Sain bain uu! I
made it to Mongolia! I am so excited to finally be starting my Fulbright year. It’s
been nearly a year and a half since I first applied for the program and over a
year since I graduated from UMass. Between then and now I’ve taught English to
preschoolers in China for a semester, traveled around Asia, picked up some new
hobbies including zumba and pilates, and had a nice break at home in the US for
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years’.
Last summer, as part of traveling around Asia, I visited
Mongolia with my boyfriend Matt and some friends. Besides touring the beautiful
countryside, I handled some logistics that have allowed me to hit the ground running
since my arrival a week ago. Best of all, I met another researcher who would be
moving out of her apartment around the same time I was arriving in January.
Thus I was able to move right into an inexpensive, centrally located apartment
as soon as I arrived. My most useful asset so far hasn’t been my meager
recollection of the Mongolian language, but rather the network of Fulbright
researchers and English teachers I met during the summer. Everyone has been
very supportive and helpful, and we've freely swapped information.
Right now I’m sitting in my apartment having some breakfast
of tangy fresh yogurt with sugar- one of my favorite local foods. So far I’ve
found that it’s best to do various chores around the house (such as grappling
with the washing machine and other appliances) until about 1pm, when it warms
up from -35°F to a balmy -5°F. At that time, fully bundled up, I
venture out to buy groceries and get other things done. Soon I will be taking
intensive Mongolian language classes too.
That’s pretty
much all I have to report right now! I’ll update my blog when I can and take more
pictures. The summer is when the real fun begins and I’ll have a lot more to
tell then.
Bayartai for now!
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