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.)
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