I’m officially a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV). I flew home on 1 August on a direct flight from Beijing. This time my suitcases were under the 50 pound limit as I mostly carried home my Mongolian clothes, gifts I received, and all of the goodies I bought in Ulaanbaatar.
July was simultaneously a slow and fast month. It was pouring during the Naadam festivities. Then during one weekend, my entire town lost power. Last time this happened Mongolians had been forewarned about it and had told me, so I could pre-download movies and charge my external battery. However, this time, there was no warning. My closest friends had either left for the countryside or were in the city. I was standing in a dark supermarket with other Mongolians looking glumly at what we could buy that wouldn’t require electricity to prepare: a jar of pickles, canned fish, carrots, crackers. Ultimately, I dropped my shopping basket, walked out, and went straight to the bus station to buy the next ticket to the city.
Trying to avoid getting drenched at the Naadam stadium.A ride around the government square.Went out for dinner with Tuya’s family.
Clearing out my apartment was a month-long process. For future Peace Corps Volunteers in Mongolia, don’t wait until the last few days to begin organizing, donating, and selling your items. You’ll be surprised at how much you’ll accumulate. My apartment wasn’t going to have another Peace Corps Volunteer living in it so everything had to go.
Peace Corps offices around the world have a special bell which volunteers are allowed to ring when we have successfully completed our service of two-years. It signals the end. My group decided to wait until everyone had finished their end of service interviews, medical exams, and other miscellaneous paper work in order to ring the bell together. We were a little too enthusiastic as a piece of the bell fell off.
“We came in together, we’re leaving together.”
With 5 out of 9 of the Yeruu gang/my training group from 2016.
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer 🙂
Now I’m happy to be home, but my time in Mongolia will be with me forever.
Watch my video at the top for my last summer in Mongolia.
In June, I traveled to Khövsgöl Lake to help at a Junior Ranger camp hosted by the Mongol Ecology Center.
The arduous trip took seven-hours to Ulaanbaatar, followed by another seven-hours to Erdenet, and ending with a 5 hour drive to Hatgal in Khövsgöl.
The 25-minute rest stop between my town and Ulaanbaatar.
Due to Mongolia’s ever turbulent weather, my bag was packed with a combination of rain gear, clothes for when it was hot during the day and clothes for when it got really cold in the evening.
While growing up I didn’t attend any camps as a child. Every season, I was always on a sports team, but camps I didn’t do. I was lucky to always have a parent at home and close friends nearby. As Tina Fey jokingly wrote in her book Bossypants, “I never went to summer camp, as I was neither underprivileged nor Jewish nor extremely Christian nor obese.” So consider this my first.
The Junior Ranger camp was a 10-day event. First, we had to wait in Hatgal for the rest of the campers to arrive from Hanh soum. A small amount of campers are from Hatgal but most arrived from Hanh soum. The soum is further north up the lake. Their drive took 14 hours through the rain. All the kids were young with the youngest being 9 and the oldest being 12. Once we were all united and introduced, we hiked to Murun where our camp site was on the eastern shore of the lake.
The boys slept in gers, the girls all slept in one large house, and the adults slept in two A-frame houses.
The group of adult leaders consisted of three Peace Corps Volunteers, two Americans visiting from Texas (who are related to the founder of MEC), and three Mongolian high schoolers.
Developing environmental projects to pursue at their schools
Need advice for how to entertain 30 children or more? Just find a long piece of rope. They’ll be entertained for hours playing jump rope, limbo, etc. etc. etc. Picking up trash at Wishing Rock.Hiking through the woods to Wishing Rock.Volleyball games everyday, all day.
Monitoring the water from the lake.Chuka and the Executive Director of MEC, Chimgee.
Additional games and activities consisted of:
An hour and a half of English lessons every day. Me and Chuka were in charge of the 5th graders
Felt making
Yoga which I led every morning
Mental and emotional lessons
Volleyball
Disco night
Jump rope
Felt making with Bolor.
Hiked to the top of the hills for wild onion planting.
The first half of the week was very busy but tapered off at the end. When the kids were busy and the adults weren’t needed, we went hiking, took naps, and even went swimming in the lake. The lake water was 12’C. There’s no WiFi and all the kids had to hand in their phones at the beginning of camp. We found various ways to entertain ourselves (e.g. when the kids were inside writing an essay, the rest of us were down by the lake skipping stones and seeing who could throw the most rocks into a hollow tree trunk).
The camp ground on the eastern side of Lake Khövsgöl. A 6th grade camper.Skipping stones over the lake.Swimming in 12’C.
The Junior Ranger program is meant to be enjoyable and exciting. However, the kids did have to write an essay and take a test to prove that they did learn something and were paying attention during the sessions. There was also no tolerance for unruly behavior. One camper was sent home for faking heat exhaustion.
On the last day of camp, kids got certificates. The kids who placed the highest in their test scores received an automatic spot in the program for next summer. We took a boat across the lake back to Hatgal. We spent an hour hugging and saying goodbye to everyone and went home with scarlet skin from sunburns due to the wonderful weather we had all week.
Hanh soum kids before leaving for home.Sometimes I woke up at 7:30 AM to enjoy the surroundings while the kids were still sleeping.
Two years have come and gone. I’ve been having long phone calls with friends reminiscing about our time in Mongolia. I will be going home in two months. All that’s left to do is to go to Lake Hovsgul where I’ll be working at a Junior Rangers Camp, visit my host family one last time, last-minute exploits around UB, empty my apartment, find a car to take me to the city with all my bags, and ring the bell in the Peace Corps office.
Just like last year, here’s a summary of all that’s happened during 2017-2018:
SUMMER
June 2017
My first year working at school ended and my second summer in Mongolia was beginning.
Solo traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia.
Had a new blue deel made for me.
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July 2017
Celebrated Naadam in my new deel.
Me and Jenni, my M26 site mate, went to a concert of some popular Mongolian band.
Re-arranged my entire apartment because PCVs have to find any way to feel productive and active when the days are long and your counterparts have left you for the countryside.
Walked to a different restaurant every week to use their wifi in order to watch Game of Thrones season 7. I got a lot of curious and strange looks as I sat in the corner.
My counterpart helped me to design my new summer deel.
August 2017
My parents came to Mongolia. We traveled around the Gobi and explored UB.
Rode a camel.
My school never paid for my power when I was gone for two weeks. I came back at 10pm to no electricity and an awful smell coming from my fridge.
Had MST (Mid-service training) in Terelj National Park. Nobody was expecting how cold it was going to be.
Rode a horse.
Finally got unlimited internet in my home.
When Andy spilled M&M’s, causing them to clatter everywhere, while people were sleeping at 2AM in the guesthouse: “OH F###!”
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Flaming Cliffs in the Gobi.
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AUTUMN
September 2017
School began.
Signed up for the GRE.
Teacher strikes were happening all around the country.
Special Olympics was held in my town.
Celebrated Teacher’s Day.
Met Zaya, owner of Friends Café. My new favorite place and an amazing person.
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My amazing counterpart and friend who has helped me with so much and has accepted me as part of her family.
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October 2017
Finally got hot water in my apartment.
Drove to Kharkhorin for a Halloween race.
Started my English club at the Children’s Center for 5th, 6th, and 7th graders with two counterparts, Uugunaa and Saikhnaa.
Because my shower hadn’t been working for two-weeks due to a burst pipe, an entire bucket of water I was filling up as my “shower,” tipped over the edge, cracked, and spilt EVERYWHERE. Neighbors below came running up when they saw my water leaking into their apartment. When the repairman also came he could see how exhausted and defeated I looked, laughed, and said he would finally fix my shower the next day.
Read 12th grade essays. Here’s an actual excerpt from one: “Policeman is light, criminal is night!!!! We stop crime. May be we!!! Can be!”
Bought my ticket to Japan.
The Halloween Race banner that was hung on the side of the bus.
Representing Arvaikheer!
Me and Zaya, owner of Friends Café, who came to help out.
Our first group picture.
We had a Halloween themed club before Halloween.
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Sitting at attention.
November 2017
Finally bought a yoga mat.
Almost had an electrical fire in my kitchen.
Began Write On preparations.
Hosted Thanksgiving for my counterparts in my home.
WINTER
December 2017
Finally took the GRE with 3 other people in a small room at the University of Science and Technology. There was a power outage right in the middle.
Attended a Peace Corps PAC meeting to talk about the TEFL program (Teach English as a Foreign Language).
Began reading “War and Peace.”
No longer being afraid to call out people when I could hear them talking about me in Mongolian.
Began an air pollution project to raise money for face masks.
My apartment door broke. Neighbors would know I was leaving or entering my home because the action was accompanied by 5 minutes of kicking, slamming my shoulder against the door, and growls of frustration.
Had my counterpart and her family over for Christmas Eve dinner.
Had a really fun New Years party with my school.
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We wish you a Happy New Year!
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My counterpart’s daughter dancing a solo.
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January 2018
Traveled to Japan and visited Kyoto, Nara, Hemeji, and Osaka.
Turned 25 years old in UB.
Ran a study abroad session at a Career Fair with Miga.
A month-long winter break from school.
When school resumed, I held writing workshops.
Kyoto, Japan
February 2018
Traveled to my host family to celebrate Tsagaan Sar, Mongolian New Year. I was so happy to see them all again.
Write On competitions were held throughout the country. The medals I received to give to winning students were so awful – it was like a 5-year-old child DIYed it in her kitchen. Uuguanaa told them, “If you want to get your medals fixed we can go back to the store after Tsagaan Sar,” but they all thought the ugly medals were so funny no wanted to get new ones. “Charming,” as an 11th grader put it.
At 6AM on 12 February, I woke up to a very loud “POP” followed by great stream of boiling hot water spraying all over my bathroom. It sounded like a geyser. The pipe connecting to my shower head to the hot water pipe quite literally exploded. While getting showered in blistering hot water I had to turn a rusty knob that hadn’t been turned in 3 years to turn the pressure off. The adrenaline, fear of a flooded bathroom, and being burnt alive gave me the strength needed to crank it.
Two years later, Winter 2018 with my host family.
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March 2018
So many sand storms. Nothing but brown murkiness as you look outside.
Schools and the market were shut for one-month because my town was under quarantine.
Spent a weekend at the Shangri La.
Cheering on the Loyola Ramblers during March Madness.
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SPRING
April 2018
Held a weekend long girls camp with Adiya.
Began receiving the first emails about COS (Closing of Service).
Sporadic snow storms and dust storms throughout the month.
Taught myself how to gut a fish.
Created a reading nook with all the donated books from America.
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May 2018
Had our COS conference at Mongolica outside of the city.
Finished “War and Peace.”
Received my ticket to fly home at the end of the summer.
Helped a 10th grader apply for a week-long English program in the city during the summer.
No longer have hot water in my apartment. It’s back to the bucket!
Attended a hair cutting ceremony for Uuganaa’s daughter.
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Today, I had my last day of work. Let the summer begin!
When you have to sit through a very long meeting in Mongolian.When PCVs feel underappreciated by their HCAs.When it’s spring and sand storms are a thing.When a student who has been mute all year suddenly reads perfectly or answers a question fluently.When it’s finally the weekend and you don’t need to answer those “Where are you?” messages.When you find someone who can speak fluent English.When you put on a Mongolian deel.
When you have a great idea for your school and it’s got some traction for a day or two but then slips away as people lose interest.
When it’s the COS lottery for who gets to go home during week 1 or week 2.When the people you work with believe everything they read on Facebook.That determination you feel when your second year begins.When you’ve got to mingle but you have no idea what anyone is saying.When you begin work at your HCA.When you go to the countryside for the weekend with your school.When you try to make a dash to the store next door before anyone sees you. When you’re in the Shangri La. When you can say a sentence in Mongolian.When you arrive at staging and meet your friends who are embarking on the same crazy adventure as you.When you’re finally on that plane back to America.Whenever you go out in public.When you make it to COS.
When you go shopping after a really long time and something actually fits you.
When you’re in the city and you’re debating if you really should spend all your money on food and drinks.When no one tells you anything.When it’s the middle of winter.When you have a terrible singing voice but everyone at karaoke says otherwise.When you get that call or text saying your package from America has arrived.When people go “OY” or whistle for your attention.When it’s only Monday.When you have food poisoning or any other ailment that brings you down.When people at work are surprised that you’re still here.When nothing is going according to plan.
When you think sticking a face mask on will solve all your worries.When you haven’t seen your American friends in months.When people back home ask if you really ate a goat’s head.
I took my GRE in the city. I had been studying since September. I was the only person staying in the guesthouse for two nights. It was eerily cool. The bell to the door was never ringing and I had an entire room to myself. The GRE was at the Mongolian University of Science and Technology. An easy walk from the guesthouse but once I was there I realized I didn’t actually know which building I had to go in. I ended up having to call someone who had taken the test earlier in the month and found the place within minutes. I had at least been in the right building but wrong floor. Then someone thought I was a guest speaker and tried to drag me off somewhere else.
It was just me, a Russian woman, and two Mongolians. Other than a 10-minute power outage that occurred in the middle, I finished the test in just under four hours and was relieved to be done. I rushed over to Granville Restaurant where I devoured a cheeseburger and fries.
The Christmas tree in the square.The night before I watched The Last Jedi.
It has made me so jovial on Sundays when a solid amount of kids come for Sunday’s English club. Usually clubs in Mongolia see a decline from 70 to 12 to 4 students. When I arrive at the Children’s Center I wonder, “Is this the day when kids stop showing up?” But I think I’m doing something right.
This month, kids have been learning Christmas songs. Jingle Bells is popular but I also taught them lesser known songs such as Frosty the Snowman. In addition, they created Christmas word trees and watched the cartoon “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
We wish you a Happy New Year!
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Christmas was celebrated for the second time away from home. On Saturday prior to Christmas, we had a PCV Christmas dinner with friends from nearby aimags and soums. We finally ate the turkey Peace Corps gives us every year. I was fortuitously not in charge of the bird. I still remember the turkey blood and the breaking of my fridge from last year. On Christmas morning, I opened up the presents I kept hidden away under my bed and then went to school for a few hours. There were Christmas performances at school. All teachers participated in secret Santa. For two-weeks, we had to buy 5 presents for our chosen ones and secretly deliver them. It was arduous work having to sneak into the director’s office when he wasn’t around.
Christmas tree in my aimag’s government square.Christmas evening at school.
Nation-wide all schools began winter break earlier then expected. Aimags and soums have different reasons. Some say it’s because it’s too cold. Other places because of sickness. The governor issued his statement and students and teachers were told to stay at home. This included the cancellation of other extra curricular activities. So as a result, winter break extended from two-weeks to one month. Despite early closure, my school still had its New Year’s party. I donned a dress I bought in UB.
5 shots of vodka later and my lipstick is still on.
Kharkhorin, the super-soum north of Arvaikheer, had its first ever Halloween themed race on 14 October 2017. The goal of the race was to raise money for an NGO in UB called Achilles. Achilles raises awareness for people with disabilities. Those with disabilities ran for free while able-bodied paid a small fee. There was a 1k, 3k, and 5k race.
The Halloween Race banner that was hung on the side of the bus.
Stretching time before the races began.
In contrast to the extravagant costumes the young and old create, the door-to-door trick or treating, and the parties that occur in America, Halloween in Mongolia is not as widely celebrated. There are some parties and most Mongolians instantly think of zombies. I told a 12th grade class I was once a penguin for Halloween and they didn’t understand why I would dress up as a penguin, “That’s not scary!”
I wore the wrong boots as I stood out in the governor square at 6:30 in the morning. It was pitch black as I walked the 20 minutes from my home. I also got spooked by a horse that materialized out of nowhere. As I waited for all the kids to arrive and the transportation that would take us to Kharkhorin, I was stomping my feet and curling my toes trying to bring warmth back to them.
Representing Arvaikheer!
Unlike Arvaikheer, Kharkhorin still had snow on the ground and it was a lot colder. After a nauseating 3-hour drive, we arrived just on time for a communication problem. All the kids and adults we brought with us from Arvaikheer were registering for the race inside one building while all the kids and adults from Kharkhorin were registering outside on the other side of town. Phones were ringing, and people were talking simultaneously at each other. In the end, everyone was registered for the race inside a bus in the middle of the race field.
Throughout the day, kids crowded the face painting table as the same short music playlist played on repeat all day. Every song was a remix of the original.
Races finished faster than we anticipated. As we saw runners coming towards the finish line, we had to stand by the banner with small pieces of paper that had the numbers 1, 2, and 3 for first, second, and third place to hand off to the exhausted runners. Medals and certificates were awarded to the top three from each race. I must also add that a Mongolian event would not be complete if there was not a random 5-minute dance party. But I think someone was told, “Quick, stall for time!”
Kharkhorin was the perfect place for the races because there was no pollution and the air was fresh. The hills also created a beautiful backdrop.
After a quick meal in a woman’s ger, we all drove back to Arvaikheer. A significant amount of money was raised for Achilles and all kids, winners and non-winners, went home happy.
Some of the youngest racers that ran.Zaya, owner and found of Friends Cafe, came to the race to help out.
My last year as a TEFL teacher/trainer began on 1 September.
This school year is going to be even better than last year because I know people, I know what to expect, and I’m aware of what can be considered as a helpless cause.
But before the school year began, my Peace Corps group reunited for our mid-service training (MST) at Terelj National Park outside of UB. Unlike our in-service training (IST) in December 2016, where we had to bring our counterparts along, MST was just Peace Corps.
Many of us were unprepared for how cold it was going to be. When we arrived at the park, it was pouring down with rain and we were all running into our little wooden houses. It was cold and there was no heat in any of the buildings. However, our houses had hot showers (!!!!!) and heated floors. Every night, me and my room-mate would lay our sweaters on the ground so they would be warm and toasty in the mornings. The wear was “business causal” but for me, it was wear as many layers as possible.
It’s a beautiful park once the fog and clouds lifted. From 7am to 5:30 we were stuck in sessions but afterwards we were free to do whatever we wanted. Some of us went horse back riding (which left me sore for a week), we hiked up hills, running back down, and we sat around a large bonfire. Unfortunately when we departed, the weather was warm and sunny making me wish we could stay longer.
On the first day of school, my school smelled of fresh paint as balloons and a large banner were hung outside by the front entrance. Students were back in their uniforms. I spent the first two weeks of school waiting for the teachers schedule to be completed. During September and for the duration of October, I’m teaching 5th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders in the morning with lesson planning and teacher development in the afternoon. Besides school, I was busy with Special Olympics and Teachers Day.
My amazing counterpart and friend who has helped me with so much and has accepted me as part of her family.
This year, Special Olympics was hosted in my aimeg. Teams came from four different regions with one team coming all the way from Khuvsgul. They all arrived on Thursday. Friday consisted of medical screenings and basketball, table tennis, and judo competitions. Saturday was badminton with track and field races held outside. I was asked to take photographs and was kept busy, walking from one spot to the other, snapping away. They were so happy to be competing and racing each other.
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Teachers Day is when 12 grade students become teachers for the day while the teachers become the students. This is a holiday 12th graders are very excited about. In the morning, teachers trade places with their students and sit at the desks while a student teaches. We are also given a 12th grader to later exchange gifts with in the evening. My 12th grader took her role very seriously. We met the night before so she could create the perfect lesson plan and she did an amazing job. Last year, my school had a volleyball competition but this year my school had a teachers talent contest.
You can read about teachers day from last year here.
More marvelous things that have since happened:
I finally have internet. Now I don’t have to walk 20-minutes to a restaurant and order the cheapest item on the menu as I use their internet.
For a long time, my building’s heating was broken. I was told it wouldn’t be fixed for another two or three weeks making me cry out in anguish. My apartment was so frigid I got sick and shivered myself to sleep. Thankfully, it didn’t take three weeks to fix and now my home is blessedly warm. Why do I make such a big deal out of this? Because in Mongolia, air conditioning doesn’t exist and heating comes from a central system which people can’t control on how hot it gets.
My aimeg has two new health volunteers. There are now four of us.
I’m re-watching “The Office” and “Gilmore Girls” thus bringing joy to my life when the language barrier becomes to much or when something breaks in my apartment or even when people hoot and “OY” at me as I’m trying to go about my business.
There was a silly moment during my school’s track and field day when my name was called and one of the teachers was holding out a medal for me. I thought, “I have done absolutely nothing that warrants a medal but okay…” Conveniently my two counterparts disappeared so I didn’t know what everyone was yelling. But apparently they just wanted me to place the medal around the neck of another teacher. I’m nearly just walked off with the medal.
I’m eagerly awaiting a box of books for my school I’ve asked an organization in America to send.
I took a long deep breath and signed up to take the GRE in December.
We have a new café in town called Friends Café. The woman who owns it went to university in America and used to live in Naperville. Small world!!
People always ask if I’m cold. They all think I’m to skinny for a Mongolian winter. That I need more meat on my bones.
27 April marked the first day since October that I didn’t have to wear my two layer winter coat outside.
However, now that it’s spring, Mongolian weather is experiencing some mood swings as the weather shifts from warm to cold on a day-by-day basis.
One day it’s warm. The next day, there is a dust storm.
One day it’s warm and sunny. The next day, there’s a 30-minute snow storm.
One day the sky is blue. The next day, the sky turns moody and gray and grumbles as another wind storm arrives.
Or all four seasons happen in a single day.
I went on a hike into the countryside with students. A day that started out brilliantly but was eventually thwarted by the weather.
Here we are marching out of our aimag.
It was warm enough for short sleeves.
Schools are still taking Olympiad exams. Students compete to place 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in their school subjects. I think the concept is utterly ridiculous as students and even teachers are put under a lot of pressure by administration to compete for the best score.
So, going out on a hike was a perfect diversion to leave school behind.
There is still snow and ice out in the countryside.We had brought a jump rope and a ball to play volleyball and soccer.
When we set off, it was warm enough for me to take my jacket off and frolic about in short sleeves.
But 30-minutes after we finally found our spot, the sun vanished, it began to rain, and the wind forced us to find shelter against the rocky outcrop of a hill.
I couldn’t help but laugh as I sat there against the rocks trying to rub life back into my cold fingers. I should have realized that this was going to happen. But as I sat there with Mongolian students ranging from 7th to 11th grade, this had just become another comical moment that I stored away into my memory to reminisce about later in the future.
A blizzard hit my aimag on the first day of spring break. It was by no means a gentle snow fall but with the help of strong winds the cold snow was whipped into my face making it impossible to see as I walked. So, I hunkered down in my apartment, holding a mug of hot chocolate while watching cars getting stuck in the snow, motorcyclists walking their bikes, and small children drowning in the snow drifts as their older siblings came to their rescue. Later, when I had to go food shopping, I found myself floundering as the snow came up to my knees in certain places.
My counterpart, in the red coat, walking across the government square.The hill next to my yellow school later became a place for sledding and snowball fights.The road from my apartment building to the market and center of town.
The very weekend the snow storm hit was the weekend me and my site mates were supposed to go to Ulaanbaatar. Sadly, the storm shut the bus station down for four-days because all the roads were buried in snow. This brings me to the next chapter of my story.
My counterpart’s daughter making snow angels in front of a ger.
As the roads were gradually cleared and the bus station opened, luckily, a window of opportunity opened up and I was able to travel to UB. I had to visit the dentist and so I was on medical leave. I traveled without my site mates making this the first time I had to travel in Mongolia by myself. On the morning of my departure, I waited for my driver to take me to the station but he never showed. As if by coincidence, my counterpart came to my home at 7:30 in the morning and walked with me to the bus. The drive to the city took eight-hours. It was slow going driving north as roads were still covered in snow and my bus stopped by a house for 30-minutes without any explanation. The season also transitioned from winter to spring the closer I got to UB. Ironically, as my aimag was getting pounded by snow, UB was getting dazzled by sunshine and clear blue skies.
A lot happened as a PCV, who still has no grasp of the Mongolian language, toured around UB. I miss city life. My aimag has a large market plus a bakery and a coffee shop but I miss seeing buildings and seeing more variety of shops and stores.
I ran into a lot of unexpected people:
While walking to the Peace Corps Office, I ran into my 5th grade student. Her mother bought me a cookie from the café we were standing in front of.
I heard an “Anna?” as I was running late for my dentist appointment. It was Kevin B who was back in Mongolia. I must have had my peripheral vision turned off because I didn’t notice as a 7-ft. man walked right past me.
A Mongolian woman pretended to tie her shoes as she waited for me to catch up to her on the sidewalk. She was eager to talk about America and had never met a “Chicago girl” before. She lives in a soum three-hours away from my aimag.
When I showed up at my hostel, I didn’t know if any PCVs would be there but funnily enough there is always a guarantee there will be some in the city. As I was eating breakfast in the hostel kitchen, my Peace Corps trainer from last summer, Matt, plopped down on the stool in front of me with a, “What’s up, Anna?”
While I was waiting for my bus to leave at the Dragon Center, a man tried to pick pocket me. He probably thought the blonde hair was a dead giveaway for a stupid tourist with open pockets containing an iPhone just ripe for the picking. He wasn’t pleased when I swerved around him as his grubby hand unsuccessfully swiped my jacket followed by my triumphant smirk as I descended down the escalator.
Food, food, food:
I was most excited about eating food in UB. In fact, the only pictures I took while in UB was of food. I ate cheeseburgers at Ruby Room and Granville, a stir-fried dish at a Korean restaurant, had a large popcorn at the movies, munched on various delicacies in a café, and ate a bagel with salmon at Khan Deli.
Taxi rides:
After 10 months, my Mongolian is still awful. However, it has made transportation either very amusing or terrifying. When I got off the bus at the Dragon Center, I was swamped by men yelling,
“Taxi?
Taxi!
Taxi?!?!”
Everyone in Mongolia is a cab driver.
The first car I got into, the driver walked away leaving me in it. I quickly got out and power walked away farther down Peace Avenue. The second car had never heard of Peace Corps and couldn’t understand what I was saying, (I couldn’t blame him though). The office doesn’t exactly have an address so I was saying, “Suhkbataar Square,” and “Coke can.” I just called someone at Peace Corps to talk to him followed by many “ahhhhh, zaa zaa zaa!”
The afternoon when I had to go back to the Dragon Center, I hailed down a driver who didn’t know what the Dragon Center was. The driver was in a good mood and called a friend who speaks English. Apparently, you need to replace the “A” sound in dragon and emphasize more of an “O” sound. For 30 minutes, we combined our minimal English and Mongolian and chatted about the weather, Mongolia, food, and the Chicago Bulls.
I should really improve my language but I still surprisingly get around without the need for fluency.
Finally, *cue the music*…
A tale as old as time:
I grew up watching Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” and just had to watch the live version in IMAX 3D and it was so good! The woman next to me was swiping away tears from under her 3D glasses. Or maybe that was me.
The next time I will be back in the city will be when my parents come to visit in the summer!
Peace Corps Mongolia 