After Naadam in UB, we, nix Tim and Yelena, as mentioned below, traveled across the countryside to Bulgan City (Bulgan Hot). We stayed with a lovely woman named Ganaa, a former Fullbright who taught us Mongolian language last spring. She obviously loved Bulgan, from all the things she told us about it. We were ridiculously excited to be able to go and see the place she called home.
One of the most important things about Bulgan, she had told us, was the aerig. Aerig is fermented mare's milk. And Bulgan, it turns out, makes some of the best in the world. Bulgan is so proud of their aerig that part of the opening ceremonies to their Naadam celebration was a dance tribute to the drink, the making of it, the consuming of it, and games played while consuming it. During the summers, many people give up solid foods, according to Ganaa, and just consume aerig.
This hadn't been the first time aerig had been present during this trip. While in Inner Mongolia--or was it Saen-Shed?--we'd had the opportunity to try camel aerig. This is an experience I don't intend to replicate. Along the research trip to the countryside I went on, we would stop and get aerig from everywhere we could. Well, once the other girls learned I hadn't really had it before.
The drink itself tastes a bit like watered down milk and yeast. But it's better than if you took watered down milk and mixed it with yeast. The milk here just has flavor, moreso than American milk anyway. The drink also reminds me a bit of yoghurt. When I first had it, I wasn't a fan, but it grew on me.
We brought some back to our apartment from Bulgan. It was supposed to be for Allison, Tim, and Yelena, but it was really for everyone. It lived in the fridge for a while. I kind of like it cold, but I think that's not really how you're supposed to drink it.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Where will we be next? (Russia Plans)
Hi,
Here are our plans for Russia. Please remember that we may or may not have internet or phone access between July 21st and July 31st. As always, if you have an emergency and need to contact your student you may call Karen Billingsly at the Honors College (412 624 6880). Otherwise I will try to force all of the students to write or call home before we leave Mongolia.
We will be traveling with Hongorzul Sodnom from the National University of Mongolia. She attended University in Moscow in the 1970's and has taken this train route back and forth between Moscow and Ulaan Baatar several times (and she is fluent in Russian, which is a great help). Currently, Hongorzul directs the Mongolian Center for American Studies at the National University of Mongolia.
So here are our plans:
July 21st depart Ulaan Baatar at 9.10pm on train 363
July 22nd arrive Ulaan Ude
Ulaan Ude accommodation at Baikal Ethnic Hostel
www.baikalhostel.com -
We will be visiting with students from the University of Buryiata and see Lake Baikhal
July 26 depart Ulaan Ude at 10.22 am local time on train 7
July 26 arrive Irkutsk at 17.17 local time
accommodation at Irkutsk Downtown Hostel
www.hostel.irkutsk.ru
July 27 depart Irkutsk at 16.10 local time on train 9
July 30 arrive Moscow at 16.42 local time
accommodation at Mini-Hotel Sukarevka
www.suharevkahotel.ru
July 31 depart Moscow for the US!
We'll be home soon! - Allison
Here are our plans for Russia. Please remember that we may or may not have internet or phone access between July 21st and July 31st. As always, if you have an emergency and need to contact your student you may call Karen Billingsly at the Honors College (412 624 6880). Otherwise I will try to force all of the students to write or call home before we leave Mongolia.
We will be traveling with Hongorzul Sodnom from the National University of Mongolia. She attended University in Moscow in the 1970's and has taken this train route back and forth between Moscow and Ulaan Baatar several times (and she is fluent in Russian, which is a great help). Currently, Hongorzul directs the Mongolian Center for American Studies at the National University of Mongolia.
So here are our plans:
July 21st depart Ulaan Baatar at 9.10pm on train 363
July 22nd arrive Ulaan Ude
Ulaan Ude accommodation at Baikal Ethnic Hostel
www.baikalhostel.com -
We will be visiting with students from the University of Buryiata and see Lake Baikhal
July 26 depart Ulaan Ude at 10.22 am local time on train 7
July 26 arrive Irkutsk at 17.17 local time
accommodation at Irkutsk Downtown Hostel
www.hostel.irkutsk.ru
July 27 depart Irkutsk at 16.10 local time on train 9
July 30 arrive Moscow at 16.42 local time
accommodation at Mini-Hotel Sukarevka
www.suharevkahotel.ru
July 31 depart Moscow for the US!
We'll be home soon! - Allison
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Naadam Hits the NY Times!
Hey check this out. This is a slide show from UB's Naadam horse races.
Don't worry, the Pitt crew was in the crowd catching it all first hand!
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/07/10/world/0711-MONGOLIA_index.html
And this is just a related article...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/world/asia/11mongolia.html
Don't worry, the Pitt crew was in the crowd catching it all first hand!
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/07/10/world/0711-MONGOLIA_index.html
And this is just a related article...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/world/asia/11mongolia.html
More on Archaeology!
Well, I should be putting last minute touches on my paper right now, but I think I've earned a break. I left off talking about my trip by saying that we had to leave our site and search for a new one. We were camping in a national park and our professor found a area near by that looked promising. The new site was still in the national park, but our professor works in the office that issues permits to archaeologists. Essentially this meant we could work where ever we wanted and he would issue his own permit. Suddenly the the fact that it was a national park didn't matter! the next day we were digging away at these large piles of rocks. The Professor didn't know what group of people made these and he didn't know roughly when they were made. Our goal was to find any artifact that we could so that it could be taken to a lab for dating.
At first the digging only turned up more rocks. Yes, they were most definitely positioned by humans so they weren't just some random rocks. Still rocks got boring after a few days. We thought that these formations were burial sites, but even after we moved the rocks and kept digging we didn't find any skeletons. The sites could very well be grave markers to honor the war dead that died far from home, but that still only left us with rocks to uncover...tedious! When our professor decided to stop working on these units, we started working on a new unit that formed a small mound in the landscape. A pedestrian survey (very technical...involves people walking around) turned up a few pottery sherds. We started getting excited!!! Working on the new sites came just in time to keep everyone enthusiastic about the dig. We found lots of potsherds, some that were bigger than your hand. And we even found a whole pot!! Well, it was broken but all the pieces were still there and in its original shape. Another interesting aspect of this unit was that we found some kind of foundation. Yes, it was still made out of rocks, but suddenly these were much more interesting! Mongolia is historically a culture of nomads, so a piece of a building is a pretty big deal.
All in all, this trip was a lot of fun. Even with its ups and downs we found quite a few artifacts and I know I learned a lot. I had had the opportunity to try to work with an American dig, if I didn't go on this one. I'm so glad that I decided to go with the Mongolian dig. The language barrier gave me a whole lot of time to think. Going off by myself, allowed me to learn not only about archaeology, but I learned a lot about myself and what I am capable of doing. I'm proud of myself!
At first the digging only turned up more rocks. Yes, they were most definitely positioned by humans so they weren't just some random rocks. Still rocks got boring after a few days. We thought that these formations were burial sites, but even after we moved the rocks and kept digging we didn't find any skeletons. The sites could very well be grave markers to honor the war dead that died far from home, but that still only left us with rocks to uncover...tedious! When our professor decided to stop working on these units, we started working on a new unit that formed a small mound in the landscape. A pedestrian survey (very technical...involves people walking around) turned up a few pottery sherds. We started getting excited!!! Working on the new sites came just in time to keep everyone enthusiastic about the dig. We found lots of potsherds, some that were bigger than your hand. And we even found a whole pot!! Well, it was broken but all the pieces were still there and in its original shape. Another interesting aspect of this unit was that we found some kind of foundation. Yes, it was still made out of rocks, but suddenly these were much more interesting! Mongolia is historically a culture of nomads, so a piece of a building is a pretty big deal.
All in all, this trip was a lot of fun. Even with its ups and downs we found quite a few artifacts and I know I learned a lot. I had had the opportunity to try to work with an American dig, if I didn't go on this one. I'm so glad that I decided to go with the Mongolian dig. The language barrier gave me a whole lot of time to think. Going off by myself, allowed me to learn not only about archaeology, but I learned a lot about myself and what I am capable of doing. I'm proud of myself!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Rain Is Gone!
The rainy season finally seems to have ended. Happily, the weather has been dry and sunny for at least three days. Of course, this also means that the mud has dried up and turned into dust again. I suppose you can't have everything.
The group packed up and went to Bulgan over the weekend, visiting Ganaa, who taught us Mongolian in Pittsburgh. Tim and I, alas, were laid low with an unfortunate stomach bug, so we spent a lot of time sleeping and eating plain bread. Therefore, I can't divulge any details of what went on in Bulgan; that's classified information, and it's out of my hands.
My advisor and I met last week for the last time before he took off for the countryside. I administered a few more surveys. So far I have about 50. The questions I ask are related to foreign language experience and loanwords in Mongolian. "Do you think that foreign words are fashionable?" I inquire. "When foreigners come to Mongolia, should they learn the language?" "Are there too many loanwords in Mongolian?" "Do you ever use the word ___? Is it a real word?" (Bodybuilding, apparently, has entered the lexicon here, and I've seen it written in Cyrillic on many signs for gyms.)
That, of course, is an oversimplification, and in fact I ask more detailed questions about a few specific words. I am finding that a large proportion of people under 30 have studied English, along with a sharp dropoff in the number of schoolchildren studying Russian. This fits my expectations.
The black market was closed during Naadam but reopened again today. I plan to make a final trip to buy souvenirs and a needle and thread to mend my skirt (which ripped spectacularly when it caught on a metal fencepole).
As far as illness is concerned, I am feeling almost entirely better. The summer has gone by without major sickness in the group until now, and probably we should be grateful. We seem to have avoided food poisoning for the most part, yay! Good health is priceless. And that's enough empty philosophizing out of me -- it's off to work on my paper again.
The group packed up and went to Bulgan over the weekend, visiting Ganaa, who taught us Mongolian in Pittsburgh. Tim and I, alas, were laid low with an unfortunate stomach bug, so we spent a lot of time sleeping and eating plain bread. Therefore, I can't divulge any details of what went on in Bulgan; that's classified information, and it's out of my hands.
My advisor and I met last week for the last time before he took off for the countryside. I administered a few more surveys. So far I have about 50. The questions I ask are related to foreign language experience and loanwords in Mongolian. "Do you think that foreign words are fashionable?" I inquire. "When foreigners come to Mongolia, should they learn the language?" "Are there too many loanwords in Mongolian?" "Do you ever use the word ___? Is it a real word?" (Bodybuilding, apparently, has entered the lexicon here, and I've seen it written in Cyrillic on many signs for gyms.)
That, of course, is an oversimplification, and in fact I ask more detailed questions about a few specific words. I am finding that a large proportion of people under 30 have studied English, along with a sharp dropoff in the number of schoolchildren studying Russian. This fits my expectations.
The black market was closed during Naadam but reopened again today. I plan to make a final trip to buy souvenirs and a needle and thread to mend my skirt (which ripped spectacularly when it caught on a metal fencepole).
As far as illness is concerned, I am feeling almost entirely better. The summer has gone by without major sickness in the group until now, and probably we should be grateful. We seem to have avoided food poisoning for the most part, yay! Good health is priceless. And that's enough empty philosophizing out of me -- it's off to work on my paper again.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Naadam Plans
Tomorrow officially starts the Mongolian national holiday of Naadam, or the festival of the "three manly sports" (wrestling, archery, and horse racing). There are Naadam celebrations all throughout the country beginning and ending at different times. The black market has been especially busy and the street traffic has gotten worse as everyone leaves for the holiday. Most Mongolians get their vacation during this time and venture out of UB to visit friends and family in the countryside.
Our plans are as follows:
Fri - we are going to see the opening ceremony of the Naadam in UB followed by some archery and wrestling competitions
Sat - we are going to take part in "Culture Naadam" a sort of fair put on by the Arts Council of Mongolia... this is also where some of the horse races take place so we will watch some of that and then head out to the Bulgan City in the countryside to visit Gaana, our language teacher from Pitt last semester
Sun-Tue - we will be visiting with Gaana and then see the opening ceremony of Bulgans Naadam before returning to UB
Love, Emily
Our plans are as follows:
Fri - we are going to see the opening ceremony of the Naadam in UB followed by some archery and wrestling competitions
Sat - we are going to take part in "Culture Naadam" a sort of fair put on by the Arts Council of Mongolia... this is also where some of the horse races take place so we will watch some of that and then head out to the Bulgan City in the countryside to visit Gaana, our language teacher from Pitt last semester
Sun-Tue - we will be visiting with Gaana and then see the opening ceremony of Bulgans Naadam before returning to UB
Love, Emily
two nights of clubbing in UB
so the past few nights we have taken to trying some new clubs around UBtuesday night ninj took us to a place called Strings. it was a very classy place -- we went early so we wouldn't have to pay the 8000 tugrig cover charge. they had a live phillipino band, that melissa was really excited about (she's the phillipino girl on the trip). the band performed mostly american cover songs, with a few mongolian and phillipino ones too. they were seriously amazing -- there were two girl singers and one guy -- and they could conform to make their voices identical to who they were covering. one minute you would think you were listening to shakira, and then it would be the black eyed peas, then maroon 5. it was really impressive. we had a really fun time -- and it wasn't even a sweatbox every other club we've been to is. there was this really crazy old mongolian dude that kept trying the dance with allie and melissa.... it was pretty priceless because he obviously watched one too many michael jackson videos -- and he though he could dance like mj. clearly not the case.
last night we went to Metropolis with zula, solongo, and munkho. they're the ladies from the international studies office, so they also brought a group of students who just arrived in UB that they're working with. they were korean and friendly enough, though they told me it was the first time they've ever been to a club -- and their dance skills confirmed that statement. i mean don't get me wrong, my dancing abilities are illustrative of stereotypical tall awkward white boy syndrome -- so when i call somebody a bad dancer... it's pretty bad. it kind of looked like they were doing jazz-aerobics or something. the club only played techno music, which got pretty old after a while, and the bright flashing lights and smoke machines have probably caused seizures at least once or twice. all in all though, it was a decent night.
last night we went to Metropolis with zula, solongo, and munkho. they're the ladies from the international studies office, so they also brought a group of students who just arrived in UB that they're working with. they were korean and friendly enough, though they told me it was the first time they've ever been to a club -- and their dance skills confirmed that statement. i mean don't get me wrong, my dancing abilities are illustrative of stereotypical tall awkward white boy syndrome -- so when i call somebody a bad dancer... it's pretty bad. it kind of looked like they were doing jazz-aerobics or something. the club only played techno music, which got pretty old after a while, and the bright flashing lights and smoke machines have probably caused seizures at least once or twice. all in all though, it was a decent night.
The Del Lady Returns, Molly
Mongolia functions on a system based around the idea of "I know a guy." That is to say, everyone always knows someone who can help you or accomplish what you wish to accomplish. When you want a del, if you happen to know Allison, she mentions it to her friend Ariel who, in turn, introduces us to her friend: The Del Lady.
The Del Lady, I am sure, has a name of her own. However, we never caught it. When the Del Lady comes, with her comes the Del Lady's Assistant, who is her younger sister. The former is a seamstress, the later someone learning how to be a seamstress. She's good, quick, and, most importantly, cheap. And, when you get something from her, you feel as though you made a difference in someone's life rather than when you buy a del from the State Department Store, which is both expensive and kind of intimidating.
According to the internet, a del is the "traditional dress of Mongolia." I think this is a poor description and about equal to calling "an ugly sweater your senile aunt gave you one Christmas" American traditional dress. Everyone here seems to own a del. They're useful. They're warm. Mostly older people wear them, but around certain holidays, everyone brings their dels out. Except dels are more comfortable and generally have better useful uses than as a doorstop, Halloween costume used to scare small children, or piece of blackmail. They have many purposes, several of which I won't outline here, I'm sure you can fill in the mental gaps when you learn that people take dels to the countryside, but they're quite similar to how Douglas Adam's describes a towel:
A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitch hiker can have. Partly it has great practical value - you can wrap it around you for warmth...you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches...you can sleep under it beneath the stars...use it to sail a mini raft...wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat...wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes...you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.
You can also do all of those things with a del as well as look -damn- good.
So, of course, being the fashionistas we are, we all wanted dels. Allie and Emily researched for hours and days the prices and options for buying a del before we were introduced to the Del Lady. The Del Lady came to our home with books of designs and swatches. She took our orders, our measurements, and our money. Everyone began to talk to her with vauge ideas of what they wanted and she, being not just a talented seamstress, but an artist, discussed and drew. All parties, the Del Lady, us, and Ariel, who was acting as translater, slowly grew more and more excited as ideas began to take shape into what would become beautiful clothing. Today she delievered.
We weren't expecting our orders till after Naadam, because of how busy she is at this time of the year, when everyone wants new clothes for the holiday. As she took out each piece, we went "oooh!" and "ahhh!" in appriciation and approval. We had a mini fashion show. People took turns trying on one another's new clothing. It was fun. Some people got dels, I got a jacket, and Allison got a pretty spiffy dress.
We look -good-.
The Del Lady, I am sure, has a name of her own. However, we never caught it. When the Del Lady comes, with her comes the Del Lady's Assistant, who is her younger sister. The former is a seamstress, the later someone learning how to be a seamstress. She's good, quick, and, most importantly, cheap. And, when you get something from her, you feel as though you made a difference in someone's life rather than when you buy a del from the State Department Store, which is both expensive and kind of intimidating.
According to the internet, a del is the "traditional dress of Mongolia." I think this is a poor description and about equal to calling "an ugly sweater your senile aunt gave you one Christmas" American traditional dress. Everyone here seems to own a del. They're useful. They're warm. Mostly older people wear them, but around certain holidays, everyone brings their dels out. Except dels are more comfortable and generally have better useful uses than as a doorstop, Halloween costume used to scare small children, or piece of blackmail. They have many purposes, several of which I won't outline here, I'm sure you can fill in the mental gaps when you learn that people take dels to the countryside, but they're quite similar to how Douglas Adam's describes a towel:
A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitch hiker can have. Partly it has great practical value - you can wrap it around you for warmth...you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches...you can sleep under it beneath the stars...use it to sail a mini raft...wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat...wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes...you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.
You can also do all of those things with a del as well as look -damn- good.
So, of course, being the fashionistas we are, we all wanted dels. Allie and Emily researched for hours and days the prices and options for buying a del before we were introduced to the Del Lady. The Del Lady came to our home with books of designs and swatches. She took our orders, our measurements, and our money. Everyone began to talk to her with vauge ideas of what they wanted and she, being not just a talented seamstress, but an artist, discussed and drew. All parties, the Del Lady, us, and Ariel, who was acting as translater, slowly grew more and more excited as ideas began to take shape into what would become beautiful clothing. Today she delievered.
We weren't expecting our orders till after Naadam, because of how busy she is at this time of the year, when everyone wants new clothes for the holiday. As she took out each piece, we went "oooh!" and "ahhh!" in appriciation and approval. We had a mini fashion show. People took turns trying on one another's new clothing. It was fun. Some people got dels, I got a jacket, and Allison got a pretty spiffy dress.
We look -good-.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
My Countryside Research Trip
For my independent project, I am looking at the interactions between tourism and the environment. One of the lectures we received from the National University was on the ecosystems and natural landscapes of Mongolia. The professor, Uuganbaatar, who gave us this lecture was a member of the ecology department, and had just started a program on Eco-tourism. He offered to let me tag along on a field research trip he was taking with his students to Bogd Mountain Strictly Protected Area. He was leaving the next day for another field trip, but said he would call me when he got back on the 25th or 26th.
Flash forward 2 weeks to the 25th at 9:15 am. My phone rings and it's Uuganbaatar:
"Hello, Emily are you ready to leave? Meet at the University in front of building 2 at 10:30."
"AM?"
"Yes"
So, I packed my bag, Allie and Allison ran to the grocery store to buy me some food, and off I went. In true Mongolian fashion, we did not leave the city until 1 even though scheduled departure time was 11. We arrived at the university field station in Bogd Mountain, set up our camp and talked about what we were going to be doing for the rest of the trip. While I was there we went on 2 day long hikes. The first was to the highest point in the park and to a very large ovoo nearby. The second was to an old Buddhist Temple that was mostly destroyed during the purges, but historically housed over 1,000 lamas. The students were looking at the accessibility of each location to tourists (trails, markers, information available, camp sites, tourist camps, etc.) In addition to the hikes, we had classes outlining problems in the area and challenges that the park faces in terms of tourism. What I found from these discussions (or at least the parts that were translated for me), is that the teacher and students were very good at looking at the short falls of tourism in the area, especially from a biological perspective, but struggled a bit in thinking of solutions. Some alternatives were put forth, but the implementation then proved nearly impossible.
In addition to classes, we had a lit of free time. I had a lot of fun interacting with the other students. Even with the language barrier, we could communicate pretty well. Among the things we did were cooking group meals (the Houshuur assembly line was quite impressive), showing the students my pictures, and playing volleyball. However, my favorite was our soccer games. Even in my Chaco's I gave most of the guys a run for their money. All the students were quite impressed with my soccer ability. I guess the 10+ years of experience comes in handy, even in Mongolia.
Love, Emily
Flash forward 2 weeks to the 25th at 9:15 am. My phone rings and it's Uuganbaatar:
"Hello, Emily are you ready to leave? Meet at the University in front of building 2 at 10:30."
"AM?"
"Yes"
So, I packed my bag, Allie and Allison ran to the grocery store to buy me some food, and off I went. In true Mongolian fashion, we did not leave the city until 1 even though scheduled departure time was 11. We arrived at the university field station in Bogd Mountain, set up our camp and talked about what we were going to be doing for the rest of the trip. While I was there we went on 2 day long hikes. The first was to the highest point in the park and to a very large ovoo nearby. The second was to an old Buddhist Temple that was mostly destroyed during the purges, but historically housed over 1,000 lamas. The students were looking at the accessibility of each location to tourists (trails, markers, information available, camp sites, tourist camps, etc.) In addition to the hikes, we had classes outlining problems in the area and challenges that the park faces in terms of tourism. What I found from these discussions (or at least the parts that were translated for me), is that the teacher and students were very good at looking at the short falls of tourism in the area, especially from a biological perspective, but struggled a bit in thinking of solutions. Some alternatives were put forth, but the implementation then proved nearly impossible.
In addition to classes, we had a lit of free time. I had a lot of fun interacting with the other students. Even with the language barrier, we could communicate pretty well. Among the things we did were cooking group meals (the Houshuur assembly line was quite impressive), showing the students my pictures, and playing volleyball. However, my favorite was our soccer games. Even in my Chaco's I gave most of the guys a run for their money. All the students were quite impressed with my soccer ability. I guess the 10+ years of experience comes in handy, even in Mongolia.
Love, Emily
Monday, July 7, 2008
perfect day out in the countryside (without leaving UB)
so yesterday, our friend ninj invited us out to her sister's house out on the border of UB at the edge of the ger district. we met her at 10am in front of the tinggis movie theater and took a microbus out to the northern ger district where her sister's summer home is.
quick notes about a mongolian microbus -- they're the cheapest way to get around UB. they cram way to many people into them. the drivers are usually borderline psychotic. all-in-all they are an entertaining way to get around. the morning ride there wasn't bad at all, because the buses weren't busy yet.
riding through the ger district though was a bit surprising. the descriptions we have heard about ger districts make them out to be slums, that are too dangerous for foreigners to go to. however, i didn't really find that to be the case. maybe the mongolians that live in the ger districts are not as wealthy as those who live in the city, but there were some damn nice houses in the area. if you know nothing about ger districts, they are where the overflow of people who come from the countryside looking for jobs settle down. land is not regulated, so people just pick a plot of land, claim it for themselves, build a fence around "their property," and then put up a ger or build a house. the ger districts stretch for miles outside of the main city of UB, kind of like a makeshift suburbia. all the houses are complete random colors ranging from an acid pink to a vomit colored orange-green, which could potentially make more sensitive types break out into a seizure. but in all honesty, i think its a nice change of pace from the drab brown-grey buildings of pittsburgh.
ninj's sister lived in a gated community though, specifically for wealthier company workers who want to move out of the city during the summer. ninj's sister (who is also named ninj; ninj is both of their short names, they have different long names but those are harder to spell/remember) works for the mongolian equivalent of the U.S. FCC, her husband works for the USF (which i think is sort of like the U.S. FDA). the take-home message of that is that they're fairly well off compared to the average mongolian couple. they have a daughter who was one and a half, named heeshkai. i think she was not used to seeing foreigners though, because she was very shy around us.
ninj took us hiking around the area -- which was amazing. it was a beautiful day. if you reference my past blog entries, you'll notice that i've never actually experienced a nice day in the countryside, only sandstorms, rain, etc. this day was PERFECT. blue skies, not too hot, seriously amazing. we hiked up a few mountains and talked to ninj about her favorite movies, music, that type of thing. she'll be coming to stay at pittsburgh pretty soon, so we also taught her some necessary slang terms to know in america, like "bring it on" which she had heard but never understood from that corresponding awful movie with that exact title.
there was a freak rainstorm that blew in, but it only lasted for about 15 minutes. we had dinner after we were finished hiking. ninj's sister cooked us some sort of mongolian stirfry that was pretty awesome. we decided to head back to UB around 6pm. it took a while to catch a microbus back. this one was not as empty as before. in a van that should not seat more than 9 people in the back, we fit 16. impressive yes, comfortable no. luckily i was near a window so my clausterphobia didn't kick in too bad. plus when you are crushed against the wall with two people on your lap, you don't notice the manic driving as much because you can't move.
we got back to the apt around 7pm, and we were all fairly tired and sunburned so we decided to have a calm night in, in spite of the fact that this was the first night we could go out without a curfew. i've been following the wimbleton tournament since i've been here (seeing as how it's one of the few stations we get) but i fell asleep before i saw who won the championship match between federer and nadal -- apparently it was a really exciting match that nadal won after a gruelling 4 hrs and 48 minutes. i caught 15min of it and passed out... oh well, there's always youtube for the highlights.
quick notes about a mongolian microbus -- they're the cheapest way to get around UB. they cram way to many people into them. the drivers are usually borderline psychotic. all-in-all they are an entertaining way to get around. the morning ride there wasn't bad at all, because the buses weren't busy yet.
riding through the ger district though was a bit surprising. the descriptions we have heard about ger districts make them out to be slums, that are too dangerous for foreigners to go to. however, i didn't really find that to be the case. maybe the mongolians that live in the ger districts are not as wealthy as those who live in the city, but there were some damn nice houses in the area. if you know nothing about ger districts, they are where the overflow of people who come from the countryside looking for jobs settle down. land is not regulated, so people just pick a plot of land, claim it for themselves, build a fence around "their property," and then put up a ger or build a house. the ger districts stretch for miles outside of the main city of UB, kind of like a makeshift suburbia. all the houses are complete random colors ranging from an acid pink to a vomit colored orange-green, which could potentially make more sensitive types break out into a seizure. but in all honesty, i think its a nice change of pace from the drab brown-grey buildings of pittsburgh.
ninj's sister lived in a gated community though, specifically for wealthier company workers who want to move out of the city during the summer. ninj's sister (who is also named ninj; ninj is both of their short names, they have different long names but those are harder to spell/remember) works for the mongolian equivalent of the U.S. FCC, her husband works for the USF (which i think is sort of like the U.S. FDA). the take-home message of that is that they're fairly well off compared to the average mongolian couple. they have a daughter who was one and a half, named heeshkai. i think she was not used to seeing foreigners though, because she was very shy around us.
ninj took us hiking around the area -- which was amazing. it was a beautiful day. if you reference my past blog entries, you'll notice that i've never actually experienced a nice day in the countryside, only sandstorms, rain, etc. this day was PERFECT. blue skies, not too hot, seriously amazing. we hiked up a few mountains and talked to ninj about her favorite movies, music, that type of thing. she'll be coming to stay at pittsburgh pretty soon, so we also taught her some necessary slang terms to know in america, like "bring it on" which she had heard but never understood from that corresponding awful movie with that exact title.
there was a freak rainstorm that blew in, but it only lasted for about 15 minutes. we had dinner after we were finished hiking. ninj's sister cooked us some sort of mongolian stirfry that was pretty awesome. we decided to head back to UB around 6pm. it took a while to catch a microbus back. this one was not as empty as before. in a van that should not seat more than 9 people in the back, we fit 16. impressive yes, comfortable no. luckily i was near a window so my clausterphobia didn't kick in too bad. plus when you are crushed against the wall with two people on your lap, you don't notice the manic driving as much because you can't move.
we got back to the apt around 7pm, and we were all fairly tired and sunburned so we decided to have a calm night in, in spite of the fact that this was the first night we could go out without a curfew. i've been following the wimbleton tournament since i've been here (seeing as how it's one of the few stations we get) but i fell asleep before i saw who won the championship match between federer and nadal -- apparently it was a really exciting match that nadal won after a gruelling 4 hrs and 48 minutes. i caught 15min of it and passed out... oh well, there's always youtube for the highlights.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
A Mongolian Anthropological Experience
I've been away from the group for a couple of weeks but finally found my way back to UB on the 2nd. My independent research project took me on a wild adventure hundreds of kilometers from UB with a group of 15 Mongolians. I left UB with one days notice and found myself piled into a massive truck thundering towards Kharkorum. I was sandwiched in the front of the truck with the driver and a graduate student, neither of which spoke much English and we all know y Mongolian is terrible. This made for a rather quiet drive. However, when we stopped for lunch the students were more willing to make an attempt at talking to me. My favorite was when one of the boys came up to me, extended his hand, and said "Let us meet!" His name was Erueka and it turned out that his English was very good. Between his translations and my pocket dictionary, communicating got easier and easier as the weeks progressed. At first I didn't put my dictionary down, but by the time we came back I was leaving the book in my tent for days and only referencing it for something particular. Slowly, my Mongolian improved too! I learned words that were important for the dig, such as: pot, rock, shovel, bucket, and brush.
As for the actual digging, this experience was everything I had hoped it would be. We worked on a site that was on top of a mountain and near several ovoos. One of the structures was a very large rock pile that was about 80 m in circumference. however, we were working on some of the subsidiary structures that surrounded this main one. We believed that the rock formations may have been burial markers. Sadly, I won't know if they were or not. After three days of digging, a few local herdsmen came to the site. They were very upset about us digging so close to the ovoos, and literally grabbed our shovels from our hands and threw them to the ground. The even picked up the newly uncovered rocks and threw and kicked them out of place. So much for keeping them "in situ!" Our Professor tried to talk to these men and even went to a town meeting to beg these people to let us stay. They wouldn't hear of it. So that night, we packed up camp and moved into a National Park to stay the night and try to figure out where we could go to finish our excavation... and by that I mean start a new one!
I was away for over two weeks so it may take more than one post to explain it all. Look for the rest of my adventure soon!
Love,
Amber
As for the actual digging, this experience was everything I had hoped it would be. We worked on a site that was on top of a mountain and near several ovoos. One of the structures was a very large rock pile that was about 80 m in circumference. however, we were working on some of the subsidiary structures that surrounded this main one. We believed that the rock formations may have been burial markers. Sadly, I won't know if they were or not. After three days of digging, a few local herdsmen came to the site. They were very upset about us digging so close to the ovoos, and literally grabbed our shovels from our hands and threw them to the ground. The even picked up the newly uncovered rocks and threw and kicked them out of place. So much for keeping them "in situ!" Our Professor tried to talk to these men and even went to a town meeting to beg these people to let us stay. They wouldn't hear of it. So that night, we packed up camp and moved into a National Park to stay the night and try to figure out where we could go to finish our excavation... and by that I mean start a new one!
I was away for over two weeks so it may take more than one post to explain it all. Look for the rest of my adventure soon!
Love,
Amber
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Happy 5th of July
happy belated birthday america!
today to celebrate the day after the 4th (aka the 5th) we attended a party coordinated by the U.S. embassy. the place was at this apt complex where i suppose all the american ambassidors, important people, etc live. it seriously looked like they took a condo development in tampa florida and moved it to the center of UB -- a bit ridiculous.
they had patriotic music, imported american picnic food, milkshakes for a dollar (melissa was all over that one), everything necessary for a 5th of july celebration (minus the fireworks -- probably not allowed during the current state of emergency anyway...). we were actually a little overwhelmed being surrounded by that many americans... it was like a preview of the reverse culture shock to come.
we also entered a tug-o-war contest -- 5 people to a team. it was me, allie, emily, yelena, and molly. the last thing i said before we started the contest was "let's just not embarass ourselves" sadly enough, we weren't able to accomplish that. we were decimated by a team that consisted of 1 girl, 3 men, and a massive beast who tied the rope around his waist. we didn't stand a chance.
even if we would've won, it would've just delayed an inevitable defeat by the unstoppable force of the "storming mormons." it seemed like they had been practicing for weeks to prepare for this small little contest. they had the perfect tug-o-war technique, and matching short-sleeved white button-down and black khaki uniforms. i wasn't impressed.
anyway, hope you guys lived it up in the states -- not going to lie, the 4th of july made me miss the pirates games tailgates. later
today to celebrate the day after the 4th (aka the 5th) we attended a party coordinated by the U.S. embassy. the place was at this apt complex where i suppose all the american ambassidors, important people, etc live. it seriously looked like they took a condo development in tampa florida and moved it to the center of UB -- a bit ridiculous.
they had patriotic music, imported american picnic food, milkshakes for a dollar (melissa was all over that one), everything necessary for a 5th of july celebration (minus the fireworks -- probably not allowed during the current state of emergency anyway...). we were actually a little overwhelmed being surrounded by that many americans... it was like a preview of the reverse culture shock to come.
we also entered a tug-o-war contest -- 5 people to a team. it was me, allie, emily, yelena, and molly. the last thing i said before we started the contest was "let's just not embarass ourselves" sadly enough, we weren't able to accomplish that. we were decimated by a team that consisted of 1 girl, 3 men, and a massive beast who tied the rope around his waist. we didn't stand a chance.
even if we would've won, it would've just delayed an inevitable defeat by the unstoppable force of the "storming mormons." it seemed like they had been practicing for weeks to prepare for this small little contest. they had the perfect tug-o-war technique, and matching short-sleeved white button-down and black khaki uniforms. i wasn't impressed.
anyway, hope you guys lived it up in the states -- not going to lie, the 4th of july made me miss the pirates games tailgates. later
Thursday, July 3, 2008
The 4th of July... In Mongolia
Today is the 4th of July. In Mongolia there are (obviously) no parades, no BBQ's, and no fireworks! Instead we have the remnants of the state emergency, extra cops patrolling and the burned / abandoned MPRP building. However, we are not deterred. The celebration must go on!
Despite our stove top being out of commission, we are planning to celebrate the 4th of July the American way (minus the fireworks as they are illegal and would probably get us in a bit of trouble with the cops/military). We are planning on making hotdogs, hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, jello, etc. (or the closest equivalent to the classic American picnic food we can find in Mongolia).
In addition, the US embassy is hosting a party on the 5th. This should be a good chance to mingle and talk with other Americans!
I think that one of the hardest times to be away is when you know you are missing out on gatherings and celebrations that all of your family and friends are attending. Our Mongolian 4th of July will be well worth the hours of hunting in various grocery stores for ground beef and paying through the roof for a block of cheese. It will make us feel a little more a part of the celebrations at home.
Love, Emily
Despite our stove top being out of commission, we are planning to celebrate the 4th of July the American way (minus the fireworks as they are illegal and would probably get us in a bit of trouble with the cops/military). We are planning on making hotdogs, hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, jello, etc. (or the closest equivalent to the classic American picnic food we can find in Mongolia).
In addition, the US embassy is hosting a party on the 5th. This should be a good chance to mingle and talk with other Americans!
I think that one of the hardest times to be away is when you know you are missing out on gatherings and celebrations that all of your family and friends are attending. Our Mongolian 4th of July will be well worth the hours of hunting in various grocery stores for ground beef and paying through the roof for a block of cheese. It will make us feel a little more a part of the celebrations at home.
Love, Emily
All is quiet
Hi,
The protests/riots finally made the pages of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Ironically, by the time the US papers were reporting the event it was all over in Mongolia. The State of Emergency was officially lifted at 8AM this morning. The police have left their posts at the street corners and people are going back to work.
It looks like things have settled down. There was a good deal of damage to the Communist Party Head Quarters and the attached cultural institutions (the entire National Horse Head Fiddle Ensemble was looted, all of their instruments and costumes were stolen) and the Children's Library was destroyed.
Overall, Mongolians seem sad that things came to that. Some are still very enraged at the government, but they are planning more peaceful ways (election re-counts or a reelection) rather than more protests.
~Allison
The protests/riots finally made the pages of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Ironically, by the time the US papers were reporting the event it was all over in Mongolia. The State of Emergency was officially lifted at 8AM this morning. The police have left their posts at the street corners and people are going back to work.
It looks like things have settled down. There was a good deal of damage to the Communist Party Head Quarters and the attached cultural institutions (the entire National Horse Head Fiddle Ensemble was looted, all of their instruments and costumes were stolen) and the Children's Library was destroyed.
Overall, Mongolians seem sad that things came to that. Some are still very enraged at the government, but they are planning more peaceful ways (election re-counts or a reelection) rather than more protests.
~Allison
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
We are all inside and safe
Hi! You might have heard (or well soon) that the Mongolian election results were announced and resulted in some rioting. The Communist party won again, in a stituation that seems to have involved quite a bit of corruption. The only real rioting is targeted at the MPRP (communist) party headquarters in the middle of the city. Our appartment is a good 4km from the square and we are staying inside until the National University gives the go-ahead to go back out.
I am at a friend's appartment and have internet access. However, the students do not have internet access and might not think to call home. If you need to contact your child you are welcome to email my account (allibunga@gmail.com) and I will have them call you. I will also be incontact with the Honors College, you can call them at 412-624-6880.
Thanks! Allison Hahn
I am at a friend's appartment and have internet access. However, the students do not have internet access and might not think to call home. If you need to contact your child you are welcome to email my account (allibunga@gmail.com) and I will have them call you. I will also be incontact with the Honors College, you can call them at 412-624-6880.
Thanks! Allison Hahn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)