Newcomer to Mongolia
Imagine this: You arrive in Mongolia, having just secured a job here only a week beforehand, and having gone through the rigmarole of obtaining visas and last-minute air passage. You don’t speak the language. You don’t have a copy of Lonely Planet: Mongolia. Your boss gets you situated in an apartment and you are expected to start the work next day. You are hungry.
You walk around the town looking for anything that looks like a restaurant. You see a lot of signs in English, but nothing that looks like a restaurant. You see a lot of pubs, but you aren’t in the mood to sit in a smoked-filled room full of drunken people.
Finally, you see City Nomad. You go in to check it out. It’s nice, and there at the front are some guys dressed in what you can only assume is traditional Mongolian clothing, playing instruments you’ve never seen before, and singing a kind of incantation that you’ve never heard before. You are entranced by the guttural euphony placating your ears.
Your olfactory nerve is simultaneously being bombarded by aromatic cooked Mongolian beef. You see people of all races at the tables enjoying their meals. You think, “Wow! Is this Mongolia? Awesome!”.
Yeah. That was I on my second night in Mongolia. It’s been roller-coaster ride ever since. So, what else is new, right?
It has been nearly one year since I came to Mongolia. It has been my first time both to visit and live in Mongolia. All of that time has been in Ulaanbaatar or UB for short. I have experienced a little bit of everything in UB has to offer, from Mongolian throat singing (alluded to above) to Mongolian expectoration. It has been an awesome experience, even for an experienced traveler, like me.
What do I do here? I’m an English teacher at Orchlon School. And while I could go on and on about the merits and demerits of teaching here, that is not the subject of the article.
Instead, I would like to share with you some observations and recommendations regarding life in UB. Even if you are a veteran expat here in UB, you might be interested in what I have to write/say. I don’t know about you, but for me, it is always interesting to hear other people’s perspectives, and to see this land through the eyes, ears nose and fingers of another.
Prima facie, UB looks like one continuous ghetto. The sidewalks can use some succor. The pot holes are plentiful. Traffic is terrible. And, the dust is distasteful (more literally than figuratively). Yet, there is much to be appreciated.
First and foremost, I am grateful that UB has provided employment for me, so that I may feed, clothe, and house my family.
When my son and I entered Immigration at The UB airport, the immigration officer took one look at my visa, then she looked at me with eyebrows raised and with incredulity in her voice, “You came to Mongolia to work?!” I had a good smile about that.
Aside from employment, there are other things to be appreciated. Take for instance the spring flora of UB. Have you ever stopped and looked at the variety of flora in the fields of UB this spring? Dandelions are actually quite beautiful.
Most landowners in the West spend hundreds of dollars each year to eradicate and keep dandelions from their gardens, but I think they are quite beautiful. Furthermore, some of the cutest, little, flowering plants are springing up here and there around the UB.
I’ve counted at least ten different species of plants in the field next to my apartment building, and that’s not counting grasses. I’ve seen at least five different kinds of grasses.
One of the most outstanding features of UB is the rocks. Rocks are everywhere. To the average individual, they are just rocks; but, to my son and me, they are wonderful specimens for investigation. Some of them contain treasures.
My son and I like to go rock hunting. We’ve found sedimentary rocks, metamorphic rocks, even a piece of igneous rock. Probably the most interesting thing we found was pseudo-fossil. We were really excited about that. We have our UB rock collection displayed in out home.
“But, Leon, you write about plants and rocks; what about the people?” you ask. I love the people. They are courteous, helpful, friendly, and honest. For instance, whenever I go shopping, and I ask the price, I feign ignorance and hold out a wad of cash and let the vendor take the money. I do this to see how honest the people are. I’ve never been cheated.
They always take the right amount of cash. That’s not to say that everyone is honest. I was pick-pocketed five times in my first five weeks here. To solve that problem, I taught my son to walk behind me and watch for would-be pick-pockets.
Yeah, I’ve been overcharged by taxi drivers, but they are cheaper than the official taxis. An official taxi with a meter charged me 50,000 tugrik to go from one end of town to the other. So, remember that next time someone charges you an extra 1000 tugrik. At least people are kind enough to stop and give me a ride. How many people would do it in your hometown? In conclusion, one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure. To me, Mongolia is a treasure hiding, waiting to be discovered. You just have to look past the broken sidewalks and potholes.
You walk around the town looking for anything that looks like a restaurant. You see a lot of signs in English, but nothing that looks like a restaurant. You see a lot of pubs, but you aren’t in the mood to sit in a smoked-filled room full of drunken people.
Finally, you see City Nomad. You go in to check it out. It’s nice, and there at the front are some guys dressed in what you can only assume is traditional Mongolian clothing, playing instruments you’ve never seen before, and singing a kind of incantation that you’ve never heard before. You are entranced by the guttural euphony placating your ears.
Your olfactory nerve is simultaneously being bombarded by aromatic cooked Mongolian beef. You see people of all races at the tables enjoying their meals. You think, “Wow! Is this Mongolia? Awesome!”.
Yeah. That was I on my second night in Mongolia. It’s been roller-coaster ride ever since. So, what else is new, right?
It has been nearly one year since I came to Mongolia. It has been my first time both to visit and live in Mongolia. All of that time has been in Ulaanbaatar or UB for short. I have experienced a little bit of everything in UB has to offer, from Mongolian throat singing (alluded to above) to Mongolian expectoration. It has been an awesome experience, even for an experienced traveler, like me.
What do I do here? I’m an English teacher at Orchlon School. And while I could go on and on about the merits and demerits of teaching here, that is not the subject of the article.
Instead, I would like to share with you some observations and recommendations regarding life in UB. Even if you are a veteran expat here in UB, you might be interested in what I have to write/say. I don’t know about you, but for me, it is always interesting to hear other people’s perspectives, and to see this land through the eyes, ears nose and fingers of another.
Prima facie, UB looks like one continuous ghetto. The sidewalks can use some succor. The pot holes are plentiful. Traffic is terrible. And, the dust is distasteful (more literally than figuratively). Yet, there is much to be appreciated.
First and foremost, I am grateful that UB has provided employment for me, so that I may feed, clothe, and house my family.
When my son and I entered Immigration at The UB airport, the immigration officer took one look at my visa, then she looked at me with eyebrows raised and with incredulity in her voice, “You came to Mongolia to work?!” I had a good smile about that.
Aside from employment, there are other things to be appreciated. Take for instance the spring flora of UB. Have you ever stopped and looked at the variety of flora in the fields of UB this spring? Dandelions are actually quite beautiful.
Most landowners in the West spend hundreds of dollars each year to eradicate and keep dandelions from their gardens, but I think they are quite beautiful. Furthermore, some of the cutest, little, flowering plants are springing up here and there around the UB.
I’ve counted at least ten different species of plants in the field next to my apartment building, and that’s not counting grasses. I’ve seen at least five different kinds of grasses.
One of the most outstanding features of UB is the rocks. Rocks are everywhere. To the average individual, they are just rocks; but, to my son and me, they are wonderful specimens for investigation. Some of them contain treasures.
My son and I like to go rock hunting. We’ve found sedimentary rocks, metamorphic rocks, even a piece of igneous rock. Probably the most interesting thing we found was pseudo-fossil. We were really excited about that. We have our UB rock collection displayed in out home.
“But, Leon, you write about plants and rocks; what about the people?” you ask. I love the people. They are courteous, helpful, friendly, and honest. For instance, whenever I go shopping, and I ask the price, I feign ignorance and hold out a wad of cash and let the vendor take the money. I do this to see how honest the people are. I’ve never been cheated.
They always take the right amount of cash. That’s not to say that everyone is honest. I was pick-pocketed five times in my first five weeks here. To solve that problem, I taught my son to walk behind me and watch for would-be pick-pockets.
Yeah, I’ve been overcharged by taxi drivers, but they are cheaper than the official taxis. An official taxi with a meter charged me 50,000 tugrik to go from one end of town to the other. So, remember that next time someone charges you an extra 1000 tugrik. At least people are kind enough to stop and give me a ride. How many people would do it in your hometown? In conclusion, one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure. To me, Mongolia is a treasure hiding, waiting to be discovered. You just have to look past the broken sidewalks and potholes.
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