It is now the last week of Pre-Service Training. All of the Mongolia PC Trainees are in Darkhan for our final week of training, which is region and site specific. Our supervisors also have a two day conference in Darkhan this week, and we all meet our supervisors before travelling back to our site together, where they help us get settled in at our new living quarters.
And now, on to the information that you actually want to hear about: my site placement! I have been waiting (not so) patiently all summer to find out where in Mongolia I will be living and working for the next two years, and I finally know a lot more of the details about my site!
After leaving my host family and arriving in Darkhan Monday morning, we all went over to the school in Darkhan where our sessions are held. In the late morning, we were given our language proficiency results. I scored at the Intermediate Low level, which is one step up from our necessary minimum of Novice High! I am happy with this, and hope to really improve my Mongolian at my site as well.
Then we had a lunch break, and several sessions in the afternoon before walking to the nearby Darkhan Children's Park. There is a gigantic map of Mongolia, drawn out with concrete raised borders delineating each aimag and a big wooden square marking each aimag center (each provincial capitol). The map was so large that you had to shout to the people in the neighboring aimags, and I couldn't even see my friend Jerome, who was standing on the other side of the map (and he is over 6 feet tall, so it takes quite a bit of space to hide him). To start out, all of the trainees grouped together, nervously waiting to hear their fates for the next two years. Then, one by one, each site was announced with a pause before a trainee name was shouted out, and one by one, we were escorted (none of us had any clue where to go!) to our place on the map, and got a big packet of information about our host country agency (HCA for short), our village (soum/сум), our housing arrangements (apartment/байр, Mongolian ger/гэр, or wooden house/модон байшин), and other information including current volunteers in the area.
I am going to be living in Ondorkhaan Soum, which is the aimag center of Hentii Aimag, which means that it is the largest town in the province (tallying in at around 16,000-17,000 people). Hentii Aimag is known as the birthplace of Chinggis Khaan, who is believed to have been born in the mountainous northern part of Hentii. Ondorkhaan is located about 6 hours east of Ulaanbaatar, and a paved road connects the two, making travel much easier and comfortable. I will be living in a Soviet block apartment somewhat near the Health Department, and I am excited for the prospect of hot water!
This tumultuous week started early Monday morning, when I left my host family's house for the last time, all of my bags packed. When we were at home, my host mom said something like, "wow, you have a lot of stuff!" in Mongolian. After the four of us left home (first my эмээ, my grandmother, said goodbye and sniffed me, then we were out the door) and saw some of the other trainees' piles of belongings, they decided that my amount of bags was just fine. I am going to miss my host family so much!!! They have all been so great, and it was so sad to say goodbye. However, I am sure we will keep in touch--I have been away from home for about 38 hours, and my host mom has already callled me 5 times. She is so caring and concerned about me living alone, and wants to make sure I am doing alright and that I am happy. I couldn't have asked for a better host mom and host family!
My host family and I at Selenge Aimag's second Naadam celebration! I finally have at least one picture with all four of us in it!! Also, we noticed after we took this picture that we had arranged ourselves in height order. Oops!
I am going to miss moments like this, when my mom does something crazy, like put these nasty looking seeds with their gooey excretions on her face as part of a new beauty routine. My host family is always laughing and joking, and this made me feel able to make jokes and feel like part of the family. My mom loved to joke with people that I got super drunk and she was shocked (I drank 1 shot of vodka on two separate occasions and that was is) and I always had to repeat some funny thing I said to everyone who came over to visit. I am really going to miss the easygoing atmosphere at my host family's house.
I will also miss Sukhbaatar and the surrounding area--what a beautiful place!
And now, on to the information that you actually want to hear about: my site placement! I have been waiting (not so) patiently all summer to find out where in Mongolia I will be living and working for the next two years, and I finally know a lot more of the details about my site!
After leaving my host family and arriving in Darkhan Monday morning, we all went over to the school in Darkhan where our sessions are held. In the late morning, we were given our language proficiency results. I scored at the Intermediate Low level, which is one step up from our necessary minimum of Novice High! I am happy with this, and hope to really improve my Mongolian at my site as well.
Then we had a lunch break, and several sessions in the afternoon before walking to the nearby Darkhan Children's Park. There is a gigantic map of Mongolia, drawn out with concrete raised borders delineating each aimag and a big wooden square marking each aimag center (each provincial capitol). The map was so large that you had to shout to the people in the neighboring aimags, and I couldn't even see my friend Jerome, who was standing on the other side of the map (and he is over 6 feet tall, so it takes quite a bit of space to hide him). To start out, all of the trainees grouped together, nervously waiting to hear their fates for the next two years. Then, one by one, each site was announced with a pause before a trainee name was shouted out, and one by one, we were escorted (none of us had any clue where to go!) to our place on the map, and got a big packet of information about our host country agency (HCA for short), our village (soum/сум), our housing arrangements (apartment/байр, Mongolian ger/гэр, or wooden house/модон байшин), and other information including current volunteers in the area.
I am going to be living in Ondorkhaan Soum, which is the aimag center of Hentii Aimag, which means that it is the largest town in the province (tallying in at around 16,000-17,000 people). Hentii Aimag is known as the birthplace of Chinggis Khaan, who is believed to have been born in the mountainous northern part of Hentii. Ondorkhaan is located about 6 hours east of Ulaanbaatar, and a paved road connects the two, making travel much easier and comfortable. I will be living in a Soviet block apartment somewhat near the Health Department, and I am excited for the prospect of hot water!
Hentii Aimag is located just east of Ulaanbaatar. On this map, you can see that Ondorkhaan is at the edge of the mountainous region of Mongolia, where the mountains border the steppes (flat prairie-type land) of Eastern Mongolia. Directly to the south of Hentii is the Gobi Desert, which covers the entire southern section of the country and includes about 60% of Mongolian land mass.
I am working at the Ondorkhaan Health Department, which is in charge of consolidating information for and helping to supply resources to the entire aimag, as well as working to improve the health in Ondorkhaan Soum. I have a very general idea of what I will be doing at site, and I will learn more when I meet and talk with my supervisor later this week, and when I begin work next week. I know that I will be working with several different people at the health department, helping to plan, implement, and evaluate health programs, holding trainings for health department and hospital workers, teaching english a few hours a week, and other tasks as well. I will be working at the health department about 30 hours a week, and will spend at least 10 hours working on other secondary projects in my town, which I can pick out depending on my interests, the needs of the community, and the available resources.
From all that I have heard about Hentii Aimag and what was included in the information I was given, I am very excited to move to Ondorkhaan and start to work in the Health sector!! There will be many more updates to come about my new home in the future!
For now, I am preparing for meeting my supervisor on Thursday (eeeeeek!) and I am one of three trainees that will be giving a speech at our swearing-in ceremony on Saturday, when we officially become volunteers, so I am working on and worrying about that as well. I am so pumped to head to UB and on to Hentii this weekend, and hopefully I can pick up some things that I have been told are scarce in Ondorkhaan.
I will update again as soon as I can about swearing in and moving to Ondorkhaan! I am sad that I will no longer be with all of the great friends I have made during pre-service training, but I am also excited to hear about what life is like in so many different areas of Mongolia.
Until next time!
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