Just a quick update on the VSO film that was made during my stay in Mongolia (see http://rob-in-mongolia.blogspot.com/2008/06/robert-slinn-movie-star.html for a reminder). The film is now finished and is being shown around universities around the UK. It's a great souvenir of my time in Mongolia. I hope you enjoy it!
The 4-minute part that I'm in!
The whole video [part 1]
The whole video [part 2]
The Beatles finally come to Mongolia! Yes, and they're here to stay. The prime minister of Mongolia, Mr Bayar, said in last year's election that he would constuct such a monument of his favourite band if he was re-elected. As he is true to his word, the square next to the biggest store in Mongolia now has a statue dedicated to the Beatles. It is supposed to be a space in which Mongolians can come and play street music - I hope the local people like it and that more people start playing guitars on the streets. Mongolians are so good at music, but very few of them play in public areas.
As you can tell, "bi Mongol Uls sanaj baina" (I'm missing Mongolia!). However, I think it's much better to feel that way - Mongolia will always be in my heart. To help with this feeling I have made some very nice Mongolian friends in London. It will be great to show them around my country, just as many very kind Mongolians did to me when I was in Mongolia. I think I will go back to the "Land of Blue Sky" sometime soon, so be prepared for a new blog... For now though, lots of love to you all and have a good start to 2009,
Yes, my adventures in Mongolia have come to an end... On Tuesday the 12th of August I took the flight from Ulaanbaatar to Seoul, and then made my way from Korea back to London. Gana came to the airport to say goodbye and performed a Mongolian farewell ceremony (on the steps of the airport building!). She sprinkled milk into the air to wish me a safe journey. It was very sweet of her to do this, and it seemed the perfect way to end off my experience in Mongolia. I boarded the plane and said goodbye to the country that will always remain in my heart.
It was sad to say farewell to all the friends that I had made, both fellow VSO volunteers and Mongolian people. I had made some good friendships, even with locals who did not speak English very well - something that I did not really imagine I could do before I came. It was also sad to wave goodbye Mongolia's beautiful landscape, complete with ger tents and mountains (which looked even more fantastic from my viewpoint in the plane). However, in the back of my mind I think I will go back to Mongolia at some stage, so my goodbye was not as painful or as final as it could have been.
It's strange to think that a year has passed since I left the UK, it certainly doesn't feel as long as that (which I guess is definitely a positive). Whilst there have been times when I have found life tough (problems at work, missing family, cultural challenges and the language barrier), overall my experience was fantastic. My family asked me if I'd do the year again, knowing full well what would await me. My answer would be a resounding yes - every day was different, my job was interesting and I made some really great friends. It will now be a challenge to readjust back to British life...
However, something that has soften my fall back to normality has been the chance to see my family and friends again. In particular, it has been great to see my little niece Matilda. She has changed so much in the last year, and can now call out my name (bizarrely enough in the same way that Mongolians did - "Robi!"). I now prepare for a new adventure - I start a job in London in three weeks. I've never lived in London before, so this will also be a new experience for me. Wish me luck!
Thanks to all of you who read this blog. I hope you've enjoyed it - I've certainly enjoyed sharing my experiences in my updates. I wish you all the very best, and if any of you want to find out more about Mongolia or about volunteering with VSO please feel free to email me at schlinerATtalk21.com. Take care of yourselves, the best of Mongolian luck to you all,
As I'm soon going to leave to Mongolia, I have spent the last few weeks trying my best to say proper goodbyes to my friends and colleagues. Whilst there are too many to mention (I was very lucky to have made many friends!), here are a few of the fun things I got up to:
Dinner parties in my apartment - Despite being out of practice at cooking (its easy to be lazy when eating out is almost as cheap as cooking for yourself), I still managed to cook a meal for the staff of VSO Mongolia, and then followed that up with a meal for my good friends at Amnesty International Mongolia. It was my very small way of saying thank you to some of the most special people I had met in Mongolia. I've been supported very well by the VSO Mongolia staff, who have always done their best to help me out with work and life problems during my stay in Ulaanbaatar. It was good to meet the staff in an out of the work context, as we could all relax and have a nice chat. The evening with the Amnesty staff was also fun - they are all good friends to me, and some of my best memories are linked to the things that I have done with them.
Singing the night away with the Mongolian Youth Federation - The Mongolian Youth Federation was my first place of work during my time here, and the staff there are a great bunch of people. We arranged for a farewell night out, and they suggested going to a karaoke bar. I was just planning a quiet evening in a pub, but the karaoke idea turned out to be a masterstroke! We had a great time, and it was fun singing along to the traditional Mongolian tunes that I had learnt during my time here. The vodka bottles were passed round, which helped the singing flow that much easier from our mouths. A fab night out, and a great way to say goodbye. As I was leaving the staff gave me a framed photo board, full of memories of the work that I had done with them. I'll hang it on my bedroom wall when I return home.
Goodbye Blood Donors Association - Mandakh and the veteran donors have been incredibly welcoming to me. Aside from giving me and my dad a day we'll never forget (see the visit to the shaman at http://rob-in-mongolia.blogspot.com/2008/06/comings-and-goings.html), they have constantly shown an interest in me and always want to show me different sides to Mongolian life. Before my departure I was invited to Madakh's house, and she prepared a feast for all of us. Her husband Sosorbaram proudly showed off his allotment patches, and then brought us the fresh produce which we eat. Needless to say the vodka followed and we all had a good time. The donors then wrapped up the evening by doing an awards ceremony. They gave me lots of gifts, the best of which was a medal for the service that I had given the Blood Donors Association. My first ever medal! I was very touched. The kindness of this generation of people was really heartwarming.
Au revoir flatmates - perhaps the most important people during my time in Mongolia, Jude and Tugi have helped keep me sane. They patiently listened to when I had to get something off of my chest, and were there to give me a hand if I could do with some help or just needed a friend. Jude was a great inspiration, always doing something cool, and Tugi was a great listener and very kind. I'll particularly miss Jude's huumii singing and Tugi's endless laughing! We went out for one last time to the nearby mountain Zaisan, and just relaxed. I wish we had spent more time doing stuff with each other outside of the house, but we always seemed to have other things to do. But anyway, it was great to have this chance to say goodbye. I'll miss them both a lot!
Farewell Mongolian friends - I had many little goodbyes with various friends of the course of my final two weeks in Mongolia. Highlights included a trip to the museums of Ulaanbaatar with Gerelee and Mandakhai, a fantastic night out with Solongo and Tsoogoo and a short trip to the countryside with Tuya and the congregation of the Good Shepard Parish. I also met up with the GX volunteers and had a pint in "Dave's Place", the English Bar. To top this all off, Gana organised a trip into the countryside. I went with her and some other Mongolian friends to camp by a beautiful river just to the east of the capital. It was lovely to have one final taste of the countryside, and to have a "Mongolian-style" holiday.
Finally I eat marmot - yes, the one thing I still had to tick off my list! My friend Chuka had heard that this was something I wanted to do, and so very kindly invited me to his countryside house for a taste. It was quite nice - salty and fatty, but with a delicious taste. Hot stones are pushed into the marmot so that the meat is cooked from the inside. The Mongolians love marmot meat, but it is increasingly difficult to get. After we finished the meal lots of Chuka's friends turned up and we had a party, which lasted the whole night through. No one could speak English, but it was still a lot of fun!
Night out with the VSO volunteers - I could not leave without saying goodbye to the VSO volunteers who have been my support network for the last 12 months. Whenever work or life in Mongolia got too tough, it was always comforting to talk to people who were going through similar experiences. It was also nice to be able to talk to fluent English speakers every now and again too! I was very lucky with the group of volunteers in Mongolia, the vast majority of which were kind and knew how to have a good time. Anyway, I got all the Ulaanbaatar-based volunteers to go out for one last goodbye meal. I felt it was time to go full circle, so I forced everyone to go to the Dura restaurant/bar that every volunteer has their introductory training sessions in. Despite protests about the choice of venue(!), a good number of people turned out, which was very nice. Whilst saying goodbye to the volunteers was sad, I'm pretty sure that I'll meet up with some of them in the future. Many were British citizens or were planning to pass through London at some stage. Fingers crossed we can have a reunion soon...
Lots of good memories! As I said before, I have been very lucky. Many of the Mongolians that I have met have been very welcoming, and I am happy to be able to add some really nice people to my list of friends. I hope I keep in touch with all of them - fingers crossed it won't be too long until I meet some of them again soon...
So, time to follow on form the last entry and reflect on the positives of life in Mongolia.
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...
As I’m soon to leave, I though it good to spend some time reflecting on what I see Mongolia to be like. What follows is an account of some of the negative/sad things that I have come across. I’ll do a more positive account next week!
Unemployment is a major problem (with various sources placing Ulaanbaatar’s unemployment at around 33%). Too many people are coming to Ulaanbaatar to look for work, yet not enough jobs are being created. Also, many firms decide to employ cheaper (and some would say harder-working) Chinese workers. Alcoholism is also a serious problem. Drunks are everywhere – a day doesn’t pass without seeing someone drunk either sitting/lying on the pavement or trying their best to navigate themselves around the city streets. I’m used to seeing people drunk in the UK, but not so much during the daytime. Also, Mongolian drunks often drink themselves unconscious. I guess there are many social and cultural reasons for the alcoholism, but what doesn’t help is that vodka is so cheap (a 70cl bottle can cost less than three dollars, and homebrew can be purchased even more cheaply)!
Racism, as I mentioned in a previous entry, is unfortunately an issue. The majority of Mongolians are quite anti-Chinese, and some are not over keen on foreigners (especially if they have Mongolians partners). There are some good reasons behind these negative stereotypes, but it is not a positive side to Mongolian life. The extremist political groups Dayar Mongol and Hoch Mongol have been known to carry out violent acts against foreigners, and their presence in Ulaanbaatar has always been a slight worry to me.
Public facilities are a bit grim. For example, you can see in the photo that Mongolian ambulances are not the most sophisticated in the world. Hospitals are pretty dingy, and staff often don’t have anywhere to wash their hands. I went to visit a Mongolian friend of mine, who had back problems. She had to share a room with another person, and had no separating screen for privacy. What didn’t help her morale was that the room next to her’s was the morgue! The road system is also a bit chaotic. A green man means that only half of a road’s traffic will stop, so a pedestrian still has to tackle a flow of oncoming traffic. The roads are also often full of holes. Add to this that Mongolian drivers are quite aggressive and reckless, and you have a pretty dangerous situation…
Poverty is certainly rife in Mongolia. Whilst the vast majority of people have enough money to buy food, many find life very tough. Around 30% of the population lives on less than a dollar a day, so the recent food prices rises have hit them hard. They will also struggle to buy enough fuel to heat their ger tents during the bitterly cold winter months. As I live in the inner city I only get glimpses of this poverty. Collectors roam the streets, looking for plastic bottles which they can sell on. They hardly get any money at all for a huge bag full of plastic, so a full day’s work often only raises $1. The collectors look wizened and often have skin diseases – it’s a very tough job. Street children are also a regular sight. A few weeks ago I saw a heartbreaking sight – a teenage boy was looking after his little sister, and they were both asleep on the side of the road. It’s quite shocking to see how someone so young not only has to survive on the streets, but has to look after his little sister too.
I often think I am very lucky. My salary and accommodation is a lot better than that of most Mongolians, despite technically being a “volunteer”. To put it in context, a doctor just earns $100 a month. I’m doing better than a fully-qualified doctor (and many other people who work a lot harder than me!). I also share a large appartment in a nice part of the city, and have my own room. I have met many Mongolians who just share one small room together. It’s quite surprising to see how people cramp together. The living room will be converted into a bed room after 10pm. Whilst I can imagine families living comfortably like this, I certainly would find the lack of privacy/personal space a bit of a problem.
Just though I had better note down some of my observations, so that you can get a better understanding of Mongolia, and I can remember all of this when I’m back home! Lots of love to you all,
The 11th, 12th and 13th of July mark the Naadam festival, one of the main events on Mongolia's calendar. During Naadam people throughout Mongolia gather to watch competitors compete in wrestling, archery and horse riding tournaments. I thought it would be good to experience a countryside Naadam, and escape the crowds and tourists in Ulaanbaatar (which hosts the main festival). Thus, I headed off with some of my VSO friends to visit Choibalsan, a city to the east of Mongolia.
The journey – we braved the local bus system, and were packed into a sturdy Russian machine. As we took our seats the rest of the bus began to fill up with a variety of items. We soon found ourselves surrounded by televisions, car tyres, large suitcases, boxes of fruit and vegetables. The Mongolians certainly make the most of any spare space available! The passengers were surprised to see foreigners take the bus – not many people travel to Choibalsan, and those that do usually take private jeeps or the plane. It was quite an interesting and fun experience. Whilst the journey took 16 hours, we had plenty of breaks along the way. However, it was great to finally make it to our destination…
Choibalsan City - Choibalsan is an interesting place. The city used to host over 40,000 Russian troops. But at the end of the Cold War the troops were ordered to leave the country. As a result, the city’s population halfed in the space of 48 hours. It’s completely mind-boggling to think that such a thing could happen. The results are still being felt today - as the Russians went, so did the jobs. Now Choibalsan has one of the highest rates of unemployment, around 50%. Also, the Russians were the managers of the local industries. After they left the remaining Mongolian population had little idea of how to run the factories, shops, etc. The Russian half of the city is now mostly in ruins or has been looted. People are divided on how to view the Russians. Some local residents hate them for leaving, whilst others think of them fondly, and wish that the “good old days” would return. A VSO volunteer very rightly pointed out that one shouldn’t just think about the hardships that the Mongolians went through during this period. The Russian troops and civilians were dumped across the border and left to fend for themselves. They had to leave much of what they had collected (including Mongolian wives/husbands!), and found themselves left in the Russian wilderness during the extremely cold winter. Not such a great reward for years of loyal service…
There are a few VSO volunteers based in Choibalsan, and it was interesting to see their own volunteer experience. They are a lot more isolated, and have few other English speakers to talk to. I think they probably get a bit lonelier than UB-based volunteers. However, the pace of life in Choibalsan is a lot more relaxed. They also don't have to put up with Ulaanbaatar's pollution levels, or the anti-foreigner attitude of many of the capital's residents (people in Choibalsan seemed a lot more interested in foreigners, and were generally very friendly). We stayed with Jultz, a Filipino volunteer. He looked after us very well, and served us a great variety of delicious food. High up on the list was a dog meat stew, which was actually quite nice! N.B. Mongolians do not usually eat dog meat, but Jultz had managed to get his hands on some because of a strange situation. He is a social worker, and was helping a poor family. The grandmother of the family got sick, so it was decided that they had better kill the dog (it was all they could afford). They very kindly gave Jultz a small amount, and thus he had some to share with us.
Naadam Festival – the volunteers and I made the trip to see the wrestling, archery and horse racing competitions. I think the most dramatic was the horse racing. Many young children took part, and large amounts of spectators turned up to watch. It was sweet to see families wish their children good luck before the race, but a bit surprising to see how young the competitors actually are – it seemed like some were only 5 or 6 years old! One sport I would love to try is the archery. I’ve always had a respect for the sport, and the competitors look very cool with their bows.
To see photos of Naadam/Choibalsan please feel free to visit http://picasaweb.google.com/schliner/NaadamInChoibalsan
Now I’m back in Ulaanbaatar, and the city is full of tourists. Things have slowed down at work (many people take the post-Naadam period off as holiday), so life is a little bit more relaxed. Big hug to you all,
So, the state of emergency has ended, and life carries on as usual. The curfew has been lifted, and the soldiers are now replaced by ordinary policemen. All the TV channels are back on line, as are the radio stations. It's now possible to buy a beer again too, horaay! After last week's craziness, it was a slight relief to get back to normality (although I have to admit that I miss the excitement a little bit!).
Working at the new National Volunteer Centre - I'm currently helping out at Window to Development, a newly established NGO. Window to Development hopes to become a national volunteering centre, which members of the public can use to find out more about the volunteering opportunities that exist. It's a fun place to work in, as volunteers are always popping in and out. Also, the director Tsevelmaa is a friend of mine, so that adds to the working atmosphere. It's early days for the organisation, but they have ambitious plans. I wish them all the best for the future...
Waitrose hits Mongolia - or so I thought! As you can see in the photo, there is currently a spate of Waitrose shopping bags that Mongolians are using (for those non-British readers, Waitrose is a supermarket in Britain). Quite why Waitrose bags have made it here I don't know, but I guess it's the old case of foreign firms dumping products that they don't need. Ulaanbaatar is awash with shopping bags saying "I love New York" too (obviously the rest of the world doesn't love New York...). We get an awful lot of chickens from American coming to Ulaanbaatar too. I think that must be the result of a trade deal with the States, as I'm sure it would be cheaper to import chicken in from neighbouring China or Russia.
Another Mongolian music video for you all to enjoy! This time it's Kiwi, one of Mongolia's leading girl bands. Their song "Bi Chini Candy Girl" (I'm your candy girl) was one of the winter hits, and is still popular with youngsters throughout Mongolia. Interestingly enough, the band members are of mixed-race, which is pretty avant-garde for Mongolia. Enjoy!
I'm getting ready for the yearly Naadam Festival (which is a public holiday, horaay!). I'll be travelling to the countryside, to get a more traditional perspective on this festival. Expect more information and photos in the next update... Lots of love to you all, take care of yourselves,
Welcome to my weblog! On this page I'll chronicle the year that I'll spend living and working in Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar. I hope you find what I write of interest. I'll try to update this page at least once a week, so look out for future posts in the near future...
Disclaimer: The views in this website are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of VSO.
I'm a British person working at an international school in Beijing. I'm hoping to explore a bit of Chinese culture over my stay here - fingers crossed you'll find some of the things I share of interest. Enjoy!
The Beatles finally come to Mongolia! Yes, and they're here to stay. The prime minister of Mongolia, Mr Bayar, said in last year's election that he would constuct such a monument of his favourite band if he was re-elected. As he is true to his word, the square next to the biggest store in Mongolia now has a statue dedicated to the Beatles. It is supposed to be a space in which Mongolians can come and play street music - I hope the local people like it and that more people start playing guitars on the streets. Mongolians are so good at music, but very few of them play in public areas.
