Dancing Salsa to a Phillipino rock band singing cheesy pop covers at a mongolian night club

So - that week was a bit of a write off, I graduated languge school, and had the worst sore throat I have ever had.  SO by friday I was ready to party.  four of us went to this club we had heard of called Strings, where there was a resident band.  We pid 8,000 MNT (a lot) to get in, and found a table.  The music was fun, the band was energetic and E taught me salsa so we danced all night.

I had to move house the next day, and I dont know what time I got to bed, but it was late, and I had to take E along with me to the apartment for moral support.  The place was empty and grubby, and the bed made me literally shudder, and I almost cried.  However, I pulled myself together, bought some bleach, and some colourful material and I girlified that pace right up.  Check it out.

So - settled in to the flat....next step was starting work.  I had met my interpreter at a work shop the previous week, we had arranged hat she would meet me at my flat and take me to work, as I had no idea where it was.  5 Minutes before she was due to meet me, she texted me saying she couldnt meet me.  Uh Oh.  I went out and jumped in a taxi, but couldnt rememeber the mongolian name of my hospital, i could only say hospital, so the taxi driver took me to a hospital....the wrong hospital....I rang my boss and asked her to tell the taxi driver where to go, and I eventually made it to work.

I LOVE my work.  I LOVE IT!  I am so lucky!  I have a lovely desk, in a lovely office, with lovely women.  My interpreter, Z, and I spent the week bonding, and I love her too, even though she dropped me in it that first day - its water under the bridge now.  I also LOVE my boss, she is amazing.  I admire her very much.

That first week, not a lot happened, oh, except for being asked to make a small presentation about what nursing is like in the UK to give to "some nurses".  I duly wrote the presentartion, and as I was being hustled along a corridor to give it, asked, um, exactly how many people am I presenting this too....oh, about 250 came the flippant reply, just as we turned into a huge room, with the 250 nurses sitting bored and chattering.

Well, I just had to take it in my stride, walk confidently up to the lectern and tell 'em about myself and nursing in the UK.

By friday I was exhausted, I had not anticipated how draining it is to be trapped in a language bubble, its a struggle every day to understand what is going on and to make myself understood.  Although I love Z, she was not so good that first week about interpreting....a rapid conversation would happen in Mongolian, and I would look pleadingly at her throughout, waiting for a scrap of information as to what was going on.  "what did they say?" I asked. "oh.....yes." would be the reply.  For the first few days "yes" was the answer to every what, why, where and when question.  So I arranged an informal meeting with another volunteer and her interpreter, a more mature woman (Z is very young and this is her first job) who has been a health interpreter for several years.  I engineered a conversation betwen her and Z about therole of an interpreter, and the particular challenges of working in healthcare.

I also spent most evenings during the week at various social events.  This is the week that all the VSO's working in diferent Aimags were leaving, so it was a leaving meal out every night!  I was sensible though, and would have no beer and go home early.  Mostly.