Swear In

A friend of mine sent some pictures of my swear in ceremony so I thought I would put them up here.  When I first arrived in country there was a whole lot of admin activities to get through and at the end of it I was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer.  There just happened to be a class of Mongolian English students in the building at the time so our Country Director thought we should use the opportunity for a little bit of a cultural exchange.  We all gathered in a conference room and these students were able to see what Peace Corps Volunteers go through in order to serve their country.  Darlene (the Country Director) took some time to explain the oath that we take and what it means for a volunteer to raise their hand and say the words.  So as I raised my right hand the Mongolian students brought out their cell phones and started to record the whole thing.  It actually was a neat experience.  I was afraid I would flub the oath, but when the audience doesn't understand English all that well I guess it isn't such a big deal.

Explaining the Peace Corps and the what the oath we take means

And then translating...

Officially a Volunteer

I think I'll be off to the Gobi this weekend.  Stay tuned for some adventures in the desert!

Naadam...More like Naa Damn That Was Fun!

Over the past weekend here in UB Mongolians celebrated their annual festival of Naadam. If you want to read up on Naadam You can go here but I won't go into too many details on the cultural significance here.  Basically it is a weekend full of archery, wrestling, horseback riding, music, and fun.  A good summer party.

I was also introduced to salsa dancing here in the city by another PCV (Laura) who has shown incredible tolerance while this white boy from the Midwest learns how to move his hips.  So far I'm about as stiff as the tin man without his oil can, but I have high hopes that by then end of my year here I'll have that two step down.  Keep with me Laura, I'll get there.

So I have a few pictures and a few videos for your entertainment.

Chinggis Khan approves of these festivities

Light show/concert on the square

Those kids did not seem too happy about being marched across the square in those wrestling outfits

Pooper scoopers

 And since I have the technology, some videos

On Sunday I ran into three British guys who we had met earlier in the weekend.  They had bought a large van and converted into a camper with bunks and a shower and are driving from Europe through Russia and are spending the next few weeks bumming around Mongolia.  They asked if I knew of a better place for them to park and I told them there should be space in the parking lot outside my building.  This turned into them staying with me for the next three nights.  I thought about being a jerk and just making them sleep in their van while I enjoyed my humongous apartment all to myself, but they seemed like stand up chaps and not really the murder you in your sleep type so I let them in. It was a lot of fun having them around and I didn't have to buy, cook, or wash anything while they were here.  They had a mountain of laundry though, and by the looks of it they hadn't seen a washing machine in awhile.

If you want to follow their adventure you can find them here
They are on a massive adventure as they plan to go from Mongolia through China and Nepal to end in India and then turn around and drive back on a whole new route.  Pretty epic.

They forgot they're forks here too so I think I came out ahead on this deal.

Its been an eventful few days.  Got some culture, met new friends, drank vodka.
Life was good.
I don't have to be back at work until Monday so I think I might take the rest of the week to relax and catch up on a few things.  Maybe give myself a haircut that I will thoroughly regret immediately after I do it.

May Hay While The Sun Is Shining

I went out to the countryside for a few days to help with a silage training. There isn't much for the cows to eat during the winter so they become less productive and don't make much milk.  There are a few groups who are starting to store silage and therefore have seen their milk production remain higher in the cold season.  It was great to get out of the city and spend some time in the country.  Doing things like this really made me feel like a Peace Corps Volunteer again.

Best mascot for a public toilet ever!

On the road

Getting the pit ready.

A small tractor like that is called a "putt putt"

You mean you haven't been instructed by an expert in his boxer briefs?  What's wrong with YOU?

Chop Chop

Wouldn't be Mongolia without the Mare's Milk.

The views you get in this place....

Almost done?

Getting dinner ready.

They thought this would make me squeamish, but little do they know this ain't my first rodeo.

Not quite done.

But we're losing daylight.

Finished

There is also a lot of weed chopped up in this silage.  Gonna have some happy cows come winter.

Meat, Vodka, Fire, Full Moon.  Not too bad.

You've Come A Long Way Baby

Nothing as refreshing as first smoke post delivery

I caught this scene off my balcony this evening.  Couple of patients at the maternity hospital on their balcony sharing a smoke. We may be in Mongolia, but they're on the express train to  Flavor Country.

Everyone Probably Comes Here For the Pics Anyway

I did a little hiking over the weekend with some co-workers and some of their friends.  I have no idea where I was, or what mountain we were on so I can't give too many details just yet.  When I go into work on Monday I'll them write down all the details and probably edit this post, but for now I figure most people just want to look at pictures anyway so I'll go ahead and put them up.

The town at the beginning of our journey.

Poor Barbie.  All used up.

Shaman shrine.  Still trying to figure out exactly what these are for.

Into the woods

Sometimes Mongolians are not so tall.

At the top you get an amazing view of UB

More UB

More shaman shrines

My co-workers summer home where we began and ended the trek.

Ended the long day drinking mare's milk and enjoying the summer.

Again, I'll either follow up this post when I have details of where exactly we were and maybe put up some more pictures, but until then I hope you enjoy the views.

Don't Know Where We're Going, But I Sure Know Where We Been

Just and interesting article I came across in one of the UB English newspapers.  It is a good read if you are at all curious about how Mongolia is combining their nomadic traditions and Soviet era past into a new identity to lead them into a more Western economy and way of life.

Mongolian Capitalism: Cultural Battle

"There are therefore two very contrasting cultural influences for Mongolians. Individualism and a lack of recognition of authority are pervasive manifestations of nomadic culture, however the country’s socialist history has instilled a sense of the opposite: reliance upon the state and a level of consciousness that transcends the individual.
These divergent cultural foundations result in a society whose fundamental beliefs and economic relationships appear confused and incoherent. Sant Maral polling of social attitudes show that Mongolians have little trust in the effectiveness of the government, and that people even mistrust the government’s intentions, and yet they demand that the government be ever more involved in their lives..." 

Nation building.  Its easy right?