End of the Week

So I managed to survive the first week. My class is an interesting bunch, but highly varied in both academic ability and in English. We kind of eased into the week, and I got some of my initial testing done to level the children. It appears I have much more of it to do, since some kids don't even know the alphabet yet, while others can read at close to a grade 4 level.

The kids here don't seem to understand certain concepts that are commonplace back home, such as keeping your hands off each other (although that one seems to be cultural, as people will just sit on your lap on the bus - seriously), stand and walk in a straight line, and don't talk to someone else while you are being spoken to.

Andrew, Terry and I are starting an American Sports Club on Tuesday. The list filled up in minutes. We are planning to start with baseball, then get into football, and maybe hockey, then back to baseball in the spring. We've kept sign up to the older kids, so we can actually try to have a baseball team. We're all pretty excited about it.

Outside of school, the T.A.s had a welcoming party for all of the new staff, and like all Mongolian get togethers, copious amounts of alcohol were present. After the party, some of us headed down to the Green Pub, which is really just a small bar outside that is just around the corner. Dan, Andrew and I had some lamb skewers that were marinated and then barbecued. It was, without question, the best lamb I've ever eaten in my life. Yesterday, Cat and I went into town, a forgot to get off the bus at the right stop, so we had to find our way back so we could get to State Department Store for a little grocery shopping. We got a little lost on the way, so it took an extra couple of hours to get where wanted to go. We noticed something was up when we had gone in a full circle. I eventually figured out where we had gone wrong, and got us back on track. Last night consisted of a quiet movie night at Dan and Tina's place, as we made good use of Colin Buster Video. Today, I went for a nice hike through the valley to the south, which had a beautiful little stream that tricked over and around a million rocks, then up a small mountain to eat a quiet dinner of tuna salad and fruit all alone. It was so peaceful and serene, that I might decide to do it alone more often.

Dan and the T.A.s

Andrew, me and Dan mowing down on our swords of lamb. That's my awesome Mongolian jacket I bought at the Black Market.

The sweet valley stream.

I call it "Old Man Rock"

The dinner table.