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My friend Anna has posted some pictures from our training.

First Day of School

Today is the first day of school in Khovd, not only at the university where I work, but also at the seven secondary schools. This morning, on my way to teach American Literature to 3rd year English major students, I walked past many children in new school uniforms with new backpacks and new shoes. Smaller children were led by there mothers, holding mom's hand. Older children walked in groups of 4 or 5, arm in arm, speaking to eachother happily and with excitment. There were so many more people than I had ever seen at once crossing the city square! The announcers were blowing and instruments were playing and at every school opening ceremonies were held: songs were sung and speeches were given. When I arrived at my classroom at 8:00, the students were not there and the door was locked. They were all at the opening ceremony!

My students arrived at 9:28, two minutes before our class was scheduled to end. Needless to say, I didn't give the lecture that I had planned for today, but I did get the chance to speak to my new students and introduce myself to them. I am very excited about the new school year and getting to know my students! I will also be teaching Freshman and Senior English Practice classes, running the university English club, and teaching a seminar for the English teachers.

Now that I have a set schedule and access to the Internet in my office, I will be making more regular blog entries... I have many pictures to post. I hope that you all are well. Tyler and I are very happy in our new city, Khovd or "Hovd", the center of Western Mongolia. This is a very interesting city with many different ethnic groups and cultural events.

Nalaikh pictures

This is my host sister Batsetseg and me on the day that I left Nalaikh. The shirt that I'm wearing is a modern del that my host mom, Tsetsegmaa had made for me.









This is my friend Mona (another Peace Corps Trainee) with some children from another Ryan's host family and neighbor's family (Ryan is also a Peace Corps trainee).

This is picture of my host family's home--my host dad, Batrentsen, with Tyler and my host mom's younger sister.

Since everyone liked the Boetz, I have inclued a couple of pictures of huushuur. This is like Boetz, only bigger and fried. AMTTETEI! Very delicious!!

Universities in Ulaanbaatar

Last weekend I went to the capital city to learn about some of the unversities that are there. UB is a very modern city and the universities that I visited had computer labs and technologically advanced lecture halls.

We didn't have much time for shopping, but I purchased some hand-painted cards from an artist: this is him and my friend Baldra. She likes to make jewelry!

We also went to eat at an Indian restaurant. Delicious!

Peace Corps Training

Peace Corps has been keeping us very busy with many different types of training sessions. In addition to Mongolian language classes (everyday for four hours), we have also been participating in community development training, cross-culture training and TEFL training (teaching English as a foreign language). Most of this training has been very interesting.

For example, in one community development training activity we were asked to bring one member of our host family on a community walk. As we walked around Nalaikh, our host family members pointed out different buildings and landmarks and told us about them (one of our trainers acted as a translator for this activity). We visited several points of interest such as the cultural center built by the Chinese in 1958 in symbolism of Chinese-Mongolian friendship, the large statue dedicated to the local coal miners, the cookie factory, the newspaper office, the surgery hospital, the kindergarten, the post office, etc. Then, we returned to the GOLOMT school (where we have our training classes). There, our trainers divided us into two groups (Peace Corps trainees and host family members). Each group was asked to make a map of the city, to circle the three most important community landmarks or places, to designate the places where we spend time, and to list at least three things that the community needs. Although both groups listed a youth sports center as one of the things that the community needs, our host family members pointed out that the city was in need of a public library, new apartments, and a dry cleaner. These were all things that we hadn’t even considered.

For one of our cross-culture training sessions, we visited a local family’s ger. We were served milk tea and milk treats as their five-year-old daughter, Tuul, recited a very long and beautiful poem about all of the good things that mothers do for their children. We learned ger etiquette, how to build a fire, and we talked about how to winterize a ger. Then, we went outside and learned to saw and chop firewood. We were all very impressed by their garden and greenhouse. I really enjoyed this hands-on training session!

Our TEFL training has included practice teaching. We have been working with a partner since we are most likely to work with a Mongolian counterpart once we get to our sites. It has been very helpful to practice teaching English to Mongolian students and to learn different techniques for teaching foreign language without using translations.

I feel that this has all been very good preparation for the work that I will be doing after training... but even if it isn’t, I have been enjoying!

BOETZ

After language class, my host parents and couple of my host mom’s friends taught me how to make BOETZ (Mongolian dumplings).

Recipe: 1. Chop partially frozen mutton into very small pieces. 2. Add cubes of sheep fat. 3. Add chopped green and yellow onion. 4. Add salt and powdered bouillon. 5. Add small amounts of water and mash with hands. (this is the stuffing) Next: 1. Make a dough with refined wheat flour and water. 2. Flatten small pieces of dough into small tortillas 3. press stuffing into BOETZ 4. Steam for twenty minutes. 5. Serve with ketchup and enjoy!

We also played “ankle bones”—they’re actually sheep bones. It’s the national game of Mongolia. The bones can lay 4 different ways: “Mur”-horse, “Timee”-camel, “Yama”-goat, or “Hun”-sheep. The bones are rolled like dice. Players must try to flick one bone to touch a matching bone without disturbing any of the other bones. Also, if all of the bones match, then players must try to be the first to grab all of them. I really enjoyed!

This weekend, my host parents have been teaching me to play Mongolian card games. At first I was very confused, but after several hours of playing I think that I've learned to play ‘HOSIN’-cards well. On Sunday evening, Tyler came to visit and we all played HOOTZER together.

In Zuunmod, Tyler convinced Nargui, one of the Mongolian Peace Corps trainers (who is also an Elvis impersonator by night) to teach him a few Mongolian wrestling moves.

We were treated to a traditional music presentation (this traditional stringed instrument has a horse's head).

The landscape is beautiful... open spaces, mountains, flowers.. and animal bones (including horse skulls).

This is a picture of me wearing a modern style del.

After spending five days in Zuunmod with the other M20s (twentieth group of Mongolian Peace Corps volunteers), Tyler and I have moved to Nalaikh in the Ulaanbaatar province along with 10 other Peace Corps volunteers. We will all live with Mongolian host families here throughout the summer. The weather so far has been very cold (the temperature is 14 degrees Celsius during the daytime and the wind is blowing steadily, but it is very sunny). Unfortunately, I left all of my sweaters, wool socks, corduroy pants and coat in my “winter bag” that Peace Corps stored for us in Zuunmod and will not have access to those clothes until August. My host family and several of the locals have assured me that it will get warmer after a few days.

My host parents, Batrentsen and Tsetsegmaa, are very nice people in their early 40s. They have a very good relationship with each other—always joking and laughing, and they are very happy to have me at their home. We live in a modern apartment with electric appliances and a hot water heater in the shower. I am staying in the largest bedroom while my host parents are sleeping on the pull-out sofa bed. I’m fairly certain that they gave up their bedroom for me. They have two daughters: Bolortsetseg, 22, and Battsetseg, 24. Bolortsetseg is living in Korea for the summer (everyone in my host family speaks Korean, but only Batsetseg—Baggui speaks a little English), and Baggui lives here. She stays in the small room at the front of the apartment, which will be my host mother’s father’s room when he gets home from the hospital. He is 90 years old.

Tyler is living with an elderly couple in a house. I have only met his host mother. Since Tyler and are living in the same city, we will be able to see each other every weekday during language class (4 hours) and maybe during training sessions as well. We are both very happy with our host family situations.