Because I care...

It's finals here at school.  I have nothing to do with the tests, so I've been helping by grading.  It's not looking pretty. 
I'm begining to really consider life after the Corps.  It might be a littel early, but it's that thing where your mind works it out for you and I sort of watch it like a dream.  I'm weighing the options and discovering that I have a priece of me that would like to get a Masters degree, part that wants to stay in country for a long time, and part that wants to get a job and start building on a career.  The making money one is outweighing the others at the moment.  

There is no school next week, so I'm gonna use some Christmas money from the brother and travel.  I've got friends in Bayankhongor that invited me to come down and stay for a while.  It's my goal to visit every, near every at least, Aimag in the country.  I've been to the three major cities in Mongolia, all the major towns in my aimag, and some other smaller towns.  After Bayankhongor, I'll visit Tsetserleg.  There's a few cool chaps up there.  I want to visit the Kazak people in Bayanolgie and some of the Northern and Eastern places.  The next major city is Choilbolson.  I probably really misspelled that one.  My birthday happens to fall on Ash Wednesday and Tsagan Sar this year.  Tsagan Sar is the BIG celebration.  It's the lunar new year, which is much more recognized here than the Jan. 1st one.  I'm gonna visit with my training family in Javkhlant during that week off. 

Traveling aside, I'm doing really well.  I've been pretty true to the Sacred Space book that my small group sent over.  It's a daily prayer book.  It's helped me a lot to stay focused.  I continue to put hot sauce on everything I eat, as it takes the food to another dimention.  My one-on-one tutoring program is a big success.  The students love it.  The teachers love it.  I'm going to begin a mandatory one hour with me and each of the English teachers every week as well.  We are also starting an English movie club.  It's going to be just the teachers at first, but if it goes well, I might start one for the kids.  English club is actually taking off as well.  We played scattergories last Saturday and a game that I made up that's a lot like Baulderdash.  Anything with a competitive slant is good for teaching Mongolian students.  I really want to do an english theatre where all those interested can perform in a play or sing a song or whatever in English and then we can give prizes to the best performers.  I think my friends would come up from the Aimag center to be judges.

The temperature continures to drop.  It's going to reach critical degrees soon I'm sure.  It gets easier to live with.  I just hate walking long distances, like to the church (40 mins), It doesn't matter how well you're clothed, it starts to freeze underneath it all.  My school can't really keep up with the temperature though, and it's getting colder and colder everyday in class.  I could see my breath, faintly, the other day. 

I'm spending a lot of money on negch (phone units).  I call too many people.  I can't help it.  I need comunication.  You are charged by the minute here when you call out.  It's a viscious system.  There was a time when I really liked being alone and all the time I had to myself, but I'm becoming really jealous of people that have sitemates.  Some have up to five/six other Americans where they are.  I asked to be alone.  I didn't know what I was asking for.  I sometimes catch videos online that people make of themselves having fun with sitemates.  I think, "I hope they realize how great they have it."  If I had only one other person at my site, I'd be really greatful.  It is fun though to talk to other loners.  We all have the same complaints.  Not only are we alone, but the fact that we are alone mean that we live in a small town.  That means we make less money, although we have to spend money to travel to buy the same things that others can get in their towns without going anywhere.  We have less things to do, less options at teh store, etc.  It's like, you either get it all or nothing.  I ought not be too down about it.  I, at least, have internet now.  Many volunteers don't have that.  My internet is at my school.  The PCVs with internet in other places have to go to a place and pay for crappy dialup on virus ridden computers.  I am really far away from my other PCVs compared to other people.  Some people live only a thirty minute drive away, the average is about an hour,  but I live 2 hours away.  This means I have to spend that much more money to visit folks.

I hate that I sound negative a lot though.  I don't mean to.  The truth is that I'm having a great time over and above any of the oddities, difficulties, frustrations, or battles with nature.  I think I use the blog as a place to vent, it only a little.  There is something in my blood that makes me feel better if I write it verses say it out loud.  I also know that some of my readers like to hear about the "struggles".  I know some of you like to live the experience vicariously.  That's cool.  I think I do it for you all as well.

It was nice getting some of this out.  Leave a comment if you can.  I like to hear from you.  I think I'll go out on a limb and say that James will be the first to leave a comment.  Come on friends.  Don't let him show you up like that.  It makes us look bad.

Brandon.