On the Road Again...

I'm still out traveling-- and have been since late October! I just learned that I will finally be back to site by November 12 or 13th. I feel very lucky to be seeing so much while we're here in Mongolia, and as a CED volunteer, I've gotten to travel a fair amount!

This trip has been a little different than my past hudoo adventures-- I have an international NGO as a Host Country Agency (HCA as Peace Corps calls them), and they've been so generous. I've been in a very nice hotel-- with a fuzzy wonderful robe, and EVEN American TV shows! The seasons are one behind American seasons-- but beggars can't be choosers, and I'll watch it! It's a very traditional Peace Corps experience, you know-- sitting in my terry cloth robe, eating bon bons, and watching The Office. I'm not sure what bon bons even are though. The other two are true!

Completely aside from working -- I have had so many "small world" experiences lately. I found a laundromat in UB this weekend (WITH DRYERS!!!) and the machines they used were none other than Speed Queen out of Ripon, Wisconsin. After a little nostalgia for Ripon which lead to nostalgia for home, I realized how clean and wonderful smelling my clothes were! It has been at least 6 months since my clothes have been this clean and fresh.

I've been working with the GER Initiative country-wide team to develop a Value Chain Analysis. The team of business advisors working on the analysis are top notch in their field, and I feel lucky to be learning so much from them! Recently, after learning about how to conduct the selection and analysis process, we've begun our analysis on the Pork value chain in Mongolia. If I never eat processed pork ever again, it may be too soon.



Cady at the Darkhan Crossroads

I put up a picture that my counterparts took of me at the Darkhan-Uul Aimag border crossroads. This is the border you cross to go anywhere outside of the Darkhan aimag-- our CHF drivers drop me off there, pick me up, shuffle me into other vehicles, and I feel like I've seen those crossroads these past few months than I have my bed! Whenever I see that billboard, I strangely feel more relaxed and I can finally breathe deeply. It's starting to feel like home!

I'm holding up well though, enjoying the adventures as they come, and learning a lot about Mongolian businesses and how important they are for the development of Mongolia. When I return to site, it'll be time to get ready to head back to UB for Thanksgiving, a short return back to site, and then back again for our In-Service Training. Maybe next year I'll get all those ideas turned into secondary projects. . . the two years are just flying by too quickly!