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.
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I AM amazed by the police station! Having been in a good number of them (by design, not by necessity) in the US and England, this seems a refreshing breath of air. I wonder if all their criminals are rather complacent, like in New Zealand...or just the younger ones who might be frightened. I wonder if punishment is more severe in Mongolia, so the wrong-doers have more to fear than in the US or UK. Interesting... What are the police uniforms like? Did you make it to class on time? And how are the classes going, btw? Do you know the subject matter well enough so you're not nervous teaching? Great stuff!
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