The importance of family life - Mongolians place a lot of importance on their family, and will often live with other family members, or at least near them, for their entire life. Whilst some of this is down to the need to cut costs or the need for family support, there is also a genuine feeling that families should stick together. Contrast this to the western world, where family members often do not meet regularly with each other...Whilst not necessarily a good thing, there is also a clear division of what everyday tasks a man should do in a family and in society, and what tasks women should do. In British society men often complain of not knowing what their role is anymore, but this is certainly not a problem in Mongolia!
People just get on with life - despite the fact that many Mongolians have difficult lives, or work hard for very little money, the majority of people seem to be doing just fine. The people often live in cramped living conditions, with little food and few consumer goods. Many work difficult, unpleasant jobs. And let's not forget having to put up with sub zero temperatures for about six months of the year! The vast majority of Westerners would struggle to live in these conditions. However, Mongolians just continue as usual and make the best of the situation. I salute you Mongolians!
Young people's aspirations - the students that I have encountered all seem to be very driven people, who want to achieve a lot in their lives. Many of them put in a lot of private study time each day, and all of them want to get a masters degree from a foreign country. If they had the same opportunities open to them that young people in the West do I think they would go very far. The commitment of Mongolian women to work is also impressive (although the stereotype, as my Mongolian students informed me, is that men are not so hardworking!). One of my friends, Gerelee, regularly gives up 20 hours a week of her time to volunteer with Amnesty International Mongolia. I just can't imagine a British student spending all their free time doing unpaid work!
Being a foreigner - whilst this definitely has its downsides, the positives are that you are usually of interest to the local population (yet this is becoming less so to the inhabitants of the capital city). People, especially when they have had too much to drink, often come up to talk to me. There is an instant starting point for all conversations, and "foreigner status" can be used to make friends with people (although often this is because the locals want to have someone to practice English with). When I mention that I am from England, the usual response is "ah, David Beckham, the Queen, Winston Churchill, Tony Blair!".Culture - for such a small population size (under 3 million), Mongolia certainly punches above its weight. Tradition Mongolia long song and huumii music are quite amazing to hear, and offer something very unique to the world. You can hear examples in the videos below:
Huumii
Long song
More modern forms of music (pop, hip hop, etc) are also growing strongly in Mongolia. I expected to see a lot of foreign music on the music TV channels, but there are certainly in the minority. This is great to see, in a world where local music is often replaced by English language music. Many people still live in ger tent houses, and a significant amount of people still lead the life of a nomad (or "temporal pastoralist" as a Cambridge professor pointed out to me during my flight back to London last Christmas). Traditional dance and costume is also surviving, although this may have more to do with the tourist industry that anything else.
Pride in the country - the majority of Mongolians are proud to be Mongolian, and believe that their country should be respected. People know about their country's history and traditions, and many people hang flags from their cars or houses. Most Mongolians that I have met are passionate about helping their country to develop, and are keen to give foreigners that they know a good impression of their country. This is a far cry from my experience in Britain, where many people do not feel a strong connection to their country, and often aren't that bothered about what foreigners think!
Extra note (added after original entry) - I've heard that the streets of Ulaanbaatar have been full of celebrations recently, as Mongolia won its first ever gold medal in the Olympics. People were out in the streets, with people flying flags from their cars and a mass party happening on the main parliament square. To top that off, the country's top singer turned up to sing to the crowd, and then the president, the prime minister and the leader of the opposition all came out together in a show of (apparently drunken!) unity. This is made all the more remarkable by the recent political troubles in Mongolia. There are some real benefits of being a small country, as any successes such as these are really celebrated, and the people are all given a great lift. There were no similar parties to celebrate Great Britain's gold medals...
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