May 23, 2010
Dinner with the local Peace Corps Volunteers.
Last night we went to one of the Peace Corps Volunteer’s (PCV) homes for dinner. There was one PCV couple, a single woman, and two Kazakhs. We certainly have a new appreciation for what the PCVs have to endure here. Most Peace Corps countries are fortunately located in tropical locations where most of the hardships come from insects, sweating, and tropical diseases. Here in Mongolia, PCVs spend more time than possibly any other country just trying to survive. Winter can be -40 degrees, Celsius or Fahrenheit, at that point it is irrelevant. Volunteers have to rush home before dark (which is the middle of the day) to chop wood to prepare for the night. For the volunteers who live alone in the countryside in a ger, they have to wake up every few hours to add more wood to the fire. They wake up to everything frozen regardless. The volunteers told us that they found the most difficult aspect being the fact that there is barely any light during the day. Those who live in apartments are a bit more fortunate and have central heating. We discovered the downside of the central heating today.
Since the state controls the heating system, they pick an arbitrary calendar date to turn the heat on or off. We have arrived just in time for the heat to be turned off despite it being slightly warmer than freezing temperature. I have been wearing four layers of clothing here in the morning and at night. We have heard during winter that people will bathe about once a week… I don’t blame them. Just the idea of getting undressed to get in a hot shower is unappealing, but now, not only is the room heating off but so is the water heating. The local bathhouses are big business. We attempted to go today, Sunday, and there were lines nearly going out of the building. Apparently Sunday is the most popular day to bathe and the wait can be up to two hours to get a shower stall. We gave up eventually and asked the PCVs if we could boil a pot of water at their house and take a good old fashioned bucket bath.
Considering how the conditions have been in town, I have done some shopping to prepare for our trip out to the country side. Firstly, I picked up some toilet paper, a lighter to then burn the toilet paper I use, and the most magical thing of all; baby wipes. The baby wipes should keep us clean enough in between our weekly showers. I think I am as prepared as I can be for the countryside conditions. I am looking forward to leaving for our two week tour tomorrow.
How interesting to read about this and to appreciate a small part of what the PC’s and locals go through in their daily life.