food and stuff (mostly for dad!)

Well, it is pretty cold and wet right now. The Peace Corps took offered to store our cold weather gear for us, so none of us have very warm things. Oh well. My classes are going well. They are hard and we have class from 9 am to 6 pm most days, so I am sleeping really well. Karoake was closed last night so we ended up just going to a restaurant and talking. We still had a really good time. I am eating so much bread it is riduculous. My host family will usually serve meals with rice and/or noodles and always bread. I have bread at least at every meal and sometimes for snacks. I need to find something else I can eat! The meat and dairy products are not very enjoyable. But some good news, turns out I like cabbage. Who knew? And cucumbers. We have a lot of cucumbers. I can still tell that I dont really like them, but my body wants them so much that they almost taste good. I wasn't able to pull up my gamil account today, so hopefully I have enough onfo to appease my trainers! I love you guys!
PS End of July, the CYDs (thats me) get to take kids camping for three days! I am psyched!
love, C

Karaoke

tonight! I am so excited! Maybe i will be able post pictures someday.

bath in tumpen

success! ...mostly

comments

Holy snap! I love comments! Please everyone who reads make a comment even if it is just your name and saying you are here. It is so nice to have a support system back home. Lynn, i got you comments and love and miss you and your fab fam! Grandparents, a tumpen is a shallow-sih round plastic basin used by me for bathing, washing clothes, and for looking at something colorful. (mine is neon pink!) Things are better and I am happy and busy. I have a lot of homework which is good. I want to learn everything I can while i have the resources. I have to give a 20 minute presentation on the signs and symptoms and treatment of child sexual abuse in 2 weeks. Holy way out of my league batman! So if anyone, like perhaps a former DSS child protection officer could tell me signs and symptoms and treatment of child sexual abuse, that would be great. (In outline form preferbably) Just remember how much i love and miss you dad! The email i can access the easiest here is my caitlinrose.monahan@gmail.com fyi. I am kind of spurging on internet this week dont count on these constant updates, kids! wouldn't want you all to get spoiled! 'cause i'm sure not! love you all! love, C

vacinations

I am vacinated against everything except yellow fever and stupidity. I had my first real low point yesterday, but it ended up being good. I was remiinded important facts about myself. One: food and sleep make Caitlin happy. No food and interupted sleep make Caitlin want to cry. Two: I am an adult and can take care of myself. Three: I can stand up for myself and make changes when needed. So, I went to the market and bought a little of my own food, ate over at another PCT's host house for dinner, and changed language classes. Today is much better, and things will probably get even better tomorrow.
I may wash my hair tonight in my tumpen. First time for that. Sunday I went to the public "hot showers which was expensive and falsely advertised. ie them being hot. Probably wont do that again. I want to bust out the solar shower, but am not sure how to do that. I live in a town.
I have not reallly been to UB yet, not for another 6 weeks. We flew in there, but it was night and them immediately off to Zuum Mod.
Not much else to report. I dont spend much time with my host family as they are both docotrs and hardly ever home. I study alot, listen to Harry Potter on my computor and even busted out my LOTR DVDs for awhile.
Here is who I miss: YOU!
Great to here from the various Monahans and Redmonds. I love you guys. Glad you made it on Dad! I miss you sosososososo much!
Love, C

Host Family

Cahn! It means good. which is what I am! I transfered from the dorms to my host family yesterday. It was very confusing but good. The woman who picked me up is actually my host aunt. I have a mother Tuul, a 9 year old sister Undarmaa, and a 5 year old brother with a very hard name I can't prounouce yet that means Healthy Sun. Apparently there is a dad too, but I have not met him yet. I think he has been at the hospital. Both my host parents are doctors, so I am living the high life compared to some. I have a shower (although it is full of dirty clothes) running water, a toilet, a bed, and electricity! Hopefully the shower is functional and I can use it in a day or two. I can't believe how much we shower in the states! Here, not so much. The PC took our winter stuff and then today it snowed a little. Luckily I had my trusty RCRH windbreaker! (Thanks to mom and all the folks at the PAC!) I am slowly picking up some Mongolian. I cannot eat much dairy here. It tastes like the floor of the Stock Show or licking a horse (even more than Viggo's tea!) I do however like Rice and Milk. Its hot like oatmeal. I am drinking lots of tea and trying not to eat too much fat. At the restaurant we went to a couple of days ago, I ordered soivan (noodles and meat and some veggies) and got noodles and fat and one carrot. The carrot was delicious! I am still getting up really early, but I am going to try not to nap today and maybe be able to sleep in tomorrow. I dont have class until monday, so all weekend with the family! It is really fun, but exhausting trying to communicate. Yesterday I napped and was still tired by 7:30! Everyone has funny little stories of missed communication. Cameron (another American) has his host father and mother try to bathe him. Cassandra tried to tell her family that in the states she drives a toyota just like thiers and they thought she wanted to take the car somewhere, which is not allowed. I can't believe I have homework again! I miss you all so much, but I am doing really well here. I miss pizza and vegetables. Dad! make a comment so I know you figured out how! I love you! Mom, watch craigslist and free cycle for a dryer and drink as much good coffee for me as you can. Madeline, help Claire post a comment and you two watch a little Buffy for me. Gabb, I just told my host mom about you being engaged. I might be able to explain how by the end of the summer. Be good everyone and don't forget to miss me! love, C

Mongolia!

I have arrived! We are staying in some dorms for a couple of days and then on to our host families. Apparently my host family will be in this same town as my group is staying here, so I am trying to get to know the town so I can find my way around. I love you all and am so far having a fab time, although jet legged! Love to Mom and Dad and Madeline and Claire and everybody else! love, C

double decker plane

Hey everybody! I am in South Korea after a 13 hour plane ride from LA in a double decker airplane. Unfortunately it was the first class who was upstairs, so I did had to content myself with the main floor. It was seriously the biggest plane I have ever seen in real life! (I think Harrison Ford's Air Force One was wee bit bigger) I sat in the middle of two people not in the PC, so that was kind of a bummer. I already miss my people so much, but I am trying to focus on the good. Like I am in Korea. I bought wheels that I can attach some luggage to. I am actually doing this. Overall, everything is pretty good. I already have that slightly off balanced feeling, almost tipsy-like symptoms of jet lag. The people I have met are really interesting and I have great hopes for all our bonding we are going to do. We have a couple of hours here in South Korea and then it is back on a plane for a 3 1/2 hour flight to UB. It will be about 2230 when we land, so I am planning on taking some Tylenol PM and trying to sleep though the night. I didn't sleep very much on the plane, but played some video games and watched movies on our individual little tvs. I wanted to watch something happy but then I saw GOOD with Viggo was a choice and so I had to watch that 'cause I miss my mom so much! Nazis are scary and it was weird to feel sorry for Viggo the Nazi. Well, then I watched Bedtime Stories which was predictably dumb and then I tried to watch a short documentary about Mongolia but it was all about the animals and they started showing tarantualas and I had to stop. They did talk about the musk deer which is like a cross between a rabbit, a deer, and a kangaroo and the males have tusks like a boar. Ummm. I want one real bad. The boy sitting to my right smelled not so good. The woman sitting on my left picked her nose and wiped it on her blanket. Continuously. Anyhoo, I am going to go change and try to look a little but more presentable and maybe try to rest a little. The airport is made of very clean glass. We had to go through security again. I do not know why. This is perhaps the worst writing I have ever seen, but I was just on a plane for 13 hours with Teenage McSmelly and Nez Pickee so cut me a break! I love and miss you all. Probably. Unless I dont actually know you. But those of you who I do love and miss, you know who you are! love, C