Camp goodness

Hello All!

So I am officially back in Sukhbaatar. The last 3 days were probably the most astounding and memorable since coming to Mongolia. The summer camp with those children was absolutely incredible. The kids were ones from the second largest city in Mongolia and were either extremely poor or from the streets. Still, they had the ability to show love beyond my comprehension. It happens to me every time. I completely adore these children in record speed. Yesterday morning, as I stood next to the meeker that would be bringing us home, I could feel my heart breaking. The kids held my hands as we walked from the ger, where I had rested my head the past couple of days, to the main gate. Some of them literally ran and jumped on me, nearly knocking me over. It was awesome. The connection that can be made with such little language ability never ceases to leave me dumbfounded. I can’t get over it. I hope that all the children learned something. Each Volunteer that was with me was in charge of running a few sessions. We taught a life skills class (mine was on self-esteem) and a game - both in Mongolian. We also taught a short English lesson. More than that, I hope the children enjoyed our company as much as we did theirs.

There is something so remarkable about the countryside here. Maybe it’s the view. Maybe it’s the unexplainable feeling of freedom that comes with the open land. The adventure. Being so connected and reliant on nature. I love it. I admire and respect every Mongolian family that lives like that. I was able to be a part of their world and see this land in ways I never deemed possible. It rocked my world. Here are a few highlights of the trip in no particular order:

1. The hike. Two current volunteers were in charge of running the camp and training us during our stay. I can’t tell you how great they were. Both are near the end of their service and getting to hear all that they were able to accomplish in their two years here is inspiring. On our last day with them, they took four of us on a hike straight up the side of this mountain. It is one of the few forests I will get to run through in Mongolia. It was dense and a fairly easy hike, but one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. We ate wild strawberries along the way. They were just like the ones I had in Russia! You have not had strawberries until you have eaten the ones on this side of the world. They are these exceptionally small, most delightful bites of deliciousness that you will ever eat. Even the ones that aren’t ripe still taste good. It’s incredible. A few of you know what I am talking about. Team Russia For Life! Anywho…we continued up the hike, pass the river, ran into a heard of horses along the way, finally reached the top and chatted it up for a while. These two guys had incredible insight. It was a perfect way to bring the trip to a close.

2. The one-on-one basketball games I had with “Kobe Bryant”. This boy was incredible. On the next to last day, I saw him practicing by himself, so I decided to join him. I can never turn down a good game of ball especially with one of the cutest Mongolian children I have ever seen. After one game of this kid absolutely destroying me, I was utterly embarrassed and forced to turn up the defense. After the next game, he gave me the title of “Michael Jordan’s sister”. Our laughter and the sound of the ball against the wooden backboard echoed throughout the hills. We played until the sun went down and we could no longer see the rim of the basketball goal. It was glorious.

3. My Alaskan sleeping bag, mosquito net, and ger. What a way to sleep. I loved starting each morning by knocking off all the insects that got stuck in my net and died, then rolling out of my bag to open the “sun-roof” to the ger. I had the privilege of opening and tying down the small cover that lines the ger roof. Peace Corps also provided all volunteers with the most intense sleeping bags I have ever seen. I am not joking when I tell you that I sang it songs of praise every night before falling asleep. Sometimes it would be silently because singing in bed is against Mongolian customs. I remember the sleeping bag I had growing up, it was forest green with black, gray, and red plaid lining. My family would always take these camping trips when we first moved to Texas. Don’t get me wrong the bag got the job done, but I am pretty sure I had the same sleeping bag from the time I was 5 until 18. I think we finally threw them away when my mom and I moved back to California. There were burn holes from where the nylon caught on fire when I slept too close to the open flames, they reeked of mildew from all the rains we encountered, and they carried memories from each house we lived in along the way. It was awesome. But this new guy. Ohhhh….it is a palace and the only hopes I have of surviving a Mongolia winter. It can withstand negative weather, it is long enough to literally go over my head with room to spare, it has a small build-in pillow, and the padding in that thing is as good as my mattress back home. It is a keeper. I think I will write a song about it one day. (*side note to Savannah and Laura- it will be track 2 on the sounds of Kim Lewis cd that will hit the billboard charts. Right after the animal noise song.*) =) No really. Thank You Peace Corps and the makers of Alaskan sleeping bags. You rock my filthy face off. I salute you.

4. Scavenger hunt. Oh this was quite an adventure. Danny, the current volunteer that was running the camp, took it upon himself to create a list of 50 things we might find in the Mongolian countryside. He rounded up the kids, counted them off, and gave each group two current trainees to work with. We had two hours to find each of the 50 things on the list, take a picture of it with our digital camera, and make it back to camp. The only difficulty is that the children did not speak English and the list was in Mongolian. Yoomie and I had the absolute best group. We traveled to all areas of the countryside. The kids were drawing things in order to explain what we needed to find. They even at one point threw me on some random herdsman’s horse. It was beyond extraordinary. We visited some gers of the families that lived nearby, climed a mountain or two, picked wild strawberries, chased some goats, and even got a picture of a marmot. It was a mind-blowing awesome time. Plus, I think our team won. Hahaa. Danny never announced the winner but my kids knew they were the champions. =) I mean we found all but 2. I think I it was impressive.

5. The view. Both night and day. The sun over the tops of trees and the stars that filled the night sky. The pictures I will post later after getting them from my fellow volunteers will say it all.

6. The food and labor. It was after all titled “labor camp”. We each had to do a little bit of true Mongolian living while at the camp. This included everything from kitchen work to chopping wood for the stove. I am dangerous with an axe and a knife. I can peel a mean potato with a butcher knife and with the help of the cutest Mongolian grandpa ever, can chop the biggest log into tiny slivers with a single swipe of an axe. Yes. I am slowly becoming Mongolian. One of the guys at camp also let me go for a ride on his horse. It had been a while but brought back so many memories. I missed that portion of my life. I got to tell the other volunteers about the horse we once had that would follow you anywhere if you had a glass of momma’s homemade sweet iced tea. I also showed them the order of barrel racing. I took a trip down memory lane to the country side of Kim Lewis. Haha. No really. It was great.

7. The disco and bonfire. On our first night, we connected a generator to an old boom box and played one of Robin’s rap cds. The kids and us danced for hours. They have some moves I’d never seen. I taught them how to do the worm and c-walk. They loved it and ended up being better than me by the end of the night.
On the last night, they built the largest bonfire I have ever witnessed. It was not stacked, but stood up straight like a teepee. They literally cut down small trees and just leaned them against each other. It was intense and the flames reached the high into the night air. It got a little dangerous when it fell after about 30 minutes, but we enjoyed it all the same. Ashes dropped, music was playing, and we danced all night. It was a perfect way to end camp. Enjoying each other’s company and laughing until our sides ached.

8. The talent show. The kids divided into 2 teams and performed skits, dances, song, and read poetry that they had prepared during the first two days. There was even a trio of beat-boxin Mongolian boys. I almost peed myself with excitement. I had never seen so much talent as I did in that room. Those children are capable of so many things. I pray they never lose sight of their abilities and aptitudes. Even more so, I pray that their circumstances at home never prevent them from accomplishing all they are capable of doing.

9. The Mare’s milk- both fermented and not. Yes that is correct. I drank milk straight from the horse’s body. It was so good. Even better than the organic milk I buy back in the States. It was warm, smooth, and had a slight coconut flavor. Incredible. Right next to the camp lived the horse family. They are actually pretty famous because they race their horses every year. This year they won a washing machine. It was sort of funny walking inside of their ger and seeing a washing machine. I think they might have solar panels to help run it but am not sure. Anyways, to celebrate their win, we passed around a giant bowl of fermented mare’s milk a few times. It was sour but fairly easy to drink. Mongolians will get pretty wasted on this stuff but apparently American’s will crap their pants before getting drunk. It is almost like an alcoholic yogurt. Strange but nonetheless another thing added to my list of new experiences.

All in all, it was a blessing to get to be away from the classroom setting and actually work with kids. There was so much I was able to see, feel, and experience in those 3 short, but eventful days. What I was familiarized with, the knowledge and practice, will be my driving force behind the rest of my time here in Mongolia. For now, it feels good to be home, back in the presence of my host family. I only have 1 month left to learn the language as much as possible and spend time with the ones who have helped me comprehend the ways of this culture. I probably will not be getting to post as much as I would like because I will be spending as much time as possible completely emerged in this culture. I will have class in the morning, tutoring sessions in the afternoon, and working with my family as much as I can to help me prepare for what is to come when they turn me lose on my own in a new community. I am anxious, excited, and hopeful. I will do my best to stay connected during this time.

I trust you are all well.

All my love,
Kim