Routine and Buddha

We are stopping by Darkhan for a couple hours.  What do we do?  Internet.

Here is the latest update.  I received some packages yesterday.  Yes they do get here eventually.  Thank you all.  Mom, Ben, Gwen, Lara, and Lindsey, I got stuff from ya’ll. 

I’d like to educate you guys about Fixed Rate packages.  The post office has these packages that they do not weigh.  It is the same rate to anywhere in the world, no matter the weight, as long as you can fit it into the box.  Therefore, buy the box, pack it full, and you don’t have to spend $80 to send it.  I think there is one that is a pretty good size that goes for $40 and even lower.

The language is getting much better.  I talk with people everyday.  It may not sound wonderful, but my point gets across and I can understand people as long as they speak a little slower than normal.  I just don’t like having to use the same 5 verb tenses every time. 

I’ll go through the typical day right now:

I wake up without an alarm to my Mongol mother making breakfast.  It’s usually eggs, but sometimes I get served this “Cream of Rice” thing called sutai bodah.  I’m always served bread and jam and this awesome milk spread called Suzski.  I get tea or instant dissolve coffee.  There is usually some other side that she’ll put out for me.

After dressing and whatnot I pack my book bag and head out to make the 15-20 minute walk to school.  Every child along the way greets me 10 times.  They all know “hello” and seem to think that saying it again gets them farther into a conversation.  They are so cute here.

At school we spend 4 hours in language training.  Our teachers are pros.  We often reflect about how crazy it is that they took us from knowing nothing to where were are today, and they don’t speak English.  All the learning is stylized to force us to make sense out of what they say.  Once a person figures out something for him/herself, they’ll remember it forever. 

After school we walk home for lunch.  We have an hour and a half.  Lunch is mostly Sheul (soup) or noodles (with all of the normal sides).  After, we walk back to school for work.

We are now practice teaching to a group of 15 or so kids.  We meet every day at 3:00.  I team-teach with Julia.  Sometimes, PC trainers will stop by to observe and offer teaching advice.  PC gives us amazing training.

After class, we discuss how the lesson went and what we think worked and what we need to adapt.  We spend an hour doing this and creating a lesson plan for the next day. 

We need to be home by 7:00 for dinner.  Some people eat at 8 or 9.  I was once served dinner at 10:00.  I’m typically finished by 8:00.  If so, I can go out to the field and play in the guaranteed volleyball game going on.  Many times, the 10 Americans like to get together at each other’s houses to hang or watch a movie on a computer or drink.  We all like each other pretty well, so it’s a lot of fun hanging out like that.

I do the whole thing again the next day.  I have plenty of time to myself to do what I want, but I’ve been teaching English language, songs, and stuff to the church here in town.  In return, they do the same for me.  Those are some all right guys.  This whole country is just awesome.  

Today we are visiting the biggest Buddhist Monastary in Mongolia.  I got the package with my camera just in time.  It's costing us 15,000 tugriks each, which is a pretty hefty sum of our allowance, but everyones excited.

Have fun in America.  See you later.