Already December!!

I remember talking with some of my PCV friends before school started about how when we get to December it's almost like we are done... well it's December! And time really has gone by soooo fast this year. Today on facebook a bunch of the M21s (21st group of volunteers in Mongolia -I am an M20) posted that they have been in Mongolia for 6 months now, this was just really interesting because that is about the amount of time I have left here now... which is exciting, and strange all at the same time. Knowing that, it gets part of me really excited about coming home, and then makes part of me think, holy crap, I have a lot to get done here still in not that much time! Anyways, this weekend I have been extra productive! Chopped a lot of wood, did two loads of laundry, continually cleaned my ger (only to have Leo come in and poop and pee all over the place, grr!) went running, bathed, etc. etc. I know what you are thinking, why are you telling us you bathed...? Well it takes longer when you have to heat up the water and first do your body, then dump that water, heat some more water and then do your hair, doing all of this over a tupperwear basin I guess you could call it. So yes, I always include "bathing and washing hair" on my weekend "to do" list, it just takes too long to not have it on there and be able to have the satisfaction of crossing it off!

School has been going well, not a whole lot of school news to report on though. Just trying to keep planning lessons that will entertain my 4th graders enough to hold their attention for the 40 minutes! Sometimes I am successful, sometimes I am not... Usually though class is a lot of fun, when I am finished teaching all three fourth grades in a row though I feel like I just ran like 8 miles or something, it is exhausting! My older students have been a lot of fun lately, not sure how much English they are really picking up, but usually class goes alright, so I'm grateful for that. The other day in one of my 11th grade classes one of my guy students came in really really mad. He was knocking over desks and his neck was all cut up. Well about two minutes into class his homeroom teacher comes and calls him out of my class because she had heard about the fight, so that's when I found out what had happened from the other students in class... the boy he was fighting with is actually my neighbor so I know him a little bit. So I just said, "Oh really? but he is such a nice boy?" to which my students thought I said he was good looking by saying he was nice, and I had to clarify, no, no, I mean nice, as in he is a kind person! and then here is the point of my story... one of my girl students, who I'm pretty close with because she is one of my olympic girls that I meet with at least once a week outside of class, says, "no I don't think he is very nice... I don't think he respects women." To which I was like, man, my work here is done!! The feminist in me was proud! I had just the week before talked with her and some other girls about qualities in men that we were hoping to find if/when we get married. We got into this conversation because these girls were oh so curious when I would get married and to what kind of guy???? It was a fun conversation. All joking aside though a good one to have, and my main point to these girls was, make sure he respects you and respects women. Sounds all preachy I know, but here domestic abuse is a scary and very real reality for a lot of women, and the amount of drinking that some men do does not help this cause any. Personally I think in America, Mongolia, and around the world for that matter we still have a long ways to go in terms of domestic violence.

Totally different topic now... I sang a Mongolian song at a concert this past Friday night, yanna. So a few weeks ago my director told me (I was never asked) that I would sing this song at a concert our school was doing. Now, I like singing like when I'm alone, or if I'm teaching students a new song, but in front of people.... not so much. And in a different language in front of all kinds of people that are actually really paying attention because it's a foreign person singing in their language.... yeah again, I was not too thrilled to hear I would be doing this! They did let another teacher sing it with me though, thank God, because I was so freaked out I would forget the words, luckily I did not. So I arrive at the club, with my hair semi- "did" as they told me, and my make-up thicker than normal as they told me to do, and I changed into my Mongol Deel as I was told to wear. But then they told me to take off my long-sleeve shirt that I was wearing under my deel, and to take off my black tights. To which I was like noooooooo, can't do that (my legs were not exactly clean shaven! too much info. I know, but it's the truth) well, when my director handed me a pair of skin-colored nylons what was I supposed to do, refuse? I was assured the lighting is poor and the people are far away, so no worries about the leg hair.... Then a teacher brings around a shot of vodka and says to drink it all, then I won't be nervous. And I did drink that whole big shot, and I think it did help because I wasn't really all that nervous! Trust me the song was probably not very good, I couldn't figure out my microphone at first, and then couldn't really hear myself throughout the song, so for all I know it sounded horrible, but I did it!! And my students seemed pumped about it, and they cheered so much, it was kind of wonderful. I will hear what they really thought tomorrow at school, yanna. I am glad though that I didn't stick with my first thought of, there is no way I'm doing this, I'm not a singer, how could they expect me to do this, with all these people watching, no, no, no..... because I think the fact that I did it, makes me more a part of everything here. And how happy my teachers were about me singing a Mongolian song, and how proud of me they were, made doing it worth it. No matter how good or bad it sounded... I did it, and that made the people of my community so happy. And this was one of those times I think, when their happiness was what really mattered.