Mongolian Facts

Here are some facts about Mongolia. I hope you find this interesting! I sure did.

1. Mongolia has one of the lowest population densities in the world with only 1.5 people per 1 square km. You wouldn't know this from living in Ulaanbaatar, but once you head out to the countryside, it becomes much more evident.

2. 4 million Mongolians live outside of Mongolia.

3. Mongolia is the 18th largest country in the world. And also the largest land-locked one. Although, according to another website, it is second to Kazakhstan. It is roughly the size of Alaska.

4. The currency is the Tugrug. $100 Canadian dollars is worth 117,472.42 Tg. Or rather, 100 Tg is worth about 0.85 CAD.

5. The language is Mongolian and they use a Cyrillic alphabet.

6. The average life expectancy is 62.9 years old, for men. The woman's is about 69 years old.

7. The telephone poles here have a base that is concrete. Without this concrete base, the poles would snap off due to the pressure of the frozen ground.

8. Mongolians (both men and women) regularly perform the "Farmer's Blow" in public.

9. Mongolia is one of the highest countries in the world, with an average elevation of 1580 meters.

10. The Mongol Rally is an annual eight thousand mile journey by car (1000cc) or motorbike (maximum 125cc) from London to the capital of Mongolia. Participants in the rally raise money for charity.

11. Mongolia boasts the famous Przewalski horses (know here has the Takhi) that have an extra 2 chromosomes than regular horses. These wild horses have 66 chromosomes to the 64 of domesticated breeds.

7. Mongolian men wear their belts below their bellies while the Chinese wear theirs on their belly.

8. There are "walking phones" here. You will often see a man or woman stationed with a regular looking house phone, but on the sidewalk. If you need, you can make a phone call for about 100Tg (about 85 cents).

9. If you accidentally bump into someone, especially with feet under a table, you must shake hands. This proves it was truly an accident.

10. The population consists of 90% Mongolians. The next highest is Kazakh at 4%.

11. People in the countryside live in homes made out of felt and wood called 'gers.'

12. According to one website, Ulaanbaatar is the only major city in Mongolia.

13. The current President is Enkhbayar Nambaryn.

14. 0.76% of Mongolian land is arable.

15. The economy of Mongolia depends upon mineral mining, livestock and animal products, and textiles. Minerals are a primary export, including copper, tin, gold, molybdenum, and tungsten.

16. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, knows who Chingis Khan is (known to us as Genghis). Not only knows, but loves him.

17. There is now a Canadian Embassy here.

18. A traditional beverage here is 'airag', made from fermented milk.

19. The diet is heavily meat based. I met a man who told me he's never cold because he eats fat before going outside.

20. Mongolia is well-known for the archaeological finds, namely dinosaur relics. You also can meet people in the countryside who will try to sell you dragon eggs.

21. One last one. There is a reason people wore/wear fur! Because it is warm!

Tsagaan Saar

It is the Mongolian New Year here, called Tsagaan Saar. It involves eating lots of food and visiting with family. We got a 5 day weekend! I think the teachers were just as excited as the students! On the last day I was part of the "Spirit Day" committee. We dressed in traditional clothes, had to solve a riddle, took place in a "horse race" where the students were both the horse and the rider, and committed 'Random Acts of Kindness'. Plus, we were treated to a traditional concert including song, dance and throat singing. They were students from the local College. Oyunaa was also generous enough to put on a traditional meal for us. There was far too much food, but delicious and a nice way to end the very full day, with very full stomachs! It was a blast, but a great deal of work.

My students and I have been involved with something called the "Flat Stanley Community Project." We write letters to another class in a school very far away, and they do the same for us. Thus far, we have exchanged with Maine and now London, UK. We spend some time googling the area our Stanley's will go and learning about the place. I think they enjoy it, but I also do it so they learn to think about someplace other than the US. There is a huge world out there, and the center of it is not America. We also wrote letters to the President of Mongolia, telling him about how we've been learning about communities and some suggestions to make ours better. I was a little concerned about sending them because they often referred to things as "disgusting." But, I spoke with one of the Admin and they thought it was a fabulous idea. We still have yet to hear back!

Another funny teaching story. I know I already mentioned it, but it still makes me laugh!
Miss M: "Um, Tengis, didn't we start a new novel in reading comprehension? I don't see a new title or even a new chapter heading."
Tengis: Stares at Miss M with crazy eyes.
Miss M: "Well, don't you think you should have written that?"
Tengis: "Miss M! It must have been all those beers I was drinking!"
Miss M: She cannot speak, as her head is on her desk, laughing.

Some of us teachers here had the opportunity to enjoy the Eagle Festival. It was an outdoor event, and despite the many, many layers I was wearing, it was still cold. Actually, I was okay, save for my feet. We enjoyed the riders coming in with their eagles and a couple of competitions. First, the rider was separated from their eagle and it was released. The rider then had to call it. Some of the eagles went astray and just landed on the ground, but many came when called. The second was a competition where the rider dragged a fox pelt behind their horse and the eagle had to come and capture it. The last competition was one I had trouble watching. They released live foxes and let the eagles hunt them. I hope that what the others said, that some of them got away, is true. I did however witness a dead fox draped across the back of one of the rider's horses. We were only there for about 2 hours, but due to the cold, it felt much longer. I felt as though I were walking around on wooden posts rather than legs! Also, one of the male teachers went for a camel ride. He got thrown from the camel and was knocked out! He's okay, but lucky. I guess the camel has finally managed to live up to their reputation. I have only ever had one wipe its nose on me, but am always asked if they truly spit.

We have the never ending month of March upon us! Last year I remember it going by so slowly. Plus, there will be report cards and parent-teacher interviews as well. Thank heavens I have Bali to look forward to in April! Ah, swimming at will! We have been in a cold snap here, and last Monday it was -32 degrees Celsius in the morning. Yikes! That's not including the wind chill, so I don't know fully what it was. It seems to have broken though, and as of yesterday, was what could be deemed "nice" again.

I also have some other news. I have accepted a position for the following two years in a small African country called Eritrea. It's motto is "13 months of sunshine." After the harsh winters here, it does sound enticing! It is a very small school and community and am looking forward to spreading my wings across a different continent. How lucky am I? To have the opportunity to live and work in such wonderful, interesting places! I guess I'll have to rename my blog!

We've had some excitement here. A new store opened up near to the school! It seemed for the first week it was all anyone could talk about. I finally made my way there a couple of weeks ago, and it's nice. It's great to not to have to go all the way into town just to buy a few things. I feel badly for the old store I visited, as I'm sure they miss our business. That reminds me, I need to buy juice!

My class and I went on another field trip! We visited the Museum of Traditional Medicine here. Unfortunately, it was all in Mongolian, but the kids were happy to translate for me! They were really cute because they'd be listening and then they'd say, "Miss M! That is so interesting!" They know I can't understand what was happening or being said, so they'd tell me. It was a bit strange, as we had to wait for this tour guide to come, and they pacified the kids by putting on 'Kung-Fu Panda', but when she finally showed, she didn't do anything!

It was too cute though, because after lunch the kids were putting on their jackets and getting ready to go. I had to tell them we have a half-hour still until we leave and to put their jackets away. When the bell rang they all lined up as usual and started chanting, "Field trip! Field trip!" We actually did nothing on Friday. For the first period, we got new library books. Until lunch time, we watched "Journey into the Centre of the Earth" and then made Valentine crafts. We had lunch, recess, and then went on the trip. When we got back, we finished our crafts. No wonder they love me! Plus, I bought them popcorn and chocolate! It made me laugh though, as after the movie, first of all, they applauded! Secondly, they kept asking me, "What's the next surprise?"

My new teaching assistant is working out very well. She is determined and gets things done. She also does anything I ask. I wonder if she's a bit too good at her job, as if I ask her to make a phone call or anything, she won't come back to the class unless she has some definitive answer for me. On occasion, I think a couple of parents have been harassed! That's just her though, doing her job. The kids initially were somewhat disrespectful toward her, but they are good now. However, I did find out that she's the one who told the kids that a carpenter was someone who helps you with their carpets!

One of my students made me laugh, because I was asking him about why he didn't properly write something down. He looked at me with swirling eyes and then replied, "Miss M! It must have been all those beers I was drinking!" I literally had to put my head down on my desk and laugh!

I have my April vacation all planned and booked. I'm off to Bali. If I fly with Korean Air it is much cheaper and I have booked with a place that costs about $20 a night. I'm happy I finally get to go there, and swim! While my trip to Vietnam was great, there was not nearly enough swimming involved!

A colleague and I were having lunch yesterday and we were sharing funny work stories. She wished that over the years she had written down all the funny things that come out of our students' mouth's. I have two from recent tests that I'd like to share.

Q: How did the Pioneers see at night?
A: With their eyes.

Q: Who are carpenters?
A: They help us with our carpets.

Cute, no?

Alas! An end of an era has happened, and I was half-way around the globe when it occurred. My other half, my best mate, my baby boy, Farley, is no longer with us. It was quite shocking news, as he'd always been so healthy and full of life and great mischief. He had cancer in his hip bone. It was first thought he was suffering from old age and arthritis. Upon closer look, he was in dire need of being put down. The vet wanted to put him down straight away, but mom took him home for the evening and sent me a strange email. I called immediately and heard the news. I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me this great outpouring of care and concern. It means so much to me! I can say I'm grateful it was quick and he did not suffer much. My Mother was there and she said it was extremely quick. She is saving his ashes for me. My student's are very aware of how much I loved him, and while I was explaining to them about what cremation was, we got onto the topic of people having their remains shot out into space and soon onto the fact you can purchase a star and name it. They instantly came up with the idea that I buy a star and name it after Farles. Isn't that sweet? They were even offering to pay!

Things have been changing in the classroom. Doogie decided she was exhausted, and had returned to work too quickly after her daughter was born. I now have Ganaa with me, and things are going alright. I'm glad to say she's a quick learner and takes the idea of education seriously. This is good. She gets the students to pay attention, and reminds me of such things like lunch money.

It's been two weeks since I've returned to work after my vacation. Vietnam was good, and I'm glad to be able to say I've been there, but I was ready to get back home! I found the amount of travel taxing and not really restful. I was constantly catching planes, trains and automobiles for tours, transfers and the like. If it's possible to suffer from a vacation hangover, I had one! Plus, I only got to go swimming 3 times! Not nearly enough! Despite it being their winter, the water is usually the same temperature year round, and definitely swimmable. Yet, I only managed to wear my bathing suit once (yes, I went swimming in my clothes the other two times). I did get to go para sailing though, and that was incredible. I think the two neatest things I saw were the underground caves in Ha Long Bay (nominated for new wonders of the world) and the Cu Chi Tunnels occupied by the Vietcong during the war. I met some truly interesting and fun people too, which is always a plus. I found it a bit annoying that to some people it was unfathomable anyone should travel alone. They always felt the need to join me and invite me places with them. Not that that's a bad thing! Just, I travel alone for a reason. I simply don't want to have to talk anymore! I talk so much, all day long, a respite is nice and much needed sometimes. Yes, it's selfish, but also self-preserving! I was not anti-social, not by a long shot. Just, occasionally, I did not feel like it. And yet, I am already planning my April break trip!

The weather here has been cold. I take the temperature every morning and afternoon at school. It is usually hovering around the -25 degree mark. During December we hit -50. Now that's cold!

A friend of mine introduced me to a vegetarian restaurant. Nothing on the menu contains meat! Plus, you can purchase things like real veggie meats and sausages and such. I had breakfast for dinner simply for the fact I had some veggie sausages. I still see a niche for a good veggie burger! I have nary encountered a one yet here. It's nice to see some places taking such chances with this vegetarian stuff, as most restaurants only offer dishes like fried cauliflower or fried cheese. I once ordered cream of mushroom soup and it was hot milk with pieces of canned mushroom floating around in it. Not very appetizing. There are some great places to eat, don't get me wrong. It just seems when you find something you like on the menu, it's the one thing they're out of. There is a great Indian restaurant, many Korean, Italian and the like. I have discovered a sushi place, seriously! I have eaten there several times and never had an issue. Mmmmm, wasabi!

There has been the issue here of smokey skies lately. My eyes are very sore. On Wednesday I was just sitting in my apartment, minding my own business without the window open, and suddenly my eyes were on fire! I wound up just going to bed. That rarely happens, and usually my eye drops are effective enough. It's the worst though when you wake up in the morning and your eyes are all crusty.

I'd also like to say a hearty Congratulations to my brother, who passed his French exam! It was a hard road, but I'm sure well worth the travel. Best of luck.

Things the last week of school were so extremely hectic! We did the "Reindeer Jive" and had a rather anti-climatic pizza party. I was feeling rushed all day, every day, to get things done and wrapped up before school ended. But it appeared all my rush was in haste, as my flight to Seoul was delayed twice.

Upon arrival in Seoul, I got to sleep on the couch of another teacher and his wife's hotel room. I was warned Darleen snored and Chuck gave me a pair of wax earplugs and I can't recall ever sleeping better in my life. After I put those in, I heard nothing! It was amazing, save for the fact my hair got caught in one and it was tough to work it out.

While we had more than 22 hours to spend in Seoul, we returned to the airport and took a two hour tour of the town. It was really nice! I hadn't expected to enjoy it so much, but I did! I enjoyed the sights, the air, the water, and of course, the company. It put Seoul on the map for me. Plus, the seafood! Woah!

On to Hanoi. We flew in at about 10:30 pm and everything was alright until I had to go to the Visa upon arrival desk. First of all, there were too many people there and I was still wearing my Mongolian winter jacket. I took it off, and other things too, as it was very warm to us. Well, initially the issue was that I did not have a picture for my Visa application. I waited, and waited, and waited, until finally some woman and her family had to have their photo taken too. I jumped up behind saying, "Me too!" Well, it was then they discovered I had no letter. You have to have this official document that apparently was emailed to me as an attachment which I never received. I got all bug eyed and innocent like. I truly was freaking out. Everyone around me was being very supportive though, which I appreciated. Finally the officers went to check if my ride was there, and luckily he was with my papers! I breathed a huge sigh of relief! So, they took my picture and collected my luggage off the unmoving luggage carrier and finally made my way to the city of Hanoi.

It was late when I finally got to check in, 1 in the morning. My next day started early at 8:00, so I had a shower and read for a bit. The van was basically on time, and it was full! We visited many things that day. We went to a temple, then we went to the Ho Chi Minh Museum, where I ran into Chuck and Dar. Then we tried to visit the padoga but it was closed, so we had lunch and left for the ceramics town. I found a cute little ceramic crab, but it was chipped, so it became my mission to find one worthy. I actually walked up to someone and said, "Hi, I'm looking for crabs?" No one knew the word, in either capacity, thank heavens. In the end I found my little crab. I have found that most Vietnamese speak English much better than Mongolians. It's actually been an enjoyable find.

Today, I spent the day in Hanoi. It is such a hectic city, and exciting too. There is just so much traffic; foot, scooter, and cars. It is a mixture of old and new. It has tiny streets with way too much traffic. There really aren't any signal lights and people just flood the street until there are enough of them to go through at once and the oncoming traffic just kind of stops. I have found that while people are aggressive here to sell things, they won't rob or steal from you. I had a fruit girl grab my wrist and not let go. She wasn't being angry, just trying to get me to buy. I just said no, and she finally let me go. Laughing and smiling goes a long way here, so much the opposite of where I have been living. Anger and scowls get you anything you want. One shop girl was innovative with me and offered to take my picture with me in her hat and carrying the baskets. This meant, of course, I had to buy the pineapple. Not that I minded, I love pineapple, but I'd just eaten lunch.

So, I spent the day taking a ride in a rickshaw, eating a fantastic lunch, getting a massage, and walking. And of course, buying stuff. I bought myself some soup spoons made out of shells, a compass hidden in a turtle and some dragon flies made out of of bamboo for the kids. I hope they like them. I have to admit I've been tired. I haven't felt I've caught up on my sleep and haven't relaxed so much as the weather has been chillier than I was expecting. Plus, it would appear I will not get to go swimming (Gasp, moan!). I know the more I travel south it will get much, much warmer, so I'm looking forward to it. For now, I plan to experience it all as I can. Tomorrow I will visit Halong Bay, for which I purchased a sweater. It cost me about $3.00, and I'll definitely wear it again. Tomorrow, Halong Bay, and next, Hua by plane!

I had an interesting weekend! I drove a tank and fired some weapons. When the initial offer arose for me to go on this day trip I immediately said no. After some thought, I realized that more than likely, I'd never had another opportunity to do this. So, I said, "Yes!"

We left fairly early, and it wasn't too long of a drive on pretty good roads. 15 of us came, and we had to be sneaky about it too. Jen was setting this up as a surprise for her husband's birthday. He was completely clueless until the very last minute and boy, was he excited!

All but one of us signed up to drive the tank. We climbed on the top and off we went! To quote Sophie, "Driving a standard tank is nothing like driving a standard car." I did pretty well, and was complimented on my steering. In order to steer, there were two levers, one right one left. You had to quickly pull them toward you and then back. Trying to see the road was another story. You have two slits at eye level and don't get much of a view peripherally. It was exhilarating though! Pat, who is prone to zany stunts, asked that the tank literally drive over him! They, surprisingly, agreed.

We left for a nice lunch at the tourist camp. They had everything all set up for us and it was warm. After sitting on the metal tank for a few hours, we needed some toasting! While we were eating, Gurgit noticed my face was very red and I said it felt extremely hot. Then I noticed hives all over my body! I was having some sort of allergic reaction to something. We couldn't figure it out. Luckily, Megan had anti-histamine with her and I took one. I had to lay down and couldn't eat my food. After about an hour I was feeling better, but still confused. I was the only one to have any reaction, but the day had to go on and I had some guns to fire!

We arrived at the shooting range and I was the first to go! Only three of us signed up for the machine gun. We had the options of: machine gun, AK 45, sniper rifle, two kinds of pistols, and a grenade rocket launcher. I had chosen the machine gun, the AK and the pistol. I did not get the chance to fire the pistol, but that's okay. I turned out to be pretty good with the machine gun! The AK was pretty scary for me so Josh finished my rounds. It was so noisy though! The gave us shells to plug our ears with. The weapons we were firing also managed to start two fires on the hillside. The men who worked there had to run and put them out.

We talked some about the noise and how we couldn't imagine being around so many guns firing at once, let alone having them shoot back at us. It made us think about war and the soldiers coming home from it. Just holding the gun makes you aware of the power behind it, shooting it, even more so!

The craziest part of the day was when Pat decided to fire the grenade rocket launcher! It was so loud! Everyone had said that it went straight though the mountain and came out the other side. They all went to investigate, but I decided to retire to the van. It was getting cold and I still wasn't feeling quite right. Turns out it ricocheted off the front part of the hill and exploded behind it. It was quite the experience though!

So, first term report cards are done and sent home. I very nearly forgot because we had spirit day and everything was jumbled. The kids really enjoyed spirit day this month. We had to built a tower, fit as many of us into a hula hoop, and tie up someone! They were very excited because initially the class thought they'd get to tie me up! Thank heavens, no. Come Monday we will begin a new term and a new month. Only three weeks left until my Christmas vacation in Vietnam!

Today is a Mongolian National holiday. It's Independence Day here. We get the day off school. I don't remember celebrating it last year, but the days and weeks manage to blur into one another so quickly. I hardly remember the first day of school again this year.

Our class got to go on a field trip. We visited the National Mongolian History Museum. It was nice. It was kind of a test run to see how the children behaved in a different setting. Unfortunately, one was sick, but refused to miss the field trip. We called his mother to take him home for the day. He spoke with her first and then handed the phone to Mrs. Doogie. His mother was quite rude saying that her son was old enough to make his own decisions and if he wanted to go on the field trip, he should. He was ill the entire time and after we returned, called his mom to come pick him up.

I've decided Mongolia has an unfortunate effect on me. It's like I turn into the angry version of myself, as if I'm the Incredible Hulk or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or something. I find myself standing in front of cars to make them stop and telling people on cell phones in restaurants to take it outside, or at least to the heated lobby, to finish their conversation. I, in turn, get yelled back at, and honked at.

The first term is nearly over. My class has made considerable progress. I'm happy to say that even other teachers have noticed it! Doogie and I had our first fight, ever! We worked everything out, and I told her that considering the amount of time we've worked together, it's more than admirable that we can say this is our first fight. She agreed, I'm happy to say.

One of my students donated her lost tooth to a class science project. What a sacrifice! She said she had wanted to leave it for the Tooth Fairy, but gave it to us instead. We put it in a glass of Coca-Cola and are watching it's progress. I have a feeling it will be slow, but worth it!

Our class has also embarked on a new journey! We have signed up for the Flat Stanley project. It's basically a pen pal kind of program, but international. My students are really excited! We are first sharing with a class in Maine. We got to spend some time in the computer lab and we googled "Maine", just to have a better clue as to where we were sending our Stanleys. They were really interested, and learned a lot about the state. I can say, we've had a lot of offers to host Flat Stanley for a week. Too many! I'm the only teacher from Mongolia who's signed up. The students spent a lot of time writing their letters and drawing pictures. Next, we'd like to send Stanley to Africa!

Sorry, again, no photos are uploading today. Plus, I also managed to flood the apartments down to the first floor! I live on the fourth. I left the tub for 2 songs and the nozzle filling up the tub managed to find it's way to filling up the floor. I came in and, I admit, began swearing. There was at least an inch of water on the floor! I mopped it up, and decided to not let the water go to waste. While I was in the bath, and of course, had something in my eyes, there was the tell tale knock at my door. I thought perhaps I had avoided disaster, but nope! All the way down to the 1st floor! I'm wondering how else I can get in trouble today. Mmmm..let's see.