Another week down and we have been in country over 2 months! It has been a long and busy week as our Christmas party was on Thursday. That meant I was in a mad panic for the last few days trying to get everything sorted, prizes in, collected etc.
Of course this being Mongolia it was all done at basically the last minute but we did end up with enough prizes to hold both an auction and a raffle. Also in keeping with this being Mongolia no-one thought to tell me that we took Thursday basically off to get our hair done and nails done! So after working to 10pm on Wednesday night I arrived in at 9am to find no-one else there. It was mildly frustrating but I took the afternoon off and was able to get a last minute hair appointment and nail appointment so I was able to look my best. Whether getting my hair done by someone who spoke no English was a good idea, Ill leave to your judgment. Apparently it is a good Mongolia hairstyle! In my crazy mood I decided if I had Mongolian hair I would also wear my Deel out. It was hilarious the crazy looks I got from the kids and Mongolian people!
The party was great fun even if the food was dire - there was lots of alcohol on the tables and everyone seemed to have a good time. My raffle and auction raised over 400,000 tugrug which was fantastic for the fundraising event in Mongolia. It was overshadowed by the ridiculous gift bags given to everyone. At the last minute they decided that chocolates, calendar, newspaper and annual report were not enough that they would buy an extra 100 bottles of champagne, one for everyone who was there. Each bottle cost 5000. So my fundraising was basically eaten up by buying champagne which I am not ok with. My boss did agree with me when I brought it up in work this morning but I will be discussing it further. But the dancing was good, and I had fun with the younger crowd and everyone was happy with how the fundraising and my appearance went!
Of course seeing as they hadn't told me Thursday was pretty much a day off they didnt tell me that Friday was basically a day off. So having got in late, I got up at 8.30, it took an hour to wash the hairspray out of my hair and made it into work for 10.30 and there was one other person there, who looked at me as if I was crazy and told me to go home! So I got a day lazing around the house which was at least a nice way to spend the day!
Friday night we had two Christmas parties - the British Embassy and a VSO one. At the British embassy we had mince pies (not as good as Mum's!!), mulled wine and carols around the bonfire along with the outdoor ice bar! Sarah and I then headed to the VSO house party where we had sausage rolls and lots of cocktails and dancing. We also tried out the Mongolian party trick which is throwing a cup of boiling water out the window at -30 and it turns into snow! It is very cool!!
Sunday was pretty quiet which was nice but I still made it to church and discovered a few more volunteers attending service which was nice.
I also finally received my package from my Mum, 6 weeks after posting and I discovered why it had taken so long – Royal mail in their infinite wisdom had sent it to Malaysia instead of Mongolia, even though it was clearly marked Mongolia! So I did get everything, but the chocolate was all melted!! Lol!
Monday, 21 December 2009
Sunday, 13 December 2009
Christmas party in Terelj
Horse back riding through the trees
Mulled wine to warm us up!
The cutest child ever!
Christmas Presents
Sledding poses!
Our Country Director and his daughter enjoying the sledging
A very pink child on a sled!
Navamani with the snowman
Another cute child on a sled
Our ger
Mulled wine to warm us up!
The cutest child ever!
Christmas Presents
Sledding poses!
Our Country Director and his daughter enjoying the sledging
A very pink child on a sled!
Navamani with the snowman
Another cute child on a sled
Our ger
Photos of MEA projects
Games with puppets
Kids hard at work in class
Kids here do the cleaning work too
Paintings on the wall
Kids playing in the READ classroom
Reading in the classroom - check out the enormous hair bobbles!!
Kids playing in Kindergarten
Kindergarten 2 kids eating yoghurt
Playing in the toys provided by MEA
Everything stopped as the white girl went by!
Enjoying the animals
ECO classroom for deaf and hard of hearing children
Sign language charts
Christmas hallway!
Kindergarten
cute kids having yoghurt for break
Christmas in our apartment!
School in Mongolia
Book Ger project
Kids hard at work in class
Kids here do the cleaning work too
Paintings on the wall
Kids playing in the READ classroom
Reading in the classroom - check out the enormous hair bobbles!!
Kids playing in Kindergarten
Kindergarten 2 kids eating yoghurt
Playing in the toys provided by MEA
Everything stopped as the white girl went by!
Enjoying the animals
ECO classroom for deaf and hard of hearing children
Sign language charts
Christmas hallway!
Kindergarten
cute kids having yoghurt for break
Christmas in our apartment!
School in Mongolia
Book Ger project
Christmas fever has hit Mongolia
I am aware that Mongolia does not celebrate Christmas, being a non-Christian country, however they apparently havent got the memo. Sarah described it as Christmas threw up. Mongolians appear to love Christmas decorations so now every available surface is covered in tinsel. This would be cheerful and Christmassy in many situations, and especially heartening for those of us who are away from home however no-one seems to have explained the wonder of minimalism or colour co-ordination. So every colour of tinsel is applied together, in large quantities, along with every other Christmas decoration in every colour and shape on every inch of space that is currently clear. It is a bit of an eyesore!! And we do not escape the joy of supermarket Christmas tunes on replay as they are also a big favourite of Mongolians.
I was treated to an overwhelming display of this when I was finally taken on a tour of the projects my organisation does in schools. Minus the overwhelming display of Christmas decorations in most schools the day was a fantastic experience for me. I was able to see how the projects I am raising funds for work in practice, to speak to the children who use the projects and the local communities and to see more of the real Mongolia. I was out in the Khoroo ger districts, the countryside near UB and the only deaf school in Mongolia. it was a really worthwhile day and I am glad I was able to get out.
On the theme of Christmas UB is emptying of ex pats who can afford to go home for the holidays (or to somewhere warm!) or those who have finished assignments here. It is a sad fact of life in the ex pat community that it is transitory and it is sad to say goodbye to good friends. But we will have a whole new round of new faces in January and February, and we will no longer be the newest arrivals!
We also had our VSO Christmas party this week which consisted of the VSO volunteers and staff chartering a bus to Terelj, sledding, drinking mulled wine, having secret Santa and horse riding. It was a fantastic day, and it felt like Christmas is supposed to - a family of many nationalities and difference experiences spanning 4 generations and just enjoying spending time together.
I also had meetings with Amnesty International, people about fundraising, other NGO's and celebrated Mike's birthday! On top of this in work they asked me to organise a raffle and auction for our 5th anniversary party on Thursday night - something I have participated in in the UK but which would usually take at least 6 weeks to organise and plan. I have 7 days, no interpreter and no Mongolian! Also Mongolians have no concept of donating to charity so asking businesses for donations is somethign they have never experienced before. I did one afternoon on my own and they just looked at me like I had two heads when I asked for something for free. I was able to get a volunteer interpreter for Friday afternoon which made things much easier and I started to get some positive feedback and they were interested in donating. I have my fingers crossed that when I call them or visit on Monday/Tuesday they will give me prizes! So it will be a busy week.
I have finally found a church now the curfew and public gathering ban has been lifted. It is a very international church with at least 28 different countries represented there and they were very welcoming and friendly and another VSO volunteer goes as well so I knew one face! I am glad to have found a nice church before Christmas so I can celebrate it properly and continue throughout the year - they have a small choir and a sunday school so hopefully once I have been there a few weeks Ill be able to work with them.
I was treated to an overwhelming display of this when I was finally taken on a tour of the projects my organisation does in schools. Minus the overwhelming display of Christmas decorations in most schools the day was a fantastic experience for me. I was able to see how the projects I am raising funds for work in practice, to speak to the children who use the projects and the local communities and to see more of the real Mongolia. I was out in the Khoroo ger districts, the countryside near UB and the only deaf school in Mongolia. it was a really worthwhile day and I am glad I was able to get out.
On the theme of Christmas UB is emptying of ex pats who can afford to go home for the holidays (or to somewhere warm!) or those who have finished assignments here. It is a sad fact of life in the ex pat community that it is transitory and it is sad to say goodbye to good friends. But we will have a whole new round of new faces in January and February, and we will no longer be the newest arrivals!
We also had our VSO Christmas party this week which consisted of the VSO volunteers and staff chartering a bus to Terelj, sledding, drinking mulled wine, having secret Santa and horse riding. It was a fantastic day, and it felt like Christmas is supposed to - a family of many nationalities and difference experiences spanning 4 generations and just enjoying spending time together.
I also had meetings with Amnesty International, people about fundraising, other NGO's and celebrated Mike's birthday! On top of this in work they asked me to organise a raffle and auction for our 5th anniversary party on Thursday night - something I have participated in in the UK but which would usually take at least 6 weeks to organise and plan. I have 7 days, no interpreter and no Mongolian! Also Mongolians have no concept of donating to charity so asking businesses for donations is somethign they have never experienced before. I did one afternoon on my own and they just looked at me like I had two heads when I asked for something for free. I was able to get a volunteer interpreter for Friday afternoon which made things much easier and I started to get some positive feedback and they were interested in donating. I have my fingers crossed that when I call them or visit on Monday/Tuesday they will give me prizes! So it will be a busy week.
I have finally found a church now the curfew and public gathering ban has been lifted. It is a very international church with at least 28 different countries represented there and they were very welcoming and friendly and another VSO volunteer goes as well so I knew one face! I am glad to have found a nice church before Christmas so I can celebrate it properly and continue throughout the year - they have a small choir and a sunday school so hopefully once I have been there a few weeks Ill be able to work with them.
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Shopping and winter sports
Unfortunately last week started badly with my cough/cold meaning I missed a day of work and then was pretty miserable in work for the first few days of the week. Mongolians really don’t like sick people, especially with the heightened state of awareness about H1N1 so there were many comments about me going home and resting and not infecting everyone else! Luckily it passed after a couple of days, but no-one wanted to meet with me incase I was infectious so work was pretty quiet.
On Tuesday night one of the VSO’s who was leaving Mongolia at the end of his placement had drinks at the Irish bar. Being Mongolia there are random rules on drinking, so along with the curfew at 9pm there is no alcohol in our district on the 1st of the Month. Apparently this is something to do with preventing drunkenness but seeing as each district chooses which day of the month they ban alcohol, a 15 minute walk down the road would have provided us with alcohol as that district doesn’t ban alcohol on the 1st of the month. It is all quite crazy. It was a nice evening and our departing friend was given a deel by his work colleagues and pulled it off remarkably well, convincing me that maybe I should try the deel look.
I managed to get assigned the position of education representative for the volunteer committee in Mongolia, and I am still not quite sure what is involved but it means I get to leave work early some Friday afternoons, so it is definitely worth it! We had our vol comm meeting on Friday where we discussed all the burning issues VSO’s have from water filters to Christmas party!
We held a VSO leaving party after the vol com which was a fun night although it was sad to see someone leave. The expat community is a very transient community as people leave and arrive with alarming frequency! It does mean a constant stream of fresh faces which is refreshing as we are a rather small group, but it also means that forming friendships and investing in relationships will be harder as one of you will always leave.
I have been on a bit of a shopping spree this week as Sarah found an NGO that works with local craftspeople and gives them a base to sell from in UB. So on Thursday we took a long lunch and got fitted for boots. These are hand made leather boots made to your specification. So having my large feet and wide calves the opportunity was unmissable and I have ordered a pair of knee high boots. The bags, souvenirs, wall hangings and slippers they had on display were all gorgeous and at close to cost price, certainly not the prices that they are in the souvenir shops so this place is a great find.
On Saturday they were having a traditional clothing fair so we headed down as I was keen to get a Deel and Sarah wanted some traditional boots. I distressed the tailor as I selected mens cloth and mens buttons for my deel, but the womens fabrics were not nice and the blue wool I have chosen was gorgeous. I think I will probably look fairly ridiculous in my deel and I may not wear it out much but it is definitely worth having and it is something I have talked about getting since I arrived. I was also able to find a hand made belt and some nice tops so I may have to go back and do my Christmas shopping!
On Sunday I went ice skating on an outdoor ice rink which was great fun. Although it isn’t in the nicest looking area of town as it is on a main road, there is a view out towards the mountains which is nice. It was just lovely to be out getting exercise doing something fun. I did end up falling on my backside twice and I have to learn not to put down my hands as my wrists were sore for days afterwards! We went for lunch afterwards as well which was great as standing outside chatting was getting chilly!
The afternoon was spent in a baking frenzy as Sarah and I were having our housewarming party and we had decided on a pudding party. Unfortunately we are still getting used to the lack of scales and dodgy oven so although my banana cake was really good, the chocolate one was pretty poor – which means I have to work on it some more! We had a whole lot of cake which was fantastic (although not so good for the waistline!) and a perfect number of people for the number of seats we own.
On Tuesday night one of the VSO’s who was leaving Mongolia at the end of his placement had drinks at the Irish bar. Being Mongolia there are random rules on drinking, so along with the curfew at 9pm there is no alcohol in our district on the 1st of the Month. Apparently this is something to do with preventing drunkenness but seeing as each district chooses which day of the month they ban alcohol, a 15 minute walk down the road would have provided us with alcohol as that district doesn’t ban alcohol on the 1st of the month. It is all quite crazy. It was a nice evening and our departing friend was given a deel by his work colleagues and pulled it off remarkably well, convincing me that maybe I should try the deel look.
I managed to get assigned the position of education representative for the volunteer committee in Mongolia, and I am still not quite sure what is involved but it means I get to leave work early some Friday afternoons, so it is definitely worth it! We had our vol comm meeting on Friday where we discussed all the burning issues VSO’s have from water filters to Christmas party!
We held a VSO leaving party after the vol com which was a fun night although it was sad to see someone leave. The expat community is a very transient community as people leave and arrive with alarming frequency! It does mean a constant stream of fresh faces which is refreshing as we are a rather small group, but it also means that forming friendships and investing in relationships will be harder as one of you will always leave.
I have been on a bit of a shopping spree this week as Sarah found an NGO that works with local craftspeople and gives them a base to sell from in UB. So on Thursday we took a long lunch and got fitted for boots. These are hand made leather boots made to your specification. So having my large feet and wide calves the opportunity was unmissable and I have ordered a pair of knee high boots. The bags, souvenirs, wall hangings and slippers they had on display were all gorgeous and at close to cost price, certainly not the prices that they are in the souvenir shops so this place is a great find.
On Saturday they were having a traditional clothing fair so we headed down as I was keen to get a Deel and Sarah wanted some traditional boots. I distressed the tailor as I selected mens cloth and mens buttons for my deel, but the womens fabrics were not nice and the blue wool I have chosen was gorgeous. I think I will probably look fairly ridiculous in my deel and I may not wear it out much but it is definitely worth having and it is something I have talked about getting since I arrived. I was also able to find a hand made belt and some nice tops so I may have to go back and do my Christmas shopping!
On Sunday I went ice skating on an outdoor ice rink which was great fun. Although it isn’t in the nicest looking area of town as it is on a main road, there is a view out towards the mountains which is nice. It was just lovely to be out getting exercise doing something fun. I did end up falling on my backside twice and I have to learn not to put down my hands as my wrists were sore for days afterwards! We went for lunch afterwards as well which was great as standing outside chatting was getting chilly!
The afternoon was spent in a baking frenzy as Sarah and I were having our housewarming party and we had decided on a pudding party. Unfortunately we are still getting used to the lack of scales and dodgy oven so although my banana cake was really good, the chocolate one was pretty poor – which means I have to work on it some more! We had a whole lot of cake which was fantastic (although not so good for the waistline!) and a perfect number of people for the number of seats we own.
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