Mongolia in 3 sentences

During one of our last days in Mongolia the Boston students took some time to journal and reflect on their experiences. One thing we asked the students to do was describe Mongolia and Mongolian people in 3 sentences. Here is my description:

Mongolians are incredibly proud and warm people. They are proud of their beautiful mountains, vast and diverse desert, and growing city. They want to sit with you, smile, hold your hand, and show you the innumerable goat ancle bone and puzzle games they love, demonstrate traditional throat singing, or just talk with you.

Beautiful Mountains

Vast Desert

Growing City

Distinguished Guests

(Mongolian I can’t understand)


“We would like to recognize our distinguished guests.”

clapping

(Mongolian I can’t understand)

“America group-Caitlin.”

clapping

I give a little wave.

“They will be angry if you do not go up on stage.”-Girlee, the Tuya cabin group leader, whom I am fairly certain was brought up in a military family.

I walk onto stage at Nairamdal children’s camp in front of 500 plus people basically in my pajamas because I packed to be at summer camp with high school students for the week. I shake hands with the Korean, Chinese, and Russian distinguished guests-everyone is a teacher or leader of a school group.

(Mongolian I can’t understand. Mongolian I can’t understand. Mongolian I can’t understand. Mongolian I can’t understand. Mongolian I can’t understand. Mongolian I can’t understand. Mongolian I can’t understand. Mongolian I can’t understand.)
“Have a great weekend.”

The translator whispers to me in a British accent “that was a horrible translation, I am forgetting my Mongolian at boarding school.”

I smile and clap at appropriate times, and somehow the Chinese teacher is taking pictures and gets off stage and the Korean teacher creeps to the side. As I’m sort of alone, I whisper to the translator if I need to stay up here. He tells me yes, he thinks so, it’s symbolic, and kind of a big deal that an American is here.

I am humbled and feel so fortunate with the realization that in camp clothes, flip flops, and a pony tail I am thought of as an honored guest because I am representative of America.

Petrofliffs

The petrogliffs are one of the most famous sites in the gobi-no tourist can miss them. They are ancient writings in rocks-like hieroglyphics but in Mongolia, I told the students at lunch as asked if they wanted to take an afternoon off from hiking and touring in the host Gobi sun or or go to see the Petogliffs. Despite some stomach sicknesses every student decided to make the hike-which seemed like an endless assent to another “last cliff” in search of the ancient writings. When we reached the top the hyped up writings disappointed some students as there were only a few faint goats on the rocks. I was really proud of the students who climbed even feeling a little sick because they told me they didn’t want to miss out on the experience. I was amazed that the writings are there for anyone to hike and look at and not behind bars or glass in a museum.

Twincle Twincle Gobi Stars

In the Gobi Ger camp we were so far from any lights or pollution that you could see the stars twinkling-that’s not just a cute song. I usually need assistance to locate the big dipper, but it was nearly impossible to not look up and pick out the bright stars shaping the handle and bowl. The most incredible part was that there were no trees, so  sitting in the middle of the dessert you felt like you were in a giant planetarium.

The Gandan

I have visited a lot of famous and amazing temples and monasteries in Asia and marveled at the tall Buddhas and intricate decorations. However, visiting the Gandan with the Mongolian students as guides was the most beautiful experience. A group of students showed me how to enter by spinning the golden wheels for good luck for the future, hold my hands in prayer to my heart in front of the giant Buddha, and walk counter clockwise around the monastery turning more gold wheels for good luck and offering prayers to Buddha. The girls showed me how to exit in front of the Buddha without turning my back on the statue, and then to walk in a circle turning the gold wheel on the opposite side of the entrance to complete our circular journey. This is the kind of insight into a culture you can only experience when you are with friends from that culture.

Meat and Milk

Like much of Mongolian culture, Mongolian food reflects the nomadic and herding lifestyle which is still common today. In terms of food this means mainly 2 things-meat and milk. Mongolians love meat-mutton and beef is the most common. I have been served mutton with rice mixed with mutton as a side dish and soup of potatoes and mutton. Milk curd, yogurt, fermented mares milk, milk tea, and milk candies were all offered to me in shows of overwhelming hospitality in my host family, the middle school I visited, and the herding families the students interviewed as part of the student newspaper.


There are also a few fire and ice type “Mongolian BBQ” restaurants where you put your meat, veggies, noodles, and sauce, in a bowl and bring it up to a big circular grill. I tried horse at one of these. I also literally screamed (not my proudest moment) when I lifted the top of a buffest tray to find an entire goat head staring at me.



When we stayed at the Nairmandal children’s camp we ate mainly Korean breakfast because we were with Korean teachers. This was mainly rice, kim chi, eggs, and cured meat. In a very kind effort to serve something the Americans would like they also served cocoa puffs-and this made me very happy.

That's the goat head!

Welcome!

We are here on the other side of the world. From smiling faces holding American and Mongolian flags greeting us as we stepped off the plane to drinking traditional mares milk from a bowl and blue cloth and meeting our host families, we can say we feel truly welcomed here in Mongolia.

This is me and my host sister and group leader Tsing Sig. She's the best!

Mongolia!!!

Next up-Mongolia! I will be leading a group of 11 Boston Public High school students along with 4 teachers. Updates to come :-)