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.