Happy New Year!

January 5, 2015

Happy New Year! I never make New Year Resolutions, but this year I decided to make one: To stop wishing away my time here, to enjoy each day, knowing that soon this part of my life will be over. I think a lot of us are at the point, where we just want to get back to the States and start our lives and enjoy all the benefits of living in a first world country again. Living in Mongolia is not such a novelty anymore, the charm has pretty much worn at this point. That being said, I am still completely in love with the country and the people and I really still am happy here, but the excitement of going home, seeing my family and friends and starting my masters is kind of overpowering the rest of it now. Also, I just really want to be able to shower again and not have to worry about conserving water 24/7. But I know that I am going to miss Mongolia so much and I don’t want to keep wishing away the days, because I know when my last day comes here, I am going to be so devastated to say goodbye to this country and the people that have had such a profound impact on my life. So here is to enjoying the rest of my time!

On New Year’s Eve, my site mates and I made burritos and Spanish rice. It was so delicious. We played card games and when it got dark, we took a walk to Bulgan Mountain, to light candles and make wishes for the New Year. We were the only ones on the mountain at the time. It was beautiful, but eerie to be looking down at our town. All the ger lights flickering below us against the jet black night. We sat and just looked out over the town for a while, I was thinking about all the memories I have had over the past 20 months. It was nice to be able to reflect on the past year, especially during a time where sometimes I question my strength in staying here. Sitting back and realizing that all the mistakes I have made and all the triumphs I have had, have led me to this point. I can not give up this is just another part of my path, that I must forge through in order to become the person I want to be. “You have come a long way. – Do not judge your failed attempts and mistakes as an indication of your future potential, but as part of your growth process. Your past has given you the strength and wisdom you have today, so celebrate it and use the knowledge you’ve gained. Don’t let it haunt you and hold you back. You haven’t quit and you aren’t planning on it. – People rarely quit over the last thing that happened. Instead they quit a tiny bit each day. Trying to fix the last thing misses the point. Keep this in mind. You must still believe in the possibilities that lie ahead.” I love that statement, I read on a blog recently.

Freezing, we rushed back to my apartment and watched the Russian version of “So You Think You Can Dance” finale, which happened to be playing on one of the TV stations, granted it was from 2010, but we didn’t care, we did not know the outcome. There was no countdown or huge to do about New Year on the TV, but at midnight, the President did make a toast to the country, so we watched that and yelled Happy New Year as it hit midnight. We could hear all my neighbors yelling at midnight. It was great. We then ran to my window to watch fireworks, which went all night, families lit off their own throughout the night in celebration.

New Year in Mongolia, is a week long affair. The week leading up to New Year, each business/organization has their own work New Year party. They rent out one of the local restaurants or pubs for the parties. Each worker chips in to rent the place out. The parties usually go from 5pm-3am. Eating, drinking and dancing all night. The women wear ball gowns and the men in suits. Women go to the salons to get their hair done and pour glitter all over themselves! The night usually starts out with a variety show, in which the new young workers preform for the older ones. Then dinner is served. Once dinner is over, the dancing and drinking starts. It is a lot of fun! On New Year’s Eve, everyone gets together with their families to party and celebrate. They eat buuz (Mongolian mutton dumplings) and drink Mongolian vodka (made from milk). The country then gets the following 3 days off from work and school, because most people travel to visit their family members at this time.

New Year’s Day, we decided to splurge and all went to brunch at Fairfield Café. I had a delicious egg and bacon sandwich with french fries and a cappuccino. I then went home to clean and nap. This weekend, it was abnormally warm, and by warm I mean 37 degrees. We went for a walk to the river for a picnic and to play on the ice. All I wore was my leather jacket! It was amazing! It was a gorgeous day for the river. Once it started to get dark, we decided to head back to my place to watch a movie and make kimbop (Korean sushi). We put eggs and veggies inside it. Too bad we do not have seafood here!

Now for a slightly morbid, but funny story, which really sums up life in Mongolia..on our way back from the river, we decided to play a game of "Is that dog dead or not?" (said every time in an announcers voice, or course). During the winter many animals freeze or starve to death, so while walking down the road you will pass many dead animals, especially dogs. Peace Corps volunteers have even made a name for these frozen dogs..Pupsicles. So while walking back there were quite a few dogs that were lying in the fields and near the road. You can't tell if they are dead or just sleeping, so we all would make a guess and then make a loud noise to see if the dog would react. And there you have it, the weird games we make up to pass the 8 months of winter. Mongolia has hardened me.

Now going back to Christmas, we celebrated Christmas, by getting dressed up in summer attire and calling it a “Tropical Christmas”. We ate Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and various other canned veggies. Basically, it was Thanksgiving all over again. My director had given me a cake, so we ate that for dessert. I also made a Reese’s pie. We hung up one of our mosquito nets and used a balloon to play volleyball. I made a big palm tree out of paper for a back drop and drew pictures of coconuts that we taped to our glasses to pretend we were drinking out of coconuts. It was hilarious and a lot of fun.