Hi gang. I know it's been a long time since I rapped at ya, but I've been really busy. Two weeks ago I went to Khenti aimag where 3 volunteers held the 2nd annual pig roast. Over 20 volunteers from different parts of the country braved an unusually bad snowstorm and usually bad Mongol transportation to get there. The Khenti people really did it up right this year with an actual spit for roasting and a separate fire for grilling. It was good to have two fires, because it snowed all day. We kept ourselves warm with impromptu sumo wrestling and by throwing around the old pig...head.
As I was headed back to site there were already people arriving at my apartment who were on school break. There wasn't really an event planned, but the week culminated in another barbecue that might become an annual event. Needless to say my apartment was a little the worse for wear. Nasaa described it (in Mongolian) as looking like a war zone. As you can see from the picture though, my friends did decorate one of my rather bare walls. Not sure about the slogan, but I appreciate the effort. My friend Jeremy also organized a career fair for Mongolian students who were in town for some academic competitions. It was held over two days and covered study abroad, interviewing and work opportunities. Nasaa and I helped get some speakers for the second day and the kids really enjoyed the whole event.
Right now a few Arkhangai people are in for resupply. Two of them can bike in and not have to wait for cars which is nice. The week after next I'm going back to UB to finish the latest catalog. I'll have some samples up later. Then we have our close of service seminar. At the end of May I go back to UB fly to my brother's wedding via Moscow. I have all the visa materials already so it should be easy.
In other news, I got a new hot water heater put in. This one heats the water as it flows through instead of holding it in a 50 L tank that threatens to fall off the wall. Plus it came with a smaller unit that goes in the kitchen so I can wash dishes with hot water. We're commin' up in the world here in Arkhangai.
