Beautiful America

So thats that. We are home. It was a long trip and Alli and I are exhausted (Alli of course more than me). I have been trying to think about some things that I would like to say about our experience in the Peace Corps, we are officially out by the way, but what can be said about an experience of this magnitude? Did we make the right decision in joining? Yes, I can say that confidently. Alli and I did a lot of good things and tried to set as positive as an example as possible. There are at least a dozen people in the world now who dont hate Americans. So thats good. More than anything we are going to miss our friends who we have left behind in Mongolia, American, Mongolian, and a sprinkling of Swiss and German. - What now? Who knows. What we do know is that the baby, Sukhbataar (Axe Hero) Prelaske will be born at the end of January or begining of February. Alli is going to go back to school to become a Psychiatric Nurse, and I need to find a job, a job that pays money. Well that is about all. Im posting some new pics. This blog will still be in use though but it is changing to a new format to chronical the begining of our EVIL ARMY. Peace- Mike and Alli

Peace Corps Baby!

Well for those of you who dont know I am sorry that you have to find out over our blog but we just found out on thusrday that Alli is pregnant and our Peace Corps adventure is about to be over. Of course we will be starting a much more exciting, infinatly longer, but just as smelly of an adventure with our impending Made in Mongolia baby. As per Peace Corps Policy we have about a week to pcak up our things and head back to America. Right now we are in UB but are heading back to Khovsgul today to pack up our Ger and say goodbye to our friends and host family, which we are really not looking forward to. Then on Thursday morning we fly back to UB to begin our Close of Service Medical Exams and should be heading back to the land of Cheeseburgers on Tuesday. Dont delete us yet though we still have some final thoughts and pictures to post on Thursday when we get back to UB.
Love Alli and Mike

Well this has been a week. Alli and I both had a brutal case of the flu all week and are finally starting to feel better again. Being sick in Mongolia is a terrible thing, our only solace was that we were in an apartment insted of our ger. Now being sick sucks no matter where you are but without the comforts of home it is really a miserable experience. But all is well now and training is in full swing. The trainees are safely tucked away with their host families and all seems to be progressing normally. I have yet to visit my old host family, something that i feel horrible about, i will see them eventually though. Thats about all, nothing really exciting to report. -Scott I dont have your email. Victoria- Hello, how is school? Parents- See I am just as neglectful of my Mongolian parents as I am of you guys!
Love Alli and Mike

Orientation Days

Well the new volunteers are here and in numbers, 65 of them in the new group. I was reading our blogs from this time last year and we said that we were about 50% sure that we made the right decision, we are still debating. Anywho, its crazy how fast perceptions change over the course of a year. I remember when we drove into Darkhan last year for the first time and thinking that this must be a joke, now they are going to take us to the real city, not the place that was used for nuclear weapons testing. Now however we look at Darkhan like a culinary paradise where we can make anything happen. I wish I could articulate this better but it is something that has to be experienced. Or as Fahd says "I would color it with detail but everything is just different shades of brown."

Happy Aniversary

Its hard to believe that we have been here for a year now. I imagine that we have changed quite a bit, but in all honesty I feel the same. I dont know. Well thats enough about us. Tonight the new group of Volunteers arrive in UB and then head to a ger camp and then come up to Darkhan tomorrow. We are all really excited to get to meet them. I will write a post on wednesday about them once they witness the glorious Darkhan Hotel. MWAHAAHHHAAA

Darkhan Days

Sorry it has been a while since we have posted but its starting to get alittle crazy around here preping for the new batch of volunteers. We made it to UB for our med check up (Paul has very gentle hands by the way) and for our dental checkup and cleaning AKA mouth torture by a mongolian. Just picture any horror movie with a dentist in it. We are all moved in to our apartment in Darkhan for training and tomorrow are going to the host families places to check them out for the arriving volunteers, I am going to have to eat a lot of tsuivan to check all of those jorlons. The apartment is great and its nice to have a TOILET! Its not nice to have cockroaches but I have declared war on them and have begun that war in earnest. My mother said that it is a war that I will never win, funny coming from the person who told me that I could do anything if I put my mind to it. So I;m going Taliban on their asses, there is going to be daily executions at the soccer stadium. No western music for the cockroaches, if they show themselves without proper atire they are stoned. Its going to be sick. There are going to be cockroach refugee camps in other apartments. I digress. The apartment is nice and big and we are in a good location right by our favorite restaurant. Ill try to post some pics soon. Love From Mongolia

Miracles Do Happen

Well the seminar actualy happened and it went really well. Thanks to the help of Alli, Beth, Brenden, Fahd, Joe, Salomon and of course our translator Baska. About 15 kids ended up participating in it and I think (well I hope at least) that they got alitlle something out of it. My favorite part of the entire seminar was when Salomon and Fahd proceedd to to tell the kids that it was alright to lie during an interview as long as they thought themselves capable of making that lie true in the near future. So that is done and to celebrate Brenden, Fahd, and myself went up to Lake Hovsgul for the day and had a real good time. Next week Alli and I are leaving for UB to get our yearly med checkups and then off to Darkhan to get ready for the M19s who will be here in just about three weeks now.