Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Food Experiences / Host Family

We had a cultural day at school today.  One session, they made a makeshift ger and we learned about the customs and how to do things when you are inside one.  There was one about surprises we might find - how they kill animals for food, how they treat dogs (not like pets), etc.  Then there was one about hospitality and how to accept gifts, drinks, and candy from your family.  Always with the right hand, palm up.  The last session was on food.  I tasted boiled mutton (not too bad), dried curds ( one tasted like the worst rank blue cheese I have ever tasted and the small ones kind of taste like parmesean cheese..good), mare's milk tea (tastes like liquid pasta), and fresh yogurt ( sour but would be good with jam).  It was a very interesting day.

We also got our host family assignments.  My is a mom who is 38, a hospital cook, and she has 4 daughters - 18, 15, 7, and 5 years old.  They have a puppy, who I am hoping to convert into Bailey, 5 cows, and a potato garden.  They like playing cards and watching tv.  They live in a house but I will have my own ger next to them.  I am pretty excited. 

That is all for now.  E-mail me updates!  Can't wait to hear from all of you!

M

5 comments:

  1. Oi, Mindy - tudo bem?? Sua familia parece ser legal! Você vai ficar com eles o tempo todo? Eu gostei muito de suas fotos!

    ReplyDelete
  2. potato farm and cows...you can eat mashed potatos every day! i am thinking it is a good thing they don't have a horse!
    loving the updates! can't wait to hear more!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's so awesome that you get your own ger!! and they have a tv.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I can't wait to hear about your host family and how the girls react to you:) That is great you will have your own space though I am not loving the no shower update. That one be the one thing I couldn't hang with! Did you take a solar shower with you?? I have some stuff to send you so hopefully it will get there sometime this century! They have DHL in Mongolia so I will compare prices with USPS and post. Did you see any street kids in the city? I was reading about them...so tragic:( Can't wait for you to put pics up and I hope you can get some of the kiddos and where you will be living. I'm dying to see the inside of a ger! Can't wait to hear more and let us know if you have any special requests!

    ReplyDelete
  5. The girls are really cute. They stare at me a lot when I am in my ger. They have taught me a lot of songs and we awkwardly try to communicate to each other!

    ANDRE - Eu so com minha familia ate agosto. Eles sao muito legal!

    ReplyDelete