Postcards from abroad, episode 1: From a ger in Bodh Khan National Park

Just outside Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Hearing the wind and horses neighing, and shovelling for the new row of gers as the workers mix concrete. The kids must be gone because I can't hear them laughing & yelling as they play - at least not over the wind. 1pm: time for lunch. The sun has moved from the wall over Vijay's bed to the west corner of the table, where the tea sits.

If you were to volunteer for a Peace Corps assignment in Mongolia, you would start in the summer. The steppes would be grassy and green. In the hope that that memory would sustain you as the temperatures slip and the colors fade. As you add the winter door to your ger. Spring becomes a miracle and you hang on each protracted step, as the light May snows wash a hint of color across the plains.

sick kitty :(

I woke up to a call asking for a few thousand dollars to save my cat. His kidneys are failing and they need to know now... What do you say to that? Your options are a couple months of salary or put him down. I guess my dad said no.

I've heard about a rule of three. about filling your karmic duties and being let go. about once you've done your three, you're set. I think I've counted to three a couple of times.

Sometimes you feel like God. I hesitated. I said yes. Go. Do it. Maybe I feel like I've been to enough hospitals and funerals this year.

Numbers are just numbers, right? At least this time I can say I tried. Maybe I'll just work a little longer next year?

I hope it helps.

Were you aware of it? vol. 5: Modern tips for people who snore

Exercise daily to maintain a healthful body weight and improve muscle tone. Avoid exercise within 2 hours of bedtime, because exercise may make it harder to fall asleep.

Avoid heavy meals, alcohol, sleeping pills, and antihistamines before bedtime.

Sleep on your side rather than on your back. (Sew a pocket onto the back of your pajama top, and put a tennis ball inside the pocket. This will keep you from sleeping on your back.)

Establish regular sleeping patterns. Go to bed at the same time every night, even on weekends.

Let the person who doesn't snore fall asleep first.

**Courtesy of the Kaiser Permanente Healthwise Handbook, 2004

I am back!

I can honestly say that when I stepped off the plane at LAX last Friday, I have never been happier to be home.

China and Mongolia were awesome and I could talk your ear off about all the experiences I had. I think the biggest thing to come out of this trip though. Aside from a little better appreciation of what's up with China. Is a little more - dare I say - direction.

After reading Michael Pollan all through Mongolia, I'm of course energized about food and food politics and agriculture and sustainability &c, but seeing Sunaree in her Peace Corps digs and chatting with her volunteer buddies from the PC and the diff programs Australia has, I'm feeling really drawn to the Peace Corps. I even went to an info session Tuesday night and man did that guy do a good marketing job. Reading through all the brochures I picked up, it just sounds more and more like doing a PC stint would make me use all my favorite things that I've done.

Working indoors attached to a computer for years dulls your memory to the awareness that there was a time when you once did things that meant something to you. That you still do some of these things. But looking through the job requirements for Peace Corps, I've been realizing that wait I Have done a lot of this stuff. I Would actually make a good volunteer. Despite typing emails for a living for years, I actually have other non-computer skills I can use to like make a difference.

I do have two years of French, I already was planning to get 6 months of agricultural experience, I've been composting for over a year, I'm trained up in CPR and First Aid and I've been dying to spend a month in Mexico learning Spanish for ages. I have been a camp counselor. I have worked with deaf kids. I haven't ever tutored for money but I help the sibs out for free on a lot of stuff and I'm not perfect, but I think I do a decent job. And I'm like a decent, capable human being.

I've managed to work a corporate job for three years without becoming evil. Two years? Two years.

Anyway, I'm telling you that I'm hoping to maybe aim for Peace Corps in 2010. Just to make me accountable.

Who knows what I'll do afterwards, but if I can feel this confident after bumming around Asia for three weeks, I could practically be a seer on the mount after farming + Peace Corps. All of this will be hard, but I think it will be hard in the best way.

ps. In case you hadn't noticed, all the travel pics I posted so far were stolen from the internet. Still working on dealing with the three cameras worth of photos I have in various formats. Processing of those will begin tomorrow. Fear not, I will plaster any good ones about as soon as I can. Maybe I'll post more trip specifics as pics become available? How does that sound?

Ulaanbaatar

Just stopping in to say hello from Mongolia. We're stopped at an internet cafe in hopes of finally confirming payment for our plane tickets from Beijing to Dayong to visit Aron. It has been an uphill battle.

Mongolia is great, though. I love it so far. Ulaanbaatar looks a lot more Soviet/Socialist than Asian, but there are still Buddhist temples and monks and older people and children wearing the traditional robes and boots and hats (all of which I want badly). The people here are remarkably stylish. I saw some kid with a Diesel bag and another guy with a LaCoste sweater - and they don't all look like the knockoffs you find in China. Everyone has been super nice too. It's great seeing Sunaree after all this time. And actually, we've been able to meet up with someone in every place we've been so far, which is rad.

Today we're doing the museum thing since it snowed this morning. Then Sunday we head out to the countryside to stay in a ger camp (see photo) and, with any luck, ride some Mongolian horses.

Still very much in love with the idea of farming a year from now. Michael Pollan is egging me on.

Will have more stories when I return!!