Hi! I'm Cat and this is a memoir of my year traveling and working as a teacher in Mongolia. Ulaan Baatar is the capital city where I am currently employed as an international teacher. The capital holds nearly half the population of the country. Mongolia consists of two areas, basically inner and outer Mongolia. The capital is situated in what is considered the outer region. For those of you who don't know, Mongolia is sandwiched between Russia and China and to the south lies the Gobi desert. My teaching post is at a brand new school, in it's second year, called the American School of Ulaan Baatar.
Day 1 – August 14th/07
My flight was long but fairly uneventful. I flew for the first time on a Boeing 747 and was surprised at the size of it. The trip from Chicago to Beijing was long and my knees grew incredibly stiff. I did receive special treatment in my food though, and it was quite fresh and tasty. I lucked out on that long flight though as there was a young man in the aisle seat, me in the window and no one between us. I traded him and he offered me up a view outside once in a while. We traveled over what seemed to be the north pole, quite unexpected to me. I also seem to have gotten bitten by some bugs on that flight. What, I don’t know.
Ibasically lost consciousness on the final flight to Ulaan Baatar and missed all food and drink service. Upon my arrival in the terminal I was greeted by a poster of Nicole Kidman selling watches. In Beijing it was Jackie Chan for Visa. I can also vouch for the fact that there is a KFC in Beijing, as I saw someone with the bags. I was picked up at the baggage claim by a lovely woman whose name escapes me, and Jack, the school driver. There is basically one road that joins the capital with the airport and one road for the city as well. I have decided it is (hopefully) going to be difficult for me to get lost then. The roads in Mongolia seem to be in disrepair. There are also dogs that roam the area, much like Mexico. I was told the people here don’t really keep them as pets. My apartment is quite lovely, brand new really. It is right next to the school and also guarded. It was dark on my arrival so my only impressions thus far are my view, unattractive, and dogs barking in the night. I am exhausted. I was standing in line at the customs and wondering what that terrible smell was, and realized it was me!
I have also learned that there is no grade 10 class here. I was expecting to teach one, but I guess we’ll just see what happens!
Day 2 – August 15th
This morning is overcast and I have decidedly changed my opinion about the view. I have some construction initially that looks like condos but much larger in scale, though not attached to one another. I did see some lights in a few of the buildings last night and this morning I can now see some tents set up which must belong to the workers. Above that there is a rolling hill with sheep (I now know they are goats) grazing. They were right to tell us to bring our hiking shoes because I already want to explore. I can also see dogs running around and know Farley would just be too happy to say “see ya!” and go running too.
I woke up about 9:00 and looked at the provisions stocked for myself. There were two juice boxes of milk, one of which I drank last night and it tasted weird to me, but that was to be expected. There are eggs, cheese, yellow tea which tastes just like orange pekoe, a box of sugar cubes, a big tube of what I can only assume is meat, a few small apples, bread, butter, juice and jam. I have heard we are going out for lunch today and then on to meet the other teachers and staff at the school. The kitchen is sparsely outfitted and I will certainly need to get dish soap and other things. Everything about my apartment screams brand new and unused. I will most definitely change that! Most of the things still have price tags on them. It just has the effect of making my things all seem so dirty and used when I put them away. The bathroom is outfitted with a large tub that has a head rest built in and a toilet that reminds me of Italy. The toilet paper is like our paper towels and non-serrated so I have been having difficulty tearing it. There are no screens on the windows and the flies are coming in. I awoke to two of them harassing me. I’m sure it will get cold enough soon to kill them off and am not concerned as long as there are no spiders! The walls seem a bit thin in the apartment complex so I could hear some people last night while I was settling in. The woman who picked me up at the airport said I was a light packer! I also received an advance and hope today when we go to eat we will have the opportunity to shop for some supplies. I am still unsure about the water. It is supposed to be potable but it looks kind of brown to me. The sweetest thing was when I was shown to my apartment last night there was a rose on my bed with a welcome note.
Some of the teachers already have gotten a phone and I’m thinking it would be nice to have one as well for local calls and to use calling cards. My internet gets hooked up today, thank heavens! I am dying to tell people I am here safe and sound.
Day 3 – Thursday (I think)
I went for lunch with most of the new staff, the principal (Mike) and V.P (Frank). We went to a place called the American Grill. It was nice. I had the seafood soup and a caramelized walnut salad. After lunch we headed back to the school for a 2 hour orientation. During this time I discovered I will be one of the only teachers without a TA as my students will be the most developed in their English skills. I also learned that I may be teaching Drama. Initially the prospect scared me, but once I got used to the idea it actually excited me. I think I will have a ton of fun with the students.
I heard some facts about the school. This is actually only its second year in existence and from the sounds of things; discipline was an issue last year. The usual Mongolian teaching style is very strict and the students are not allowed much freedom. Once they come to the new school they have these grand ideas that it is an American school and it is so free.
I also learned that my school supplies will not arrive until mid-October! Yikes! Since I have no TA, I have no one to decorate my classroom for me! Another issue with me has been that the other teachers did not listen to Gary in regard to the amount of boxes and supplies we were allowed to ship. I am disappointed in that sense. I feel I am getting the short end of the stick but I am determined to prove myself resourceful and creative.
I am the only teacher who has never taught overseas. I told the principal I was a little green when it came to that but during his opening remarks he said that we are all green, including himself. He is a nice man who has taught all over the world and lived in Grimsby at one point, teaching at Beamsville High. So strange!
We wandered around the school for some time after that and everything seems in chaos. You can tell the staff is working very hard to get the place organized. The library is small but full on relevant books and resorces, the gym is fairly large, the pool not quite an Olympic size, and the building appears to be falling down around our ears. There are many cracks in the walls apparently due to shoddy Chinese construction.
During the second half of orientation I was fading fast. Mark scolded me for not taking the day off to adjust but I said I would power through to try to get myself on a better schedule. He said on the way home from lunch that technically I was not there yet, as I should have been sleeping. I am still waiting on my internet connection and a phone.
After the meeting we headed into town. I was beginning to feel a little frustrated as the people who wanted to come into town seemed to scatter and I was left standing around so I took off for a cigarette and when I got back they were saying “Oh, there you are!” I laughed at that. I can’t help but be reminded of traveling in Italy where we were constantly waiting for some one. I think that that is why my trip here went so smoothly. I only had me to account for.
“Cat?” “Here!” “Okay, then let’s go!”
Tina and Dan, a young married couple who teach and travel the world together, have been here for over a week so they have been greatly useful in that they already know all the ropes. So, Tina, Dan, Terry, Sue, and I all piled into the van and Jack drove us into town. We headed to the State Department, a 5 level department store, downtown Ulaan Baatar. I only wanted some dish cloths and a dish drying rack but I also bought a little lamp for my space. Then we headed to the Mercury, a supermarket to buy some staples. Next door was an open market where you could purchase fresh veggies and fruit. I am pretty set for now. I did forget to buy an alarm clock having forgotten mine in Canada, and I think I just may invest in a coffee maker. The vegetables are fantastic; fresh spinach straight out of the ground, kale, bok choy, zucchini, cucumbers, all different types of mushrooms, the most amazing garlic, fresh fennel, shallots. There isn’t much colour but good green, leafy veggies are always great.
We headed back to the apartments and I relaxed, cooked dinner, and managed to stay awake until 10. There are only two channels in English and they are crappy movie stations. One of the stations has I think either Global or Fox shows, so I watched “On the Lot” last night. I have finished my book and am without. I may just go see what’s up in the school’s library as yesterday on the tour I saw some English books. There was also an English-to-Mongolian dictionary.
I woke up this morning much too early! My door was banging because of a draft created by my open window so up at 6 I was. I think hiking just may be on my agenda today. There are a monument and a giant gold Buddah within walking distance and apparently on the other side of the mountain outside my window is a park with many hiking trails. We will see how I do today. I am still quite tired but I’m sure moving around and tiring myself out for tonight is a better idea than napping and staying up too late. It is a beautiful day and I’d like to have some photos to upload for everyone.
My flight was long but fairly uneventful. I flew for the first time on a Boeing 747 and was surprised at the size of it. The trip from Chicago to Beijing was long and my knees grew incredibly stiff. I did receive special treatment in my food though, and it was quite fresh and tasty. I lucked out on that long flight though as there was a young man in the aisle seat, me in the window and no one between us. I traded him and he offered me up a view outside once in a while. We traveled over what seemed to be the north pole, quite unexpected to me. I also seem to have gotten bitten by some bugs on that flight. What, I don’t know.
Ibasically lost consciousness on the final flight to Ulaan Baatar and missed all food and drink service. Upon my arrival in the terminal I was greeted by a poster of Nicole Kidman selling watches. In Beijing it was Jackie Chan for Visa. I can also vouch for the fact that there is a KFC in Beijing, as I saw someone with the bags. I was picked up at the baggage claim by a lovely woman whose name escapes me, and Jack, the school driver. There is basically one road that joins the capital with the airport and one road for the city as well. I have decided it is (hopefully) going to be difficult for me to get lost then. The roads in Mongolia seem to be in disrepair. There are also dogs that roam the area, much like Mexico. I was told the people here don’t really keep them as pets. My apartment is quite lovely, brand new really. It is right next to the school and also guarded. It was dark on my arrival so my only impressions thus far are my view, unattractive, and dogs barking in the night. I am exhausted. I was standing in line at the customs and wondering what that terrible smell was, and realized it was me!
I have also learned that there is no grade 10 class here. I was expecting to teach one, but I guess we’ll just see what happens!
Day 2 – August 15th
This morning is overcast and I have decidedly changed my opinion about the view. I have some construction initially that looks like condos but much larger in scale, though not attached to one another. I did see some lights in a few of the buildings last night and this morning I can now see some tents set up which must belong to the workers. Above that there is a rolling hill with sheep (I now know they are goats) grazing. They were right to tell us to bring our hiking shoes because I already want to explore. I can also see dogs running around and know Farley would just be too happy to say “see ya!” and go running too.
I woke up about 9:00 and looked at the provisions stocked for myself. There were two juice boxes of milk, one of which I drank last night and it tasted weird to me, but that was to be expected. There are eggs, cheese, yellow tea which tastes just like orange pekoe, a box of sugar cubes, a big tube of what I can only assume is meat, a few small apples, bread, butter, juice and jam. I have heard we are going out for lunch today and then on to meet the other teachers and staff at the school. The kitchen is sparsely outfitted and I will certainly need to get dish soap and other things. Everything about my apartment screams brand new and unused. I will most definitely change that! Most of the things still have price tags on them. It just has the effect of making my things all seem so dirty and used when I put them away. The bathroom is outfitted with a large tub that has a head rest built in and a toilet that reminds me of Italy. The toilet paper is like our paper towels and non-serrated so I have been having difficulty tearing it. There are no screens on the windows and the flies are coming in. I awoke to two of them harassing me. I’m sure it will get cold enough soon to kill them off and am not concerned as long as there are no spiders! The walls seem a bit thin in the apartment complex so I could hear some people last night while I was settling in. The woman who picked me up at the airport said I was a light packer! I also received an advance and hope today when we go to eat we will have the opportunity to shop for some supplies. I am still unsure about the water. It is supposed to be potable but it looks kind of brown to me. The sweetest thing was when I was shown to my apartment last night there was a rose on my bed with a welcome note.
Some of the teachers already have gotten a phone and I’m thinking it would be nice to have one as well for local calls and to use calling cards. My internet gets hooked up today, thank heavens! I am dying to tell people I am here safe and sound.
Day 3 – Thursday (I think)
I went for lunch with most of the new staff, the principal (Mike) and V.P (Frank). We went to a place called the American Grill. It was nice. I had the seafood soup and a caramelized walnut salad. After lunch we headed back to the school for a 2 hour orientation. During this time I discovered I will be one of the only teachers without a TA as my students will be the most developed in their English skills. I also learned that I may be teaching Drama. Initially the prospect scared me, but once I got used to the idea it actually excited me. I think I will have a ton of fun with the students.
I heard some facts about the school. This is actually only its second year in existence and from the sounds of things; discipline was an issue last year. The usual Mongolian teaching style is very strict and the students are not allowed much freedom. Once they come to the new school they have these grand ideas that it is an American school and it is so free.
I also learned that my school supplies will not arrive until mid-October! Yikes! Since I have no TA, I have no one to decorate my classroom for me! Another issue with me has been that the other teachers did not listen to Gary in regard to the amount of boxes and supplies we were allowed to ship. I am disappointed in that sense. I feel I am getting the short end of the stick but I am determined to prove myself resourceful and creative.
I am the only teacher who has never taught overseas. I told the principal I was a little green when it came to that but during his opening remarks he said that we are all green, including himself. He is a nice man who has taught all over the world and lived in Grimsby at one point, teaching at Beamsville High. So strange!
We wandered around the school for some time after that and everything seems in chaos. You can tell the staff is working very hard to get the place organized. The library is small but full on relevant books and resorces, the gym is fairly large, the pool not quite an Olympic size, and the building appears to be falling down around our ears. There are many cracks in the walls apparently due to shoddy Chinese construction.
During the second half of orientation I was fading fast. Mark scolded me for not taking the day off to adjust but I said I would power through to try to get myself on a better schedule. He said on the way home from lunch that technically I was not there yet, as I should have been sleeping. I am still waiting on my internet connection and a phone.
After the meeting we headed into town. I was beginning to feel a little frustrated as the people who wanted to come into town seemed to scatter and I was left standing around so I took off for a cigarette and when I got back they were saying “Oh, there you are!” I laughed at that. I can’t help but be reminded of traveling in Italy where we were constantly waiting for some one. I think that that is why my trip here went so smoothly. I only had me to account for.
“Cat?” “Here!” “Okay, then let’s go!”
Tina and Dan, a young married couple who teach and travel the world together, have been here for over a week so they have been greatly useful in that they already know all the ropes. So, Tina, Dan, Terry, Sue, and I all piled into the van and Jack drove us into town. We headed to the State Department, a 5 level department store, downtown Ulaan Baatar. I only wanted some dish cloths and a dish drying rack but I also bought a little lamp for my space. Then we headed to the Mercury, a supermarket to buy some staples. Next door was an open market where you could purchase fresh veggies and fruit. I am pretty set for now. I did forget to buy an alarm clock having forgotten mine in Canada, and I think I just may invest in a coffee maker. The vegetables are fantastic; fresh spinach straight out of the ground, kale, bok choy, zucchini, cucumbers, all different types of mushrooms, the most amazing garlic, fresh fennel, shallots. There isn’t much colour but good green, leafy veggies are always great.
We headed back to the apartments and I relaxed, cooked dinner, and managed to stay awake until 10. There are only two channels in English and they are crappy movie stations. One of the stations has I think either Global or Fox shows, so I watched “On the Lot” last night. I have finished my book and am without. I may just go see what’s up in the school’s library as yesterday on the tour I saw some English books. There was also an English-to-Mongolian dictionary.
I woke up this morning much too early! My door was banging because of a draft created by my open window so up at 6 I was. I think hiking just may be on my agenda today. There are a monument and a giant gold Buddah within walking distance and apparently on the other side of the mountain outside my window is a park with many hiking trails. We will see how I do today. I am still quite tired but I’m sure moving around and tiring myself out for tonight is a better idea than napping and staying up too late. It is a beautiful day and I’d like to have some photos to upload for everyone.
I have had a very interesting, random day. It was wonderful! I went to the school to take care of some paperwork and check out the library. Dan and Tina invited me into town with them and we went in about 1:00. Dan, Tina, Sue and I all went to this square which of course I have forgotten the name, but will fill it in later when I ask someone again. We bought some original water colour art. I got a painting of a temple with horsemen and an amazing sketch of Gengis Kahn (Chengis Khaan) on rice paper. I also purchased some postcards as I have had requests for Mongolian mail. 
We then headed for Dave's Pub where we indulged in some local suds and fries. It was there we met Dan Johnston who is an American. He stayed with us for a few hours. Tina and Sue got ancy and wanted to go for a walk while the rest of us remained inert and drank another beer. Dan invited us to this so-called "freak show" that apparently happens every night. He mentioned sword swallowers and a naked break-dancer. I would have loved to have gone but my funds were, are, low. We decided since our stay here was long, we could go another day. There were many wedding pictured being taken at the square and I managed to get my photo taken in front of one of the wedding cars.
After we bid Dan a fond adieu, telling him to enjoy the show that night and to have fun for me too, we made our way back to our apartment building. In Mongolia, many people who see you need a ride will stop and you offer them the same amount of money a taxi would cost. A nice man who worked at the electrical plant picked us up. We paid him about $3 Canadian, 3000 tugriks. All you need to do is stand on the road and look like your waving. Perhaps a taxi will stop, perhaps someone nice who would like to earn some extra money.
Tomorrow, I promise to see the gold Buddah statue and monument! I have drawn a bath and as we have no hot water for the next two weeks I am letting it sit until what I hope is swimming pool temperature.
2 comments:
Wow, Cat, you did it! You are actually half way around the world doing something exiting and incredibly worthwhile! I hope your year is tremendous for you, full of great people and experiences. Post your address and I'll send a care package from home. Tim Horton's coffee and a good book, perhaps?? Love the blog, it's the first one I've ever read, being the techno-nerd that I am. Keep it coming!
Luv, Sandra
People should read this.
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