We're spending Christmas in Japan where the trees are green, the flowers are blooming and Venita is within talking and touching distance. Japanese food in Japan is heaven.
Mongolia can wait.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Off to the rising sun
We're spending Christmas in Japan where the trees are green, the flowers are blooming and Venita is within talking and touching distance. Japanese food in Japan is heaven.
Mongolia can wait.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Party, party, party!
Aaron's in bed at the moment and it's almost 2 pm Sunday... Our weekend really started Thursday night with some live jazz at a restaurant. One of Mongolia's more famous singers, Naraa, sang a few songs. It was nice to hear live jazz. We'll definitely go back. And they have fish'n'chips...
Glitter
Friday night was the New Year's party* for Aaron's work. We had been warned that the women would be wearing ball gowns and the men tuxes but we hadn't been warned about all the hair glitter. Unfortunately, I didn't pack my ball gown or any hair glitter so my outfit of cashmere sweater and black pants was a little boring. The place was packed with some 250 Mongolians dressed-to-the-nines and two Canadians dressed-to-the-fives. There was food, chocolates and several rounds of vodka going around. There was a lot of dancing. Enkhtuya, Aaron's coworker, dragged us to the dance floor when participants were requested for a game. There we were, in front of a huge crowd, acting out a chicken wooing scene. Aaron was pretty funny. We got second place. The best outfit of the night had to be the woman wearing a wedding dress. There was no mistaking it as anything other than a white, frilly wedding dress. Honourable mention goes to the Jennifer Lopez dress, remember the one requiring double-sided tape? We had a fun night. Mongolians know how to party.
*Most Mongolians don't celebrate Christmas so their parties are for New Year's. The decorations are still Christmasy with Santa and the ubiquitous decorated coniferous tree.
Bloody Party
The party was at our place on Saturday night. It was a Bloody Caesar, Bloody Mary party in honour of the clamato juice I brought back from Canada. The VSO crowd (and a few non-VSOers) filled our apartment. Many of our guests had never had a caesar (caesars being Canadian) before last night and the majority quite enjoyed them. Our "living room" even served as a dance floor. Our guests left and Aaron and I finally crashed at 3 am.
Glitter
Friday night was the New Year's party* for Aaron's work. We had been warned that the women would be wearing ball gowns and the men tuxes but we hadn't been warned about all the hair glitter. Unfortunately, I didn't pack my ball gown or any hair glitter so my outfit of cashmere sweater and black pants was a little boring. The place was packed with some 250 Mongolians dressed-to-the-nines and two Canadians dressed-to-the-fives. There was food, chocolates and several rounds of vodka going around. There was a lot of dancing. Enkhtuya, Aaron's coworker, dragged us to the dance floor when participants were requested for a game. There we were, in front of a huge crowd, acting out a chicken wooing scene. Aaron was pretty funny. We got second place. The best outfit of the night had to be the woman wearing a wedding dress. There was no mistaking it as anything other than a white, frilly wedding dress. Honourable mention goes to the Jennifer Lopez dress, remember the one requiring double-sided tape? We had a fun night. Mongolians know how to party.
*Most Mongolians don't celebrate Christmas so their parties are for New Year's. The decorations are still Christmasy with Santa and the ubiquitous decorated coniferous tree.
Bloody Party
The party was at our place on Saturday night. It was a Bloody Caesar, Bloody Mary party in honour of the clamato juice I brought back from Canada. The VSO crowd (and a few non-VSOers) filled our apartment. Many of our guests had never had a caesar (caesars being Canadian) before last night and the majority quite enjoyed them. Our "living room" even served as a dance floor. Our guests left and Aaron and I finally crashed at 3 am.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
How to carry meat in Mongolia
1. Loose in a shopping bag
If your boss owns a horse farm and kills one of his horses on the weekend, you may find yourself carrying horse meat home on the Monday. The meat will come in an ordinary grocery shopping bag slightly smeared with blood and will contain various cuts of meat, including two ribs. You will be told of the healthiness of horse meat before being sent on your way. You will walk the fifteen minutes home with a bag that clearly contains meat and you won't be able to contain your smile while thinking: "Look everybody! A foreigner is carrying a bag of meat!"
2. On your shoulder
Toss a sheep thigh over your shoulder and be on your way. Pass by a herd of cows on a busy street.
3. In the back seat of your car
Kill and clean a few sheep then pile them in your backseat--plastic covering sheet optional. Drive to the city.
4. Loose in a shopping bag, take two
Buy some meat at the market. Go to the market's meat grinder and have your meat ground. As you leave the market, the plastic bag handle breaks and you find yourself carefully kneeling toward the pavement to prevent your ground meat from spilling onto the street. You are not entirely successful.
If your boss owns a horse farm and kills one of his horses on the weekend, you may find yourself carrying horse meat home on the Monday. The meat will come in an ordinary grocery shopping bag slightly smeared with blood and will contain various cuts of meat, including two ribs. You will be told of the healthiness of horse meat before being sent on your way. You will walk the fifteen minutes home with a bag that clearly contains meat and you won't be able to contain your smile while thinking: "Look everybody! A foreigner is carrying a bag of meat!"
2. On your shoulder
Toss a sheep thigh over your shoulder and be on your way. Pass by a herd of cows on a busy street.
3. In the back seat of your car
Kill and clean a few sheep then pile them in your backseat--plastic covering sheet optional. Drive to the city.
4. Loose in a shopping bag, take two
Buy some meat at the market. Go to the market's meat grinder and have your meat ground. As you leave the market, the plastic bag handle breaks and you find yourself carefully kneeling toward the pavement to prevent your ground meat from spilling onto the street. You are not entirely successful.
Return to Mongolia
During the two weeks I spent in Canada, Mongolia was a fast-fading memory. Aaron was still vivid but the rest of Mongolia seemed like a dream and it would have been very easy to just fall back into a Canadian routine and not return to Mongolia. But I did make it back.
On the way home from the UB airport, the sun shone bright and the air felt crisp; Mongolia became real again. I was happy to be in sunny Mongolia after Ottawa and Montreal's rain, ice rain and snow.
Beijing is a huge city. I didn't see much because I was exhausted and I got into the city as dusk was falling. The parts I saw were quite modern. We will go there on our way out and explore a bit more.
Aaron uploaded the latest photos; the captions are all his handiwork.
On the way home from the UB airport, the sun shone bright and the air felt crisp; Mongolia became real again. I was happy to be in sunny Mongolia after Ottawa and Montreal's rain, ice rain and snow.
Beijing is a huge city. I didn't see much because I was exhausted and I got into the city as dusk was falling. The parts I saw were quite modern. We will go there on our way out and explore a bit more.
Aaron uploaded the latest photos; the captions are all his handiwork.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
We've been gone for so long
A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks; I still am waiting for funding, MC went to Canada and our Internet connection at home went tits up. The last event is why we haven't had a post in a couple of weeks. Actually, probably the last two are why we haven't had posts up in a while. MC is usually the writer while I tend to put up the videos and pics. I quite like the arrangement. So this is just a quick post to show you that MC is in Ottawa right now giving Henry the loving of his life.
When MC gets back I'll be sure to put up some more pics and get her nose to the grindstone to write some more articles.
Monday, November 13, 2006
In case you were worried...
Aaron and his white-flecked tonsils have recovered without requiring surgery or any other drastic treatment like drinking his own urine.
We went hiking again yesterday and now my legs are feeling it. Mongolia is great for pointing and hiking. There are few beaten paths and people just pick a direction and hike. Most of the time, you don't have to worry about a thick forest undergrowth, uncrossable rivers or trespassing.
There's no snow in the city at all despite the below zero temperatures. It's the moisture from the sky that's missing and not the cold. It's weird to have cold weather without snow. It just doesn't feel like it should be cold. There was a little bit of snow in the hills in the more shaded areas on our hike yesterday but barely enough to make snowballs. Barely enough still means enough and I did get hit by a snowball. No snow means sun and it's been great to have such sunny days.
We went hiking again yesterday and now my legs are feeling it. Mongolia is great for pointing and hiking. There are few beaten paths and people just pick a direction and hike. Most of the time, you don't have to worry about a thick forest undergrowth, uncrossable rivers or trespassing.
There's no snow in the city at all despite the below zero temperatures. It's the moisture from the sky that's missing and not the cold. It's weird to have cold weather without snow. It just doesn't feel like it should be cold. There was a little bit of snow in the hills in the more shaded areas on our hike yesterday but barely enough to make snowballs. Barely enough still means enough and I did get hit by a snowball. No snow means sun and it's been great to have such sunny days.
Friday, November 03, 2006
A cute tonsillitis
Yesterday I was told that I have "acute tonsillitis". I guess that means I don't need my tonsils out, but I need to take some medication and rest. For those of you not familiar with tonsillitis, it is the inflammation of the tonsils in the back of your throat. Sore throat + fever + 2 nights of no sleep = grumpy Aaron. I decided to visit the UN doctor yesterday. She said I needed to start antibiotics right away - she thinks it's a bacterial infection. I'm not sure how she figured that out without a swab, but hey, they do medicine differently here. I've been popping some pills for a day and I feel better. Hopefully I'll have the bacteria/virus beat in the next couple of days. The pic is of my throat with some of the pussy infection highlighted for your viewing pleasure.
-AA
Monday, October 30, 2006
Making food
Saturday's homemade buuz tempted me to cook and bake some more. So on Sunday I made buttermilk biscuits, apple crisp and tofu egg rolls (I made the egg roll wraps from scratch too!).
All turned out quite delicious. Side note on the word delicious: in Mongolia, people often ask me: "How's [insert name of whatever I'm eating]? Is it delicious?"
We've had to adjust our recipes a little because the food here is a little different and we can't find everything we used in Canada. Some spices are not readily available, neither is seafood and we haven't seen baking powder yet. If we really wanted them I think we could find just about everything here by looking a little harder but we would also find a higher price tag. There are many meals that used to be staple at the Aaron and MC household in Canada that have not made an appearance in our plates here. We expected this. We haven't made our famous refried bean rollups, pizza, curries and tacos for a long time now. We now often eat oven fries and fancy grilled cheese sandwiches, pasta, rice and stir-fried vegetables with tofu, and cabbage salad.
The cheapest and most commonly available vegetables are cabbage, potatoes and carrots. I used to have a hard time going through a whole cabbage in Canada but here we go through one almost every week!
mc
All turned out quite delicious. Side note on the word delicious: in Mongolia, people often ask me: "How's [insert name of whatever I'm eating]? Is it delicious?"
We've had to adjust our recipes a little because the food here is a little different and we can't find everything we used in Canada. Some spices are not readily available, neither is seafood and we haven't seen baking powder yet. If we really wanted them I think we could find just about everything here by looking a little harder but we would also find a higher price tag. There are many meals that used to be staple at the Aaron and MC household in Canada that have not made an appearance in our plates here. We expected this. We haven't made our famous refried bean rollups, pizza, curries and tacos for a long time now. We now often eat oven fries and fancy grilled cheese sandwiches, pasta, rice and stir-fried vegetables with tofu, and cabbage salad.
The cheapest and most commonly available vegetables are cabbage, potatoes and carrots. I used to have a hard time going through a whole cabbage in Canada but here we go through one almost every week!
mc
Terelj - Saturday October 28th
On Saturday, we went to Terelj, one of Mongolia's more famous national parks, with newly-arrived VSO volunteers and two VSO employees. Terelj is not too far from Ulaanbaatar, about 50 kms or so. Ganbold drove us in the VSO jeep.
We spotted some camels on the side of the road just after entering the park and stopped to check them out. Two men were sitting near the camels waiting for people like us to stop and ask to ride the camels. Shelina, barely a week into her Mongolian adventure, decided to go for it.
After Shelina's camel ride we drove on and stopped at a tourist ger camp. All throughout Mongolia, there are tourist ger camps that rent out gers for Mongolians and foreigners alike. VSO had rented one for us for the day. Urnaa and Ganbold showed us how to make buuz, the Mongolian steamed dumplings. We made enough to feed an army.
Stomachs full, a little too full perhaps, Aaron and I set out to explore the surrounding hills. Terelj is rocky. The huge weather-worn rock formations are really beautiful. There was a bit more snow there than around Ulaanbaatar but only in the more shaded areas. Aaron and I climbed around trying to reach the top but never quite made it. We would have needed rock climbing equipment and well, rock climbing knowledge. We met up with the rest of the group near some yaks and climbed another face of the hill.
Then it was time to go home. We spent a quiet evening at home, a little too exhausted from our climb and the fresh air.
We spotted some camels on the side of the road just after entering the park and stopped to check them out. Two men were sitting near the camels waiting for people like us to stop and ask to ride the camels. Shelina, barely a week into her Mongolian adventure, decided to go for it.
After Shelina's camel ride we drove on and stopped at a tourist ger camp. All throughout Mongolia, there are tourist ger camps that rent out gers for Mongolians and foreigners alike. VSO had rented one for us for the day. Urnaa and Ganbold showed us how to make buuz, the Mongolian steamed dumplings. We made enough to feed an army.
Stomachs full, a little too full perhaps, Aaron and I set out to explore the surrounding hills. Terelj is rocky. The huge weather-worn rock formations are really beautiful. There was a bit more snow there than around Ulaanbaatar but only in the more shaded areas. Aaron and I climbed around trying to reach the top but never quite made it. We would have needed rock climbing equipment and well, rock climbing knowledge. We met up with the rest of the group near some yaks and climbed another face of the hill.
Then it was time to go home. We spent a quiet evening at home, a little too exhausted from our climb and the fresh air.
How many people can you squish into a microbus?
Including driver and the person who calls out the destination from the door and takes fares? 21.
Last weekend, a few of us visited a friend who lives 30 minutes away from the city centre and the best way to get there is by microbus. Microbuses are essentially minivans. They're privately owned but are usually licensed to operate as a public transportation vehicle. Take a minivan, add a few extra seats and sardine 21 people into it. A ride costs 300 tugriks or 30 cents.
Maija made us Earl Grey and we brought the usual victuals with us: chips, a swiss roll and various pastries. We went for a little walk in her neighbourhood and came face-to-face with huge cows also taking a stroll. They were so close I could have easily hugged a few of them. Instead I just stared into the one eye I could see and walked on.
mc
Last weekend, a few of us visited a friend who lives 30 minutes away from the city centre and the best way to get there is by microbus. Microbuses are essentially minivans. They're privately owned but are usually licensed to operate as a public transportation vehicle. Take a minivan, add a few extra seats and sardine 21 people into it. A ride costs 300 tugriks or 30 cents.
Maija made us Earl Grey and we brought the usual victuals with us: chips, a swiss roll and various pastries. We went for a little walk in her neighbourhood and came face-to-face with huge cows also taking a stroll. They were so close I could have easily hugged a few of them. Instead I just stared into the one eye I could see and walked on.
mc
Sunday, October 22, 2006
snow
It snowed Friday night and we woke up to a white city the next morning. Not much, barely a centimetre, if that even. The snow has since melted in the city but it is clinging to the surrounding hills. I feel like I'm in a alpine village. It's really pretty.
See Venita's reply to my post on Tokyo's weather.
See Venita's reply to my post on Tokyo's weather.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Outdoor gym
There is an outdoor gym just outside our flat in Ulaanbaatar. It's often busy in the morning or after school. The gym equipment is quite interesting....Russian made I think.
-AA
Chinese for dinner
The VSO Volunteers had their last supper together and we grabbed the above vid. It's not that exciting besides the cool us of the Lazy Susan.
-AA
Saturday, October 14, 2006
The sounds and smells of Mongolia
The car horn
In Ulaanbaatar the sound of the car horn is omnipresent. I've heard the honks of New Yorkers and Parisians but this is nothing like it. In Mongolia, the car horn is an expression of the driver's personality. The drivers will rig their car horns to sound like a lullaby, like an oncoming train or like personal outrage. Drivers love their horns and will use them at every opportunity. Night rush hour is a symphony.
The sh-sh-ch
My favourite sound in Mongolia is the sh-sh-ch sound that Mongolians make in conversation. Sometimes a Mongolian's voice will soften and my ears cannot hear beyond the sh-sh-ch-sh. I don't know yet what words they're saying but it's soothing.
The singing army
One night last week, Aaron and I went to bed early. I fell asleep promptly but Aaron was still awake when he heard distant singing outside. The singing got closer and louder until it woke me up and we rushed to the window to see what was going on (Aaron rushed, I stumbled around for a few seconds feeling the shelf for my glasses then finally joined him at the window). About 50 men were marching up our side street in perfect unison both in step and in tune. Their voices were strong, loud, beautiful and were reverberating on the building walls. They marched out of our sight but we could still hear them minutes later. Who were they? A singing army? Singing, marching roadworkers?
The meat and dairy products
Sometimes, Mongolia smells of dairy products. It's the salty milk tea boiling, the yogourt and cheese fermenting. A quick meal for Mongolians consists of a bowl of salty milk tea with meat dumplings.
Sometimes, Mongolia smells of meat. Mutton, beef, horse. If you bite into a dumpling, watch out for the hot, fatty juices that spray out. Get these juices on your jeans and you'll smell Mongolia for days on end.
The wild flowers
In the summer, the countryside smells of wild flowers and fragrant herbs. It's really pleasant to walk around and smell the tangy sage smells and the different flowers.
The coal and wood fires
In the cooler months of the year, homes not connected to the city's centralized heating grid use coal and wood to heat their homes (both felt and wood homes). The ger districts, Mongolia's equivalent of suburbia, go on for kilometres in most directions around the city. These districts have no large buildings, just felt homes, wooden homes, kilometres of wood fencing and hundreds of dogs perpetually barking. Ulaanbaatar lies in a valley and the smoke will often hover over the city. The coal and wood smoke smell is not a bad smell it's just different from the wood fires of Canada. I don't think the coal fumes are the healthiest ones to be inhaling.
mc
In Ulaanbaatar the sound of the car horn is omnipresent. I've heard the honks of New Yorkers and Parisians but this is nothing like it. In Mongolia, the car horn is an expression of the driver's personality. The drivers will rig their car horns to sound like a lullaby, like an oncoming train or like personal outrage. Drivers love their horns and will use them at every opportunity. Night rush hour is a symphony.
The sh-sh-ch
My favourite sound in Mongolia is the sh-sh-ch sound that Mongolians make in conversation. Sometimes a Mongolian's voice will soften and my ears cannot hear beyond the sh-sh-ch-sh. I don't know yet what words they're saying but it's soothing.
The singing army
One night last week, Aaron and I went to bed early. I fell asleep promptly but Aaron was still awake when he heard distant singing outside. The singing got closer and louder until it woke me up and we rushed to the window to see what was going on (Aaron rushed, I stumbled around for a few seconds feeling the shelf for my glasses then finally joined him at the window). About 50 men were marching up our side street in perfect unison both in step and in tune. Their voices were strong, loud, beautiful and were reverberating on the building walls. They marched out of our sight but we could still hear them minutes later. Who were they? A singing army? Singing, marching roadworkers?
The meat and dairy products
Sometimes, Mongolia smells of dairy products. It's the salty milk tea boiling, the yogourt and cheese fermenting. A quick meal for Mongolians consists of a bowl of salty milk tea with meat dumplings.
Sometimes, Mongolia smells of meat. Mutton, beef, horse. If you bite into a dumpling, watch out for the hot, fatty juices that spray out. Get these juices on your jeans and you'll smell Mongolia for days on end.
The wild flowers
In the summer, the countryside smells of wild flowers and fragrant herbs. It's really pleasant to walk around and smell the tangy sage smells and the different flowers.
The coal and wood fires
In the cooler months of the year, homes not connected to the city's centralized heating grid use coal and wood to heat their homes (both felt and wood homes). The ger districts, Mongolia's equivalent of suburbia, go on for kilometres in most directions around the city. These districts have no large buildings, just felt homes, wooden homes, kilometres of wood fencing and hundreds of dogs perpetually barking. Ulaanbaatar lies in a valley and the smoke will often hover over the city. The coal and wood smoke smell is not a bad smell it's just different from the wood fires of Canada. I don't think the coal fumes are the healthiest ones to be inhaling.
mc
Yes, we are finally working.
Aaron and I have been working for three weeks now. It feels like forever already. I found a job as an English teacher in one of the local universities. I teach the future doctors and accountants of Mongolia. So far, it's kept me entertained. I think I keep the students entertained too. They don't quite know what to make of this Canadian woman who covers herself in chalk and mimicks actions and animals to make up for her poor Mongolian language abilities.
Aaron's been pretty busy. He'll post something soon.
Aaron's been pretty busy. He'll post something soon.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Mongolian TV
We have a small TV in our apartment with some 40 channels. There's a bunch of Mongolian channels which are pretty undistinguishable from one another as of yet. The highlights in programming include news, talk shows (not the trashy kind), a big brotherish reality show and dubbed Desperate Housewives. There's also one or two all-music video channels. I love the videos. They usually follow a storyline with girls upset with boys or vice-versa.
We had BBC News for a while but then it just disappeared. Channels strangely move around on our TV. We also have a knowledge network in English and a Chinese movie channel that subtitles instead of dubs over English. Then there's a few random Korean, Chinese and Russian channels. Korean soaps are big here. Russian MTV is annoying.
When there's a power outage, the TV resets itself and we have to reprogram it. That's usually when channels go missing or move around. And that's when the TV reverts to black and white. For the first few weeks, we thought we had a black-and-white TV. Then we noticed the channel and volume graphics on the TV were green.
This was MC's inventory of her TV channels. Thanks and good night.
We had BBC News for a while but then it just disappeared. Channels strangely move around on our TV. We also have a knowledge network in English and a Chinese movie channel that subtitles instead of dubs over English. Then there's a few random Korean, Chinese and Russian channels. Korean soaps are big here. Russian MTV is annoying.
When there's a power outage, the TV resets itself and we have to reprogram it. That's usually when channels go missing or move around. And that's when the TV reverts to black and white. For the first few weeks, we thought we had a black-and-white TV. Then we noticed the channel and volume graphics on the TV were green.
This was MC's inventory of her TV channels. Thanks and good night.
Uuchlarai!
Step on someone's foot here and you'll find yourself shaking hands with the person you just stepped on and saying sorry, uuchlarai!
Monday, October 02, 2006
What, we have to work?
Well today is the start of the second week at my job. Marie-Claude has been working at a school (forget the name off-hand) since last Wednesday. She is teaching English to 17 year olds and was also hired for 'International Relations'. I don't think she has any idea what that is, but I'll let her add her own posts about that.
Thus far I have had little time at my job. I don't actually have a desk/office so I when I am at work we generally go on field trips. The trips are a little strange actually. Well, the first one not so much. On Tuesday last week I went with my translator (Tuya - who happens to be a Gynecologist), a head doctor and my two counter parts, to a Hospital that is more advanced with IT infrastructure in UB. We all piled into an Isuzu Trooper (same model of truck as my parents have) and headed off to the hospital. The
My second field trip consisted of Tuya (my translator) and me getting a ride in the ambulance to the fifth main building of the Chingeltei Health Unit. It is over 2 KM from the other cluster of four buildings. I'm not sure how I'm going to get it hooked up to any type of WAN yet. But that's why they pay me the big bucks. Just a second, I'm volunteering!
-AA
Thus far I have had little time at my job. I don't actually have a desk/office so I when I am at work we generally go on field trips. The trips are a little strange actually. Well, the first one not so much. On Tuesday last week I went with my translator (Tuya - who happens to be a Gynecologist), a head doctor and my two counter parts, to a Hospital that is more advanced with IT infrastructure in UB. We all piled into an Isuzu Trooper (same model of truck as my parents have) and headed off to the hospital. The
My second field trip consisted of Tuya (my translator) and me getting a ride in the ambulance to the fifth main building of the Chingeltei Health Unit. It is over 2 KM from the other cluster of four buildings. I'm not sure how I'm going to get it hooked up to any type of WAN yet. But that's why they pay me the big bucks. Just a second, I'm volunteering!
-AA
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Centralized heating to a whole new level
September 15th is a big day in Mongolia. It is the day the residential centralized heating is switched on. By centralized, I mean the whole city minus the ger districts. Huge pipes run through the city carrying heat (I'm guessing in the form of hot water?) and heat all the apartment blocks and other buildings. For commercial buildings, October 1st is the big day.
One of the volunteers here is a construction expert and he told me it's not a bad way to do things. They use the heat overflow from the city's power generators. So instead of having multiple cooling towers, the heat is sent through a system of pipes blanketing the city. Most of these are underground but sometimes you'll see the pipes peeking out in certain locations. A gift from Soviet engineering.
Our apartment has been pretty warm so far. We'll give you a status report when the temperature dips below zero.
mc
One of the volunteers here is a construction expert and he told me it's not a bad way to do things. They use the heat overflow from the city's power generators. So instead of having multiple cooling towers, the heat is sent through a system of pipes blanketing the city. Most of these are underground but sometimes you'll see the pipes peeking out in certain locations. A gift from Soviet engineering.
Our apartment has been pretty warm so far. We'll give you a status report when the temperature dips below zero.
mc
Monday, September 25, 2006
A hike, public transportation and other random notes.
We went hiking a few weekends ago with some veteran volunteers. They know a lot more Mongolian than Aaron and I ever hope to learn. We took a "taxi" from downtown to our chosen hiking spot, the hills just south of the city.
A note on taxis
There are official taxi companies here but people also stand on the side of the road and put their hand out and solicit any private car for a ride. If a driver feels like making a little money, he or she will stop for you. The fare is calculated by the number of kilometres on the odometer. It's pretty cheap too. Everybody does it from women with children on their way to school to the odd foreigner. (Note for my mom, Linda and all other mom-like figures in my life: I won't do this alone no worries.)
Back to the story:
So that's what we did last Sunday, stood on the street put a hand out and a car picked us up within 30 seconds. There's a spot on the south side of the city with a massive gold buddha, and a Soviet accomplishment monument on top of a hill. We checked those out and then hiked off to a nearby hill. It was more of a urban hike than anything since we could see the city at all times spreading out in the valley. Beautiful panoramic views. One of the hills we climbed has a massive drawing of Genghis Khan painted on it. It's like the Penticton sign for those who've seen it but instead of letters it's the face of an ancient ruler. The drawing is more impressive from the city than from atop the mountain we climbed. There are a lot wildflowers and fragrant herbs in Mongolia and we saw some on our hike.
We went home by bus as one was hanging out on the corner when we came down. Buses here are old, slow things. I hadn't noticed just how slow until that Sunday afternoon. They're cheap though. 200 tugriks or about 20 cents. I may be taking a lot more of them in the winter...
Note on money:
There are no coins here! No toonies or loonies to weigh down pockets. The smallest denomination is 10 tugriks (1 cent) and the largest 10,000 (10 dollars). The bill size changes with the denomination. I'm getting used to finding the right bill from my wad of bills in a timely manner.
mc
A note on taxis
There are official taxi companies here but people also stand on the side of the road and put their hand out and solicit any private car for a ride. If a driver feels like making a little money, he or she will stop for you. The fare is calculated by the number of kilometres on the odometer. It's pretty cheap too. Everybody does it from women with children on their way to school to the odd foreigner. (Note for my mom, Linda and all other mom-like figures in my life: I won't do this alone no worries.)
Back to the story:
So that's what we did last Sunday, stood on the street put a hand out and a car picked us up within 30 seconds. There's a spot on the south side of the city with a massive gold buddha, and a Soviet accomplishment monument on top of a hill. We checked those out and then hiked off to a nearby hill. It was more of a urban hike than anything since we could see the city at all times spreading out in the valley. Beautiful panoramic views. One of the hills we climbed has a massive drawing of Genghis Khan painted on it. It's like the Penticton sign for those who've seen it but instead of letters it's the face of an ancient ruler. The drawing is more impressive from the city than from atop the mountain we climbed. There are a lot wildflowers and fragrant herbs in Mongolia and we saw some on our hike.
We went home by bus as one was hanging out on the corner when we came down. Buses here are old, slow things. I hadn't noticed just how slow until that Sunday afternoon. They're cheap though. 200 tugriks or about 20 cents. I may be taking a lot more of them in the winter...
Note on money:
There are no coins here! No toonies or loonies to weigh down pockets. The smallest denomination is 10 tugriks (1 cent) and the largest 10,000 (10 dollars). The bill size changes with the denomination. I'm getting used to finding the right bill from my wad of bills in a timely manner.
mc
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Half and Full Good Day
Mongolians are unpoetic about days and months. They simply number them: 1 to 7 and 1 to 12. This means Monday is Day 1 and, sorry I lied, Saturday and Sunday aren't numbered. Saturday is “Half Good” Day and Sunday is “Full Good” Day. Saturday is only half good because in the past, Mongolians used to work half the day on Saturdays.
The numbered days are used in everyday conversation but for official business, they use names derived from Tibetan. That means I have had to learn two sets of weekdays!
mc
The numbered days are used in everyday conversation but for official business, they use names derived from Tibetan. That means I have had to learn two sets of weekdays!
mc
Lindsay Lohan and pickles for breakfast
Unfortunately, I don't have a play-by-play of my homestay like Aaron has but here are some highlights:
mc
- I spent five days with a mother and her fourteen-year-old daughter. The daughter goes to a private English school and she got to practice her English with me. The mother did not speak English but we managed to communicate through her daughter and sometimes even without her daughter.
- I came to Mongolia expecting questions on Canadian livestock but during my homestay the questions were more along these lines: "Do you like Pussycat Dolls?" "Who is your favourite band?" "What do you think of Lindsay Lohan?" "Do you know Korean soap stars?" "Do you think Angelina Jolie is better looking than Eva Longoria?"
- I spent most of my time with the daughter, playing card games, watching Russian MTV and learning all about Mongolian music stars. One afternoon we went to the local cinema (quite new, with stadium seating) to watch the latest Lindsay Lohan movie.
- Notable breakfasts during my homestay: a Mongolian version of French toast (unsweetened and with onions), beef and potato soup, noodles with meat and veggies, bread with cheese spread and pickles.
mc
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Aaron's homestay dairy
All of the VSO volunteers have been matched up with families for a five-day stint with a Mongolian family. The 'dairy' title is a little bit of an inside joke. One day our Mongolian teacher was teaching us a new word. She wrote the word on the board and added the English translation of "to have dairy". The class burst out laughing once we realized, after very detailed charades, that she had meant "to have diarrhea".
Day one - Saturday ('half good day' in Mongolian)
- I was the last to get picked up. It was like getting picked last in grade two. Thankfully the wife of the couple came to get me at the VSO office two hours after everyone else. She is very nice and thankfully she knows quite a bit of English.
- There is a husband, wife and 2 kids (7 and 2)
- Buuz (national dish) was served as the first meal (lunch)
- Dinner was delicious.
- Orna (wife) took me to a Mongolian variety show. We made up 20% of the audience. Apparently the 6:00pm show wasn't that popular. It was a great show though. Lots of singing, dancing and live music. The seating was very 40's lounge-esque. Frank Sinatra would have approved. I'll be suggesting it to anyone interested in that kind of show.
- Two year-old girl can't blow a balloon without farting. After several farting incidents and laughter, I decide to move away. She becomes disappointed, grabs a Russian doll and persuades me to play with the dolls. Thankfully the gas subsides.
- Two beers and playing with kids does mix! I am offered a couple of beers and am turned loose on the kids. Thankfully they don't notice the potent aroma coming from my socks.
Day two - Sunday (aka full good day)
- I slept like a log! This bed is great. I'm not sure that I'll go back to my hard bed. We thought our bed at our flat was just a box spring. After further inspection we found it was actually a very firm, regular mattress. I may have to take this back with me. Unfortunately (fortunately?) MC won't be able to join me on it.
- Breakfast consists of a porridge-like material. It is then mixed with salty milk tea. It actually tastes very good. It reminds me of home in a strange Mongolian way. Ham, bread, biscuits and baked goods are also served. A very satisfying meal.
- Am I left-eye dominant? How do I check that again?
- After ogloonee tsai (breakfast...'morning tea' is the literal translation) Orna, two kids and I head off to the grocery store (delgur), computer store and finally her mother-in-law's. The drive to the ger district includes a 15-minute traffic jam in an intersection. I'm not sure why there was a traffic jam...the traffic lights were working and there wasn't an accident. Luckily a police officer was near. He was able to sort out the mess and we were back on our way. A different variety of buuz is served at the mother-in-law's for lunch. Mmm the fresh, home-made 'lazy' buuz is delicious.
- The son and I head off to the local hill to get a view of the city. It's a little strange not being able to talk to him directly but we are able to communicate enough to make both of us satisfied. The view of the city was pretty good. We even saw a few "tornadoes". One of them picked up some styrofoam and flung it 200 feet in the air. A good trip to see how other people in UB live.
- After getting back from the mother-in-law's I go for a walk around the west side of UB. Since the apartment complexes are so large, it feels like I walked for miles but didn't really get anywhere.
- We had rice, pickles, hotdogs and pickled vegetables for dinner. Although it doesn't sound that appetizing, the food strangely complimented each other. I ate it all up (heinz mayo and all......that's for another post though).
- I kicked the son's ass at chess! Although only a small pleasure can be taken in beating a seven-year-old, I'm actually surprised I did. I think my chess skills have developed to that of an eight year old. He had me worried for half the game. Hmmmm, beer and playing with the kids...do I see a pattern forming? Not a bad one, just a pattern.
Day Three
- Well it was back to language school today. My home stay family dropped me off behind the ik h delgur (State Department Store). I then met up with a bunch of the other VSO volunteers whom were on home stay. It was like kids getting dropped off at the bus stop. Each volunteer would invariably get left on the sidewalk by someone from their host family. After a few choice words (most likely things like "have a nice day" and "do you have your lunch money" could have been overheard had I been closer) the volunteers gathered to share their weekend experiences. One lady took the hat. She had thrown up three times before leaving her home stay family this morning. It didn't sound like she was going to stay for the rest of the allotted time.
- I asked the teacher why Mongolians smell their children. I witnessed this ritual when we went to meet the mother-in-law's. The first thing she did when we arrived was grab each kids head and smell it. She would take three or four good whiffs before letting the kid get away. I had no idea what was going on, but apparently it was normal. My language bash (teacher) said that Mongolians sometimes smell their children instead of kissing them. Maybe the grandparents do it to make sure that the parents are keeping the kids clean. Anyway, it's an interesting ritual. Parallels can be drawn with an Eskimo kiss...maybe.
- I think people whom don't know the language of a given house are sometimes lumped in with the kids. I dine, play and, on occasion, watch TV with the little pre-teens. It's not that I'm complaining (they are good company) but it's interesting. I guess they just don't know what to do with me sometimes. I can relate; I have that same problem myself on occasion.
- Today's dinner consisted of really good home-made tsuivan. Tsuivan is a mainly noodle dish which contains some vegetables, meat (usually mutton) and fat. This is the best one that I've had since I've been in Mongolia.
- I still haven't figured out the garbage in the toilet stall. I know what it's for, but why? (For those not in the know, it's for your toilet paper once you've used it on your bum) MC's theory is that it's because the toilets can't handle the pooh and the paper. My experience though is that it's been able to handle everything that I've thrown at it. And believe me, I haven't held back. Any other theories?
- Apparently cars which are Frankensteined in Mongolia are called 'Made in Mongolia'. On a similar note, every Mongolian and their dog seem to be a mechanic. They must have the most mechanics per capita.
- I am again challenged to a match of taran by the son. After he brings out the board, and realizing he is talking about chess, we start up another game. I learn a few words and the little guy almost beats me! Orna and her husband take him to bed so we end in a draw. I 'm going to have to stop playing with him before I lose.
Day Four
- Breakfast consisted of ham (SPAM-like), bread, coffee and biscuits. A far cry from the sandwich I had yesterday morning :(. I am told to decide between two places to go to in the countryside. I'll hope to figure out what each is at school this morning.
- After school I was picked up from 'The' Department store by Orna. We head out to the countryside (hodoo) for a trip. We visit two tourist camps with huge gers. One of the camps is were a Chinggis Khaan movie was filmed. It was nice to hang out in a huge ger, surrounded by snow leopard hides, and drinking tea. Unfortunately I didn't have the camera to snap some pics.
- We returned to the home stay's apartment to find it with wet carpets. The city heating had just been turned on and it leaked from one of the radiators. The husband removed the defective piece and I help move some of the rugs. Other than making tea, this was the only other thing I've been allowed to help with. I could get used to this.
- Tonight is my last night with the family. We went to a Chinese restaurant. The food was great! Much better than in Canada. I guess being close to China does have its advantages. Vodka was ordered with the meal. The husband and I partook in some Chinggis Khaan (black label) vodka. I was pleasantly surprised by the most agreeable taste.
The stay with my Mongolian family has been great! It's been really interesting to see how regular, urban Mongolians live.
Day one - Saturday ('half good day' in Mongolian)
- I was the last to get picked up. It was like getting picked last in grade two. Thankfully the wife of the couple came to get me at the VSO office two hours after everyone else. She is very nice and thankfully she knows quite a bit of English.
- There is a husband, wife and 2 kids (7 and 2)
- Buuz (national dish) was served as the first meal (lunch)
- Dinner was delicious.
- Orna (wife) took me to a Mongolian variety show. We made up 20% of the audience. Apparently the 6:00pm show wasn't that popular. It was a great show though. Lots of singing, dancing and live music. The seating was very 40's lounge-esque. Frank Sinatra would have approved. I'll be suggesting it to anyone interested in that kind of show.
- Two year-old girl can't blow a balloon without farting. After several farting incidents and laughter, I decide to move away. She becomes disappointed, grabs a Russian doll and persuades me to play with the dolls. Thankfully the gas subsides.
- Two beers and playing with kids does mix! I am offered a couple of beers and am turned loose on the kids. Thankfully they don't notice the potent aroma coming from my socks.
Day two - Sunday (aka full good day)
- I slept like a log! This bed is great. I'm not sure that I'll go back to my hard bed. We thought our bed at our flat was just a box spring. After further inspection we found it was actually a very firm, regular mattress. I may have to take this back with me. Unfortunately (fortunately?) MC won't be able to join me on it.
- Breakfast consists of a porridge-like material. It is then mixed with salty milk tea. It actually tastes very good. It reminds me of home in a strange Mongolian way. Ham, bread, biscuits and baked goods are also served. A very satisfying meal.
- Am I left-eye dominant? How do I check that again?
- After ogloonee tsai (breakfast...'morning tea' is the literal translation) Orna, two kids and I head off to the grocery store (delgur), computer store and finally her mother-in-law's. The drive to the ger district includes a 15-minute traffic jam in an intersection. I'm not sure why there was a traffic jam...the traffic lights were working and there wasn't an accident. Luckily a police officer was near. He was able to sort out the mess and we were back on our way. A different variety of buuz is served at the mother-in-law's for lunch. Mmm the fresh, home-made 'lazy' buuz is delicious.
- The son and I head off to the local hill to get a view of the city. It's a little strange not being able to talk to him directly but we are able to communicate enough to make both of us satisfied. The view of the city was pretty good. We even saw a few "tornadoes". One of them picked up some styrofoam and flung it 200 feet in the air. A good trip to see how other people in UB live.
- After getting back from the mother-in-law's I go for a walk around the west side of UB. Since the apartment complexes are so large, it feels like I walked for miles but didn't really get anywhere.
- We had rice, pickles, hotdogs and pickled vegetables for dinner. Although it doesn't sound that appetizing, the food strangely complimented each other. I ate it all up (heinz mayo and all......that's for another post though).
- I kicked the son's ass at chess! Although only a small pleasure can be taken in beating a seven-year-old, I'm actually surprised I did. I think my chess skills have developed to that of an eight year old. He had me worried for half the game. Hmmmm, beer and playing with the kids...do I see a pattern forming? Not a bad one, just a pattern.
Day Three
- Well it was back to language school today. My home stay family dropped me off behind the ik h delgur (State Department Store). I then met up with a bunch of the other VSO volunteers whom were on home stay. It was like kids getting dropped off at the bus stop. Each volunteer would invariably get left on the sidewalk by someone from their host family. After a few choice words (most likely things like "have a nice day" and "do you have your lunch money" could have been overheard had I been closer) the volunteers gathered to share their weekend experiences. One lady took the hat. She had thrown up three times before leaving her home stay family this morning. It didn't sound like she was going to stay for the rest of the allotted time.
- I asked the teacher why Mongolians smell their children. I witnessed this ritual when we went to meet the mother-in-law's. The first thing she did when we arrived was grab each kids head and smell it. She would take three or four good whiffs before letting the kid get away. I had no idea what was going on, but apparently it was normal. My language bash (teacher) said that Mongolians sometimes smell their children instead of kissing them. Maybe the grandparents do it to make sure that the parents are keeping the kids clean. Anyway, it's an interesting ritual. Parallels can be drawn with an Eskimo kiss...maybe.
- I think people whom don't know the language of a given house are sometimes lumped in with the kids. I dine, play and, on occasion, watch TV with the little pre-teens. It's not that I'm complaining (they are good company) but it's interesting. I guess they just don't know what to do with me sometimes. I can relate; I have that same problem myself on occasion.
- Today's dinner consisted of really good home-made tsuivan. Tsuivan is a mainly noodle dish which contains some vegetables, meat (usually mutton) and fat. This is the best one that I've had since I've been in Mongolia.
- I still haven't figured out the garbage in the toilet stall. I know what it's for, but why? (For those not in the know, it's for your toilet paper once you've used it on your bum) MC's theory is that it's because the toilets can't handle the pooh and the paper. My experience though is that it's been able to handle everything that I've thrown at it. And believe me, I haven't held back. Any other theories?
- Apparently cars which are Frankensteined in Mongolia are called 'Made in Mongolia'. On a similar note, every Mongolian and their dog seem to be a mechanic. They must have the most mechanics per capita.
- I am again challenged to a match of taran by the son. After he brings out the board, and realizing he is talking about chess, we start up another game. I learn a few words and the little guy almost beats me! Orna and her husband take him to bed so we end in a draw. I 'm going to have to stop playing with him before I lose.
Day Four
- Breakfast consisted of ham (SPAM-like), bread, coffee and biscuits. A far cry from the sandwich I had yesterday morning :(. I am told to decide between two places to go to in the countryside. I'll hope to figure out what each is at school this morning.
- After school I was picked up from 'The' Department store by Orna. We head out to the countryside (hodoo) for a trip. We visit two tourist camps with huge gers. One of the camps is were a Chinggis Khaan movie was filmed. It was nice to hang out in a huge ger, surrounded by snow leopard hides, and drinking tea. Unfortunately I didn't have the camera to snap some pics.
- We returned to the home stay's apartment to find it with wet carpets. The city heating had just been turned on and it leaked from one of the radiators. The husband removed the defective piece and I help move some of the rugs. Other than making tea, this was the only other thing I've been allowed to help with. I could get used to this.
- Tonight is my last night with the family. We went to a Chinese restaurant. The food was great! Much better than in Canada. I guess being close to China does have its advantages. Vodka was ordered with the meal. The husband and I partook in some Chinggis Khaan (black label) vodka. I was pleasantly surprised by the most agreeable taste.
The stay with my Mongolian family has been great! It's been really interesting to see how regular, urban Mongolians live.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Beware of ice cream treats
In Mongolia, there's a snack loved by Mongolians called "aarul" which are little nuggets of dried cheese or milk curds. It has a sharp, slightly chalky taste. Think parmesan powder but pressed into little balls and alone (no spaghetti to complement it). I can probably eat two or three of these curds but anymore is difficult.
Yesterday, I went out and got ice cream bars from a shop down the street. We had some ice cream bars in the weeks prior and they have always been delicious and creamy. Yesterday's ice cream bars were unusually cheap, 10 cents instead of the usual 45 or so cents but I assumed it was because in the past we got the chocolate-dipped ice cream bars.
The bars were white and looked delicious and Aaron and I had no clue something was wrong until the first bite. It was fairly creamy but the aftertaste was of aarul. Ice cold sharp cheese bars. I tried my best and ate several tiny bites of mine but then my throat just couldn't handle it anymore. It's weird to expect extremely sweet and get extremely savoury.
We've memorized the package to prevent making the same mistake twice. It's hard to read packages sometimes. You don't want to stand in the store for minutes on end wondering whether zairmag (ice cream) will actually be written somewhere on the wrapper.
mc
Yesterday, I went out and got ice cream bars from a shop down the street. We had some ice cream bars in the weeks prior and they have always been delicious and creamy. Yesterday's ice cream bars were unusually cheap, 10 cents instead of the usual 45 or so cents but I assumed it was because in the past we got the chocolate-dipped ice cream bars.
The bars were white and looked delicious and Aaron and I had no clue something was wrong until the first bite. It was fairly creamy but the aftertaste was of aarul. Ice cold sharp cheese bars. I tried my best and ate several tiny bites of mine but then my throat just couldn't handle it anymore. It's weird to expect extremely sweet and get extremely savoury.
We've memorized the package to prevent making the same mistake twice. It's hard to read packages sometimes. You don't want to stand in the store for minutes on end wondering whether zairmag (ice cream) will actually be written somewhere on the wrapper.
mc
Friday, September 08, 2006
Early Surprise
We woke up yesterday with a white cold flurry surprise. Yes, snow! I may be from northern Quebec but snow in early September is just plain wrong. I was hoping to last with my fall jacket for a bit longer... It snowed again this morning. Here's proof that the white stuff actually came down.
Coincidentally, our Mongolian lesson that day was on weather. "Tsas" is snow in Mongolian.
We had been warned about the extemes and the current forecast certainly shows this. 27 degrees (above zero) on Monday!
mc
Coincidentally, our Mongolian lesson that day was on weather. "Tsas" is snow in Mongolian.
We had been warned about the extemes and the current forecast certainly shows this. 27 degrees (above zero) on Monday!
mc
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Visit to a nomadic herder's family
Imagine that on one windy sunny afternoon while you are out herding your sheep and goats, a mini-bus comes over the hill, stops at your one-room house (called ger) and 20 people step off to have lunch and spend the afternoon with you. In the Mongolian countryside, there is no forewarning of a visit and people are always welcoming.
This is what we did last Saturday. I think the family has pre-approved VSO dropping in on them but I don't think they ever had a group as large as 20 before. So we sat around their house, played with the children, ate lots of food (lots of which we brought with us so as to not be a huge burden on them), discussed a few topics like where we are from and their livestock. We drank the best salty milk tea we've had so far and a nice bowl of hot milk from their cows. The homemade cheese was delicious also. The family was very nice and young, in their early thirties I think they said, with an 8-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy. The girl would go out periodically with her dad and help with the herding. They'd be off on the hill bringing the sheep and goats back closer to the home. The gers are all set up pretty much the same: stove in the middle, beds on either side, bag of fermenting milk on the left side of the door as you enter, etc. This one was no different. Aaron got to sniff a snuff bottle.
Aaron and I went out at some point to climb the nearby hills and check out what's on the other side of the hills. Anyone care to guess? More hills. The hills are pretty barren with just grass and rocks and marmot holes covering them. There was one patch of trees in the far distance.
At the end of the afternoon we thanked them, said goodbye and retreated to our mini-bus for the hour drive back.
And now you may see photos of our visit.
mc
This just in, you can now see the following short video clip as well.
-AA
This is what we did last Saturday. I think the family has pre-approved VSO dropping in on them but I don't think they ever had a group as large as 20 before. So we sat around their house, played with the children, ate lots of food (lots of which we brought with us so as to not be a huge burden on them), discussed a few topics like where we are from and their livestock. We drank the best salty milk tea we've had so far and a nice bowl of hot milk from their cows. The homemade cheese was delicious also. The family was very nice and young, in their early thirties I think they said, with an 8-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy. The girl would go out periodically with her dad and help with the herding. They'd be off on the hill bringing the sheep and goats back closer to the home. The gers are all set up pretty much the same: stove in the middle, beds on either side, bag of fermenting milk on the left side of the door as you enter, etc. This one was no different. Aaron got to sniff a snuff bottle.
Aaron and I went out at some point to climb the nearby hills and check out what's on the other side of the hills. Anyone care to guess? More hills. The hills are pretty barren with just grass and rocks and marmot holes covering them. There was one patch of trees in the far distance.
At the end of the afternoon we thanked them, said goodbye and retreated to our mini-bus for the hour drive back.
And now you may see photos of our visit.
mc
This just in, you can now see the following short video clip as well.
-AA
Friday, September 01, 2006
Laser birds
This is a video of some birds that are around our place during dawn and dusk. That make strange, laser-like sounds. Very weird.
-AA
-AA
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Pectopah
Living with P being R and H being N.
mc
Learning a new alphabet is not as hard as I had expected. But then again, the cyrillic alphabet is about as close to the roman alphabet as it gets. The letters that are most confusing are those that are in our alphabet yet represent a different letter. P is R, H is N and C is always in its soft form, making PECTOPAH a restaurant. I'm enjoying the Mongolian lessons even though it's not the easiest language to learn. Mongolian words are formed by adding suffixes to a root. For example, “ger” means “home”, “gert” means “in home” while “gereecee” means “from my home”. I find it interesting except that it makes for long words. My interest doesn't mean I'll be fluent faster...
Our apartment is feeling like home now. We bought a shower curtain and it's brightening up our bathroom. We spend very little time at home and when we're there, we're either studying or sleeping.
We got a phone! It's the cheapest new cellphone we could find in town, 35,000 tugrugs (roughly, drop the zeros for Canadian dollars). If you want our phone number you'll have to email us.
Hot, hot.
We ate at a Chinese restaurant last weekend and the waitress brought us a bowl of rice. To indicate that it was hot, she said the word for hot, then touched her fingers to her ears. Our Mongolian teacher told us later that touching your ears signifies hot in Mongolia.
Mongolian outdoor gyms
Just outside our apartment block we have a playground and what looks like a playground but is actually an outdoor gym. There is an elliptical trainer-type machine, others that look like ab and core body machines and some arm ones. They're all very simple in brightly coloured tube steel. I don't think you can adjust weight or anything else on them. A few women use them in the morning then for the rest of the day they're used by the neighbourhood kids to play on. They look relatively new and well-kept from my perch on our third-floor. Most neighbourhoods around town have them so there might have been a government campaign to install them.
mc
Friday, August 25, 2006
Mongolia! We finally made it to the other side of the world. We've only been here for six days and it feels like forever.
The flight from Vancouver to London to Moscow to Ulaanbaatar took a while and totally wrecked havoc with our sleeping patterns. When we arrived on the Saturday, it was morning and we were exhausted. The morning seemed to have dragged on forever. There are 16 volunteers altogether, counting myself and another partner, that have arrived at the same time. They've kept us busy since our first day here with a visit to the countryside, language training and various other orientation and workshop activities.
Aaron and I are already in our apartment, a tiny little bachelor that shows its age. We have hot water some of the time and it's like winning the lottery if we wake up in the morning and the hot water pipes are hot.
We will be in training for five weeks with one week almost over. We have language training in the morning and workshops and various activities in the afternoon. When we get home in the evening, we are totally exhausted and we still have to study. Mongolian is an interesting language to learn. There's a lot of sounds that aren't used in English and weird grammatical rules. "I ate bread yesterday" becomes "I yesterday bread ate". So far, we've learned the alphabet (cyrillic), how to introduce ourselves, what our professions are, numbers and a little bit about how to describe families. Namag Marie-Claude gedigk. Bi zohlioch. Bi Kanataas irsen. My name is Marie-Claude. I'm a writer. I come from Canada.
It's been pretty hot here during the day but the nights are cold.
First impressions:
-At first glance, Mongolia didn't look like what I thought a developing country should look like. Things just didn't seem to be in a total state of disarray. But then, you start looking around and some things are a bit amiss like unmarked open manholes, odd construction practices and the lack of street lights at night. We've talked to a few people and the nice things in town, like the nicely paved Seoul street, came from foreign aid (in the case of Seoul street, you've guessed it, from South Korea).
-The Mongolians I've met are really friendly. The people who work for VSO have been really helpful and have made our first few days here much easier.
-Mongolians are good-looking people. Women wear heels despite the state of the sidewalks and I've been told, despite the weather. They apparently use their stiletto heels as ice picks.
-Oh the traffic! Cars don't stop for pedestrians, they honk. You may have the green pedestrian light but you still need to look around to make sure it's safe. The traffic lights are more a suggestion than absolute rule. Ulaanbaatar has relatively few streets. There's the main streets then back alley streets. People give directions by landmarks. The main streets have names but they're not really used.
-Laser birds. They may look like crows but they sound like lasers.
mc
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)