Month in review

I have been so busy lately that I have yet to find the time to sit down and jot down my most recent thoughts and experiences. Well, I finally have some free time so for the next page or so you have my complete and undivided attention. Since my last entry I have found myself to be the busiest I have ever been since coming to Mongolia which by the way I fully enjoy and embrace. However why is it that when your busy days and weeks fly by and you’re always wishing there were more hours in the day. But when you have little to no work days coast by almost as if time is at a stand still? So, what is it that has been keeping me so busy? That’s a good question…sometimes I don’t even know. Lately most of my time has been dedicated to my three most recent projects, these include: creating a healthy eating brochure with foods and meals specific to Mongolia, providing nutrition education classes to adolescents aged 13-17, and my most time consuming project of traveling to rural areas of my province to weigh children aged 0-5. The first two projects mentioned have been interesting because it has given me a chance to get more involved with people I have yet to work with in my community. Initially I was designing the healthy eating brochure for hospital and health department employees (primarily just a project to keep me busy). Soon however I noticed more interest in the brochure. Just recently I have been working with a counterpart to distribute it to all twenty-six villages that make up the province that I live in. It has been interesting to observe the excitement and involvement put forth by my counter parts. Well I would continue on but I would hate to bore you. I will move on to a topic of more interest and entertainment (well at least I find it be both interesting and entertaining).
For the past few months I have been monitoring and recording the weights and heights of children aged 0-5 in my community. The primary reasoning for this is to track the growth and development of children hoping that they all fall in the appropriate percentile…yada yada yada this is important but I feel as though I would bore you (yet again) if I were to describe something like percentiles for height, weight, sex and age. Beside the physical growth of the child I have also had the opportunity to observe the physical appearance of the child doing such can identify vitamin/mineral deficiencies (a very common one here is Mongolia is Rickets or vit D deficiency). So what does one do with all the information collected? Well usually I will provide nutrition education classes for mothers and fathers stressing the importance of a proper diet for a growing child. So anyways. For the past two weeks I had the opportunity to travel to the countryside to visit three rural communities with the health department to conduct health screenings among the population. I was very excited to have this opportunity because it would allow for me to screen more children and potentially provide some information to parents, adolescents or pretty much anyone willing to listen to some crazy foreigner. During my two weeks in the countryside I had experienced an aspect of the Mongolian culture that I had yet to discover. It was amazing and an experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. This was the deepest I had ever been in the countryside… no cell phone service and no electricity. I felt as though I was in the middle of nowhere. Well I guess I practically was but it was awesome. So were did we go exactly? Myself and ten of my counterparts traveled to three villages Tsagaan Nuur, Ulaan Uul, and Renchinlum (all of which are located in the northwestern part of the Hovsgol province). I won’t discuss all of the places we visited just the ones I found most interesting, Tsagaan Nuur (which translates to white lake). Tsagaan Nuur is located 260 km from where I live Murun. However with no roads it takes a little under fifteen-hours to travel there. Tsagaan Nuur was the most interesting because it is home to a small ethnic group that herds reindeers (called the Dukha), here is a brief background:
Only 44 Dukha families remain, totaling somewhere between 200 and 400 people. They ride, breed, milk, and live off of reindeer, though the reindeer population has dropped to approximately 600 since the 1970s, when it was an estimated 2000. Since the democratization of Mongolia, no governmental programs have been in place to replenish reindeer herds with animals from Siberia, direly endangering the Dukha way of life. Much of the Dukha income today comes from tourists who pay to buy their crafts and to ride their domesticated reindeer.
As you can see this is what I was talking about when I mentioned a piece of Mongolia that I have yet to experience. The Dukha people were fascinating and I was so fortunate to witness and observe such a traditional way of living. The Dukha people live 30 to 40 kilometers outside the village of Tsagaan Nuur. However to get to there encampment of Tepees (yes similar to ones of Native Americans) you can only drive a portion of the way for the last 30 kilometers or so you have to ride a horse or a reindeer…yes, you read correctly a reindeer. After riding a reindeer for 30 km I came to the realization that it is not the ideal mode of transportation. It is quite the awkward and lanky animal and to say the least my ass was a little tender at the end of the day. The opportunity to interact with the Dukha was in its self worth the grueling ride and plus how many people do you know how can say they have ridden a reindeer? During my short visit to the Dukha community I was able to enjoy few of the many foods offered from the reindeer including milk, cheese, dried meat, and of course dried curds. It is quite the life. Imagine that everything you eat comes from reindeer. The diet consists of little to no fruits and vegetables. Primarily it is a protein, fat and carb (from flour) based diet. This is very unfortunate and causes many of the deficiencies that are found among the population. It’s a difficult situation to discuss proper nutrition with a community that has no access to healthy and nutritious foods. I see no point in discussing what can’t be attained even if they had the money to acquire the food for a proper diet its simply unavailable. As far as actual work I weighed all of the Dukha children that I could. However there were not many I was only able to collect data from 40 children.
In total among the three villages that we visited I was able to collect data on 250 children and provide a small amount of nutrition education. It was an amazing trip to the countryside and much of the time I felt as though I was in Mongolia again for the first time. I hope I didn’t bore you to much…enjoy the pictures.

Mission: Countryside Sheep Retrieval

The past few weeks have flown by. I can’t believe it’s almost the end of May (meaning I have already been here a year). It wasn’t until this month that I fully appreciated what the summer months have to offer. The trees and fields of Muron that were once bleak and depressing have been slowing turning a brilliant green. It’s amazing what a little color does for ones moral. I have been working on various projects and for the first time in a while I find myself tired at the end of the day. As I drag my feet home I mull over potential meal ideas. Constantly trying to make something new, however this can be difficult when I only have four or five food staples. Usually I’ll settle for stir fry (noodles carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic) although sometimes I go all out and splurge on a bell pepper or two. Usually meals are all the same just slightly different variations. I can make a soup out of stir fry…all you do is add water (perfect for cold days). The windy season is coming to a close (or at least I hope it is) and right now I don’t think the weather could be better. However nothing can ever be perfect so of course there is consequences with this warmer more tolerable weather…tourists! I find myself having mixed feelings about tourists who visit Mongolia. Don’t get me wrong it’s nice seeing another foreigner every now and then. I have discovered that it can be a nice break to sit down and have a conversation with someone in English. The only thing is that I don’t want to be viewed as a tourist myself. This is only because many times tourists will be taken advantage of. To be honest sometimes they may deserve this as I’m sure not all tourists are culturally sensitive and may also get a little frustrated with the many unexpected happenings that occur on a daily basis in Mongolia (also a majority of the time tourists probably don’t even know they’re be taken advantage of). I don’t want to send the wrong message. I have met some really awesome down to earth tourists but there is always that one…and when I meet this tourist I think to myself “why the hell did you choose to travel to Mongolia in the first place”
This past weekend was to say the least interesting. Every year the Health Department (that I volunteer for) has a Mongolian version of a work BBQ. You know all the workers getting together for a day to enjoy the recent change in weather But instead of cooking meat on a grill it is done with hot rocks over a fire, instead of eating bacon wrapped filet mingnon they have liver wrapped in fat, instead of cold beer there is warm vodka, and of course singing, speeches, and how could I forget the infamous potato salad (I have discovered is the universal side dish). It is done every spring once the wind dies down and the temperature rises. Many of my coworkers were very excited and made some what of a big deal of the whole thing (there was even a meeting about it so I knew it was a big deal). I was also excited for this. It would give me a chance to spend some time with my coworkers in a non work setting. But I was also excited because we would be doing “Horhog” the traditional Mongolian way to prepare meat and vegetables with hot rocks. It is by far the most delicious and delectable thing I have ever had in Mongolia. I have been in Mongolia for almost a year, thus allowing for me to have my fair share of parties. This has provided me with quite an engrossing opportunity to ascertain the differences between American and Mongolian work parties. It did not take much to spot out the differences as most are pronounced. One of the largest differences is the manner in which the meat is brought to the party. Usually (at least in America) meat is purchased at a store cut and nicely wrapped. Well as you may or may not know it is done slightly different in Mongolia. Story follows:
“Do you want to go to the countryside to pick up sheep for the party on Saturday?” These were the first words said to me Thursday morning. No good morning or how did you rest? This morning the formalities were completely thrown out the window. At first I was a little thrown off by this (to say the least it is was not what I was expecting to hear). However it all made sense when I remembered that I’m in Mongolia. How could anyone turn down such an opportunity? I of course was interested. I was actually surprised. In most cases I not asked or told anything. I am always rushed off at the last moment wondering what the hell is going on or more importantly where the hell we are going. I would soon find out that we were going to a herder’s home to pick up sheep. It may sound odd but traveling to the countryside to pick up animals is more common than one would think. The sheep would be picked up from a herders Ger and brought to the party…where they would be slaughtered (not one but two). This brings up an interesting thought. Its weird eating a meal that you know was alive only a couple hours before. By far the freshest meat I have ever had. We ended up driving for about two hours (of course in the middle of nowhere) just to pick up some sheep (Mongolians take much care in the selection of their sheep). There are sheep everywhere is this country (livestock out numbers people 5 to 1) so I was confused as to why we drove two hours out of the way. We could have easily bought two equally good sheep right from Muron and completely skipped the short adventure to the countryside. It was an interesting trip. The herder was as friendly as ever and after hog tying the sheep into the back of our van invited us in for soup, tea, and of course the inevitable vodka.
The party on Saturday was a great time and an experience I could talk in depth about…but I won’t. I do have pictures to come in the next few days. As far as Mongolian parties go it was fairly standard. Parties usually start of quite and somewhat awkward (mainly because no one is drunk yet). Eventually vodka appears… as soon as I saw my director break out the first bottle I knew it was going to be a long day (it was 11:30 in the morning). It turned out to be a great time although most everybody had more than their fair share of vodka. The sun shined, the food was delicious, and I continued to build relationships with my coworkers. Although I awoke on Sunday with a dry mouth and a headache I thought overall it was a successful cultural exchange.

Horse race

Basketball?

Don't move a muscle...

Keeping the kids entertained/distracted

The three amigo's

The Ger where measurements were taken

Who Know Anthropometric Data Could Be So Much Fun?

Every time I sit down to edify you of the new experiences I have encountered I always find myself wondering how I can explain it. That is without it sounding like complete and utter nonsense. As my mind is deluged with thoughts I find it galling to translate them to paper. As I discussed last time the Mongolian spring is in full swing. Besides the erratic weather, wind, and dust spring is also a time for change…as in my diet. Without the frigid days of winter I am forced to resort to somewhat demeaning forms of non-perishable foods like dried meat and powdered milk (however to my surprise it’s amazing the realm of possibilities with these items although the consumption of these items is solely for the nutritional value). On a more positive note the days are getting longer and it is no longer dark when I walk to and from work. Longer days also allow me to broaden the scope of my after work activities which in the winter consist of chopping wood, yoga, and cooking dinner. However with the abundance of day light activities can include running and playing Frisbee (or teaching Frisbee to my Mongolian siblings. They’re still figuring out it’s in the wrist). I recently discovered that running is one of my favorite things to do at the end of the work day. Well that is most the time. I’m sure this won’t come to you as a surprise but Mongolians aren’t big fans of running or any aerobic exercise. So when Mongolians see me running many times I’m sure they don’t know what to think. Often they’ll just stop and stare, sometimes they’ll whistle or clap, or even say “go” “go”… but there is always that one belligerent drunk guy who thinks the only way to get my attention is by throwing rocks in the general vicinity of me. Luckily the person throwing rocks is three sheets to the wind so I have never been hit. Recently I have discovered running on the outskirts of town. This has been much better instead of running around people, cars, and horse carts I only have to run around herds of goat and sheep and the best part is there aren’t any drunken people to bother me. However my diet and the weather aren’t the only changes that come with spring. Recently I “remodeled” my Ger (I could only have done with the help of my friend Ryan, who provided the majority of my motivation and heavy lifting). You’re most likely thinking “how does one remodel a circular structure?” Well truthfully you can’t change much. If anything its just rearranging the furniture which is the only thing I did but remodeling sounds more official. I was actually surprised with how much I could move stuff around. It may not sound very exciting, if at all, but it was surprising what a little change will do. I finally have a some what tolerable kitchen. Before I found myself cutting veggies, rolling dough with my cutting board on the floor but that has all changed with the simple shift of a table. Anyways I found it to be one of the bigger highlights of this spring season.
Last time I mentioned my nutrition education grant. Well it’s finished and has been for a few weeks however I finally sent it to Peace Corps last week. Unfortunately the grant I applied for no longer has funding…completely dried…all tapped out. What the hell are the chances? I was frustrated at first but soon found out I just have to wait until June or July when more funding will be available. Although I am stuck in Limbo for a month or two I really could care less as long as I get funding. I think this project has great potential and could definitely have a positive impact on the selected communities and populations. Not only that but it has been a project that I have developed a lot of passion and dedication to. Luckily for the time being I have been able to stay busy by working with an NGO. And it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. As of now the NGO is working on one of their health campaigns. As you can image I was very enthused to get involved. I was asked to develop materials for families with malnourished children or children at risk. So far it has shown the potential of a successful project. It is also a project that I am excited to be involved with not only will it provide me with an amazing experience it will allow me to become more accustomed and aware of the effected populations. I have also helped with the recording and collecting of anthropometrics among children aged 1-5 years who live in my community. I have never seen so many little children in one Ger in my entire life. Fortunately I was able to bring along “Finding Nemo” to keep them entertained. Taking measurements took place in a Ger where we set up an assembly line of sorts and took measurements of height and weight. It was quite interesting to observe the difference in children who are in the same age group. Many times reflecting there socioeconomic background of their families. I hope to educate my self more about the difficulties that hinder the local population from providing their family with an appropriate and healthy diet and ultimately facilitating the effected people with providing education on proper nutrition. I hope I didn’t ramble on to much. My day is over…nothing left to do now but head home and take advantage of my dried meat and powdered milk.

I have come to learn that spring time in the Colorado Rockies and spring time in Northern Mongolia are two completely different worlds. Of course this didn’t come as a surprise. As I am sure I have mentioned before when you’re living in a place like Mongolia you become immune to the unexpected and unfamiliar. Being from Colorado spring time for me has always been a time of what else but spring skiing. I love spring skiing. I love skiing anyways but for some reason there is just something about spring skiing. I really don’t think there is anything better than skiing on a perfect spring day. Although the snow isn’t perfect, the weather is. With temperatures so high you can ski in a t-shirt. And for some reason Americans always get really giddy during the spring. You know what I’m talking about. With the first warm day of spring you can always find an excuse to put on shorts and sandals and hangout outside all day. Well spring here is a little different. First off you can always tell when spring or warm weather is coming with two indicators; one being dust and the second being the smell of urine (let me explain). Public urination although illegal (and rarely enforced) is very common. Fences, ally ways, and on the outside of building are considered prime spots for public urination. In the winter and late fall the cold weather helps hide the smell. However being in the right spot during spring or summer and you’ll find that the smell of urine lingering in the air. I noticed this for the first time last weekend when I was walking home and I passed buy a popular spot for taxi’s to park and with the familiar smell I knew that spring was on its way. Where was I…Oh ya, why spring is different here. For one there is no spring skiing… I can’t even remember the last time it snowed here. Second two words, dust storms. If you enjoy dust then Mongolia is the place for you. Spring time here is the dusty season with the possibility of having a dust storm all day long for several days in a row. Living in a Ger doesn’t help. Dust finds its way into everything…literally everything! I may sound like I’m complaining but its really not that bad like every other aspect of living here you soon adapt to it. It is however amazing to see the amount of dirt that comes out of my hair and clothes. I thought it was bad during the summer, fall and winter but now it’s just impressive. I know it’s nothing to be proud of but nonetheless every time I wash my hair I find myself laughing…the dust is ridiculous. Lately it hasn’t been that bad but then again spring is just beginning… I think. Mongolians have a different schedule for their seasons. I’m still trying to figure the seasons out. This is difficult when you get a different answer from everyone you ask. But basically for the region that I live in there is a shorter summer and spring with fall and winter lasting a little longer. However spring time here isn’t all bad. The temperature gets warmer and the days get longer both of which do great things for ones morale. In fact this past week the weather has been great with temperatures in the low fifties and sixties. I have learned that there are pros and cons with the warming weather. Some of the pros include: not freezing my ass of in the morning, water and other liquid objects don’t freeze and no need for long underwear. The cons are: no refrigerator and laundry. During the winter I can keep meat, milk and anything else that needs to be kept cold (i.e. frozen) outside. Having the ability to keep things cold is very convenient. It means I don’t have to go to the market everyday to buy 100 or 200 grams (up to one or two meals) of meat. Because it can get so hot here during the summer you have to do your laundry all the time. Usually wouldn’t be a big deal but when your hand washing your clothes it becomes a big deal. All in all I am excited for the summer season mostly because I think I’ll be busy. The grant that I have been working on is finally finished. Now I just have to wait for it to get approval and of course the funds. As I may have mentioned the grant is for healthcare professionals from surrounding rural communities to travel to Moron (where I live) so that I can conduct a nutrition education seminar. Following the seminar I will travel to about 7 villages to both monitor and evaluate the clinics practices in hoping that the healthcare professionals who attended the seminar are using their new knowledge in the workplace. Summer time also comes with one of Mongolia’s biggest celebrations “Nadaam” the three to four days of archery, wrestling and horse racing. Oh, and don’t forget what comes with most Mongolian celebrations drinking, and singing. Well I have procrastinated long enough…I should probably get back to work…