Hodoo fever

So, it was Valentine’s Day last week. I realized it was V-day when Naasa gave me a card and some candy. Yes, I’d forgotten. It’s just not the same without the guilt inducing consumerism. I actually had checked the date earlier in the day and February 14th didn’t register at all. Luckily, I had some heart shaped candy (thanks mom), wine, and candles so I managed to salvage a romantic evening. I also cooked dinner, so give me some credit. Naasa asked if I could cook any Mongolian food. I told her that I’d made buuz and hosher last summer. Of course, that was part of my cultural training and we were heavily supervised. She said that she would come over later and show me how to make Tsoyvin (usually noodles, mutton, and vegetables). It was good and I helped. I pretty much just cut the meat and vegetables. Those months as a prep cook at Bradley's are really paying off. I tried taking a picture of Naasa cooking, but she didn’t want to look at the camera. Women.

Actually, it’s amazing how many things about dating a Mongolian are the same as they would be with an American. People gossip so she doesn’t want to tell people at work we’re dating. She tries to introduce me to her friends and I don’t have much to say. Of course, she doesn’t want many people to know she’s dating a foreigner and I’m bad enough at small talk in English. I thought about the whole interracial dating issue after we’d been going out for a while. I mean, technically, I’m dating an Asian girl, but I live in Asia. You’re perspective really changes when you live outside of America. Maybe these issues should be thornier for me, but now I’m just concentrating on learning more Mongolian so I have more to talk about. Naasa is working on her English too and using the dictionary hasn’t gotten old yet. We meet each other halfway in text messages. I guess that’s a good sign.

It should be a big week. People from Uvurkhangai are coming up to help make a work plan for me. I’m not sure how much will change though. Mercy Corps has had volunteers for a while, but they’ve always been in Gobi Initiative offices which are much bigger. There’s always someone to work with the volunteer and several English speakers around. With my RASP office, they’ve never worked with a volunteer before and they just hired me a translator with passable English. Naturally, they don’t understand why I don’t perform like other volunteers they’ve heard about. It’s as if you took a top athlete and said “he performs really well here on Earth. Let’s put him on Mars and see how he does…oh, he’s doing so good. He must be lazy.” The Peace Corps seminar I’m going to next week is about project development and management (PDM). I’m taking Enkhee the bar/restaurant owner. He wants to set up an internet café in Tsenkher soum. If things don’t pick up at work, I want to spend more time on outside projects. After this trip I have three months with no travel planned. I should have a chance to teach more and get things done. I hope.