a group. It is still important to consider why you do what you do, but when it comes down to it, you do it because your people have been doing it that way for generations and it is a beautiful thing to be a part of something so withstanding. Tradition is the carrying on of culture for many years and possibly for eternity. I know I am going out of order, but the randomness of this coincides with the randomness of religion and of life. The next topic I want to touch on is history. The history of religions does not only rely on that unifying source of information, it includes anything from ‘way back when’ to the present. It often speaks of religious persecution and religious triumph. Here, by ‘religious’, I mean as a group of people. For many years people have been persecuted for having different beliefs, or different skin. The fact that a people has persevered past such iniquities and remain united, often through their traditions is something to be proud of. Finally, I want to discuss, possibly the simplest yet most confusing aspect of religion. This is spirituality. On one hand, I don’t even want to include it in the necessary aspects of religion because it is something that defers from person to person and it is something that is so personal that you can not really attribute it to a group of people. On the other hand it is completely necessary for someone to believe in “something other”, without just accepting the word somebody else told them. Spirituality is religion through experience. It can not be left out of the list of key components of religion because it is, in my opinion, the most important aspect. Without some kind of spirituality and experience of the world’s multiple layers, it does not even matter what you believe. It is through spirituality that love for religion is formed. Spirituality can never really be put into words. People try, but it is one of those things that someone could never read on paper and fully understand. Spirituality can be anything from someone’s artistic inspiration to someone’s drug induced epiphany to the feeling someone gets when they smell the ocean and listen to the waves. It can be experienced anywhere from this peaceful beach setting to the room full of mingling young adults. Someone can experience the height of their spirituality when connecting to many different kinds of people, or when connecting to one person on a special level, or when they are left alone in to the thoughts in their own head. Spirituality is something that is truly unique to each person. It can never be quantified, compared, or lumped into a group.

Ok, this is pretty off topic, but another thought I've been having. I have recently noticed the amount of friends that I have that have become religious. I feel this is good for them, if they feel it is right, but I have one question..... Why is there such a need to change your name? Does the name change simply signify a new part of your life? Does make you feel more jewish to have a jewish sounding name? Does is offend your parents, saying your name is not good enough? When you are looking for a new name, what are you looking for? What difference does a new name really mean?

I do not mean to offend, I am just curious. I may cynical, but I don't mean to. I am just trying to understand another way of thinking.

Fires!

2007-10-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

I have been reading about the fires all over California, and specifically the Santiago Canyon fire. I send my thoughts of well being to everyone in the area. It is crazy to be so far away and knowing the fires are so close to home. (the definition of home is never finished)

I hope everyone stays safe! And if you need to be evacuated, just remember possessions are simply that, possessions. They can be replaced, but your health and your life can not.

my cat

2007-10-22T19:42:00.000-07:00

My cat. His new official name is Stoney because he's the color of a stone.

2007-10-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

top left: that's arvaikheer (where I live) from the top of a nearby mountain.

top right: Dogs in the snow by the playground near my apartment

bottom left: snow is beautiful!

bottom right: I was waitin for TWO DAYS to see some kids playing in the snow!!! My friend told me I've been watching too many movies. I can understand that. You should should hear the things people have to say about LA, CA, and orange county!

2007-10-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

Left: my 'spiritual rebirth' at the monastery. It really is like a rebirth, you just feel different knowing you fit in that tiny space. i crawled in there, stood up as much as I could, did three circles and crawled out of that tiny space you see there.

Right: That's what happens when you take a southern california girl out of the beach and into the snow. It may not look like it, but I'm actually warm.

boring...

2007-10-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

10-16-07
Life in Arvaikheer has been going pretty good. I am happy with my site placement and feel it leaves lots of room for movement. The people I work with are great. They really care about their work and seem like they would be very willing to get involved in the different things that I can conjure in my head. I often find my mind reeling with ideas of things to do…in due time…
I was sad to find out today that one of my coworkers will be going to the capital to study for four months.
I am sad to report that Tony (my dog) has had a rough time since I gave him to somebody else. I see him every once in a while, and feed him whenever I can.
Stoney (my cat) is doing good. He is a little crazy and is a lot of fun to watch. I bought him a mouse toy that he absolutely LOVES and his other favorite toy is a box that I received a package in. It is so entertaining to watch him jump in the box, jump out, grab the mouse, jump in, jump out, and repeat over and over again. I took a video, maybe I will post it one day. He’s such a sweet cat with interesting tendencies. I think he learned a few tricks from Tony….like biting. I’ve never known a cat to bite things the way he does. So, he can be a pain sometimes, but he usually provides good company.
Many people that I speak with ask about the weather…..so here it goes. If you read my other posts, you know that it snowed. I was soooo excited and it was beautiful! The days since then have been surprisingly warm and the snow is just about all melted. I have heard from some people that this is one of the longest falls they have had in a long time. Fine by me! According to Mongolians, I live in one of the warmest places in Mongolian, which is also ok with me. Of course, I must keep in my, it’s still Mongolian, and I will freeze my ass off come winter.
I have found myself becoming extra interested in reconnecting with people I haven’t talked to in a long time. I love hearing from old friends, family friends, and of course all my extended family, so keep the e-mails coming!!!
On that note, I miss you and love you all!!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Mongolian Wedding

2007-10-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

10-15-07
I am told one of my counterparts is having a wedding. I could have sworn he was already married, but apparently he’s not. We meet at the office to go to a house warming party and to the wedding. I definitely didn’t know what I was in for…
We drive outside of the main part of town and pull up to four small white houses that don’t seem to fit anywhere in Mongolia. Later, I find out they are the habitat for humanity houses. That’s a different topic. We walk into one of the houses and meet with one of my coworkers. This is the house warming. I’ve been to a house warming in Mongolia before, but it was NOTHING like this. We immediately start shoveling food into our mouths. First it’s the candy, next the salads, and then the soup. And when I thought I couldn’t fit anything else into my mouth I am presented with a small plate piled high with khorac (I don’t know how to spell it in English, but it is the Mongolian word for any fried mixture of things….ex eggs, meat, carrots, potatoes, cabbage) and rice. I eat a little and set it down on the table in front of me. At this point the drinking of airag and Mongolian vodka wine has begun. Then the bottles of vodka are cracked open. Mongolians have a very specific way of drinking. One person sits with airag, fills a bowl and passes it to someone in the room. The person takes the bowl drinks and when they are finished, hand it back to the server. He adds airag to the bowl and hands it to the next person. All the drinks were served this way. It started out slow, but before I knew it, I was in a whirlwind of Mongolian vodka wine, red wine, airag, and vodka; Shots and bowls being handed to me from every direction. I was praised for my airag drinking skills and knew when the vodka got to me they would not be so impressed. This went on for a while, everyone socializing and drinking, and offering the liquids to the sky. Drinking in Mongolia is much different than the states. You would never see someone in the states offer part of their drink to the sky in some spiritual movement. The closest we thing we have is ‘pour some out of the homies’, this is much different. Throughout the day, I was playing with my counterpart’s absolutely adorable little girl. There’s something about Mongolian children; they are all beautiful. She was asking me how to say different parts of the face and body in English, and then she’d run to her mother and tell her, who then would repeat it and you could really tell she was trying to remember it. She started playing with my earrings. I was wearing these really nice gold hoopy earrings that my mom gave me before I left for Israel. The little girl pointed to them and started screaming ‘black girl’ at me in Mongolian. All the adults in the room told her to be quite and gave her a discearning look, unsure if I could understand. She ran to her mom and said it one more time before listening to them. At first I was completely confused. It took me about ten minutes for me to realize that she has only seen black people through MTV and when she sees gold hoop earrings, she thinks only black girls wear them. Keep in mind that she is about 4 years old. We can discuss the effects of MTV on the rest of the world another day. There came a point where they filled a different bowl of airag and passed it around the room. This bowl was like a baton, whoever held the bowl made a speech and sang. As the bowl was passed back and forth between the server and each person in my room, the tears started to fall. There came a point where I looked around the room and there wasn’t a dry female eye, except mine of course. My counterpart explained that the women had spoken about her deceased father. I don’t know what she said, but it must have been emotional. The crying went on through about three speeches and three songs. The entire time, I was enjoying the songs and wishing that I had learned a song during training. I officially think learning a song needs to be a mandatory part of Peace Corps training in Mongolia. It comes in handy much more than you would think. I was nervous for the bowl to come to me, so I had arranged to have my director sing Ainee Shovod, (sp?) a well known and very popular song, that happens to be the only one I know the name of and perfect for the occasion. She agreed, but when the airag bowl was passed to me, she looked at me and told me to sing ‘yesterday’. I was a little confused, then she sang the first word and I joined her. We sang a little bit of the song, and the people in the room were pleased. I made her sing Ainee Shovod afterwards, that way I had a Mongolian song too. After people sang, my two adorable counterparts sang another little tune that is something they sing after someone sings well. In case you don’t know, it’s impossible for me to sing well, but I appreciated the gesture. After a lot of singing, we went next door to the wedding. There were many people sitting around a table eating and singing. Weddings in Mongolia are more like a social gathering where people eat and drink a lot. It is informal and held in the person’s home. Looking back, I think the whole experience was for the wedding. Most house warming parties are full of eating and maybe a little drinking, but every wedding has airag, vodka, and Mongolian vodka wine. It was definitely an interesting experience that I really have trouble putting into words. Mongolians are definitely some of the most friendly and hospitable people. Sitting in a room where I did not understand much of what was said, I never once felt alone, bored, or uncomfortable. Sure, there are the awkward moments that come up, but I have basically gotten used to being a little awkward from time to time and I find it more amusing than anything.

SNOW!!!

2007-10-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

10-12-07
Yesterday, I was lying in bed, counting the minutes until I really needed to get up. My cat was trying to convince me it was time by walking on my chest, playing with my draw string and meowing incessantly. Then, I got a text message. It read "It’s snowing, what a beautiful day". I immediately jumped out of bed, quickly slipped on a jacket and put on my crocks (of all shoes) ran downstairs and walked outside. The snow was falling and there was white barely covering the ground. I decided I wanted my camera. I ran upstairs, tested all the batteries I have, until I found some that would give me enough juice for a few pictures. I only got a couple pictures in before my camera completely died on me. As my toes started to freeze, I went back inside and began to get ready for work. I found myself taking longer than usual due to my constant staring outside at the snow. Finally, I was ready for work and started my walk. I walked to work, completely amazed by the snow. It’s such a funny feeling! Totally different than going to the mountains. I live in the snow. I have never lived in a place where it would snow, and on this day I found it very difficult to dress for work. I had no idea what to where!!! I walked to work and surprisingly didn’t freeze my ass off. Upon arriving at work, I continued to stair out the window. It just kept coming. I would go outside every once in a while just to see how deep it was and to enjoy it while it was falling out of the sky. It was so beautiful!!! I arranged to borrow my friend’s camera so I could take pictures of my first snowy day. After lunch, I walked into my work and we skipped the English lesson to drink airag, and eat boodz and araal. I made sure to leave work early so I could take lots of pictures before the sky grew dark. People definitely looked at me, thinking I was a tourist. Even my peace corps friends thought it was funny that I wanted to take pictures and play in the snow. This is what happens when you take a southern California girl and stick her in Mongolia….

Ulaanbataar

2007-10-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

10-5-07
I had a conference in UB (Ulaanbataar) last week. Upon having the knowledge that I will be traveling to the city, my mind automatically starts forming a list of all the things I want to buy while I’m there. I was a little nervous knowing this would be my first time traveling in Mongolia on my own. I boarded the bus at 8am after it was completely packed with containers of airag. Immediately, I could pick out the people who would be staring at me the whole ride probably thinking "where are you from? Why are you here?, etc…" all the normal questions.
There was one point in the trip when I couldn’t help but laugh at myself. I often see my life as a movie, here’s the scene:
A small Mongolian bus packed with people. There’s jugs of airag and luggage filling the isle, so whenever the bus stops people climb over the luggage and each other to get out. The bus is a little cold due to the open windows, letting in the dust from outside. The landscape is that of beautiful fall in Mongolia, mostly brown hills, and frequently passing hearders with their animals. People are bobbing up and down with the bumps of the unpaved road. In the front of the bus, there is a row of five people facing everyone else. One Mongolian man keeps his eyes fixed on the only white girl on the bus, who is seated only a few rows in front of him. She sits silently, obviously by herself. She puts down her headphones for the first time in the trip and reaches into her purse. She pulls out a book, "Genghis Kahn: the making of the modern world", of course. So this girl sits in the bus packed with Mongolians, the only white girl, completely oblivious to the fact. She is concentrated on getting to her destination and passing the time as best as she can. She sits reading about Chingis and the history of the land and the people that she finds herself immersed in. The bus bumps, she looks up from her book, looks out the window, looks at the man that has been starring at her since they boarded the bus, looks back down at the book in her hand and can’t help but smile at the cliché she has just created.
After about 10 hours of mostly offroading, and one lunch break, we pulled into the "Dragon Center", which is the main bus station in UB. Why it’s called that? I don’t know. It’s a pretty intimidating name for a parking lot. About 5 taxi drivers wanted to take me all at once. After discussing the price with them, I got in a "taxi", which is really just a car and made my way towards the guesthouse where I planned to stay. I’m really not good at getting around big cities, but I was lucky to have someone on the phone telling me how to get where I needed to go. After checking in, I met up with some of the other peace corps volunteers. The next few days were filled with delicious food, spending lots of money, going to bars, my conference, visiting with friends, and wandering around the city. It was nice to see the people that I trained with and to discuss our sites and our jobs. It was also comforting that EVERYONE’S Mongolian has gotten worse…if possible. UB is an interesting place. I found myself in restaurants trying to squeeze by with my Mongolian, only to realize that I didn’t have to. There are so many foreigners that pass through UB that being foreign is not weird there and you don’t experience people practicing the only English they know (hi) on you. I was actually amazed by the amount of people that knew really good English. All the people in Arvaikheer that "know English" say they studied in UB, but something must have went wrong, because the people I encountered in UB really do know English.
After a while, UB gets tiring due to walking all over the place trying to gather the things you’ve been dreaming about. For me, once I got there, my list of things I wanted to get went out the window. I had my mind on three things, good food, beans, and movies. These were all things with a purpose. I wanted to eat non-mongolian food and was SUPER excited when I was able to get a chicken Caesar salad, delicious Indian food, close to real pizza, and many other things I can not get anywhere else in Mongolia. I wanted to get beans for their nutrition value. In Arvaikheer I don’t cook meat at my home because I do not have a refrigerator. Technically, I could buy single portions of meat from the market, but I don’t know how much that would be and the meat market is pretty intimidating in itself. I only eat meat when I go out to eat or when all the Americans get together on Fridays to cook dinner. And, finally, Movies are an absolute necessity around here. There is a place where you can purchase bootleg DVDs for equivalent to about $1.50 US dollars. Of course, I am not using American money, so it is a little different, but they are still very cheap. Basically, one movie is just under the price of a beer. They also let you view them to make sure they are a good copy. I should have paid more attention while I was there, but after sifting through all the movies to find ones I was interested in, my patience level was pretty low. Anyway, I bought 3 movies which will serve to be a very good investment.
After being in UB for about 4 days, I was more than ready to head home. It was funny because I was talking to someone online and I said, "I just wanna go home" and I realized I had to clarify, "…to Arvaikheer".
In the past, I have discussed with people the meaning of the word "home". The way I see it, ‘home’ is where my things are. It’s where I don’t have to live out of a bag. Arvaikheer is my home for the next two years. I still refer to anywhere in California, or even the U.S. as ‘home’, but it is a different meaning. This meaning of home is of a place that I am familiar with and know the language.
After the longest 10 hours bus ride of my life, I arrived back in Arvaikheer. It was this bus ride where I learned the importance of getting up early to get a ticket for a good seat the day before departure. I went at about 11 am the day before I left UB and got the last available seat on the bus. It makes sense that it was definitely the worst seat on the bus. By the time I got home, I was excited to get off that bus and get to see my animals.
My dog literally doubled in size over the course of those 4 days!!! After realizing that he’s going to be a huge dog and watching him chew at my walls, my feet, and my phone, I made the tough decision to find him a new home. I knew I had to get rid of him, but I couldn’t just put him back on the street where I found him. He came to work with me and ended up going home with ‘the driver’ (I don’t know what his job is). Tony (my dog) is going to be given to Zorgoo’s (that’s his name) brother and is going to become a khudoo (coutryside) dog. Yesterday, I went home for lunch, only to find Tony waiting at my door. At first I was confused, but it only took me a minute to realize I had given the dog to a Mongolian, which means he will always be outdoors now. I brought him in for food, he played with the cat, and then he started to get rowdy. I made him go outside when I left. At first I thought he was going to walk with me to work, but he stopped at the end of the stairwell. I was hoping he wouldn’t be there when I got home last night. He was. He ran down to meet me and started walking up the stairs with me. I can’t help it, I got a soft spot for the little beast, and I was going to take him in for the night. He got distracted by some people walking down the stairs and followed them out. He disappeared after that. I am at work now. I wonder if he’ll be there when I go for lunch. We’ll see…..
Ok, so that’s what’s been going on over here. Sorry to say, nothing real exciting. Mostly my days just consist of going to work. However, I have found that I actually enjoy work. I like the things that I work on, and on the days that there isn’t much to do (today), I still don’t mind being here. I have had a cold since I got back from UB. In California, with the slightest hint of illness, and I would call in sick to work. Here, I had things that I had to get done and was eager to do. I came in to work, did what I needed to and left a little early.

snow!

2007-10-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

I know I need to do some serious writing on this. I promise, it's coming soon. Today it is snowing!!! It's sooo exciting! I live in a place where it snows!!!

I want to post pictures but blogspot is too slow and they won't load. sorry, i tried

quick update

2007-09-19T00:35:00.000-07:00

I feel like I should write something, but I really just don't have much to write at the moment. Here are the things I have been up to:

1. I got a cat and a dog

2. I completed a 4 day training for teen volunteers who will work with disabled youth

3. I started what will be a 10 week radio program on child labor

4. started english club for english teachers

5. I have successfully combined Mongolian food with American food. Delicious!

none of these things are done on my own.

sorry nothing more in depth or interesting for now. I'll make an effort to write something better soon!

some pictures

2007-08-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

the horseman...serving airag

always beautiful!

the end of Sukhbaatar's Nadaam...the rode was closed

what does that look like to you?

countryside

site placement

My Mongolian Family

pictures

2007-08-27T01:54:00.001-07:00

I would put pictures up, but blogspot is not uploading anything right now.....

sorry guys...gotta wait

My first friday at work

2007-08-27T01:52:00.000-07:00

Blog #11 Friday "work" 8-27-07
I was informed that Friday morning, my director was going to come meet me at my apartment at 10am. I thought she was going to take a look at my door, which broke (and was temporarily fixed) Thursday, but when 1030 came around and she told me to come downstairs, I realized this was not the case. I walked outside and saw the Russian jeep that had originally brought me to Arvaikheer with the backdoor open, but no sign of my director. The driver (who also drove me from UB) instructed me to get in and that Sanchir (my director) was at the delguur (corner store). Minutes later, Sanchir showed up with snacks in her hands and we drove to the children’s center to pick up two more people and two fancy bottles of vodka. At this point the only information I had was that we were going to the khudoo (countryside) to an ‘oldman’s’ camp and that Arvaikheer’s Nadaam was the next day. I confirmed that I would be back that same day and just waited to see where the day would take me. I often find myself in these types of situations, where I don’t know exactly where I am going, what I am doing, or when I will be back. This kind of thing happens a lot in Mongolia and you have to just sit back and take things for what they are. It is really the ‘show up and see what happens’ mentality that you have to adopt in order to sit and see where the day takes you. It’s funny because you know everyone around you knows what’s going on, but the language barrier and certain cultural differences create a situation where you are the only one in the dark. I actually think it’s kind of fun. Anyway, we start driving out of Arvaikheer, through the beautiful countryside and the only information I get is which road goes to khovd (another province). Eventually we come to a place where there are a bunch of cars lined up in front of a body of water and people in Dells (traditional clothing) are standing around talking. We join the line of cars and the circles of people speaking in Mongolian. I am introduced in Mongolian to a few people and then my director instructs me to stay there and wait for her. I don’t understand much of what is going on around me, but I manage to hear one man tell a young woman to come talk to me. Shortly after, I am approached by this lady, who has excellent English and she explains to me that the people around me are all social workers, the man is their boss, and there is a mini-Nadaam going on and the horses should be coming soon. She also explains that the rest camp that’s visible in the distance is celebrating their five year anniversary today. I finally found out what was going on, which was refreshing. I still don’t know what to expect, but I do know that I am in for a day of Mongolian and awkward situations…this, I can prepare for. She also explains to me that the horses racing at the moment are two years old and it is good luck for the men to see their dust and this is the reason half the people are leaving…they’ll be back. A little while later, we can see the horses in the distance and everyone lines up to watch them finish the race. The children riding the horses are very young and the horses look exhausted. After the race, we chase down the winning horse and feel his sweat for good luck. Everyone piles into the cars and heads for the oldman’s camp, as my director puts it. We arrive and drink a little airag and vodka (I don’t drink the vodka), sit in a room and listen to a million people speak and give gifts to the owner of the camp, followed by some awesome performances. It has been relatively consistant in my time here that the people are extremely talented, but nobody has mastered the sound system. My favorite performance is always the guy playing the morenhor (sp?...mongolian instrument) and throat singing. Mongolian throat singing is absolutely mesmerizing and awesome to hear. There was also a female singer and a Korean guy with an awesome voice….mostly drowned out by the fuzzy background music. During all the speaking, all I could think about was lunch. By this time of the day, I was starving and wondering if we were going to be fed or if the snacks we brought would be the days rations. After the performances, I was informed that we were going to drink more airag. We went into one of the gers and sat around playing the Mongolian finger game to see who has to drink. We ended up drinking a lot of airag before we left the ger. Everyone was impressed that I knew the finger game and that I drank the airag. I also got a chance to look at a flyer for the camp and finally got a real idea of what kind of place this was. The pamphlet had English and Mongolian and explained that the camp was a place for physical health and rejuvenation. They offered mud and spa treatments and always had doctors on hand. There was a picture of a bunch of old people wearing traditional Dells, but looked like they were out for a jog….an interesting site. After drinking the airag was lunch time! Sweet! For the first time since I’ve been to Mongolia, the airag made my head feel a little funny. Airag is a Mongolian milk alcohol that is not very potent, but after not having much to eat and drinking a lot of it, I felt it’s effects. Many people go through their entire stay in Mongolia without feeling anything from airag other than the guaranteed stomach ramifications. We went to the room where the speaking had been, but was now filled with tables, chairs, and the delicious smell of Mongolian food. We filled up on soup, soyvan (Mongolian noodle and meat plate), and soote tze (Mongolian milk tea). After lunch everyone hung around for a while. My director and I started talking to this old couple who she explained the woman as a Mongolian hero. What she meant by that, I’m not so sure, and it wasn’t the right time to ask. We started walking around the camp, and my director had to deal with the aftermath of drinking airag, which means many trips to the outhouse. I started talking to the older man and we strolled around the camp, speaking in Mongolian. Throughout the day, I had been trying to use as much of the Mongolian, that I hadn’t used over the past few weeks, as I could remember. I started up many awkward conversations, that I always started with…what’s your name? This man took a liking to my sorry attempt at Mongolian and as we talked to the other people at the camp, he told everyone that I was American and that I was speaking Mongolian. Eventually we met up with his wife and my director. They invited me to their house and disappeared into one of the gers to rest. My director disappeared for a while; I assume to smoke a cigarette, and I was left with one lady that I knew and a few people I had just met. We spoke in my limited Mongolian and then I got up to watch the wrestling. I was excited to see the wrestling because I hadn’t been able to see Sukhbaatar’s Nadaam and was curious what it was like. After the wrestling my director found me and asked if I wanted to leave. I told her I was indifferent and she expressed that she wanted to go home. We rounded up our car load and had dinner and (they drank) vodka. Some of the people we were drinking and eating with tried to get me to take a shot of vodka, but those who know me know that I NEVER take shots. This was no exception. I was surprised that over the course of the day, I had seen 2 bottles of vodka drank and they were both the worst kind. By this time, I had realized the fancy bottles that I had seen before were going to be gifts. After dinner we went to the car and my director went to give the gifts. She had us waiting for a long time, which was annoying, but I was thankful because I was dealing with the aftershock of the airag. Finally, she showed up again. We got in the car, she looks at me and in a completely serious tone, she says "I am drunk"… I figured. We head back to Arvaikheer and my mind wanders. I stare out the window into the beautiful scenery of the Mongolian countryside. The clouds and sky are amazing shades of pink and purple, accented above the dark purple mountains. I sit there feeling the bumps of the rode, my mind piling one thought on top of another. The thoughts are like a bubble getting bigger and bigger, until it bursts and vanishes into thin air. I am snapped back to the Russian jeep when my director starts coughing and the jeep stops. At this point, I have no idea how much she had to drink and am afraid she is going to throw up. I see her reach for a beer and I quickly grab my water and hand it to her. She doesn’t accept and instead takes a sip of beer and hands it to the old man in the front. The driver is a number of feet away, relieving himself and she goes, I assume, to do the same. The driver comes back and opens a beer and hands it to me; I hand it to Puje (a lady I work with). He then opens another beer and hands it to me, I try to refuse, but he explains that it’s open and he’s driving and can not drink it. As a non-beer drinker, I have been testing out different types of beer since I got to Mongolia and am slightly curious what this one tastes like. I take a few sips, but am too full to drink much of it and try to pass it off to Puje after she downs hers. We put the cap back on, everyone piles back in the jeep and we continue on our way. At this point, I am stuck in a state of thought and I look back out the window thinking about the crazy day I have had and the, always amazing, Mongolian sky. We arrive in Arvaikheer, I spend a couple moments in my apartment, and meet up with some of my Peace Corps friends for a mellow night of English speaking. The day was exciting, fun, tiring, awkward, and full of experiences. At this point it is nice to sit down, drink tea, and my mind is calm.

a complete update

2007-08-27T01:37:00.000-07:00

Blog 10 8-22-07
It’s been a while since I really sat down and wrote anything about life in Mongolia. I will make an attempt right now, but I make no promises. I feel like I have been incredibly busy for the past month or so.
Saying goodbye:
Our last few days in Sukhbaatar were filled with packing and saying goodbye to our first Mongolian friends. It was actually sadder than I expected it to be. On my last night in Sukhbaatar, my friend and I cooked food for his family. They are really some of the sweetest people I’ve met. I then went to my house where my Doo (Mongolian for younger sibling), Unroe, had cooked amazing food. My Ech (Mongolian mom) and my Av (Mongolian dad) gave me a Dell (Mongolian traditional clothing) and some matching Jewelry. My Doo gave me a photo album with a picture of her and her little brother in it. After dinner, we played Rummicub, which is always a good time. I didn’t expect to feel anything when leaving, but I was actually a little sad to leave my Sukhbaatar life. After hanging out with my family for a little while I went over to my friends house and took a million pictures with her family and two other families. These people were so nice and fun to be around in Sukhbaatar and it was actually kind of sad to say goodbye. It’s kinda a funny connection that goes on between the Americans and these people. They are our first real impression of Mongolia, and they really made a good one. Its funny because there are people that I can’t even remember their name, but when I go visit Sukhbaatar I’ll definitely stop by to say Hi.
Final Darkhan Days:
The last post I wrote was while I was in Darkhan. I don’t remember what I wrote, so sorry if I’m repeating myself. I know I’m skipping around a little, but I haven’t really sat down and taken the time to really write in a while. I know I mentioned about site placements. This was a very interesting experience, but what was more interesting was observing the interactions for the rest of the time our group was together. We knew we were all going to different places soon, and you almost value your time together that much more. The knowledge that you are about to begin something that is going to be exciting and difficult, and is something you have been looking forward to for such a long time; and you are all going to go through it, just not in the same place. In Darkhan, we had family appreciation day, which was a blast. All the host families came to Darkhan from their respective towns to see their host children/brothers/sisters for one last time before they free us to explore Mongolia on our own. I got lost on my way to the gym for the big day…surprise, surprise. That was my second time getting lost in Darkhan, and now I really don’t have to ever go back there again, if I don’t want to. Anyway, once I got there, it was a really nice day. All the Americans were wearing our Dells that had been given to us by our families. We also performed cultural performances that we had learned at our training sites. The Mongolians loved seeing us ‘be mongolian’. To wrap up the day, there was an intense volleyball tournament, delicious food, and of course, a zillion pictures. It was nice to have one last day with the families. Who knows when we will see them next.
Ulaanbataar:
Following Darkhan we loaded onto a large bus and a little bus to head to UB, the capital of Mongolia. This was the same set up we had on the way to Darkhan at the beginning and was almost a way of finishing our training the way we started. Halfway through the trip the little bus had some tire trouble. The story is that the spare tire fell off and hit the wheel, breaking the tire. Some do not believe this because the big bus was behind and nobody saw a flying tire. It could just be that the driver didn’t have a spare tire…it will always be a mystery. Everyone from the smaller bus piled into the bigger bus and we continued on our way. UB days were full of people running us all over the place, showing us this and that. Really, it’s all a blur. I’m really not good with directions and it easy to get lost in UB, so I made sure not to go anywhere by myself. There were a lot of M17s (M17=Mongolia, group #17, I am M18) in UB and it was a nice time to get to know the other Peace Corps volunteers and a chance to meet people who have been at our sites for a year now. UB has ‘real’ bars and different kinds of food, so it was exciting to experience these things, knowing we won’t get the chance for a while. I enjoyed Mexican food and chicken wings, among other foods while I was there. We swore in on August 18, 2007 and became official Peace Corps volunteers. (Amy’s birthday!) UB was a tiring week because we had our schedules packed for us, we wanted to buy things to get ready for site, and to say goodbye to our friends all at the same time. I felt somewhat in a daze by all the activity going on around and within me. We met our directors and got to discuss our jobs for the first time. Also, I GOT A PHONE! Hurray! I’ll admit there were really nice things about not having a phone, but there are a lot of nice things about having one too. If you want the number and want to call me, just ask!
Saying Goodbye:
Finally, it came time to say goodbye to the people we have spent the past three months with. The goodbyes were tainted with excitement and nervousness for what was to come…
Getting to Site:
Of course, it had to rain. I was picked up in a Taxi around 930 am. We barely fit all my stuff in to the car and drove to another spot, where we met up with our driver. My director and I went into someone’s apartment while they repacked all my things into a Russian Jeep. Amazingly, it all fit in the back so we could fit everyone that was coming with us. I was exauhsted from the past few weeks and once in the Jeep, I fell asleep. I woke up to my director asking if I wanted to buy any food for the trip. We were still in UB! I fell back asleep. I woke up to us getting gas….still in UB! I fell asleep. I woke up to my phone….a text message from my friend asking how the ride was going. I looked around…WE WERE STILL IN UB! I fell asleep. I woke up to the screeching sound of the horn. I looked around and saw the amazing Mongolian scenery and a herd of cows in the middle of the rode. This felt better. Through the long ride, I was woken by this horn a number of times…horses, goats, sheep, and cows. I fell back asleep. I woke to the crying and gurgling of the adorable little baby sitting on his mother next to me. He was throwing up all over her. We stopped in the middle of nowhere for a bathroom break and so she could clean up. By ‘the middle of nowhere’….this is really what I mean. It was beautiful, the rain had cleared, the clouds were like a painting, the mountains in the distance and the wide open spaces created a beautiful scene. I just stood and stared at the beauty around me while everyone else scattered and squatted. We piled back in the Jeep and I fell asleep. We stopped a few times because the engine would overheat, and the driver would get out, walk to the river, scoop some water, poor it and we were on our way. We ate lunch in a little town and continued on our way in the same manner. The rode was bumpy, but I kept falling asleep anyway. We finally arrived in Arvaikheer, Ovorkhungai at about midnight and made a group effort to pile all my things into my new apartment. My director’s mother had made me a bucket of Hosher (Mongolian food) and had left me a jar of pickles, a few spices, 2 sprites, and a bucket full of Airag (Mongolian Milk alcohol). Everyone came in for some airag and then were on their way. I thought about setting up my place because I had gotten a lot of sleep throughout the day….instead I rolled out my Alaskan sleeping bag (the best sleeping bag I’ve ever seen…thanks to Peace Corps) and passed out.
My apartment:
My apartment is pretty big. I’d say it’s about the size of the apartment I grew up in, but it’s all to myself. I had been a little nervous about living by myself, but so far it’s going well. I have a kitchen, a balcony that is closed in with windows, a toilet room, and separated bathtub/sink room. I have a bedroom and a huge extra room, that I have made my art/fun room. This is where I will paint, write, and do anything else that’s not sleeping or reading. I still need to buy a ton of things for my apartment, but I will soon. I have a 1 burner stove, a fire stove, a bed, a couple little desk/storage spots. The best part about my apartment is that it is right near the main road and the square, which means it is really easy to find!
Living by myself:
I was really nervous about how I’d like living by myself. So far, I’m really enjoying it. This could just be because I really haven’t had much "alone time" in….well, a really long time. I am pretty good at keeping myself busy, and am not worried about getting lonely. I have been keeping in good contact with some of my friends who are far away. The other night some of the M17s (that’s the group who came last year, I am M18) were in town at one of the other volunteer’s apartments, so I went over there to hang out and they cooked some awesome tofu Mexican food. Who’d ever think I’d eat tofu?! I have learned…if it’s cooked right its good. To be honest, I’d still pick meat. This was only my first FULL night here and I made sure to have people to walk home with, as I always do. Two of my friends walked me home, helped me fix my door, and then were on their way. We all are new to this area and they both had trouble finding their Ger’s. One finally found it, and the other called and asked if he could crash at my place until morning. Of course I encouraged him to make it to my apartment safely. I kind of felt bad because they had walked me all the way to my door, making sure I was safe, and then had gotten lost themselves.
My Job:
I have only had a few days of my job and they have been pretty relaxed. Today was actually the first day where I felt like I did something. My director and counterparts have walked me around, showing me things like the postoffice, the government building, the police station, etc… Yesterday I went with them to the monastery that is nearby. I will write more about this in a minute. I am working at the Aimag Children’s Center. This is a central place for youth activities, among other things. I will be doing many different things from teaching English to my counterparts to capacity building with child’s rights workers. I will also be working with youth who volunteer with disabled children, doing an information TV and radio program on child labor, a radio program on child abuse, leadership training and youth participation with the youth council and scouts leaders of the community. These are the things we discussed today. I will probably work a lot with the child labor stuff because it is a big problem and the government has proposed an action plan, but needs help carrying it out. (and I’m interested in it) I am replacing a volunteer who left recently, and I finally got to read her report of the projects that she started. This was nice because it helped clarify what I am getting myself into and what will be expected of me. Sometimes it is hard to replace somebody because you are expected to be like them, but I am excited to replace someone because her report helps give me some direction in an area that can be really hard to get started. I plan on continuing some of her projects, which helps to jump right in and get started. It can be really difficult to get a feel for things and to get started, but I feel like replacing somebody has made it easier because she had 2 years to assess some of the needs of the community and I can build off of what she already started. Getting these projects re-started is still going to be awkward and not so easy, but right now I am feeling really good about my placement and I think I will be able to make the next two years productive. I am afraid that if I don’t feel productive, I will question my being here. I’m loving Mongolia and the Peace Corps, so I hope to make the best of it. It’s funny because as I write this, I wonder if this is me being naïve. Today was actually pretty frustrating due to language barriers, but I felt it was a good day because I was able to make a calendar with my counterparts, so I can know what to expect for the next month or so. Some things took longer to communicate than others, and there was a point where I couldn’t understand what Ishe (my counterpart) was trying to say to me, so I asked her to try it in Mongolian. AND I UNDERSTOOD!!! This was a good feeling. Since I got to site, I haven’t been able to use my Mongolian very much because the people I work with always want to practice English and the one who doesn’t know English wants to learn. It is hard for people to realize that I know a little bit of Mongolian and if you speak slowly, it might be easier than them trying to say it in English. I still need to find a Mongolian tutor, but I need to meet more people before I get my hands on one. It’s interesting that now that I’m at my site I am SO eager to get started, but at the same time I know I need to ease myself into it. I got off easy these first few days. My director and counterparts really eased me in. I have friends who were thrown into an intense work day right off the bat. School doesn’t start until Sept. 3, so my job should be relatively slow until then.
Monasterys:
I’m pretty sure that I already wrote about the Monastery I went to in UB, where I saw a 60 foot statue of one of the buddhas. I really enjoy visiting the monasterys, but I had decided that I didn’t want to go to anymore until I knew more about Buddhism. That didn’t work out. My first day with my job, my director told me she was going to take me to the Monastery the next day for a special ceremony. I told her I enjoy visiting monasterys and she got excited and asked if I was Buddhist. I told her I was Jewish and she didn’t really understand. So, I looked it up in my dictionary. There was no word for Jewish, but there was a word for Jew. I pointed to it and she asked me if I was protestant, I said no, she asked if I was Christian, I said no, I’m Jewish. She said ok, but I don’t think she knows what Jewish is. I tried looking up the direct translation for the word that was in my dictionary for Jew, but couldn’t find it. The word is pronounced evreh khoon (it’s really hard to write Mongolian in English), it means ..something..person. Anyway, the following day, I went with them to the Monastery where there was a small crowd gathering just inside the gates. The most explanation for this ceremony that I got was that it was for the good fortune of the people. There were all sorts of rituals and chanting followed by 3 dancers with masks. One was wearing an old man mask with a white beard and white hair, the other two were smiling skeleton masks. I tried my best to interpret the dance. It was interesting because instead of the old man dancing to the music, it was more like the music was being played to his dancing. He did some dance steps and eventually got slower and slower and appeared to be losing his strength, he fell into the arms of the skeletons, they did a small dance and walked him away. What this meant can be interpreted how you want. There was more chanting and rituals and then there was a decorated vehicle holding the 3 dancers and maybe more people that drove down the steps and out the gates of the monastery. There was more celebration in the street right outside the gates. I found this entire experience interesting. Not just the rituals, chanting, dancing, attire, and instruments, but also the reactions by those watching. I don’t mean to knock on the people, but many people were answering their phones and chatting loudly. I scanned the audience, trying to find one person not involved in the actual ceremony that looked spiritually effected, but couldn’t find it. This is not to say that nobody was spiritually into this event besides those studying at the monastery. I am not one to judge what people do, but I was surprised when the guy wearing the old man mask walked into a delgoor (store) and bought an icecream and ate it in the middle of the celebration in the street. I wasn’t even watching him anymore, my director and counterpart were laughing at him and pointed it out to me, and then they decided it was time to leave. Before we left, we took a moment and walked into the main temple of the monastery. This was a whole different atmosphere. People seemed more focused. I say this again….I’d like to learn more about Buddhism before I visit another monastery, but who knows what will happen…

Alright, that is a complete update, it can’t get much longer than that. We’ll see what happens next. I have a new address now, so if you want it, e-mail me and I’ll tell you it. Remember…mail is always welcome!!! Internet mail is almost just as good!!!

lil update

2007-08-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I will meet my counterparts, which will be very interesting. I only have a few more days in UB until I leave for my site. I am excited to live somewhere!! Everyone has been enjoying all the things that are available in UB, such as food that's not Mongolian, and free internet at the peace corps office. Yesterday, we visited the Prime Minister's building, the U.S. Embassy, and a few other places. Today, I went to a violence shelter and a Monastery. I love visiting the Monastery's and find them fascinating. I got to experience part of their "service" and take a look around. No pictures this time. In one of the buildings there was a 60 foot tall gold statue of buddha. It was intense, but amazing. It is interesting to walk around a place that is filled with people praying. There is a calmness in the air. I'm going to make an effort to learn more about buddhism before I visit another Monastery.

I don't really have a solid train of thougt right now, so I'm going to end this post.....

placement

2007-08-10T23:01:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been pretty eventful! I left my host family, packed my things, and took a Micre (taxi-mini van size) to Darkhan. I reunited with the rest of my group, which is always interesting. After a few sessions, it was time for SITE PLACEMENT! The moment we've all been waiting for! I can now say...I know where I'm going to be living for the next two years. I am going to be in Ovorhoungai (sp?) in the Aimag center, that I can't pronounce yet. I'll find out how to spell it and let you know. I will be working at the Aimag Children Center doing.....well we'll see exactly what it is. I have a whole packet explaining my job, but it is still a little vague. The first few months are going to be filled with observation and adjustment. For site placement, they roll out a huge map of Mongolia and anounce one job at a time, followed by the persons name. You stand where you are on the map and watch everyone else. It was a very suspensful and emotional moment. I didn't expect the emotional part, but it is kind of sad seeing everyone being separated and being placed so far away from some of my best friends out here. I was one of the last people to be called. i need to hurry this up, but I will be going to Ulaanbataar in a few days and will swear in (on Amy's birthday)! After about 5 days there, I will pack my things and head on my 7 hours ride to Ovorhungai. I have 5 other volunteers in my area. Ok, i promise, i'll write more soon! i hope everyone doing well!

...

2007-08-01T00:55:00.000-07:00

Blog 7-27-07

I haven’t really had much to write lately. I have 1 week left with my host family and then I’m off to new places. First I will be in Darkhan and then in Ulaanbatar, where I will swear in. I kinda wish I could just skip ahead to site placements. I am tired of people asking me what I expect and then telling me not to have any expectations. I really don’t have many expectations, so I want them to stop asking and just tell me where I will be and who I will be working with. I’m also curious to find out which Americans will be in my same area. Other than this stuff, I really don’t have much to say. I am wrapping up in Sukhbaatar. I have been trying to go hiking as much as possible because I don’t know where I will be next and I don’t know if I’ll have the mountains like I do here. My ech (Mongolian mom) made me a beautiful dell (Mongolian traditional clothing)!! It’s almost finished and I am so excited. It is an awesome shade of blue. Don’t worry; I’ll post pictures up when I have it.

Sometimes I find myself torn between thought and experience. I don’t want to think too much or try to analyze things because I feel like this is the time to experience everything around me and just go with the flow. I need to make sure to find the balance.

8-1-07

One sweltering hot day, we took a trip out to the country to visit a Buddhist monastery. It was really neat to see the beautiful painting and all the different Buddha figures. I enjoyed walking around, but I think I would have gotten more out of it if I knew more about Buddhism in Mongolia. It would have been nice to walk around with someone who really knew what they were talking about and could have explained the significance of things and answer all my questions. I’m going to try to learn more about Buddhism while I’m out here. So far, it seems it is almost more cultural in Mongolia than religious.

8-1-07

I really don’t have much to say lately….so what do people do when they have nothing to talk about? They talk about the weather…or baseball. Well, I don’t get to watch ANY Angel games, so the weather it is. I have decided that I love Mongolian summer! You really get the best of both worlds. It will be sunny and beautiful for a while, which leads into a hot spell. And right when you think it can’t get much hotter, it does! Only to be followed by a few days of refreshing rain, leading right back into the beautiful, pleasantly warm days. Here, one month covers the full span of weather change that we get in a year in Southern California.

safety....dont' worry i'm safe

2007-07-14T21:48:00.000-07:00

Before coming here I had heard about the female peace corps volunteer in the phillipines who went hiking by herself and was kidnapped and killed. I used to think to myself how stupid this girl was for going by herself. I now realize why she went by herself. In the peace corps there are times when you want to just go off on your own and be in your head and there are other times when you want to be with people…but who will you go with? I went hiking by myself today, and this girls story popped into my head, and I ended my hike earlier than I wanted. I was hiking in a safe area that was completely visible to the whole town, but where I wanted to go would have been much higher and not as visible. I was bummed that I didn’t go, but I felt like it was worth it. I don’t think anything would have happened, but I need to start adjusting my actions to being in a place that I do not know. One of the hardest parts about being here is reading people. When I’m in California, I usually feel relatively safe and when walking around long beach at night, I do not feel threatened. This is due to my ability to feel out situations and read people. Here it is a different story. Because I do not know the language and am still learning the customs and cultures, I can not read situations the way that I can at home. I can not understand most of the language that I hear when walking the streets of Sukhbaatar. It has been an awkward adjustment to go from my hardass long beach self to this vulnerable American in Mongolia. I feel like I can manage myself a lot better at home because I am accustomed to the way things work and can use my intuition to feel out a situation. Here, it is simply guesses. When I go out at night with my friends, I won’t go home unless a strong male walks me home. Luckily, I have one who lives right near me. Even when I am with someone walking home, it is a nervous walk every time we pass by a group of guys or any drunk guy. We are obviously foreigners and everyone around here knows there is a group of Americans around. People automatically assume that Americans have money and want to talk to us or mess with us. Luckily, I haven’t had too many scary encounters, but it is just a weird feeling to always have your guard up. If something is going down in long beach, I know how to remove myself from the situation or how to avoid it all together. Here, I have to rely on watching the people around me. I am probably making Sukhbaatar seem to be more dangerous than it is, and I don’t mean to freak anybody out at home about my safety. I assure you, I am safe.
Another interesting observation from Mongolia is the way they view people of different races. Mongolians are not racist, they just don’t have the knowledge. As a group of Americans, we are made up of people of all different backgrounds and ethnicities. Any black male volunteer is expected to be Michael Jordan, a few of the Indian volunteers have been mistaken for African, anybody from America without white skin is misunderstood. A Vietnamese volunteer is told over and over again that she is Mongolian. I was talking to a Mongolian yesterday (who knew excellent English) and he was telling me about when he was rejected for his US Visa. He said, “maybe it’s because I’m Asian,” I assured him that it has nothing to do with the fact that he’s Asian, as there are many people of Asian origin in the states. People around here say they know what it means to be Jewish, but I have heard from other volunteers that they really have no clue. I really feel lucky to have grown up in a place of such diversity. America is a beautiful place with all the people of different backgrounds coexisting and sharing their knowledge and culture with others. I am not going to claim America to be perfect, but I am grateful for the opportunity to have my eyes open to all different things at one time.
We are really fortunate to have access to the American way of life. I have now visited met people in Israel, Costa Rica, and Mongolia who have wanted to get visas to the US and have been denied. I do not know anything about how to get a US visa or the selection process, but it seems to be difficult.

just a lil fun

2007-07-14T21:46:00.001-07:00

The world works in mysterious ways
I walk around and try to figure it out
But I am left in this curious haze.
The earth turns so fast,
I have trouble simply counting the days.
My mind moves and moves
But only leaves my eyes with this over glaze.
I wander through this life,
Searching for the end of the maze
But I think half the fun is the complicated chase
Maybe only death will bring the end to this phase.
If this is truth, I choose to stay in this curious stage.
One day I will find myself reading the right page.
For now I am content with my meager wage
While I am acquiring the tools to break out of this cage.

Labor Camp

2007-07-11T00:20:00.001-07:00

7/9/07 Labor Camp
I just got back from spending about 3 days at labor camp for Mongolian children. Labor camp is not as intense as it seems. The kids do work in the fields, but it is not like this is all they do and the work that they do directly benefits them. This was my first time being in the deep country. It was absolutely phenomenal. The scenery, the kids, the energy, it was all amazing! There was the ‘horse man’, the goat and sheep hearders, a miners rest camp, a customs rest camp and the camp that I was at. This camp was used as a part of my training and a time to do life skills presentations, practice games in Mongolian, practice teaching English, and a chance to hangout with the kids. These are all the reasons the peace corps sent us there, but I got way more out of it than these aspects. I went on an AMAZING hike though one of the thicker forests of Mongolia, I tried airag, and I had mares milk while it was still warm from the horses body.
Mongolias forests are thinning out, due to everyone cutting down the trees. It is something that is sad, but you can’t explain to somebody why it’s not good to cut all the trees down when cutting these trees is his lively hood. It’s how he eats, how he builds his home, how he stays warm in the winter. My stomach was bothering me that day and I almost didn’t go on the hike. At the last minute I decided to suck it up and do the hike because I didn’t know when I’d be back in this country paradise. For the record, I’m soooo glad I went on the hike and got to see a view of Mongolia that can’t be duplicated! We started out filling our water bottles in the river (fresh mountain water). It was this moment that I knew the hike would be amazing. There was no trail, the destination was up. We picked our way through bushes and around trees, finding our footing wherever we could. This hike was not as hard as I was expecting, due to the soft ground, covered in green nature. On the way up we picked strawberries and ate them right off the plant. They were tiny strawberries, but were amazing! As we continued the climb, we ran into a pack of wild horses. It’s funny, the hearder puts a bell on his horse and then falls asleep. They graze and when he awakes he rounds them up again. I snapped a few photos and appreciated the beauty of this scene and we continued on our hike. When we reached the top, the view was amazing and worth the swarms of flys around our heads. We sat and talked about peace corps for a little while and then headed down, eating strawberries on the way.
There is a guy in this part of the khudoo, that is known as the “horseman”. Every summer a horse hearder brings his horses here and the horses are milked every two hours. During one of these sessions, we walked over and watched the horses being milked. There is a lady who sits a little further away with a bucket of the milk and people from the mining rest camp walk out to get a glass of milk. I was a little nervous, but I tried the milk anyway. I don’t really like milk, but it was seriously the best milk I have ever had. Mares milk is really sweet, almost with a hint of coconut flavor. The milk was still warm from the horses body, which wierds me out when I think about it too much. If I could just take some of the milk and stick it in the fridge, it would really be the best refreshment!! After drinking the milk we were invited into the family’s ger where we sat around and drank Airag. This is a Mongolian alcoholic beverage. It is not very potent and is given to children on a regular basis. The customs of drinking alcohol with Mongolian are interesting. They had a beautifully carved pail that the airag was in. The horseman filled a wooden bowl with the white substance and handed it with his left arm crossed, and right arm extended to the oldest male guest. At this time, the guest drinks as much as he wants and passes it back to the horseman. Even if the guest only takes a sip, the horseman adds more to the bowl and hands presents the bowl to the next guest. I had been warned about the effects of airag on your stomach and was not feeling well that day. I took a few sips and was surprised that it was not as sour as I was expecting. We sat and enjoyed the airag with the horseman and he told us that his horse had won a Naadaam race. The prize? A washing machine. It is interesting to be in the middle of the country, in a ger, and see a washing machine. You can tell by the amount of horses that this man is well-off.

It is so exciting to be learning all these different customs of Mongolian culture. Trying new things really adds an element of excitement to life that is vital to general happiness. It has become a part of my everyday life, to encounter something new and interesting. I think that when we are “home” we are in our comfort zone and often forget about the importance of new experiences. As in a Fiona Apple song, “I’m good at being uncomfortable”, it is this uncomfortable state that helps keep us on our toes. I can only hope that I will continue to constantly try and learn new things throughout the rest of my life. It is easy to fall into the comfortable and the average, but I want to take this moment to encourage everyone who is reading this to take the time to try something new….even if it’s a little uncomfortable.

By the way….I also saw my first goat being skinned while I was in the countryside. I thought it would be much more bloody and graphic, but it was almost like they were taking off his jacket.

My time in the country was truly amazing. It really is an awesome and meaningful way of life. So much of Mongolia is wide open spaces! It’s something I feel I have missed out on living in Orange County my whole life.

Labor camp was truly a great experience. I slept in a ger, got to experience the countryside and got to hang out with Mongolian kids. It’s so nice to finally be doing activities with kids. Only in an atmosphere like this would you hear an American from Milwalkee say “get your goats off my field”…..only to solicit the response, “those aren’t my goats” from a boy about 13 years old. Chasing goats and cows is actually a useful past time in the country.

Darkhan Days

2007-07-11T00:19:00.001-07:00

7/9/07 Darkhan Days
I just got back from a week outside of Sukhbaatar. This was my first venture out of my training community and was possibly my best week so far.
It started out with “Darkhan Days” or “Mid-PST”, as the peace corps refers to it. This is a time that is designated in the middle of my preservice training for all the people of my group (M18) to come together in Darkhan and do some of the administrative parts of training. It is also used as a sanity maintainer and is a good time to socialize with other Americans who have been going through all the same things. This group of people is my training group and we will continue to come together throughout the next 2 years. They are the people I came with, the people I will swear-in with, and the people I will close my service with. We got to Darkhan on July 4th and everyone was ready to be “patriotic” once night time rolled around. There was a ‘trainer vs. trainee’ basketball game, and the peace corps arranged pizza and hot dogs for dinner. Keep in mind that these were Mongolia pizza and hot dogs, and the better things to eat were the Monglian food. There were a few current volunteers that were passing through Darkhan and participated in our training and came to hang out for 4th of July. It was a good time, and it is always nice to talk to the current volunteers and hear what they have to say. It’s also nice to see different faces, other than the ones of the people I am training with in Sukhbaatar.
During these days in Darkhan, I had to give a presentation to a group of ‘at-risk’ youth. They were supposed to be involved in the Juvenile Justice system, but that didn’t work out. Instead they were from an orphanage in Darkhan. I was kind of nervous for my presentation, but I had planned it so I would have to do minimal speaking. Until I get more of the language down, this is going to be the way I do things. It’s fine by me, I’d rather do things more activity based anyway. After all the presentations, we walked the kids back to the orphanage, and got a tour of their home. This really was a nice orphanage and I was quite impressed. The kids were amazing and put on a show for us. Traditional singing and dancing is such a significant part of Mongolian culture that literally every child has a list of songs and dances that they can do off the top of their head. As it turns out, these were the kids that had performed at our opening ceremonies. After a full-on performance, we went outside to hang out with the kids. On the way to the orphanage, we had each made special friends in the group of kids and it was so much fun to play with them. I played soccer for like an hour in the scorching hot sun, until our trainers decided we had to go. They really had to pull us away from these kids! After all the classroom work and training that we do, it was soooo nice to actually get some time with the kids. Mongolian kids are AMAZING and really well behaved! These kids were so happy to have us there and we were so happy to be there. After this time with the kids, I declared this day the best day of training. It continued to be the best day, as I went back to the hotel and to a long, hot shower! The feeling of taking a shower after such a long time without one is something that can not be put into words!!! I was exhausted that night and had my roommate lock me in my room while everyone else continued to celebrate 4th of July…again. The days in Darkhan were nice, but by the end, I was not sad to leave. The people in my sector stayed an extra day because we were going to be heading out to the khudoo (countryside) to work at a summer camp. On this extra night, we saw fireworks….which was really exciting!

Ech Mod

2007-07-11T00:14:00.000-07:00

7/9/07 Ech Mod
On the day of my friend’s birthday, one of the few weekend days that I actually had plans, my ech (mom) decided to take me to the ‘ech mod’. I had no idea what this was, but I made sure I’d be back in time and went anyway. I realized it was something to do with Buddhism and that is all that I knew. My ech, her son, and I set out for the ech mod, which literally translated means ‘mother tree’. This was my first visit outside of sukhbaatar and my eyes were glued to the beautiful countryside. We drove down a dirt rode, turned down another dirt road, and then another dirt rode. I haven’t quite figured out the direction system in Mongolia yet. Anyway, it was obvious when we had arrived. We drove up to this large tree that was blocked off by Mongolian holy scarves and a wall made out of packs of soil or rice, or something. We walked through the entrance, and after asking for permission, I started snapping pictures. The smell of this holy spot was terrible, but it didn’t take me long to figure out what it was caused by. As I snapped photos, I watched my ech and her son take out a bottle of vodka, a bag of rice, and a bottle of milk from their bag. The proceeded to walk around this enclosed area and kind of spray the contents of their bag onto this tree, covered in blue scarves. I put down the camera and joined in the activity. I walked around and through this tree throwing rice onto it’s scarf covered branches. My ech flicked milk on the scarves, and the son flicked vodka. Years of this practice was obviously the cause of the rancid smell of this holy tree. When looking, it is obvious which scarves have been there a while and which were recently tied on. After about 5 minutes and 3 laps around the tree, we got back in the car with our leftover supplies and drove to another tree….I cannot remember which family member it was…..either the child…or the younger sibling. It was much small, had no leaves, and only the bottom was covered in scarves. After practicing the same rituals as at the ech mod, we climbed back in the car and arrived at the second ech mod. I’m not real sure why there are 2 ech mods, but with my limited Mongolian, it was easier to just listen than ask questions. On the way to the second ech mod, I tried to ask why these trees were holy, but I received an obvious answer…..ask Unro (my English speaking doo…younger sister) when we get back. The second ech mod was large with more blue scarfes. We walked around it 3 times, tossed the remaining of our rice, milk, and vodka on it and headed back in the car to go home. During this whole ritual, my ech was telling me how good I was for tossing the rice. I’m not exactly sure what this specific ritual means, but I assume it is like an offering. When I got home I asked Unro about the significance of these trees. She couldn’t explain much, but she basically told me that a long time ago a lady died there (pregnant, I think). Not trying to confuse her, I took this answer and proceeded to my friend’s birthday celebration.
During this experience with the ech mod I was quite fascinated. I don’t know the full significance of these trees, but it really seemed like an appreciation for nature. These trees were in the middle of the beautiful countryside. I’m not sure if it was a forest, but there were other trees around. In my limited explanation, my ech told me it is bad luck to move the tree. I think of the quote from a Nelly Furtado song, “I see G-d in the earth and the trees”. The phenomenon of nature is something that is very difficult to grasp without believing in a higher power. I think whether a person believes in a higher power or not doesn’t really matter, but one can not deny nature and science. I thought it was really neat to see the appreciation Buddhists have for nature. I once asked a friend if he was religious, he responded, “I believe in nature”. I think this was a brilliant answer and is as simple as you can get, and completely makes sense. The earth’s energy is something that can not necessarily be explained, but it also can not be denied. There is something that makes this world go round and work as it does, it is this energy that is the basis of my belief in anything.
There is an energy between people and nature that is only obvious when out in physical nature. I think it is key to realize this connection even when in the concrete maze and planned out mass that we live in the U.S. In Orange County, for instance, even though every tree was planted and ever grassy area rolled out, the natural ways and energies of the world are still evident. In Long Beach and LA, where the greenness is limited, I think the natural energy is almost more obvious. The different aspects of these cities and all the different people bumping into each other create an energy that draws people’s attention and locks them in.
…I have lost my train of thought, so I’m going to stop with a simple observation…

THE WORLD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS…