Saturday, October 24, 2009

Mongolian Wedding

Well, I guess it was actually the day after the "jinkin" (Mongolian for true) wedding, but who is counting. It was me. I was counting. I was counting 35 people in one ger. There were two men refusing to take no for an answer when offering airag (fermented mare's milk), vodka, or the more potent Mongolian vodka. And there was one American, whose actions were all very amusing to everyone else there. I ate some soup. sang a Mongolian song, drank the mandatory 3+ shots of vodka, got airag spilled all over my pants, and watched a friend pour her vodka on the floor behind her chair. When someone tried to give me some Mongolian vodka, I figured it was time for me to announce I had to leave and high-tailed it out of there. It wasn't until the cool air slapped my face and I saw the incredible sunset that I realized it was 7:15 and I was pretty intoxicated. This, on top of the fact I wasn't exactly sure where I was, was sure to make my walk home pretty enjoyable. Imagine my relief a mere 15 minutes later when I realized the road I was approaching was in fact the road that runs to my house. At least I got of easy, some weddings are in the countryside and can turn into affairs that last for days. The bride, by the way, is one of my school's staff members. The couple have been living together for some time and have two sons. I am not sure why this was deemed the time to have the actual celebration, but I am glad I got to be a part of it. Even if I did have a pretty big headache in the morning.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Sisters! and no school!

Madeline, I hope you have a fun weekend. Please be good! Go to Fort Fear, Dylan will scare the pants off you! I miss you bunches and love you tons!

Claire, I am pretty sure I know you right! Silly goose. Mongolia is good, although not great because you are not here! It is starting to get cold, although I have heard it will get a lot colder! Princess Polly Potato is great. She thinks it is funny to play in the coal bin. If it gets too cold at night she bites my ear, so I get up and make a fire. Thank you for your support. It means a lot to me. I miss you tons and love you bunches!

My counterpart just told me we will not have class until next Friday. The school will be closed for a week to prevent the spread of swine flu. I have no idea what I will do. Or when I will be on the internet again. Or what else will close. Exciting!

Anyway, miss you all a lot and love you even more! love, C

spooking girlfriend

I am getting better and better at chopping wood. I do much better when I don't have Mongolians watching me, which makes 6:30 am a very good time. The sun is just coming up, the air is crisp and cool (ie freezing, but lets stay positive!) and my spirits are up. I have really come to love mornings here. (Please still be my friend Gabb, we can like different things...)

I drank the last of my Horizons Organic Vanilla Milk boxes on the way to work today. (listening to Elvis Costello and smiling at the sunshine) It was so good I couldn't even be sad it was the last one.

I broke my extension cord today. My sunglasses were all fogged up and I stepped on the plug. Oh well, off to the market I go.

One of my school's staff members passed away today. I didn't know the person. Without sounding too self-centered, I really hope I don't do anything culturally inappropriate.

Anyway, I love this having internet thing! And I miss you all.

love, C

Monday, October 19, 2009

Wow, that last post was long

I wonder what length this one will turn out to be. We shall see.

I got sick, again. I hope it is not the flu, I feel like I have been sick 60% of the time since I got to site. Also, I feel guilty burning coal, but I have this attachment to all ten toes.

I have been watching quite a bit of tv since I have felt under the weather. Extras is brilliant, Entourage is great, Bad Boys was awful yet entertaining, Be Kind Rewind was odd, but not terrible, Talladega Nights was predictable but the outtakes were great.

Polly gets angry when she is not fed. I must remember to feed her at night so she doesn't wake me at 6 am.

I chopped a bunch of wood. I felt really tough. hahaha Like Buffy.

If you are in the Rapid City area, you should go to Fort Fear, by Reptile Gardens. I wish I could.

Ate at Loving Hut again today. Had some pea,bean,tofu,delicious soup and some no-fish sushi. It was delicious. I ate with Melinda who is a VSO volunteer from Australia. Her partner just got here and is hiking around, but will be back in town next week. He is French so I plan to embarrass myself by speaking some horrible French with him.

Leslie and Nathan are in America until next Wednesday. Nathan may bring me back a shooter of Malibu Rum which would of course elevate him to God among en status. The villagers would sing his praises for years to come.

Did I tell you I burned my hand. I was making toast to put peanut butter on. There is no gain without loss. It is all scabbed over, but Polly keeps scratching it. Then it bleeds. Serving my country is riddled with dangers.

Claire, remember when you got your ears pierced? I have like a hundred pics of that. You are pretty cute. I miss you!

Madeline, Don't grow up to fast without me. I miss you!

I miss you all! love, C

Friday, October 16, 2009

Because I can!

2nd post in one day! Why? please see title.

I am not sure why this is italisized, just accept it. Unless it isn't on your screen, the just accept it not being italisided.

Run down of my day

0630 Polly bit ear. Why? who knows. Got up and peeed (is that how you spell that, really?) in a bucked and turned on my space heater as I was running out of wood. Tried to go back to sleep.

0645 Polly not leaving me alone. Went for run.

0715 Running is hard. It makes me tired. Eat breakfast (Instant MACcereal, peanut butter toast, and Instant coffee...it's really starting to grow on me.) and get dressed while watching 2 episodes of Enterauge, awesome show. (I get some sort of sick pleasure from watching people swim in a pool that is in their house and drive ridiculous cars whilst I live in a tent. ) Feed Polly, kiss Polly, and bundle up)

0840 Leave for work. Rocking out on my ipod, drinking organic vanilla America Rules! milk, with a spring in my step. My last stretch of my commute goes along a road with a semi-intact curb. This is exciting because I walk down the curb like a very-bundled, huge backpack weilding tightrope walker. This gets me no more stares than walking like a normal person, so I say what the hell.

0900 Arrive at work. I had recieved a interesting text message from my counterpart that deffinately had the word internet in it, which made me hope that today might be the day we get internet inour office. Also, yesterday, my office was locked with a new lock that I don't have the key for...I was interested to see what this day would bring.

0915 found counterpart Tungaa. She took me to our new office. It was Dent's office and now it will be Tungaa and Caitlin and Dent's office. It has internet so I am pleased. I am not sure how pleased Dent is.

1100 Must stop using the internet to have Theatre Club. We played theatre games that mostly deteriorated into chasing each other around. Which is fun so again, what the hell! Lets run around. PLus most of the physical education seems to be marching in place, so games are good.

1200 Walk home. Comfort Polly. Get wood from haashaa family, woohoo! I love making fires! Take off a shirt, it is starting to warm up!

1245 Walk to Loving Hut restaurant. Vegetrian restaurant I can't get enough of. Eat with sitemates Patrick and Allison. Mostly discuss the end of the world 2012? or not? and how awesome my internet office having is. It is
Legen ~wait for it~ dary!

1345 Meat sitemate Esayes for coffee and quick convorsation. He is about to turn in his grad school applications so congrats are in order.

1430 Leave for work. See above for curb walking discription. Dodge marching PE students, which is easy, because they march in place.

1440 arrive at work. 10th grade dance is cancelled due tyo Swine Flu threat. Everyone is wearing cloth masks. Most are white, but some really cool kids have colored ones. Well, in my head they are the cool kids, i actually have no idea what the student social hierarchy is like. I could only find a white one, but colored it purple with a crayon from my patient appointment center BFFs. I think the crayon will add an extra layer of germ protection and I wanna be cool at at least one high school before i die. hahaha
play on internet, since no dance.

1530 Internet goes out. I don't care though. I have an office that is conected to the internet when internet is available! Hours and Hours of internet lie in my future. Read Lord of the Rings and brainstorm things to do on the internet that are relevent to my job.

1650 Internet back on! Write seconf blog post of day rather than do the things that were brainstormed to do that would be relevant to my job. And here we are!

My plans for the rest of the day are as followed.


1800 Team teach Life skills class. This is our first session with these students, so it will be an introduction. We had are first session withthe tuesday group on ...um...Tuesday. It went really well. There was a draw a piture thing that i am not really sure what the goal was of that, i think it was apicture of the hopes and dreams. I hope todays goes as well.

1900 Go to Amber's house for some mixed drinks and Settlers playing. Settlers is the game to play in Peace Corps Mongolia and I have never played so I need to learn before Thanksgiving, when there will be undoubtedly a tournament. Amber has also promised cookies and brownies, bless her pointed little head.
Amber, if you are reading this, 1. you need more to do and 2. that is just an expression of my mothers, not a slight on the shapre of your head. I have personally always thought you had a fine shaped head. My mother is just a kook, what can I say? Mom, I bless your pointed little head and all the pointed little heads of your offspring. Hehehe That kinda makes it sound like your offspring have multiple pointed heads. Camber, GrammarGirl! how do I fix that grammatically so that everyone is aware that we, her offspring, only have one head. A piece that is, not one head all together. Oh, bother.

Time unknown- walk home in the freezing cold hopefully while thinking it is toitally worht being this cold for some good company in my native tongue. Make a fire while complaining loudly to Polly of the cold. As if she doesn't know, been alone since noon with no fire, what a bad mom I am. If only I could teach her to make a fire, that would be the hot sauce on the meal of life.

Goi to bed while listening to my audiobook.

Saturday I will do laundry, which I am starting to love. I watch Rome and use warm water and it makes my ger smell nice. I have a fire going to heat the water and it is so warm and cozy anbd it makes me think of Charlie Buckets' mother before he finds the golden ticket. I will also have my first English Class at Dandaa monastery across from my haashaa. I am goping to teach Mongolian Buddhist monks english. Thats a gonna make a good story, who gets to say they did that? um..just me. Other weekend plans are as of yet nonexistent. I imagine eating at Loving Hut, sweeping, and watching a movie may occur. Until then, I hope you have enjoyed this production of a Day in the Life of an American Peace Corps Volunteer Social Worker Youth Development Good Will Worker Person. It was supported by a grant for the Katherine T. McArthur Foundation and from Readers like you! love, C

PS Wish List has been updated.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Office with Internet!

I have internet in my office! I am so happy. Actually, we moved to the office with internet and now I share with two other people, but we have internet so I am thrilled.

I was shrieking with laughter as I opened my package from the Patient Appointment Center. My cat was freaking out and jumped in the box. I fell over laughing when I pulled out the 2 year supply of taco seasoning. I want my life to be taco flavored.

I miss everyone so much, but I often really like my life here. This morning I was walking to work, drinking Vanilla Organic Milk, rocking out to my ipod, and loving my life. Then I got to work and I had internet. Praise the internet gods!

Off to theatre club. Woohoo!

Mom, we climbed up to the Russian Friendship Monument during consolidation. I felt very friendly to the Russians and watched Anastatia as a celebration.

Madeline, Remember your promise!

love, C

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Packages are the best!

I just got a package from my best friends at the patient appointment center so big I will have to call a taxi! Thanks guys you are the best! Setiously, it is really appreciated, you have no idea. I can't wait to open it!

This keyboard I am using no longer has the letters on the keys. Except Q ans W.
***mini celebration of Q and W***** qwqwqwqwqwqwwqwqwwqwqwqwqwqwqwqwWQWQWQWQWQWQWQWQ
I really need the labels. This is difficult.

I also got a package from my mom on monday! It is like Christmas morning for Mary Marsh! (Well, actually more for me than anything.) I actually might get internet in my office soon! I miss talking to my friends alot!

ok, I can't take this keyboard anymore! Good night and good luck! love, C

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Consolidation is a go!

I am at Patrick's ger for the fabled consolidation. This is the time where we practice our emergency action plan. Since it took me an hour and a half to get across town, I must be very bad at emergencies. I assure you all that I would not stop for orange juice and chocolate if it were not a drill. Drills demand chocolate. Patrick, Amber, Allison, and I are all accounted for. Esu is in UB. Brandon and Terrence are on their way. Eggs are cooking, the fire is smoldering, and life is good.

Madeline, Boys are bad. Their badness is only compounded by cars. Beware.

Kate, Glad you like the pics. I will try to figure out my battery situation and take more. Smart wool pants would be much appreciated. Tell your friends and family. Christmas is coming.

Camber. I think it is actually physics. Just so you know. Also, when will you come? I have a floor for sleeping with your name on it!

Mom, Amber's thing fell of her wall. Her nails were not strong or stiff enough. They did not go in far enough. At east, that's what she said. hahahaha

Thank you loyal readers!
love, C

Drugs are bad

Turn's out the ham that was on the plates as garnish at the vegetarian restaurant is actually soy. I thought it was really funny, but now it is just typical. I wanted to go to the vegetarian restaurant and eat ham and laugh...at least I still get to go to the vegetarian restaurant and eat. it is so good. it had been open three days and i have eaten there 4 times. yep, twice yesterday. Both for lunch. Do to the time difference... hahahaha

I just looked at the Grey's Anatomy website. Mistake. *tear*

Damn, it feels good to be a volunteer. hi Jennie.

This post is kinda fractured, sorry. I didn't really have anything to say, but I like getting comments from my posts, and I am Amber's apartment, so here is a post. I feel pretty homesick today, but still having a really good day. Does that make sense? I am really glad my sitemates, Amber and Patrick, are back. Esu went to the city, so not everyone is here, but it is nice to see those that are. Tomorrow might be consolidation, which means everyone in our region has to get together and see how long it takes us as a practice of emergency proceedure. I hope so, no work, and hanging out all day! Woohoo.

I can't believe it is almost time for my friend Andy to go back to the US. he has been in Rwanda for almost a year and is awesome. i keep trying to convince to come to Mongolia before heading to North America, I mean, it is practically on the way.
Andy, if you read this, i am proud of you! You are swell!

I miss you all soooosoooo much! love, C

PS Shout out to my wonderful sisters. I love you so much. Try not to drive mom crazy while I am gone. I prefer her at her current level of sanity. I left her that way and I expect her to be that way when I return. Take care of each other and don't forget to miss me. Drugs are bad. See, I am such a good sister. love, C

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Camber Carpenter

Damn you! Seriously folks, her blog is much more entertaining than mine. Every time I read it I feel intense pressure to make my readers laugh. Add more humor. Like some diabolical Ben Stiller dressed as a monkey is dancing around me yelling "Be funny, Caitlin, Be funny!" (Dance Derek Dance Monkey!) How can anyone possible compete with such wit and whim and vigor and vivaciousness and other words that start with v and w?

I just watched the first season of Big Love. Super awesomeness! Just had the opening of the youth development room at my school and the new vegetarian restaurant, not related.

Kate, get a facebook. Otherwise, IDk. The link worked for my dad.

Loves to all! C

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Pics and Back Pain and Clean Clothes

I posted more pics on Facebook, here are the links.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2108765&id=116500167&l=a37e7d1b67
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112421&id=116500167&l=2b066a3a14

This Pics are from swearing in as a Peace Corps Volunteer, coming to Arvaikheer, and many of my cat. She is just so darn cute! There is also a picture of my outhouse especially for you dad!

My back hurts 'cause I did a bunch of laundry yesterday by hand. But, on the upside, I have clean clothes! Woohoo. I have been watching a fair amount of movies and tv that I have on my new external hard drive, so I am feeling really entertained. I wanted to send a shout out to my best bud Dylan! He is a greatly generous young man and I love him! You rule dude!

It was so nice to be able to talk to all the people that I got to talk to on the inter these past couple of days! I miss you all! love, C