Giving back in Mongolia

In the summer of 2012, I took a month away from my usual work responsibilities to join a volunteer work camp in Mongolia—a farming work camp for an orphanage. I thought I should do something different, so I chose something more physical than my normal routine. Some work camps seek health professionals, and others ask for teachers to teach English to kids. I wanted to have a break from nursing and health care, and I didn’t think I qualified as an English-language teacher. Each work camp lasts two weeks, so I signed up for two work camps.

At first, I thought I was going to Inner Mongolia, in China, and that I would be able to speak Putonghua with the kids. But no, it was Mongolia, the independent country. Well, so much the better.

Although I had been to Mongolia before, it was clear the moment I left the airport that I was in a different country than on my earlier visit. Nevertheless, it seemed to have retained much of its original form. There were no highways, and no trees were planted along the roadside. My first impression was that it is a very dusty country.

How do we measure the development of a city? I think we can do so by observing the number of potholes in the main roads and the number of puddles on the pavement.

My posts in coming weeks will be about Mongolia. Here are some photos.

In the background, the work camp's camp house. In the foreground,
the ger where volunteers stayed. A ger, also known as a yurt, is a
portable structure covered with felt, made from sheep wool.

The kids' dormitory.

Sitting on my bunk bed, the lower bunk.

Our four-star toilet.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.