The Longest Week Ever

Good to hear about the other side of the world. Keep it coming. Rain and sun here too. Really hot. Boy, I am so excited that you got a new apartment. It is like you are a real person, but I will still think of you as 9. Also glad to hear that you cut your beard down. I have pictures of you in my photo collection here and they don't believe you are my younger brother. Dad they just point and say really, you look alot like Chingis Kahn, I think. and mom they think you are too young. Ha!

Internet is slow here in my town and there are only two computers. Imagine dial up networks in Mongolia, not so good. But I think I can manage a weekly update. Jesse doesn't have email and I have no idea what is going on with him. I get to see him in a week, going to his host family for the weekend so that should be awesome!

This has been a super long week. I have been sleeping a ton. I am slowly learning Mongolian. Learned the alphabet this week (cryllic) and then that day we were reading at a first grade level. So things are moving pretty fast. I am not discouraged yet but I am not that good. Talked to my Community Youth Development people about the type of job I want. I think youth in government would be cool here. I think we will be placed in the capital. Not that excited about it, wanted to live in a ger, but it sounds like they are trying to place jesse in a lab setting. not sure about the details on that but that is what it sounded like. i am guessing the only labs are in UB. and the government is in UB too. So I guess that will be good for when people visit.

I just took a shower at the town bathhouse. WARM water! I think it was the highlight of my week. The soviet apartments don't have hot water in the summer. So it is brain freeze cold trying to wash hair.

Last night we went over to a fellow trainees house and set up the laptop and watched Monty Python. English! Yes! There is a lot of american television and chinese television but it is all dubbed in Mongolian.

Anyway, I should check email before my hour is up. Take care!
s