glad to be back :)

This summer was a really nice break from the school year. I did some work, spent Naadam holiday at my town, took a vacation in Russia, and visited my family that I lived with last summer. During all of this, I got to spend time with my peace corps friends. I am typically am a loner, but now I mostly do things with others. It was fun seeing places in Russia, but it was a little difficult being in Russia because of the language barrier. I was very lazy when it came to learning any words because I put all of my efforts towards Mongolian instead. One of the best things that me and my friend did was couchsurfing. I had never done it before, but it was extremely helpful to speak with locals and get their advice about the area. The people that we stayed with were very generous - they gave us rides to places, let us do laundry, traveled with us and even made some food for us. It is amazing that there are people out there who are friendly to strangers and being a good Samaritan. I'm sure that couchsurfing doesn't always turn out well, but I'm happy that me and my friend tried it when we were in Russia. That being said, it was a relief to come back to Mongolia. I forgot how nice it is to be able to communicate and its a weird feeling that I feel at home here now. It was bizarre coming back to my Mongolian parents house and actually understanding them. What a difference a year makes! They mean alot to me and it was very satisfying to see them again and talk about whatever. I hope I'll be able to visit them a couple more times before my time here is finished. My second year of school is just around the corner and I think it will go by quickly.