Wac-Evac

Alli has been gone for a week now. It’s a good thing that she is coming back tomorrow because I’m losing my mind sitting in the ger by myself. I honestly don’t know how the single volunteers that are out in the hoodoo do it without going crazy. Well some do go crazy and since nothing crazy has been going on ill share some hoodoo legends about PCVs losing it. This first story is legend and I’m not positive if it actually happened but PCVs across the world have heard of it, the legend of the bagel lady. She lived in a ger out in the hoodoo and was an English teacher at her local school. Well one day she didn’t show up for work and then the next day and the day after that. Her work became worried and went to her ger but it was locked and no one answered so they decided to call Peace Corps office. PC came out to look for her and as it turns out she was in her ger and for the past three days she had been making hundreds of bagels and had them hanging up all over her ger. Needless to say she was wac-evac, and sent back to the states. The next story also has to do with an English teacher in the hoodoo, and this story I know is for real. Once a year our medical team visits all the volunteers to make sure that they are reasonably healthy and that they are not living in filth. Well one volunteer had integrated so well into his community that when our medical officer came out to visit him he refused to speak English to him at all and would only speak in Mongolian. He asked for a translator to speak to the medical officer, at which point he was sent home.
After living by myself here for only a week I am surprised that there are not more stories like these, but then again we all must have been crazy before we got here, we did volunteer for this after all.
The picture of the animal is actually a cross between a cow and a yak, kind of strange but very tasty.

Sorry it has been so long since we have written. I guess we have been busy. Sorry no more funny stories at this time. We finally winterized our ger. I will do my best to explain the process. We added an extra layer of felt around the ger which probably took the least amount of time. However it did require undoing the ropes that go around the ger only to put them right back on. Then we put plastic going from the bottom rope to the ground. Then after Mike finally shoveled all the dirt with a handmade shovel, I put the dirt around the bottom of the ger- this helps with the air flow. Our hasha dad finished it off with wood to keep the dirt from going away. Total it only took 4 of us about 2-3 hours to do. Mike and I were exhausted! Luckily we did it just in time because later that day it snowed. Yes it snowed on October 5th. Looks like we in for an early winter. So far it seems like it helps the ger maintain heat a little better. I added pictures if my words are hard to follow. We still have not bought our winter clothes yet but that suddenly got put on the top of our priority list. However shopping here for clothes is not that much fun. I think it has something to do with the fact that we are almost twice the size of most Mongolians.
Mike, Elizabeth and their students are still working hard on their map project. It is gigantic and seems to be taking some time. Otherwise, Mike has been working a lot teaching students and teachers life skills and seems to really enjoy it.
I am currently in the capital where I have been for the last week. I am enjoying the food and shopping but also really looking forward to going back home to what seems like a small town.
Before I left Elizabeth and I taught 13 English teachers how to make American pizza. It was a wonderful English class. The pizza they made was fantastic and loaded with meat. Mike was so excited- he got to eat pizza all day without any of the work.
Will write more soon- we love and miss you- Allie and Mike