Saturday after my classes were through I was in the office, writing up my goals for the school director, when I heard some terrible puppy cries from the parking lot. They went on for quite a long time. When I eventually got downstairs, one of the puppies (the total population count is 2 adult dogs that look rather like German shepherds, one adult dog that looks like a Yorkie, and 2 puppies) was hiding underneath a car. I couldn't get him to come out for anything and every time he moved, he squealed in pain. I went to buy a couple of hot dogs at the Minii to lure him out, but when I got back to school, he had moved out from under the car and was in the back of the parking lot.
I walked around to the back of the lot, and the other dogs came out, but that puppy hid. I fed some hot dog pieces to the other dogs and tried to tempt the puppy out, but he stayed hidden from me. In fact, he tried to hide further, but cried when he moved. One of the German shepherd-like dogs licked his leg. As a last resort, I threw a small piece to him and left.
This morning (Monday), I was anxious to see him and find out if he had a serious injury, but luckily he was out front & center with the others when I showed up. I don't know what had happened on Saturday, if he was in the way and accidentally injured, kicked by someone, or what, but he sure was traumatized for a while. Luckily he seemed fine this morning, so my mind is at ease. I've been careful not to get the dogs dependent on me for their meals. I'm just there to supply a small treat, to try to fatten them up a bit and to show them that not all humans are uncaring beasts. In fact, in the beginning I was leaving my snacks anonymously, but eventually one dog came around while I was leaving the food, so I was ID'd. My puppies are so cute! I can't wait until I can post a picture of them.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Fun weekend in UB
Interesting weekend: Davaa (bless her!) called me on Sunday and said she was going to the State Department Store and did I want to come? Of course! So she and her brother (Davaa Daash) picked me up and we drove to the store. It is a very large dept. store - maybe 6 floors - and I had a great time just seeing what is available. I only bought a few things, e.g., a spoon (you can't possibly imagine what I have been using in place of a spoon at my apt.), and a plug adapter so that (maybe) I can plug in my microwave and broaden my menu a bit.
One of the most interesting things about the trip was seeing the check-out procedures. Things were purchased in 3 different departments and 3 different procedures were employed. At one department, you examined the items at a desk, paid for it there and then went to a 2nd counter with your receipt and received your item there. At dept. #2, things proceeded exactly as in America: select your stuff from the shelves, take it to the cashier, pay & walk out with the thing you selected. At the 3rd department, the procedure was the same as Bill & I remember from our time in Moscow: select your item, take it to the counter, where you are given an invoice. Take the invoice to a cashier, pay and receive a receipt. Take the receipt back to the 1st counter and get your item. I could see no apparent reasons for the different procedures, but that's what makes being here interesting and keeps things challenging - one might even call it a game.
One of the most interesting things about the trip was seeing the check-out procedures. Things were purchased in 3 different departments and 3 different procedures were employed. At one department, you examined the items at a desk, paid for it there and then went to a 2nd counter with your receipt and received your item there. At dept. #2, things proceeded exactly as in America: select your stuff from the shelves, take it to the cashier, pay & walk out with the thing you selected. At the 3rd department, the procedure was the same as Bill & I remember from our time in Moscow: select your item, take it to the counter, where you are given an invoice. Take the invoice to a cashier, pay and receive a receipt. Take the receipt back to the 1st counter and get your item. I could see no apparent reasons for the different procedures, but that's what makes being here interesting and keeps things challenging - one might even call it a game.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Jasmin in UB
Starting on Monday, I will have a German guest for a week. She is a friend of Anita's, working for an organization called Save the Wild Horse (www.savethewildhorse.org) that is trying to preserve and protect the wild Takhi horse found only in Mongolia. Find a picture of one on Google. They really are wild horses, as opposed to feral (escaped) horses like you might find in the southwest. Around here they call them Mongolian zebras, because of their stripes.
Anyway, Jasmin will be in UB for a week and will be staying with me. I wish I knew more about the city so that I could show her some things of interest, but she'll probably be busy enough during the day and not in need of sightseeing. She has promised to try to arrange a trip out to see the horses with her group when they are ready for a field expedition. I'll certainly be up for that. These horses are different from the Mongolian horses that you typically think of in terms of a horse trekking adventure.
Anyway, Jasmin will be in UB for a week and will be staying with me. I wish I knew more about the city so that I could show her some things of interest, but she'll probably be busy enough during the day and not in need of sightseeing. She has promised to try to arrange a trip out to see the horses with her group when they are ready for a field expedition. I'll certainly be up for that. These horses are different from the Mongolian horses that you typically think of in terms of a horse trekking adventure.
Fun at the Minii
My fun at the Minii supermarket may be over, I'm not sure yet. The last 2 times I have been there the former cashier has not been there. In his place is a young woman who gives me my change immediately after the transaction. Now I may never know what he wanted!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Big Night for Babette
Yesterday I was contacted by a Mongolian friend of Anita's, Davaa (pronounced Dawa) ,who suggested we meet in the evening. Although this would seriously disrupt my plans to wash out my socks & underwear, I agreed, figuring that the excursion would do me good. Her English is excellent. We met at the MetroMall, site of the legendary Minii Supermarket, and walked across the street to a restaurant. I had "Ladies Soup" for dinner and we had a great chat. I stayed out until 9pm, that's how much fun we were having.
A little word about painting & cleaning, Mongolian-style: They have been painting the lobby and first floor of the school building, but they're doing it a bit differently than the expected way. First they sanded the walls (no drop cloth), then they painted (no drop cloth, no concerns about edgings, etc.). The sanding dust is all over the place, as would be expected, and gets dragged up the stairs & into the rooms. Every floor has a cleaning woman, who is constantly mopping up our dirty footprints, so this painting project has just made her job twice what it was. I mentioned the fact that they don't tape the edges, therefore the paint often covers more than what was intended. There are some tiles on the walls & these get slopped with paint. Drips stay where they fall. It's fast & efficient (for the painters), I'll say that for it.
A little word about painting & cleaning, Mongolian-style: They have been painting the lobby and first floor of the school building, but they're doing it a bit differently than the expected way. First they sanded the walls (no drop cloth), then they painted (no drop cloth, no concerns about edgings, etc.). The sanding dust is all over the place, as would be expected, and gets dragged up the stairs & into the rooms. Every floor has a cleaning woman, who is constantly mopping up our dirty footprints, so this painting project has just made her job twice what it was. I mentioned the fact that they don't tape the edges, therefore the paint often covers more than what was intended. There are some tiles on the walls & these get slopped with paint. Drips stay where they fall. It's fast & efficient (for the painters), I'll say that for it.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Laid-back Office
This is a very laid-back office: the other teachers are always playing computer games against each other, watching TV (either on the TV in the office, or on their pc's), or even sleeping. They do, of course, serve their time in classes and have their thrice-weekly lessons with me, but all in all, they seem to have a lot of fun & do what they want. Even the receptionist watches TV on her PC.
UNSOLVED MONGOLIAN MYSTERY:
The cashier at the Minii Supermarket & I have been having a non-verbal stand-off. I haven't been able to understand what he wants & he can't tell me. When I go to check out at the register, I look at the total (since I couldn't understand the numbers even if he told me). I give him a bill that is larger than the amount, e.g., for a 15,000 togrog transaction, I give him a 20,000 togrog bill. He takes my money & stands there looking at me. I stand there looking at him. We look at each other for a while; sometimes he says something in Mongolian. I look at him. Finally, he shrugs & makes a "huff" sound & gives me my change. I asked at school what he is expecting from me & nobody had a suggestion. They looked at my receipt, and I confirmed the total bill, what I had given him & the fact that he had finally given me the correct change.
I was all set to go last night & play another round with him, but when I went to the store, it was closed, in spite of the sign that indicated it would be open for a few hours longer. So, I was denied my stand-off with him, but this opened the door for another adventure. The previous night my canister of butane for my hot plate had run empty, so I needed another can if I was to have a hot meal that night. There are a couple of tiny, shack-like stores along the street that sell a variety of things like candy & cigarettes, so I stopped in at one, hoping I could identify a butane can & just point at it. At the first store, I didn't see butane, so I asked timidly if anyone spoke English. Another customer indicated that she did and after hearing my question, told me another store farther down the street would have the butane. I thanked her & walked down the street & went into the second shop. I located the butane and a couple of other things I needed and proceeded to point them out to the clerk. As opposed to the Minii, these shops have a counter with shelves behind them, so there's no self-service. As Iwas doing this, the girl from the last shop came in and smiled at me, nodded & then left. Such friendly & helpful people! She had come just to be sure I had found my way there. I also saw an unusual transaction: a young man came in & apparently asked for just a few cigarettes, because the clerk opened up a new pack & doled him out 7!
WITNESS TO AN EVENT THIS MORNING:
This morning I witnessed a touching scene. As I was leaving my apt., I encountered a group of people (about 5), clustered around a young man who was carrying an older man in his arms. He was carrying the man down the stairs (we have no elevator) and then put him into a waiting car. The older man was wearing an elaborate brocade del with a bright yellow silk belt & leather boots with turned up toes. Luckily for the older man, he seemed to have a devoted family around to help him, but what if he hadn't?
UNSOLVED MONGOLIAN MYSTERY:
The cashier at the Minii Supermarket & I have been having a non-verbal stand-off. I haven't been able to understand what he wants & he can't tell me. When I go to check out at the register, I look at the total (since I couldn't understand the numbers even if he told me). I give him a bill that is larger than the amount, e.g., for a 15,000 togrog transaction, I give him a 20,000 togrog bill. He takes my money & stands there looking at me. I stand there looking at him. We look at each other for a while; sometimes he says something in Mongolian. I look at him. Finally, he shrugs & makes a "huff" sound & gives me my change. I asked at school what he is expecting from me & nobody had a suggestion. They looked at my receipt, and I confirmed the total bill, what I had given him & the fact that he had finally given me the correct change.
I was all set to go last night & play another round with him, but when I went to the store, it was closed, in spite of the sign that indicated it would be open for a few hours longer. So, I was denied my stand-off with him, but this opened the door for another adventure. The previous night my canister of butane for my hot plate had run empty, so I needed another can if I was to have a hot meal that night. There are a couple of tiny, shack-like stores along the street that sell a variety of things like candy & cigarettes, so I stopped in at one, hoping I could identify a butane can & just point at it. At the first store, I didn't see butane, so I asked timidly if anyone spoke English. Another customer indicated that she did and after hearing my question, told me another store farther down the street would have the butane. I thanked her & walked down the street & went into the second shop. I located the butane and a couple of other things I needed and proceeded to point them out to the clerk. As opposed to the Minii, these shops have a counter with shelves behind them, so there's no self-service. As Iwas doing this, the girl from the last shop came in and smiled at me, nodded & then left. Such friendly & helpful people! She had come just to be sure I had found my way there. I also saw an unusual transaction: a young man came in & apparently asked for just a few cigarettes, because the clerk opened up a new pack & doled him out 7!
WITNESS TO AN EVENT THIS MORNING:
This morning I witnessed a touching scene. As I was leaving my apt., I encountered a group of people (about 5), clustered around a young man who was carrying an older man in his arms. He was carrying the man down the stairs (we have no elevator) and then put him into a waiting car. The older man was wearing an elaborate brocade del with a bright yellow silk belt & leather boots with turned up toes. Luckily for the older man, he seemed to have a devoted family around to help him, but what if he hadn't?
White Moon
White Moon (which means Full Moon) is the Mongolian name for New Year's, which is coming up on February 14. It is a 3 day celebration when everyone goes to visit their relatives, eats a lot of those dumplings with the slice of sheep tail fat, gets presents and kisses their grandmothers. Every household makes more than 1,000 dumplings to serve to their visitors. I just found out a few days ago that the school will be closed for the entire week, so I've been looking into alternative things to do, so that I'm not stuck in my apt. with little to do. Anita is also contacting some of her friends, seeing if a few of them will take pity on me for a day or 2 during the week, although I'd rather find something that will take me out of UB for several days - preferably on horseback. (I'm not listening, Bill.)
Monday, January 25, 2010
Mongolian pizza & the birthday party
We had a birthday celebration in the office for one of the receptionists with champagne and cake. When is the last time you had alcohol in your office in the middle of the day? I also have to add one thing to my description of the Mongolian pizza I had on Saturday: it also had grated carrots on the top.
Musical garbage trucks
I hear music in the mornings, every morning , for quite a long time. It sounded like an ice cream truck, playing the same 8 measures over & over, but I told myself that there wouldn't be any ice cream trucks making the rounds when it is -30 degrees outside. I asked my students what the music was and received answers that I couldn't really believe, like "wake up" music. Finally I heard the music during a lesson, asked the class and was told it is the garbage truck. Turns out that the garbage truck comes every day to collect the trash from the neighborhood dump site. There are no trash cans and no garbage bags. Everyone just puts out their garbage on a common corner. The dogs come by and make the first pass at scavenging; then the birds arrive and make their choices. Then, the next day the garbage workers (all women) come back, pick up what's left and sweep the area.
The music plays the entire time they are in the neighborhood, over & over & over & over & over &... They are at my corner for at least 30 minutes, but I can hear them for at least 2 hours while they make stops all around the area. You'd think they would turn the music off while they are collecting & sweeping, but no. I can only feel sorry for these women who hear the music all day long, all week long, all their lives long. I'm going crazy just thinking about the monotony of it all.
The music plays the entire time they are in the neighborhood, over & over & over & over & over &... They are at my corner for at least 30 minutes, but I can hear them for at least 2 hours while they make stops all around the area. You'd think they would turn the music off while they are collecting & sweeping, but no. I can only feel sorry for these women who hear the music all day long, all week long, all their lives long. I'm going crazy just thinking about the monotony of it all.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Mongolian names & the Minii Market
Mongolians use only one name: their given name. Officially they do have a second name - their father's first name, but this is rarely used, probably only in official settings, and it is often abbreviated as just one letter or 2.
I went to the Minii Market after school on Saturday to replenish some supplies. It takes me a while to shop, as you might guess, since I'm judging things by the packages, for the most part. I did find a bag of frozen dumplings, a big Mongolian favorite, and thought I might try them, thinking they'd be easy to boil & eat, etc. Well, luckily for me there was a list on the side of the bag in English that listed "fat slice from sheep tail" as one of the ingredients. I passed on the dumplings. The previous time I was at the Minii, I saw a western face & asked her if she spoke English. Fortunately for me, she did and was able to show me where the cheese and matches were. Otherwise I would have been there for a lot longer & I still might not be able to use my hot plate. I think she was German (judging by her accent), but I didn't ask.
I went to the Minii Market after school on Saturday to replenish some supplies. It takes me a while to shop, as you might guess, since I'm judging things by the packages, for the most part. I did find a bag of frozen dumplings, a big Mongolian favorite, and thought I might try them, thinking they'd be easy to boil & eat, etc. Well, luckily for me there was a list on the side of the bag in English that listed "fat slice from sheep tail" as one of the ingredients. I passed on the dumplings. The previous time I was at the Minii, I saw a western face & asked her if she spoke English. Fortunately for me, she did and was able to show me where the cheese and matches were. Otherwise I would have been there for a lot longer & I still might not be able to use my hot plate. I think she was German (judging by her accent), but I didn't ask.
Open House at School
The school had an open house on Saturday for prospective students. It seemed to have been very well attended and the Director was pleased. They had snacks out for the visitors, so I had my first taste of Mongolian pizza. It was very good, but NOT very Italian. There were a lot of vegetables on it, including corn, but I couldn't find any tomato sauce.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
My location
When anyone at school asks me where my apartment is, I say that it's behind BBQ Chicken, a restaurant on the main street in front of the school. In spite of what you might assume that the BBQ stands for, according to the window of the place, BBQ means "best believable quality".
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The police station
I asked my class consisting of the staff about the 4 boys at the police station. They said that the boys were so obedient because if they weren't, they would be beaten. (Don't give Paul any ideas, Jo.) That certainly explains their good behavior, doesn't it?
Big surprise on my trip to the Loo
I used the loo at the school for the first time yesterday. Normally that would not be news I'd be sharing, but the facilities are worth describing. There are 2 stalls: one is a raised squatter's toilet & the other is ALMOST western, except that it is missing the seat (although it was sitting nearby, still in the stall). It is also missing the top to the tank and to flush it you have to reach inside the tank & press down on the mechanism. There is also NO TP, so I made a mental note to tuck some into my purse for the next time. I'll also try to use the one at the apartment exclusively.
I want to report on the miniature tangerines. Using my memories of the Cyrillic alphabet, left over from the 1980 Olympics, I was able to transliterate the label. It reads MANDARIN MOROCCO. The tiny tangerines are very good and you can peel one & just pop it into your mouth. It's gone in one bite. No seeds!
I want to report on the miniature tangerines. Using my memories of the Cyrillic alphabet, left over from the 1980 Olympics, I was able to transliterate the label. It reads MANDARIN MOROCCO. The tiny tangerines are very good and you can peel one & just pop it into your mouth. It's gone in one bite. No seeds!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
It really is Wednesday here
Happy Birthday, Jo. I've been celebrating your birthday for 14 hours now & you aren't even awake yet. This party is sure slow to get started!
My days, my challenges
I met the director of the school yesterday for the first time. Enkhjargal (Mongolians go by 1 name only) is a very nice, friendly man with great ambitions for the school. It appears to be a private, professional IT school, rather on the lines of IT Tech, with students ranging from 17 to 30. They have 2 years of studying to do in various fields on computer technology, ranging from animation to programming and html, and at the end of their study they have to take a qualifying exam in English, which is why he jumped at the chance to have me come when my opportunity in Khovd didn't come through. He explained to me that many students have the ability to do the work, but not the language skills to pass the test. My biggest problem here is that there is no textbook, and no lesson plan or curriculum for the English classes. Apparently these are add-on classes for the students: no tests or grades, yet the knowledge is critical for them to acquire, so they are dependent upon their own motivation to attend and pay attention. As I said earlier, the first days I spent in introductions, then we moved on to a simple review of what a sentence is, parts of a sentence, subject-verb agreement, good vs. well, verb tenses, adjectives and adverbs. (Moving right along...) Luckily they have had the basics before (I am not their first English teacher), so I'm just trying to stay alert and discover who is staying up with me and who is having trouble.
The next lesson we played 20 questions, which they seemed to enjoy a bit. At least it forces them to ask questions in English and answer them as well. One funny story: I have one class composed of the staff, who are primarily supposed to practice their English conversation with me. One of the staff/students is Nomio, a real "girly-girl", e.g., she has a Hello Kitty keyboard on her computer; she has pink ribbons glued to her monitor and her screen saver is pink, with a pink heart and pink ribbons, with the words "Love Me Tender" in the middle of the heart. When it was Nomio's turn to play, she announced that she was thinking of "a thing". The first question anyone asked was "is it pink?"
The next lesson we played 20 questions, which they seemed to enjoy a bit. At least it forces them to ask questions in English and answer them as well. One funny story: I have one class composed of the staff, who are primarily supposed to practice their English conversation with me. One of the staff/students is Nomio, a real "girly-girl", e.g., she has a Hello Kitty keyboard on her computer; she has pink ribbons glued to her monitor and her screen saver is pink, with a pink heart and pink ribbons, with the words "Love Me Tender" in the middle of the heart. When it was Nomio's turn to play, she announced that she was thinking of "a thing". The first question anyone asked was "is it pink?"
Monday, January 18, 2010
Correction
I realize that I should have described the corn on the cob at the market as vacuum-sealed, rather than shrinkwrapped. It was in heavy plastic, rather like Canadian bacon might be.
Odds & Ends
Today the temperature dropped a bit. It is the first day when I've been able to tell that it is very cold outside. I've been very comfortable & haven't felt cold walking to school or home since I've been here, but today there was a discernible difference. It's still not the bone-chilling temperatures that I had imagined, but some tears did fall from my eyes & freeze on my cheeks as I walked along the street. At home I had imagined that it would be too cold to breathe comfortably, but it hasn't. I've only needed my long underwear pants, not the tops, & haven't needed gloves at all, believe it or not. As soon as I enter a building I have to pull off my scarf & unzip my coat, or I'll overheat - especially as soon as I begin my ascent of 4 flights of stairs, whether to my apt. or the school.
This morning a new dog joined the 2 who are regulars outside the school. This one is a puppy who looks to be about 8-10 weeks. I hate to resort to stereotypes, but I haven't seen much evidence that shows any love for dogs in this country. The dogs are all submissive, as I reported earlier, and I haven't seen any wagging a tail: they all keep them tucked between their legs. I saw a man go after one of the school dogs with a large lump of ice (or maybe it was concrete?), ready to throw it at him. I could only leave the area as quickly as possible. I didn't want to see what was going to happen. The only thing I can say is that I heard no yelping or cries, so maybe he was just going to scare it away from him, although it certainly wasn't coming near him to begin with. The dogs' submissiveness even extends to each other. They don't seem to growl at each other, or try to steal food from one another. They're not a pack, they're just 3 individuals who are hanging out in the same parking area. I don't even see them trying to huddle together to keep warm.
Anita's friend, Duba, came to see me this afternoon when I had a break between classes. She works on the 3rd floor of the same building the school is in. She apologized for not visiting me earlier, but she is the accountant for her company and has had to prepare the taxes for the year that ended in December. On top of that, she is going on vacation to Germany next week for 2 weeks, so she's had to work ahead so that she can take off. She promised me that she will take me around when she returns from her trip & we will go into the countryside. I'm looking forward to that.
One of these days I'll get some photos posted. Until then, I'll just describe my "foyer-kitchen". There's only 1 electrical outlet in the area, so if I want to plug in the microwave, I have to unplug the fridge. One of the teachers brought me a hotplate that uses small propane canisters, so as soon as I can get some matches, I'll be cooking. There is one outlet in the living room for the TV and one in the bedroom, but that one is hanging off the wall by its wires, so I'm not going to touch it. There are no outlets in the bathroom. I may try to move the microwave to the livingroom. At least then I won't have to move the fridge to unplug it and I can put the microwave in a more convenient place than on top of the fridge.
More later. Love to all!
This morning a new dog joined the 2 who are regulars outside the school. This one is a puppy who looks to be about 8-10 weeks. I hate to resort to stereotypes, but I haven't seen much evidence that shows any love for dogs in this country. The dogs are all submissive, as I reported earlier, and I haven't seen any wagging a tail: they all keep them tucked between their legs. I saw a man go after one of the school dogs with a large lump of ice (or maybe it was concrete?), ready to throw it at him. I could only leave the area as quickly as possible. I didn't want to see what was going to happen. The only thing I can say is that I heard no yelping or cries, so maybe he was just going to scare it away from him, although it certainly wasn't coming near him to begin with. The dogs' submissiveness even extends to each other. They don't seem to growl at each other, or try to steal food from one another. They're not a pack, they're just 3 individuals who are hanging out in the same parking area. I don't even see them trying to huddle together to keep warm.
Anita's friend, Duba, came to see me this afternoon when I had a break between classes. She works on the 3rd floor of the same building the school is in. She apologized for not visiting me earlier, but she is the accountant for her company and has had to prepare the taxes for the year that ended in December. On top of that, she is going on vacation to Germany next week for 2 weeks, so she's had to work ahead so that she can take off. She promised me that she will take me around when she returns from her trip & we will go into the countryside. I'm looking forward to that.
One of these days I'll get some photos posted. Until then, I'll just describe my "foyer-kitchen". There's only 1 electrical outlet in the area, so if I want to plug in the microwave, I have to unplug the fridge. One of the teachers brought me a hotplate that uses small propane canisters, so as soon as I can get some matches, I'll be cooking. There is one outlet in the living room for the TV and one in the bedroom, but that one is hanging off the wall by its wires, so I'm not going to touch it. There are no outlets in the bathroom. I may try to move the microwave to the livingroom. At least then I won't have to move the fridge to unplug it and I can put the microwave in a more convenient place than on top of the fridge.
More later. Love to all!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Traffic, Fashion & etc.
Traffic in UB keeps you on your toes. Pedestrians cross at their own risk; Walk/Don't Walk signs seem to be suggestions, rather than rules. I stay close behind other pedestrians when I'm crossing a street since I'm not quite sure when it is the best time to do so. Luckily I only have to cross twice on my way to school. Lanes of traffic are apparently only suggestions, too. Sometimes there are 2 vehicles across; sometimes there are 3. It's just a matter of fitting in wherever & whenever you can.
Young women in Mongolia (or at least in UB) are very fashionable. They wear stiletto-heeled boots with fur trim, very new & fashionable clothes, etc. Everyone seems to dress up. I've seen no one in sloppy, casual clothes, including the young men. Women on the street wear fur coats and beautiful fur hats (they couldn't be considered politically-incorrect here, right?) and carry up-to-date purses, etc. Every once in a while I'll see a man in his 40's or so wearing a del, the long, heavy, traditional Mongolian brocade coat, with a belt covered with brass medallions, soft leather boots and the traditional cap with a finial at the top (don't know how else to describe it), but these sightings are rare. There are probably more older women wearing dels than men.
Young women in Mongolia (or at least in UB) are very fashionable. They wear stiletto-heeled boots with fur trim, very new & fashionable clothes, etc. Everyone seems to dress up. I've seen no one in sloppy, casual clothes, including the young men. Women on the street wear fur coats and beautiful fur hats (they couldn't be considered politically-incorrect here, right?) and carry up-to-date purses, etc. Every once in a while I'll see a man in his 40's or so wearing a del, the long, heavy, traditional Mongolian brocade coat, with a belt covered with brass medallions, soft leather boots and the traditional cap with a finial at the top (don't know how else to describe it), but these sightings are rare. There are probably more older women wearing dels than men.
Friday, January 15, 2010
My first Saturday
I arose at the normal time this morning & made my way to school, because my schedule showed that I would be teaching 3 classes today, as usual. In fact, I had spoken to several students yesterday & they had confirmed class time w/me for today. I got to school an hour before class was to begin so that I could check my email (my lifeline!) and prepare in general for teaching. The door was locked & the school was dark, but I figured that since today was Saturday, maybe everyone else's schedule was different, so I would wait a while. Luckily I had my knitting w/me, so I sat down on the stairs & knitted away contentedly. The hour passed & still no one arrived. After another half hour passed I decided to leave & treat myself to a session at an internet cafe, since I couldn't go until Monday w/o checking my email!!
As I was descending the stairs, I recognized another teacher coming up, so I turned around & followed her back to the doors. She explained that only 2 people have a key to the school, but I never understood why neither of them had arrived yet. She called one of them & about 20 minutes later that person arrived & let us in. Gradually other people arrived, but only 1 of them was a student for the class that was already over by that time. I asked about the schedule for the day & was told that since today was Saturday that most people were sleeping in.
Ah well, that's just one of the little problems that arise when you can't speak the language & people can't speak enough to explain why something has happened, if there even is an explanation to begin with. Maybe scheduling isn't as big a thing here as it is at home. Maybe attendance is more "optional" here than it would be stateside. I don't know & I probably won't know, either. Anyway, my day is not wasted because I have access to this computer & the internet & I got some knitting done, as well!
I do have to say that the students here are exceedingly polite & deferential. If they are late for class, they stand at the door & ask permission to enter. Yesterday my dry erase marker was running dry & I was having trouble writing on the white board. A student left the room & came back a few minutes later with a new marker for me - unasked! I told him that he was teacher's pet, but I don't think anyone caught what I was saying.
As I was descending the stairs, I recognized another teacher coming up, so I turned around & followed her back to the doors. She explained that only 2 people have a key to the school, but I never understood why neither of them had arrived yet. She called one of them & about 20 minutes later that person arrived & let us in. Gradually other people arrived, but only 1 of them was a student for the class that was already over by that time. I asked about the schedule for the day & was told that since today was Saturday that most people were sleeping in.
Ah well, that's just one of the little problems that arise when you can't speak the language & people can't speak enough to explain why something has happened, if there even is an explanation to begin with. Maybe scheduling isn't as big a thing here as it is at home. Maybe attendance is more "optional" here than it would be stateside. I don't know & I probably won't know, either. Anyway, my day is not wasted because I have access to this computer & the internet & I got some knitting done, as well!
I do have to say that the students here are exceedingly polite & deferential. If they are late for class, they stand at the door & ask permission to enter. Yesterday my dry erase marker was running dry & I was having trouble writing on the white board. A student left the room & came back a few minutes later with a new marker for me - unasked! I told him that he was teacher's pet, but I don't think anyone caught what I was saying.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
The market
The market I visited the first day was VERY interesting. It was like a farmer's market, except that most of the stalls had packaged goods, instead of the fruits & vegetables like Cleveland's wonderful West Side Market. There were some fresh items, but the carrots still had mud on them or there were things I couldn't identify, or they were unusually displayed - like shrink-wrapped corn on the cob! They had tangerines in 4 different sizes, the smallest was only 1" in diameter. Meat was displayed just sitting on the counter top, rapidly turning dark red, as the blood drained away. (I didn't buy any "cow", as it was described to me.) The chicken legs were frozen, so I felt safe buying them. They had an "American" label on them. I suspect that these are US surplus due to our demand for white chicken meat stateside. However they got here, I was glad to see them. I bought tangerines, juice, milk, cheese, raisin buns, rice, sugar, salt, eggs, detergent, bananas and the chicken legs. After I got back to the apt., I realized that there were no towels, so I put that on my list for shopping in UB. I will also need cleanser and some paper towels. It's hard to guess what a "furnished" apartment will have.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Police Dept. in UB
Here's my confession: I got lost on my first day to school. As I was walking around I saw a police station and I figured I would stop in - because surely they would know where the school was, right? I knew I was very close, within a street or 2, and thought it would take 5 minutes or so to get directions and be on my way. Ha!
First, they had to find someone in the station who spoke English, which really didn't take long, but it turned out that he had no idea where the school was. He called one of my contacts whose name Anita had given me, but to my distress, he told me that she was coming to get me & would drive me to the school. Now, I really didn't want that; I certainly didn't want to inconvenience anyone (I just wanted directions), and I was afraid waiting for Batsukh would make me late, but I couldn't leave now since she was on her way.
The most interesting part of the story is the police station itself. First of all, they had an aquarium in the detectives' office and a tv on the wall. They were showing Jurassic Park in Mongolian. There were 4 boys in the office, who evidently were being detained for something, because every so often the detective I spoke to would bring one of them into his private office, talk to him for a while & bring him back to the group. The boy would then join the others, sitting on the floor with their faces to the wall & heads bowed. The 4 of them were lined up perfectly. They never moved (except when called) and never talked. I could never imagine teenagers in the US acting so submissive. I was thinking of Jo the whole time, trying to imagine her English police friends interviewing such compliant subjects. It would probably be a wonderful change of pace for them.
Anyway, back to the boring part of the story: Batsukh came & drove me back to where my journey began near my apartment. I found out where I had gone wrong (I'd actually gone too far down the main street before turning right), recognized my building & hopped out of her car with an embarrassed thanks & got to school. It really is an easy walk. I don't know how I missed my turn.
Oh, another interesting difference: stray dogs in Mongolia are very submissive & shy. No roaming packs or aggression for them. I don't know how they can survive the winter outdoors, but I guess breeding and acclimatization account for everything.
First, they had to find someone in the station who spoke English, which really didn't take long, but it turned out that he had no idea where the school was. He called one of my contacts whose name Anita had given me, but to my distress, he told me that she was coming to get me & would drive me to the school. Now, I really didn't want that; I certainly didn't want to inconvenience anyone (I just wanted directions), and I was afraid waiting for Batsukh would make me late, but I couldn't leave now since she was on her way.
The most interesting part of the story is the police station itself. First of all, they had an aquarium in the detectives' office and a tv on the wall. They were showing Jurassic Park in Mongolian. There were 4 boys in the office, who evidently were being detained for something, because every so often the detective I spoke to would bring one of them into his private office, talk to him for a while & bring him back to the group. The boy would then join the others, sitting on the floor with their faces to the wall & heads bowed. The 4 of them were lined up perfectly. They never moved (except when called) and never talked. I could never imagine teenagers in the US acting so submissive. I was thinking of Jo the whole time, trying to imagine her English police friends interviewing such compliant subjects. It would probably be a wonderful change of pace for them.
Anyway, back to the boring part of the story: Batsukh came & drove me back to where my journey began near my apartment. I found out where I had gone wrong (I'd actually gone too far down the main street before turning right), recognized my building & hopped out of her car with an embarrassed thanks & got to school. It really is an easy walk. I don't know how I missed my turn.
Oh, another interesting difference: stray dogs in Mongolia are very submissive & shy. No roaming packs or aggression for them. I don't know how they can survive the winter outdoors, but I guess breeding and acclimatization account for everything.
UB at last
After 32 hrs & 17 mins., I arrived in UB. Things have changed since my last posting, so I'll correct things now. At the last minute, I found out that the university in Khovd had not submitted my visa information & they were reluctant to have me arrive & try to fix the tourist visa to a worker's visa, so Anita got into action & found me a position in Ulan Bataar with a professional computer training school. The software they are learning to use is all in English, so the students are motivated to learn English for their careers. I teach 3 classes a day, Monday through Saturday, but the students in the classes are all mixed in abilities, so that makes teaching a bit difficult. I'm starting out trying just to learn some names & get people introduced to each other, relaxed about speaking English & having some fun.
As far as UB goes, it is a wide open place. Bldgs are mostly concrete block & plaster - crumbling & not very attractive for the most part, but every once in a while one is painted pink or yellow, so the overall effect is not at all typical of what you'd see chez nous. Luckily my apt. is only 2 blocks from the school, so the walk is easy & actually things have not been as cold as I'd feared. My apt. is quite unusual, but very reminiscent of the apts. I'd seen in Prague. The outer door is steel & the stairs are concrete. The risers on the stairs are not equal, so there is often a 2" step at the stop or bottom (or both!) of a flight of stairs. The lights in the halls & stairs are motion-detected & I have a huge steel door into the apt. with 2 double bolts. The "kitchen" is part of the foyer: a small cabinet & a jerry-rigged sink at the end that moves everytime you touch the faucet. The fridge is in the foyer, too, and a microwave, but no stove. I've been told I'll get a stove, but I don't know when or who is going to get it for me. I really don't have room for one, unless it's just a hot plate. After the foyer there are double doors going into the living room, where I have 2 arm chairs & a tv. The bedroom is to the left of the living room & has a queen-size bed & a large wardrobe with drawers. It's all very "art deco", but luckily the heat works & there's plenty of hot water, so I'm comfortable. I was esp. worried about the hot water. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to finish a shower, or rinse my shampoo out, etc. Everyday when I come home I immed. wash out my underwear, socks & shirt & they're dry by morning - that's how good the heating is. All pipes & wiring is on the inside of the room (outside the walls), so nothing looks "finished" to the western eye. There are holes in the walls where the pipes come through, w/no attempt to enclose anything.
I have another class in 10 minutes, so I'll sign off now & say Hi & Bye to everyone. Please email me whenever you can. I miss you all SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much!
As far as UB goes, it is a wide open place. Bldgs are mostly concrete block & plaster - crumbling & not very attractive for the most part, but every once in a while one is painted pink or yellow, so the overall effect is not at all typical of what you'd see chez nous. Luckily my apt. is only 2 blocks from the school, so the walk is easy & actually things have not been as cold as I'd feared. My apt. is quite unusual, but very reminiscent of the apts. I'd seen in Prague. The outer door is steel & the stairs are concrete. The risers on the stairs are not equal, so there is often a 2" step at the stop or bottom (or both!) of a flight of stairs. The lights in the halls & stairs are motion-detected & I have a huge steel door into the apt. with 2 double bolts. The "kitchen" is part of the foyer: a small cabinet & a jerry-rigged sink at the end that moves everytime you touch the faucet. The fridge is in the foyer, too, and a microwave, but no stove. I've been told I'll get a stove, but I don't know when or who is going to get it for me. I really don't have room for one, unless it's just a hot plate. After the foyer there are double doors going into the living room, where I have 2 arm chairs & a tv. The bedroom is to the left of the living room & has a queen-size bed & a large wardrobe with drawers. It's all very "art deco", but luckily the heat works & there's plenty of hot water, so I'm comfortable. I was esp. worried about the hot water. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to finish a shower, or rinse my shampoo out, etc. Everyday when I come home I immed. wash out my underwear, socks & shirt & they're dry by morning - that's how good the heating is. All pipes & wiring is on the inside of the room (outside the walls), so nothing looks "finished" to the western eye. There are holes in the walls where the pipes come through, w/no attempt to enclose anything.
I have another class in 10 minutes, so I'll sign off now & say Hi & Bye to everyone. Please email me whenever you can. I miss you all SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much!
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