2006.01.13: January 13, 2006: Headlines: COS - Mongolia: Cincinnati Enquirer: Peace Corps Volunteer Michelle Toon writes: From the West Side to Mongolia
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2006.01.13: January 13, 2006: Headlines: COS - Mongolia: Cincinnati Enquirer: Peace Corps Volunteer Michelle Toon writes: From the West Side to Mongolia
Peace Corps Volunteer Michelle Toon writes: From the West Side to Mongolia
I've been in Mongolia for seven months. After landing in Ulan Bator, I and 56 other Peace Corps trainees were bused to a "ger camp." A ger is a traditional Mongolian home that can be described as a round felt tent supported by wooden poles. Though it was June, it felt like February. It had snowed two weeks earlier. Mongolia is a country of extremes. Its sun is as oppressive as its poverty. The summers are short and blazing and the winters long and bitter - 30 degrees below zero bitter. Its people are generous to a humbling degree. Nothing is mine or yours. They consistently say the word manai, which means our. Our Mongolia. Our project. Our Michelle. Waking up that first morning in the ger camp, the mountains were staggering. There is something familiar yet inexpressible about the landscape here. The people are reflections of it. They build little mountains on the roadsides in the form of Buddhist shrines. And with their ceremony and solemnity they are mountains themselves.
Peace Corps Volunteer Michelle Toon writes: From the West Side to Mongolia
From the West Side to Mongolia
BY MICHELLE TOON
Caption: Ulan Bator Photo: chill Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0
In June, two weeks after receiving a degree in political science from Penn State, I left for Mongolia to begin my 27-month Peace Corps commitment. I remember leaving Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and feeling my age for the first time. As I was walking toward the security checkpoint, my brother remarked on how young I looked. I think it was the fear. I hadn't felt that afraid since my father died. Or as emptied.
Though I haven't lived in Cincinnati in more than four years, it is my home. My mother lives in White Oak and most of my family on the West Side.
I've been in Mongolia for seven months. After landing in Ulan Bator, I and 56 other Peace Corps trainees were bused to a "ger camp." A ger is a traditional Mongolian home that can be described as a round felt tent supported by wooden poles. Though it was June, it felt like February. It had snowed two weeks earlier.
Mongolia is a country of extremes. Its sun is as oppressive as its poverty. The summers are short and blazing and the winters long and bitter - 30 degrees below zero bitter. Its people are generous to a humbling degree. Nothing is mine or yours. They consistently say the word manai, which means our. Our Mongolia. Our project. Our Michelle.
Waking up that first morning in the ger camp, the mountains were staggering. There is something familiar yet inexpressible about the landscape here. The people are reflections of it. They build little mountains on the roadsides in the form of Buddhist shrines. And with their ceremony and solemnity they are mountains themselves.
The Peace Corps consists of several program sectors including health, environment, teaching English as a foreign language, community youth development and business. I am a health volunteer. I train health care workers on a wide variety of topics spanning from public health promotion to professional skill development.
This being my first time abroad, everything I have seen and felt has been intensified by my inexperience. I was 22 when I came to Mongolia and recently turned 23. It feels like it, though the fear is gone now.
It feels like the best time in my life to be doing what I'm doing. I am thankful for that.
Michelle Toon is a 2002 graduate of Colerain High School.
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: January, 2006; Peace Corps Mongolia; Directory of Mongolia RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Mongolia RPCVs
When this story was posted in March 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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| Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments. |
| He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor. |
| Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process. |
| The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace. |
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Story Source: Cincinnati Enquirer
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Mongolia
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I just finished reading the story by Michelle Toon. Michelle and I have known each other since 4th grade and for many years we were best friends. She is a great person and I always knew she would do great things in her life. This is one expedition she put her heart into and im sure she changed numerous lives with her giving and compassionate character. This recent venture is just one of many to come in Michelles lifetime. Many of us dream of changing the world, but I believe Michelle will someday. I would like to let everyone know how much i appreciate Michelle as a person and I am truly greatful to know her. Happy Birthday Michelle!!!
LOVE, Stacey