Paul D. Coverdell World Wise Schools and new YouTube Channel

Hey guys!

I've recently launched a new Youtube channel, where I plan to upload videos of my life here in Mongolia as a PCV. I also participate in the Paul D.Coverdell World Wise School Correspondence Program, which brings the Peace Corps experience to American class rooms. I've been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to partner with a former high school history teacher. This amazing teacher was the first to introduce me to Mongolia, so it only made sense for me to share my experience with her and her students. I highly recommend this program if you're an educator working in the US, its been rewarding in so many ways. For more information about how you and your students can connect with a PCV visit the link below.

Paul D. Coverdell World Wise Schools

http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/about/

Youtube Channel Trailer

Peace Corps Mongolia Youth Life Skills Development

The Govi-Altai Health Department conducts an annual provincial wide monitoring and evaluation campaign every November. Our director, UNFPA project officer, structure engineer and maternal

Govi-Altai Province

childhood health specialist and myself participated in this years trip. We visited a total of 8 soums (villages) covering over 500 kilometers. Working alongside UNFPA project officer Bayanjargal and secondary school teachers we facilitated youth life skills.

Life skills are the psychological and social abilities that enable a person to adapt to and deal effectively with the demands and challenges of daily life. There are many life skills, but two main areas of life skills are personal management skills and social skills. Peace Corps in partnerships with UNFPA develop a series of manuals to build and strengthen the life skills capacity of youth age 13-18.

Peace Corps Mongolia Life Skills Books

Young people in Mongolia are growing up in a society that is undergoing a major transition even as they, themselves, are in a period of transition to adulthood. As part of an increasingly globalized world, they have to deal with an ever-widening number of influences and difficulties. As part of an economic system that is undergoing dramatic change, their families and communities are also confronting greater challenges and facing increased pressure, stress, and insecurity. These factors can lead people to start smoking, to abuse alcohol, and to resort to violence within their own families and in society, among other things.

Our trainings primarily focused on HIV/AIDS, STI/STD prevention, Self Esteem, and Stress Management. The students and teachers were a joy to work with and I look forward to returning back to the soums for future trainings.

Bayan-Uul Soum (pop. 2,943) Secondary School

Bayan Uul Soum Hospital

Tsogt Soum (pop. 3,697) Secondary School

Tseel Soum (pop. 2,038) Secondary School (One of my favorite Soum's!!)

Chandmani Soum (pop. 2,053)

I was unable to take pictures at every soum (technical difficulties, my camera died and there was no electricity).

More Pics from our trip...

Ger Stop at Sharag Soum

Fall Update 2013

Hey guys!! I can honestly say I love this blog! Its been such an amazing platform for me to share my experiences thus far with friends, family and who ever else is interested in reading about them. So what have I been up to lately??

Oyuna's Birthday Luncheon

Approximately two weeks before we departed for our epic expedition to mother mountain, we celebrated Oyuna's 58th birthday. Oyuna is pharmacist here in Altai and she recently retired from teaching at the Health Sciences University of Mongolia. She manages her own pharmacy right next to the general hospital, so what better place to celebrate her birthday than in her office during lunch! We had an awesome time, my site mates Jerome and Love were there along with Jargal and other teachers from the college. We sang songs and had our fair share of lunch meats, candy and cake.

Muhkbaatars Last Day

 I have the unfortunate displeasure to tell you all that my friend and main counterpart Muhkbaatar has resigned from the GAA Health Department. He has decided to pursue his master's degree in Ulan Bator and we wish him all the best! Good luck Muugii!

I made him a going away card and chocolate chuck muffins on his last day :( Miss you Muggii!

 

Thanksgiving 2013

We celebrated Thanksgiving a week earlier here in Altai this year at my home, nevertheless it was still an awesome time. I prepared lemon rosemary chicken, baked macaroni and cheese, a house salad, garlic mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, quiche tarts and chocolate chuck cupcakes for dessert. My site mates Max brought  Tzatziki and veggies while Jerome made hot chocolate and Love made mashed yams. Byron and Sondra made a wonderful apple pie crumble with whipped cream (a real treat out here in the our isolated soum) and Magda brought snacks for us to munch on afterwards. Dinner was amazing and we played Phase 10 afterwards. Once again good times! Now you would never know we celebrated Thanksgiving, given the photo we all took together has Christmas decorations hanging up in the background (I couldn't resist waiting until after Thanksgiving to decorate this year). I also forgot to take pictures of our wonderful meal :( All I have is whats posted below.

Yes I know who takes a Thanksgiving photo with Christmas decorations as the backdrop…we do! lol

So heres the salad...

Heres the quiche crust before I added the filling and….

Heres a chicken salad I made with the left overs lol I'm really regretting not taking more pics this just doesn't do any justice

Christmas Decorations 2013

Cue Toni Braxton's Christmas Time is Here, deck the halls with boughs of holly, break out that tinsel and tree because the most wonderful time of year is here folks!! Christmas is my favorite holiday, for one its Jesus' birthday and secondly its a time of giving and joy. What do you do when you're thousands of kilometers from home?? You go decorate every inch of your Mongolian apartment turning it into a winter wonderland. Merry Christmas, Enjoy :)