Hello from Mongolia!

Here I will once again try my hand at the art of blogging. Each summer I attempt to blog, with different levels of success. Let's hope this time I manage to post more often than twice.

So, hello from Mongolia! Mongolia is basically everything and nothing like what I imagined it to be.

I arrived in Mongolia on Thursday, May 31st, just twelve days after graduation. Of those twelve days I spent 4 in LA/Santa Monica, 5 in Seattle, 1 in Vancouver, and 1 in Beijing. Needless to say, by the time I arrived in Mongolia I was burnt out, exhausted, and horribly jet lagged. I also failed to pack anything useful, such as socks. The Chinggis Khan International Airport is the smallest intl airport I have ever been to. Apparently they're building a new airport, which all I can say to that is: about time, considering how much traffic UB has gotten and will continue to get as its economy and mining industry continue to boom.

My host mom picked me up from the airport and took me into UB to the family's city home. We had a nice lunch of traditional Mongolian dumplings, and I got to meet my host dad, 14-year-old sister, and 7-year-old brother. My host family is incredibly wonderful and gracious and good to me. I really could not be happier. After lunch we packed our things and drove about 25km north of UB to the family's summer home in the countryside. Having a summer home is a pretty common thing here in Mongolia, as families do not like spending more time than necessary in UB. This is understandable--UB is among the most polluted cities in the world. I am spoiled rotten here. My living conditions are modern and pristine, my host family feeds me epic amounts of food (meat meat and... more meat!), and the Mongolian countryside is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

I am here with six volunteers--3 hailing from Georgetown, one from Stanford, one from Brown, and one starting his MBA at UCLA in the fall. They're an awesome, flexible, and easy-going bunch. I really could not have asked for better volunteers. Four are teaching at a private, not-for-profit school in UB, and two are south of UB in Zuunmod. I hope I am speaking for everyone when I say that even though we have only been here 1.5 weeks and there have been many ups and downs, it has been an extremely rewarding experience. I can definitely see this program expanding to many more volunteers in the future. Mongolians love to learn English!

My days pass by quietly and peacefully. During the week I commute into UB with my host family to the Sant School, where four volunteers are teaching. While I don't teach, I have plenty to keep me busy--running LE being my biggest time sucker (what else is new?). After school I usually have lunch with my host mom and sister, and then we go back to our summer home for a restful, quiet evening. On the weekends we go to the family's farm, deep in the Mongolian countryside where it becomes clear why Mongolia is the least densely populated country in the world. It is majestic and beautiful and wonderful there, and the views just take your breath away. It sounds cheesy but it is so true.

I am enjoying myself far more than I expected to here. Throughout the day I have so many hours to unwind, relax, and lose myself in natural, untouched beauty. Being out here really reminds me of how distracting being in a city like DC or a school like Georgetown is. For four years, I constantly felt like I was sprinting a marathon, always on the look out for the next big thing, always working hard to be the best. While it was productive and I do feel like I accomplished a lot in my time at Gtown, I can't say that I hope to return to that lifestyle anytime soon. There is just something so serene and beautiful about my quiet life here. I'm surprised that someone as Type A as I am can really enjoy it. But I am. I feel like my soul is being healed, my heart filled, and my spirit rejuvenated.

If you ever get the chance, do not pass up the chance to come to Mongolia. It is worth it.