Work

Hey. Excuse me for not posting something for a long time. I've just been really busy these past weeks.

My work is very satisfying. I do a variety of activities,
so I'm never at the same task for too long. I organize paperwork,
check files, and go on errands. Mostly, though, I translate.
A couple of days ago, I translated an entire pamphlet for the organization that I
work for! Our organization's stated main mission is to advance democracy and human rights. To that end, we do many other good things. We have programs
that range from those that help teenage mothers to helping recent migrants to providing scholarships for students who cannot pay their educational expenses. Yes. I like my work here. On the other hand, the campaign here is going full swing. Every few meters, there is a poster advertising some candidate. There is so much competition. However, our party is very underfunded compared to the other two major
ones. And that situation is frustrating.

On a funny note, a while back, I noticed a clothing store with a rather funny sign. It proclaims "looking good is not important, it is EVERYTHING." This has got to be absurd. First of all, why is the sign in English? Isn't this Mongolia? And, second of all, looking good is everything??? Oh well. I guess it is for some people.

Here's a picture:

Dude! Cool Stuff!

Hey!

Guess what?...

My mom was on Mongolian National TV! She was on this interview show called "Face-2-Face." The interesting thing is that the show is conducted in English (good, grammatically correct English, too) with Mongolian subtitles. Since my mom is a nuclear scientist, she was asked questions about energy, particularly Mongolia's energy future, and what she thinks should happen with Mongolia's huge uranium reserves. Currently, she is an advisor to the foreign minister, so she was asked questions in that capacity as well. She was also asked questions about Mongolia's higher education and how fast Mongolia's developing and what she likes to do in her free time.

All right, this post has almost nothing to do with me, but I was so proud of my mommy. :)

Here's a picture I took of the TV:

A Camel Ride

I RODE A CAMEL!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it! MUHAHAHAHAHA!!

This Saturday, my uncle took me and the rest of the family to the beautiful countryside, and we encountered some camels whose owners let people ride them for a small fee. I was ecstatic. A camel ride? Whatever else could I wish for? I had been looking forward to this moment for all my life.

The camels were very gentle and big. They must have thought something like, "why is this boy jumping around me screaming things? Did I upset him? He seems agitated."

Well, Mr. Camel, I WAS agitated: agitated by extreme excitement!!!

Here are some glorious pictures:




Some startling realizations, or rather, discoveries: the camel hump is a lot harder than I thought. I expected something soft, something like a water balloon perhaps, but, alas, that is not the case. And when one sits on top of a camel, one is very high off from the ground, so a big ouch if one falls off. However the hump feels or however high I am, the camel is my new favorite animal. I want it to be my zoo animal ;)

I was sad to leave the camels. I want my own pet camel now. I shall name it, Fabio because I've always been partial to the name Fabio. Wait a minute... what if I get a GIRL camel for a pet? Then Fabio won't do. Any ideas, my dear readers?

Unusual Weather.

Today, when I woke up, there was snow!!! It had snowed during the night and was snowing in the morning. The streets, the mountains, the cars, everything was in a blanket of white.
Snow at the end of May. This has got to be the weirdest weather I've ever experienced. My grandmother said that this was unusual weather, so don't think that this happens all the time.

Here are some pictures to prove it:



The first is the view outside my grandmother's apartment. The second was taken on the way to work.

Concert with traditional Mongolian music and dancing

I watched a concert a few days ago.

But before I watched that concert, I went shopping for tires with my uncle. In Mongolia, to buy tires for cars, one must go to one of the many auto repair shops around the city or go to the flea market, which has many tires. We did both because we were looking for the best deal. According to my uncle, Chinese tires are the cheapest, but their quality is questionable. Korean tires make the most sense; they're relatively inexpensive and have high quality. Japanese tires are the best quality, but they're quite expensive (did anyone know that Bridgestone was a Japanese brand? *Shock*) AND I learned what the three numbers on the tire means. Most shops have humongous signs outside but aren't very big inside, about the size of a classroom. Inside, they have glass counters with various auto parts from various cars inside. On the wall, they have the bigger objects, such as front bumpers, lights, and seat covers. Tires are stacked high next to the counters. The flea market bustles with people who shop, haggle, and make a living in this epitome of capitalism; some are dressed very nicely, and some look like the hobos in downtown San Francisco. Everything is dusty, but the prices are cheaper. The biggest one in Ulaanbaatar is probably about five football fields. I bet you can find anything at the flea market. It has everything from live chickens to a coffee table to brand name clothes. The section with the tires takes up an entire side.

Here are some pictures of the flea market:

(the guy waving is my uncle Khudree!)

Mongolian society is changing so much and so fast. A small part is getting extremely wealthy, and another part is getting even poorer. However, the good news is that I notice that a stable, growing, educated middle class is emerging. When I left Mongolia nine years ago, no one had any money. Almost all of the income went to food and other necessities; no money for fun. But, today the situation is different. People are going to the movies, shopping for nice clothes, buying tasty food, and even travelling to other countries for vacation. Things are improving, but it will take time. There is also so much movement going on; life here is exciting. Let's see what happens during the four months that I am here.

Well, after I went to the flea market (and bought four new Korean tires), our family went to see a concert with traditional Mongolian music and dancing (as the title of the post suggests). It was very entertaining, and the costumes were bright and colorful. The audience was mostly foreign tourists, and I think that was to whom the concert was directed. There are better shows, but this was a good introductory concert. I'm definitely going to more. In June, I'm going to go see a Mongolian Opera!

Here are some pictures that I took at the concert (with the flash off, of course):

The lady in the first picture is dancing with three cups balanced on her head. The second picture shows Mongolian contortionists. The third pictures shows the orchestra that provided the traditional music. The fourth picture is of my brother watching.

Saturday Trip

The organization that I volunteer for has an eight month leadership training program that introduces and teaches 24 recent Mongolians the art of leadership. Saturday was their graduation, so our organization took them all to Terelj National Park, and my role in all of this was to take pictures. So, I did. Lots of pictures.

We arrived at our meeting place in the morning and divided into two groups, a large group that travels in the bus and a small group that travels behind the bus in a minivan. I was on the bus. Actually, in the front of the bus. Actually, right next to the gearshift in a most uncomfortable position on the bus. But, since I was in the front, I got to take some pretty cool pictures of the trip.

Here's some:

And on the way we passed by camels and horses and other Mongolian people:



At the park, my coworkers and I climbed up a very tall cliff with rocky falls and steep slopes. I flexed some rock-climbing muscle and reached the top and took some pictures.
Here:


These are GERS!

Overall, awesome trip. I had mucho fun. I want to go ride a camel, really bad. Maybe on the next trip...

What I do when I'm not working

When I am not working at organizations, I babysit. But babysitting definitely should be called something else because there is absolutely no sitting involved. Perhaps something like: baby-constant-following-and-keeping-safe. I used to babysit my brother all the time, but here in Mongolia, I have to babysit him plus two little cousins. So, I babysit two 2 year olds and a five year old. It's infinitely harder than babysitting one child because the two little ones always want the same toy, and they'll resort to violent means to get it. Lion tamers have an easier time with their lions. Anyhow, they're fun 90% of the time, so it's cool.
Here's a picture of my little posse: