I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Mongolia, evacuated due to covid, as it turns out, so I always perk up when I see news from there. Mongolia did surprisingly well with their early pandemic...
I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Mongolia, evacuated due to covid, as it turns out, so I always perk up when I see news from there.
Mongolia did surprisingly well with their early pandemic response, much better in fact than the US. But obviously that couldn’t last, and covid came there too.
It’s hard to talk about cultural differences with hygiene without painting a picture of one group of people being “better” than another. And truthfully, American handwashing culture isn’t that much better in terms of frequency than Mongolia. But one thing that certainly complicates things is access to running water. Much of the population has to gather water, whether that be from wells or other sources. This means that any instance of washing one’s hands (not to mention for a full 20 seconds or however long) has a direct effect on the amount of money they have to spend that week and how much more often they have to haul that water.
Aside from that, in the city and provincial centers, I don’t think the situation is that much different than the US when it comes down to it. I overheard a coworker talking the other day about their kid catching hand, foot, and mouth disease at preschool. We can all do better.
Edit to add another point:
Mongolian culture is on the whole much more physically intimate, in a way that “Western” culture maybe once was, but has moved away from. Again, I don’t want to say that this is better or worse, but it is undeniable that it encourages the spread of disease. Sharing bowls of milk or vodka at gatherings is the norm. I would like to think that there is a medium between foregoing the richness of that culture and complete sterility.
Do you know how clean the water they generally have access to is? I imagine rinsing off the soap with tainted water is kind of counterproductive. It does sound like things were better before, so...
Do you know how clean the water they generally have access to is? I imagine rinsing off the soap with tainted water is kind of counterproductive. It does sound like things were better before, so maybe it was boiled or something if it wasn't cleaned.
I'd always understood dysentery to come from tainted water, that's why I ask. The amount of effort involved in hauling water home and boiling it would make me hesitate to basically dump it out, too.
The best answer to your question is really, “It’s variable.” I will preface by saying that I do not know if there are any government regulations on wells in the countryside. But really, even...
The best answer to your question is really, “It’s variable.” I will preface by saying that I do not know if there are any government regulations on wells in the countryside. But really, even within one small town you might have two wells on either side and built completely differently, of different ages. Have the outhouses tainted the well water? Does one site have a higher incidence of heavy metal toxicity? Not to mention the areas that use nearby bodies of water.
Peace Corps Volunteers are issued a two-chambered water filtration system with a ceramic filter, so you don’t have to boil all your water. But that’s a luxury to keep PCV’s relatively healthy (not that I didn’t have enough food poisoning to last a lifetime despite having clean water).
I never saw anyone boil water to use it for handwashing. But certainly washing your hands at all is better than not for individual and public health. The water will be what it will be.
If I can take us vaguely off topic, and please do label my comment appropriately, could I ask you about your experience in the peace corps in Mongolia? It's something I was strongly interested in...
If I can take us vaguely off topic, and please do label my comment appropriately, could I ask you about your experience in the peace corps in Mongolia? It's something I was strongly interested in doing after college but is looking more and more like a pipe dream so I would really like to hear your thoughts on the program and what you experienced in Mongolia; thoughts on how it grew you as a person or whatever you may have taken away from the experience is also welcome.
That’s a very big question, and there’s no way that I could answer it succinctly. I will respond to a couple points though. If you want to do it, then make it happen. If it doesn’t make sense now,...
That’s a very big question, and there’s no way that I could answer it succinctly. I will respond to a couple points though.
If you want to do it, then make it happen. If it doesn’t make sense now, you don’t have to put it away forever. The oldest member of my cohort turned 60 in her first year there, and she’s gone back to live there for extended periods since.
It’s hard. Peace Corps’s favorite slogan is that “It’s the hardest job you’ll ever love.” For a while that felt very on the nose for me, but as time has gone on and I’ve come to terms with things more, I feel that at least for me, it turned out to be true.
Peace Corps is a good program. I will say that unequivocally. That’s not to say it’s without its problems, but I believe it’s a program that (at least currently) puts good into the world. The goal is not to go over to somewhere and live in a hut—though you may!—and save the world. It’s just to be there to help in the way that the community you’re placed in needs. That’s all. That’s why every volunteer teaches English no matter what their sector or primary work is. Sometimes you have a good idea and you have to fight to get people to see that it is a good idea, but that’s something you really only do very seldom, and after you’ve built trust.
Thank you for the amazing answer to my questions. I will promise you that I won't write it off and will consider it for the rest of my life as a real option I have to take and not a dream to be...
Thank you for the amazing answer to my questions. I will promise you that I won't write it off and will consider it for the rest of my life as a real option I have to take and not a dream to be stowed. That is a much better perspective that I'm appreciative for.
I'm frustrated that the article is only comparing rates to what they were during covid, when we know hygiene was better. Are rates now similar to what they were pre covid? Better? Surely at least...
I'm frustrated that the article is only comparing rates to what they were during covid, when we know hygiene was better. Are rates now similar to what they were pre covid? Better? Surely at least some people have kept up, is that making a difference or is this something new?
I still wash my hands for longer than I used to because the new method is a habit. It's definitely not as often as during quarantine because while I don't want to get sick, I know I'm unlikely to die from touching a door handle.
I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Mongolia, evacuated due to covid, as it turns out, so I always perk up when I see news from there.
Mongolia did surprisingly well with their early pandemic response, much better in fact than the US. But obviously that couldn’t last, and covid came there too.
It’s hard to talk about cultural differences with hygiene without painting a picture of one group of people being “better” than another. And truthfully, American handwashing culture isn’t that much better in terms of frequency than Mongolia. But one thing that certainly complicates things is access to running water. Much of the population has to gather water, whether that be from wells or other sources. This means that any instance of washing one’s hands (not to mention for a full 20 seconds or however long) has a direct effect on the amount of money they have to spend that week and how much more often they have to haul that water.
Aside from that, in the city and provincial centers, I don’t think the situation is that much different than the US when it comes down to it. I overheard a coworker talking the other day about their kid catching hand, foot, and mouth disease at preschool. We can all do better.
Edit to add another point:
Mongolian culture is on the whole much more physically intimate, in a way that “Western” culture maybe once was, but has moved away from. Again, I don’t want to say that this is better or worse, but it is undeniable that it encourages the spread of disease. Sharing bowls of milk or vodka at gatherings is the norm. I would like to think that there is a medium between foregoing the richness of that culture and complete sterility.
Do you know how clean the water they generally have access to is? I imagine rinsing off the soap with tainted water is kind of counterproductive. It does sound like things were better before, so maybe it was boiled or something if it wasn't cleaned.
I'd always understood dysentery to come from tainted water, that's why I ask. The amount of effort involved in hauling water home and boiling it would make me hesitate to basically dump it out, too.
The best answer to your question is really, “It’s variable.” I will preface by saying that I do not know if there are any government regulations on wells in the countryside. But really, even within one small town you might have two wells on either side and built completely differently, of different ages. Have the outhouses tainted the well water? Does one site have a higher incidence of heavy metal toxicity? Not to mention the areas that use nearby bodies of water.
Peace Corps Volunteers are issued a two-chambered water filtration system with a ceramic filter, so you don’t have to boil all your water. But that’s a luxury to keep PCV’s relatively healthy (not that I didn’t have enough food poisoning to last a lifetime despite having clean water).
I never saw anyone boil water to use it for handwashing. But certainly washing your hands at all is better than not for individual and public health. The water will be what it will be.
If I can take us vaguely off topic, and please do label my comment appropriately, could I ask you about your experience in the peace corps in Mongolia? It's something I was strongly interested in doing after college but is looking more and more like a pipe dream so I would really like to hear your thoughts on the program and what you experienced in Mongolia; thoughts on how it grew you as a person or whatever you may have taken away from the experience is also welcome.
That’s a very big question, and there’s no way that I could answer it succinctly. I will respond to a couple points though.
If you want to do it, then make it happen. If it doesn’t make sense now, you don’t have to put it away forever. The oldest member of my cohort turned 60 in her first year there, and she’s gone back to live there for extended periods since.
It’s hard. Peace Corps’s favorite slogan is that “It’s the hardest job you’ll ever love.” For a while that felt very on the nose for me, but as time has gone on and I’ve come to terms with things more, I feel that at least for me, it turned out to be true.
Peace Corps is a good program. I will say that unequivocally. That’s not to say it’s without its problems, but I believe it’s a program that (at least currently) puts good into the world. The goal is not to go over to somewhere and live in a hut—though you may!—and save the world. It’s just to be there to help in the way that the community you’re placed in needs. That’s all. That’s why every volunteer teaches English no matter what their sector or primary work is. Sometimes you have a good idea and you have to fight to get people to see that it is a good idea, but that’s something you really only do very seldom, and after you’ve built trust.
Thank you for the amazing answer to my questions. I will promise you that I won't write it off and will consider it for the rest of my life as a real option I have to take and not a dream to be stowed. That is a much better perspective that I'm appreciative for.
I'm frustrated that the article is only comparing rates to what they were during covid, when we know hygiene was better. Are rates now similar to what they were pre covid? Better? Surely at least some people have kept up, is that making a difference or is this something new?
I still wash my hands for longer than I used to because the new method is a habit. It's definitely not as often as during quarantine because while I don't want to get sick, I know I'm unlikely to die from touching a door handle.