Quote of the week April 15-21

Ski Trip

Hey Guys! Some friends and I recently went on a ski trip here in Mongolia. There's an amazing place by the name of "Sky Resort" in the capital of Ulan Bator. They had everything from skiing and snowboarding to tobogganing and cross country skiing. It had been a while since my last adventure on the slopes but I eventually got the hang of it :)

The Lift

Lunch with the Ambassador

My Counterpart Muhkbaatar and I recently had the opportunity to have lunch with US Ambassador to Mongolia, Piper Anne Wind Campbell. Madame Ambassador was recently sworn in on August 6, 2012. She was a pleasure to meet and I enjoyed our conversation. She's a native of Buffalo,NY so we had quite a bit to talk about since I'm from nearby Rochester.

From left to right: (Seated) Peace Corps Mongolia Country Director, Darlene Grant, US Ambassador to Mongolia Piper Anne Wind Campbell, PCV Eva Riddick. (Standing directly behind me) HCA Counterpart Muhkbaatar Choijamts.

Muhkbaatar, Madame Ambassador and I.

Tsagaan Sar 2013

Customary Greeting  "Zolgokh"

Tsagaan Sar or "White Month," is the Mongolian New Year based on the Lunar Calender. The date of Tsagaan sar, depends on the phases of the moon, and falls anywhere between the end of January and early March. The Calender uses a 12 base system, with the century consisting of 12 years, the year, of 12 months, and the day, of 12 hours. The years bear the names of animals (Mouse, Cow, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey. Rooster, Dog, and Pig). The Mongolian people judge the coming year by the animal name it bears. This year marked the Year of the snake. 

In towns and cities, Tsagaan Sar is celebrated for 1-3 days, in the countryside the festivities continue for about a week, sometimes until the end of February. Guest are free to come and go as they please at any time of the day. Upon arrival the guest greets the host family with the traditional ritual of "Zolgokh," which is when the eldest is first greeted by the youngest. The older person puts his or her hands palms down on the hands of the younger one and both exchange traditional well wishes and rub cheeks. The Mongolian traditional kiss is a smell on either side of the face. Families serve guest with plenty of meals:buzz/bansh (meat dumplings), salads, milk tea etc. After which families give a small gift to guest, which is typically a cue to leave. 

I had the pleasure of visiting many homes this year. I've included some pictures below of our time together. I hope you enjoy them :)

A typical table setting

Jargal, her husband and I in traditional Mongolian attire.

My supervisor Deorge in the pink deel and his wife Tungaa in the blue, at their home.

From Left to Right: JCS missionaries Magda (The Netherlands), Byron and Sondra (USA), Me and Vivian (Australia).

Us again with Urangoo.

Quote of the Week January 20-26

"A small group of determined and like-minded people can change the course of history"

-Mahatma Gandhi

Quote of the Week January 6-12

"A pessimist sees the glass as half empty, an optimist sees the glass as half full, and a Peace Corps Volunteer sees the glass and says, “Hey, I can take a bath in that!”

How To Make Fish Hoshur 101

Step 1: Find a big traditional Mongolian Ger to host your event. 

Step 2: Gather all of your friends.

Step 3: Scale, gut and debone your fish. 

                                                                                 





Step 4: Make your dough. 

Step 5: Add fish and sheep fat (yummy).




Step 6: Enjoy! (Sorry I didn't take any pictures of the finished product. They were just so delicious that I forgot.)