"Tsaagan Sar" = Slow Week

So today (yesterday and tomorrow too I think) is the Mongolian holiday celebrating the lunar/Mongolian new year. Because it's a Mongolian holiday, there's no work for a few days and it also fell right on the week long school break. I have been recovering from some sort of cold that I caught last week, almost back to 100 percent now. I started working out again yesterday and I'm trying to get caught up on emails, catch up on some reading, get my planning for the olympiad done, and enjoy the time off a little bit. Laura is going to to Hovd for the week to visit the PCV's there and have some r&r. I am sticking around Olgii to try and be somewhat productive. I'll be going to World Vision to work on some of the details of them helping out with our project, helping my friend Agii with some of his private English lessons, and taking advantage of some free time to work out more and read.

I also took the opportunity to clean up my apartment a bit, sort through some things, etc. I'm going to be donating a lot of my winter clothes to some local families that aren't so well off. I recently realized that I have too much stuff in my apartment that I don't even wear or use and it would certainly be much better given to someone who needs it and will actually use it. I am also giving some more resources to Laura's library, stuff that I haven't found a way to really use in the classroom and will be better off in the library where students can use it.

Nothing much else going on at the moment. I'll update with more pictures and posts when something new or exciting happens. :)

Laura's Project: English Library and Resource Room

I finally got a chance to take some pictures of the results of Laura's hard work. Opened in December, Laura's project, the first English library and resource room in Olgii, has been very successful and popular so far.

In other news, Laura and I met two days ago and wrote our project proposal to World Vision asking for funding for this year's 'English and General Knowledge Olympiad'. We got positive feedback and it seems like they will back this project. We are expanding the olympiad to include almost 200 students this year, who will be competing in English usage, general knowledge, mathematics and computer skills. We have the support of M20 Peace Corps volunteers and three more teachers from Agii and Scott's school, along with Laura taking a more active role in the planning of this year's competition. This competition should be even bigger and more fun than last year. We're all excited about it and working hard to get everything planned and set up.

I am still waiting to find out what's going on with my grant. I went into my work today to ask if we had received the funds yet. My boss was nowhere to be found and none of my coworkers knew what was going on. We'll see what happens tomorrow or next week.

New Students, Patiently Waiting for Money, and PIZZA!

Last week was another week of ups and downs, typical of Peace Corps Mongolia. I found out that my work had set up the wrong type of bank account in order for us to receive the grant funds, despite me telling them numerous times the type of bank account we needed. Apparently Peace Corps tried to deposit the money seven times and each time it was rejected. Finally, Peace Corps called me and explained to me what was wrong, I met with my work again, and we got it fixed(hopefully for the last time). I haven't heard anything back so I'm hoping that there are no more issues and we will be receiving the money this week. As soon as we have the money, my coworkers and I can start purchasing the materials we need and start construction. It's getting down to the wire here, as I only have five and a half months left.

As I had posted earlier, I met with Erkegul the week before last, the English teacher at another school in Olgii, a private school called Darin, about starting some English speaking clubs. She met with her students, worked out days and times that worked best for them, ran it by me, and I started teaching three new classes at Darin last week. All three of the classes are English clubs, with an emphasis on speaking and listening. I have one class that is 8th and 9th grade combined, one 10th grade class, and one 11th grade class. All of the classes went very well, the students are very well behaved, focused and excited to improve their speaking. A few of the students were in my classes at the children's center last year but most of them are new, students I've never met or taught before. Anyways, the first week of classes at Darin went very well and I am looking forward to teaching them the rest of the time I'm in Olgii. I also picked up a couple more classes at Bastama, the school where I teach seventh graders. I am teaching two short speaking sessions to ninth graders. They aren't as well behaved as the Darin kids and the classes are a lot bigger, so it didn't go as well. We still had fun though and I think they will be fine.

At first I felt a little uneasy about helping out so much at the private schools, because obviously the kids who go to these schools are a little bit better off than most of the kids who attend public school. I don't worry about it now because I have put myself out there to all of the public schools numerous times, receiving very little enthusiasm. I have found that the teachers at both these private schools have been much more enthusiastic and proactive about having me come to help their students. I can only put myself out there and respond to those who show a real interest in receiving my help.

Today I met with Scott, Ashlee, Laura, Agii, and a couple of teachers from Scott's school. We met to discuss this year's English and general knowledge olympiad, which we will hopefully be expanding greatly. Laura, Agii and I are meeting with World Vision on Wednesday morning to give them our plan and proposal, hoping they can help us with most of the funding. We're planning on having around 180 students participating, competing in English, general knowledge(kinda like trivia), computers, and mathematics. We're getting the details worked out this week and will hopefully be meeting again before the weekend to put together flyers and study guides for the participating students. I'll keep the blog updated on how this all goes.

Anyways, not much else going on. I've been trying to eat healthier, working out daily with my dumbbells and trying out different exercises, walking and running around town when I have time. One of my personal goals is to get into top shape over the next five months, before I head to Cambodia. :) I'm doing well so far, just gotta stay focused and consistent. Laura made pizza and mac and cheese on Saturday night. It was delicious. Cheers.

Thailand Vacation, Back in Mongolia

So it's been a while since I updated the blog and I apologize for that. I was in Thailand for a few weeks and since I've been back in Olgii, I've been busy getting back into the swing of things and trying to get my schedule figured out.

First of all, Thailand was amazing. Hanna flew in from California and we met there just after Christmas. It was amazing seeing her after being apart for the past four months and it was really nice getting out of Mongolia for a few weeks during the coldest time of the year. Other than talking to some friends who'd been there last year, I didn't do much research on Thailand before going there so needless to say I was very surprised by how developed the country is. I arrived in Bangkok, blown away by how massive and nice the airport was, and made my way to a hotel near the train station. Hanna's plane had engine problems and she ended up being delayed for a day. Instead of meeting in the Korean airport, we met in Bangkok. Bangkok is a very impressive city, a mix of skyscrapers and temples. It's amazing and interesting to see the mixing of Thai culture and the way the country has adapted to so much development and foreign investment. There were many things in Bangkok that I found to be nicer than in the U.S. like movie theaters, cars, and shopping malls.

The first week and New Years' Eve/Day we spent in an island south east of Bangkok called Koh Chang. Koh Chang is a sort of 'lovers' or 'honeymooners' island and has many resorts. Luckily because Hanna came across a rather secluded and affordable resort, we were able to spend our time away from the touristy and heavily populate white sand beach resorts on the other side of the island. We stayed in a simple but nice bungalow right by the beach for five days, enjoying the delicious Thai and western style foods at the resort's restaurant. During our time in Koh Chang we also wandered up the street and found a small pavilion with some Thai 'street food' which made the best pad thai we had the entirety of our trip. This and some delicious fried rice with pork or chicken, enough to feed two people, could be had for less than two dollars. After our time in Koh Chang, we headed back to Bangkok for a night, as we had to take a train the next day up north to Chiang Mai. Our pictures from Koh Chang and Bangkok can be seen here:

Bangkok: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2073305&id=72206395&l=e07efc410a

Koh Chang: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2073371&id=72206395&l=df69c48e0b

The train ride to Chiang Mai was really comfortable, as we had a second class sleeper car. Hanna and I sat across from each other, had dinner, played cards, and when it was time to sleep, the train workers turn the seats into two very comfortable beds with curtains. It was about fourteen hours from BKK to Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai was a place that Hanna and I both enjoyed immensely. The weather was perfect, the people were friendly and helpful, the guesthouse we stayed at was really nice and affordable, we met a couple of other nice travelers who'd been to Thailand a few times, and the food, of course, was amazing. We spent most of our time in the city, wandering around checking out as many of the hundreds of temples and wats as we could, and one day we went on a trek that involved riding elephants, light hiking and swimming near a nice waterfall (with freezing cold water), and a ride down a small river on a bamboo raft. When we left Chiang Mai, we took a train down to Ayyuthaya, Thailand's old capital city, to look at some ruins and spend half a day there. Pics from Chiang Mai and Ayyuthaya can be seen below. :)

Chiang Mai: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2073372&id=72206395&l=5f128cd892

Chiang Mai and Ayyuthaya: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2073409&id=72206395&l=5df6802147

The train from Ayyuthaya to Bangkok was quite a bit different than the train to Chiang Mai. It was an express train, maybe four or five cars long, packed with people and pretty much standing room only. Hanna and I were standing right next to the open car door and luckily the ride was only an hour and a half. After Chiang Mai, Ayyuthaya and a couple days in Bangkok, our next destination was an island called Koh Phangan, in the southern part of Thailand. Again we took a comfortable train, down to a port town called Surat Thani, took a boat to the island and then took an hour truck ride across the island to a pretty secluded and nice beach called Than Sadet. We stayed in a bungalow 'on the rocks', right above the ocean and a couple minute walk from the white sand beach. The beach had four or five restaurants, a couple bungalow resorts, and some really nice sand and water. The bungalow we stayed in was really nice with a large comfortable bed and an amazing view of the ocean. The food was excellent, the weather (except for a little rain in the middle of the week) was nice, and the people were all friendly. The time in Koh Phagnan was very relaxing and I'd definitely recommend that island as a place to visit for anyone looking for a nice, affordable vacation. Pics from Koh Phangan can be seen below.

Koh Phangan: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2073416&id=72206395&l=447e8dc501

After Koh Phangan, we headed back to Bangkok for a couple days before I had to fly back to Mongolia and Hanna would head to Cambodia for her next work adventure. In Bangkok we enjoyed some great food, a little swimming in the hotel pool, wandered around some nice shopping malls, and watched a few movies in really nice theaters. After saying sad goodbyes to Hanna I boarded a plane for Korea, where I ended up having my four hour layover turned into a twenty hour layover and finally flew back to Mongolia. UB, as expected, was freezing cold and not the most exciting place to be after spending over three weeks in Thailand with Hanna. I spent two days in Thailand, ran a lot of errands (including finally picking up a dummbell set), and hopped on a plane back to Olgii. I'm happy to be getting back to my work in Olgii but I miss Hanna very much and I look forward to seeing her as soon as possible after my service with Peace Corps is over.

As far as work goes, I'm still waiting to receive the grant funds that were approved by Peace Corps. I met with teachers this week to discuss English clubs at two schools and will be starting teaching this week. I'm also going to be teaching the student joint council starting next Thursday, will be meeting with Agii to discuss this year's English olympiad, and I'm going to start planning a TIP (Trafficking in Persons) seminar for Olgii's teenagers asap.

I have more to write about but not much time at the moment so I will update the blog again as soon as possible. In the meanwhile, feel free to check out my girlfriend Hanna's blog (linked in my friend's blogs list, down on the right side) to check out more pictures and her stories about Thailand, and also her current work with the Harpswell Foundation in Cambodia. Hope everyone is doing well. Pics and more posts to come, as always. :) Take care.

Ulaanbaatar

I'm in UB now, enjoying the company of friends, making new Peace Corps (M20) friends, enjoying delicious food, delicious beverages, and also trying to get a few of the details finished up on my projects. Life is good. Pics are from the past few days. I met up with friends from around PC Mongolia and also Nurbol from Olgii. I'm heading to Thailand soon and won't be on the internet much, as I'll be enjoying the company of my beautiful girlfriend Hanna, and the beautiful beaches of Koh Chang and Koh Phangan. :) I'll try to post pics from Thailand when I have some time. I hope everyone has a great holiday season. Happy holidays!

A sigh of relief....almost

Ok so the past two days have been really hectic but it seems as though I can breathe at least a small sigh of relief. Yesterday I met with my director (boss) and my friend, student, and part time translator, Gulim, we hashed out the details on the grant and on some of the costs, I made the necessary changes to the grant, and today we set up the joint bank account in which we will receive the grant funds. I need to complete a bit more paperwork, we're waiting on the grant to be translated into Mongolian by an English teacher who works at Bastama school(where I teach fifth and seventh grade English clubs), and I'll see how things go from there. There was a little confusion and some miscommunication on the bank account specifics but we got it straightened out with the help of Laura's counterpart Mara, a very nice, smart, hard working, and helpful English teacher. :)

Speaking of Laura, today I donated the majority of my English resources to her library. I had an assortment of movies, books, maps, crayons, colored pencils, markers, magazines, construction paper and numerous other English resources that I felt would be more effective in the English library, where students will have easy access to them. I have used a lot of these resources in my teaching but as things have slowed down recently with my classes, I felt it would be much better for them to all be placed in the library. Most of these resources were sent by friends and family from the U.S. and I just want everyone who sent supplies to know that they are being put to good use. :) I was in the library today making some copies and there were a lot of students there checking out books and looking for American Christmas materials (songs, books, movies, etc.). Things are going really well at Laura's library, I'm very happy for her and glad I was able to help out a little bit. I have been meaning to take pictures of the library so people back home can see what I'm talking about. I'll try to get that done today or tomorrow and get them posted up.

Anyways, I have to finish up editing and typing the UNICEF proposal tonight, I've been so busy the past two days I've had very little time to finish that. I will definitely have it finished and sent to UNICEF Mongolia before I head out on my trip to Thailand. Tomorrow I have to pack my stuff and clean my apartment up a little bit. Saturday morning I head to Ulaanbaatar, next week I have my flu shot and a dental appointment and I will be heading to Darhan for Christmas to visit my friend Cristiana and meet some of the M20s. After that, I head to Thailand for a little over three weeks of vacation with Hanna. More pics and updates to come, as always. Hope everyone is having a good holiday season so far. :)

When it rains, it pours

When it rains, it pours. I can't think of a more appropriate idiom or expression to explain what's happening to me right now, hahaha. I have been bored, frustrated, impatient, and waiting for things to happen over the past couple weeks. Suddenly, it's the week before I leave for vacation and I find myself busier than I've been in a long time, almost running around like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to get things done. In addition to finding out that my grant has been conditionally approved, yesterday I received an email from the head of UNICEF Mongolia telling me that they are interested in possibly helping out with some projects in our community. My work finally lets me know that the aimag (province) government has decided to provide funding/support in the form of 30 million tugriks. This money, plus another 120 million from ngo World Vision, will go towards building a completely new children's 'palace' next year, provided we can get additional support and funding from UNICEF and/or other organizations. Marta, one of the English teachers at Bastama, where I teach a few English clubs, translated the children's center's project proposal into English for me today and I am currently editing and typing it. I'm hoping to finish and email it to UNICEF tonight.

I have a meeting in a few minutes with my boss and my student (and incredibly helpful translator and friend) Gulim to discuss the changes that need to be made to the grant. I need to check on some costs, clarify a few points, figure out how we'll have the grant translated into Mongolian, open up a joint bank account with my boss, fill out some SPA (small project assistance) paperwork, and get this all submitted to Peace Corps before Saturday morning. I'm going to dinner with Laura, Ashlee, Bek and a couple of travelers tonight. I'm hoping to talk about the projects a bit more and some other ideas to go with them, with Ashlee and Laura. I know that Laura's family and friends collected thousands of books to be sent to Olgii for her English library and we're looking for funding to have the books shipped..and I also have a number of friends and family members who are interested in contributing books or money towards projects here. Any books that can't be used in the English library will probably end up in the children's learning center. As soon as we figure out what our plan is and what we think is the top priority, I'll update my blog and send out some emails clarifying things.

More to come as things progress. Hope all is well. :)