The Winter Grays

April 4, 2016

Happy Birthday, Brian. I really hope UNC loses. Like, a lot. You might already know who wins by the time you read this... but still. Screw 'em.

So, another long pause between posts; apologies, but these past two or three weeks have made very apparent to me why some ancient people worshipped the sun. For my part, I'd slaughter a goat or two if it meant seeing the giver of life again. It actually was out for about twenty minutes this morning, only to be swallowed by the eternal gray carpet that is our sky right now. Everywhere else in Mongolia, Spring done sprung, yet here we are in the west with gray skies and slowly-melting snow (which refreezes every night). I'd even take the dust storms currently raging in much of the rest of the country over this depressing, demotivating, motionless, silent, oppressive, formless gray. It even makes it hard to think. The gray prevails in the air, percolates into my mind, and consequently will pervade this post.

Bleck. Blurgh. Urgh, Ugh. Feh. Meh. Eh. Hh. 2015 as a year and the first two months of 2016 have been the hottest on record around the planet. In the period of 2012-2015, Uvs had winters which were far, far above the long-term average in terms of average temperature. This year, however, has been right back at that average. Give me Spring!

I don't know if it's because of the gray or because the Olympiad is over (more on that momentarily) or because we're entering the home stretch of the school year (eight weeks from today), but my students – both the adults and the young 'uns – have become far less reliable in recent weeks. My Monday movie club was a bust, and I haven't had any success in pinning down a location for a game club yet. This past Tuesday, only one student showed up to my speaking club, which should host about 25. Wednesday, my English club at the school saw five students come instead of the 15-20 I had been getting for a few weeks, and later in the day for my teacher's class, none showed up. The following day – which was, incidentally, the only sunny day in the past two plus weeks – I was supposed to hold a class for my non-english teachers at the college, but that was canceled by the teachers themselves. On Friday, even my sports club saw low attendance; I usually get 30ish students, but this time around barely breached 10. Oh, and the time of our blind students' class was changed to the afternoon, a time I can't make. I also haven't lesson-planned with my CPs in weeks due to a series of illnesses and nation-wide events. Uniquely frustrating, these things.

Some good news, though: the country recently held its nation-wide English Olympiad aimag by aimag, and I am pleased to report that my teachers took second and sixth. The Olympiad itself is just a long test that teachers, 12^th graders, and ninth graders take once a year, mostly for prestige. It's taken tremendously seriously, though, and though I would love to claim that it was my superb teaching that paved the way, I work with tremendously driven people. The teacher who got sixth wouldn't let me tell the students, saying, “Next year, when I get first, I'll tell them.” The teacher who took second missed out on first by one question, which was infuriating to me. She was pleased, nonetheless, but seriously: one question. I saw her test afterward, and it actually came down to one or two words; she used the word “was” instead of “had been.” I probably would have gotten that wrong, too.

Uhhhhhh in other news: we met and had dinner with the embassy folk during a recent trip they took out here with a visiting English Fellow. We also tagged along into the city's museum, which is currently being renovated and to which we had yet to get access. They are good, dedicated people, who seem committed to spreading around some of the resources the embassy has in Mongolia, most (if not all) of which has historically been allocated in the capitol. I wish them success in that endeavor, and luck. Red tape can be ever so thick.

The aforementioned Mongolian lessons have sort of dried up due to a mixture of testing, unforeseen incidents, illnesses, and the general malaise the gray has brought on. I continue on with my Korean lessons, though, despite the fact that I am apparently an abysmal student. I can count to ten now, mostly, so that's cool.

Small victories.

And, listen, dear friend, listen: I realize that this post will come off as whiny and self-serving. And really, it kind of is, even in intent. But things are just as they have been around here; not good, not bad, just... just gray. Enthusiasm-stifling, dusk-at-all-times, happiness-smothering gray. It's not just Emily and I feeling the weather in our mood and motivation; that makes for a lot less going on. I anxiously await the arrival of true Spring, and the change in mood and action that will accompany it.

Thanks for reading.