Adventure to Erdenet

Some of our team recently took a van out to Erdenet. We struck out on our adventure at 7 a.m. on April 4.  It was a 6 1/2 hour drive there, and an 8 hour drive home (due to driving in the dark, wanting to avoid potholes and crossing cows and oncoming traffic which happens quite often here, and having a flat tire).   After arriving in town, our driver pulled over and asked a local where there was a good place to eat.  A woman directed us to...

So, Erdenet, a city of less than 100,000 in northern Mongolia, provides Korean cuisine.  It was delicious and nutritious! 

On we went to see the city.  Some of our teammates are considering teaching in this city.  I went along to get to know my teammates and Mongolia a little better.  It was nice to get a different view of Mongolia than just the busy city life we experience daily.  Yes, we've been to a ger, we've travelled out into the country, but this was a different area for me to see; also, Erdenet is the 3rd largest city in Mongolia, and I was curious what it had to offer and how it had developed since it was established in 1974 mainly because of a copper mine industry. 

For more info on the city itself, go here.

We were meandering around the city, seeing shops, a theatre, a sports complex, ATM's and banks.  These are all points of interest to someone who might move to the area.  There were two important places we were having trouble finding: schools and churches.  So, our driver stopped to ask a young boy and girl in front of a Mormon (yes, established in Erdenet) after-school activity center.  They willingly hopped into our van to lead us to a school and church within a block of one another.  Now, if these were my children, I'd be infuriated that someone invited them into their van and carted them around the city as tour guides.  But, this is Mongolia.  And this was a Mongolian driver asking Mongolian children, so I stayed out of it and watched the culture in action. 

Here's our new teammate (just arrived in late February), Barb, sitting across from me in the van.  We had seats facing one another.  Beside her was our young tour guide who led us right to where we needed to go.  We shared some candy with him, and I gave him a small bag of cheese I hadn't eaten for breakfast.  He willingly accepted both.  After taking us across town, our director gave him 500 tugricks (worth a little less than 50 cents) and he and his sister had to walk back across town to get back to their starting point...about a 10-15 minute walk. 

Young girls all over the world love to hang in groups.  Acceptance is such a need in our human heart, isn't it?  These girls cheerfully sang out, "hello" in English.  When we tried to strike up a conversation in English, though, they just smiled.  However, I asked them how old they were in Mongolian...9 and 10 years old.

On the edge of town is a new Buddha statue.  There are MANY steps to the top, and the statue itself sits atop a building which hasn't opened yet.  The idol is HUGE.

Here, a ger and van can be seen off to the left, as well as people in the front. 
This gives a view as to the size of this statue idol.

Perhaps some day our team members will have an encouraging influence on the children pictured earlier.  May each of them come to know the Father.

A Study in Contrasts

Tsagaan Sar was the story that seemed to never end!  Even though it started on Wednesday last week and finished (supposedly!) on Friday, we were called on Saturday morning to "Please come to our home" on Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon.  These last two visits were just as delightful as the others, yet in different ways.

Saturday, we were invited to Tuul's home.  She is a business woman I have met, and I tutor her in English once or twice a week.  We have been using a children's storybook about The Word.  This has been building her vocabulary and sentence structure capabilities in a meaningful way.  The last time we met, she said about the crucifixion story, "Oh, I saw this on TV."  Seeds being planted.  One by one.

Here, Tuul and her husband perform a little duet:

And, here's Tuul's daughter, posing in front of a plant in their home:

 

Tuul's husband presented his snuff bottle to us.  This is a Tsagaan Sar tradition.  The snuff bottle is also passed during other ceremonies and holidays.  It is filled with a mixture of tobacco and usually a sweet smelling mixture which reminds me of aftershave.  When it's passed to you, you reach your hand out and cover the bottle with your right hand, and bring it to yourself, cradled with both hands.  Then, open the lid and sniff it, comment on it (hopefully good comments!), and then pass it back to the owner with your right hand in a cradled position. 

 

As a centerpiece at the coffee table where we ate were these delicious fruits.  When we were the only ones at the table at one point, I said to Kevin, "Are those REAL grapes?!"  Kevin said, "No! They're plastic."  I just couldn't resist,  I checked.  They were real, and I ate a couple.  If they're on the table, they're to be eaten!  They were wonderful!

 

This was our 4th or 5th course at the meal!  We had already had salads, meat and pickles, buuz (of course!), and now we had this delicious plate of rice, potatoes, and white fish with a lemon wedge.  When we were served THIS plate of food, Tuul clarified, "This is NOT traditional Tsagaan Sar food.  This is special 'Kevin and Pam' meal."  We felt honored.  She was saying, "Thank you for tutoring me," in a special way.

We have plans to meet again soon at a mutually favorite restaurant.  Oh, and a nice bonus is that her husband speaks English very well!

Then, Sunday came.  We met our friend, Eegii, at our Sunday morning meeting place.  After being there together for about an hour and a half, we went by taxi, out to her home in the ger district.  She is a single mom and has been to Rochester, MN, twice, for her son to have two different surgeries.  It was there that she heard the Good News, and has been learning more since then.  

Here is Eegii's "hasha" which means "fence", but also "fenced-in yard".  Within her hasha are two gers.  To enter the hasha, we went through the tin door which is turquoise with Mongolian art motifs stamped on it.  The ger at the bottom of the hill belongs to her parents and also houses a sister.  The ger at the top of the hill is home to her and her son.  There is a wooden structure butted up next to the ger at the entrance.  This allows for storage space and a little more weather protection at the doorway.

Here are Eegii and I in front of her hasha.

 

Eegii's ger is one of the neatest, tidiest, cutest gers we've ever seen!  Lovely!  Note her son's bed behind Kevin with the shelf full of stuffed animals above it.  I'm guessing these came from America during his two surgeries.  To the left is the little white washing machine and the sink.  Although there's not running water, there's a sink with a drain hole to catch water for handwashing (pour the water over one's hands) or hairwashing.  The white/silver pole to the left of this picture is the smoke stack connected to the stove which keeps the ger warm and aids in cooking at times.

 

Here is Eegii's bed, directly across the room from her son's bed.  To the right is a cupboard for dishes.

Here's the "hobbit hole" front door. Not only does Kevin have to "duck", but so do I! Here, you can see the stove a little better. This is from the front of the stove. All gers are set up somewhat the same: kitchen items to the left and right of the door, stove in the middle, beds on the outer perimeters, table across from the stove. Men walk in to the left and sit on the left side of the room (where the son's bed is) and women sit on the right side of the room (where Eegii's bed is).

 

Eegii's son smiles as he draws a cross in the book we just gave him as a gift.  This Mongolian book is about the crucifixion.  He heard the Good News in America during his surgeries.  Our language barrier is difficult, but we've heard he is a brother!

 

Playing "Old Maid" together!

 

Even though there's no running water, there's electricity.  Here is an electric steamer, cooking our buuz
 (steamed meat pocket dumplings). 

Kevin tries out his Lego's building abilities which have been in hibernation for a few years!

While Kevin and Toogii built with Lego's, Eegii and I sat on her bed and read Psalm 1.  We talked in our limited English and Mongolian, about how important The Word is to our growth, just as the water for a tree is very important.

 

Kevin and Eegii strike a pose in front of her ger entrance.

 

Note details in this neighborhood: Many hashas with little houses and gers.  The hill to her parents' ger is steep, as you can see here.  We stopped in to say 'hi' to them before leaving.  They are sweet people.  Keep remembering Eegii, that she will grow in the grace and knowledge of her Lord.

I've Been Sniffed!

So, in yesterday's post, I mentioned that we were celebrating Tsagaan Sar.  This is a Mongolian national holiday and it's the first time we've participated in the holiday.  In 2010, we arrived a couple weeks after the holiday.  In 2011, we were in Thailand for our organization's conference.  But this year, we have been a part of the festivities. 

Our cultural experience started on Tuesday this week when we visited the vendor market close by.  Tsagaan Sar was to start on Wednesday, and last three days (Wed-Fri).  So, Tuesday at the market was similar to our Christmas Eve at Walmart.  Just think chaos times 10.  Just think Walmart aisles shrunk by half or maybe less.  Throw in some extra people standing in the aisles trying to sell a few things...people who usually aren't there.  Then, scatter some broken cardboard boxes on the floor which you must step over or trip over, cellophane which has been torn off of packages for one reason or another, and a woman who has just bought a yogurt in a carton and is guzzling her lunch in between shopping. 

I embrace the culture and maneuver my way in between people to ask for "nigk back pulver packet" to purchase a 6-pack of baking powder for a new teammate who has just arrived in UB one week earlier.  He mutters under his breath to me, "This is overwhelming."  I promise him that this is not an ordinary day, in fact, I'm shocked by it, but so glad that I came this day to see a sight I might not see again.  This is truly a cultural experience!  I purchase a few apples, hoping to hand one to a man who was begging outside, sitting in his wheelchair with both legs amputated. 

After we left the indoor market, Kevin took our teammate, Pam, with him, to show her where to buy cheese in another building.  I took our newest teammate with me into the open air to get away from some of the crowd.  As we waited for Kevin, I saw a man exchanging money on the street.  Now, this is also a Tsagaan Sar thing.  When visiting families during this holiday, it is important to present new bills of money to them to signify the new year.  It dawns on me that it's afternoon, and Tsagaan Sar is officially beginning the next morning, and I don't know if we'll get to the bank later this day.  So, I approach the man and ask, "Taven myunk bilth, Yamar onte vey?" (Five 1000 Tugrik bills, how much cost?).  It was going to cost me about 40 cents to get 5 fresh 1000 T bills.  Deal made.  Done.  He didn't have anything bigger (1000 T is a little less than a dollar).  The man in the wheelchair was being pushed toward me by a friend.  I smiled and passed him an apple.  "Oh, Lord, bless this man," I prayed. 

On our way home, I also stopped at a money exchange building to get four more larger bills, and was quite happy that I was able to strike a deal, halving what they asked for up front.  I wasn't even sure if this was okay to suggest (Mongolia is not like China or Thailand...there's not a lot of dealing for a different price at most places), but I tried and it worked.

So, Tsagaan Sar is a holiday which is very important and big.  It's a time for people to get new clothes, visit family, eat buuz (steamed meat pockets), eat carrot and beet salads along with a few other mayo-based salads, and give gifts.  Usually the gifts are simple, small gifts.  We visited three families these past three days and received a set of four jelly spoons and several kinds of candy (in fact, I joked on the way home today that I felt like my stash in my purse was like a trick-or-treat bag!). 

Our first day of Tsagaan Sar was spent with a few teammates.  The guy on the far right had been in Mongolia for 10 days. 

The first day of Tsagaan Sar is reserved primarily to visit the oldest person in your family. Most families that we have asked, say that they make 600-3,000 buuz for all the visitors who will come to their home over the 3-day period! The second and third days are for visiting other family members and friends.

So, our first day, we had our teammates over. We ate a very non-traditional meal of naan (Indian bread made by our new teammate, Todd), chili soup, refried beans, rice, pumpkin scones, and a pudding dessert. The city was a ghost town with every business closed, the streets quiet except for a few cars travelling to their relatives' homes, and a few people walking to homes. We took a walk in the afternoon, down to Sukhbattar Square. It is the main square by parliament and is a busy "happening" kind of place usually. Wednesday, we counted 5 people walking across the square. It was a strange, eerie feeling!

The second and third day, we visited three homes of friends.  Upon arrival, you speak a greeting and lay your hands on the oldest person's arms.  You lean over to receive what seems like a kiss, but in actuality, the greeting person sniffs deeply from each of your cheeks.  I hope mine smelled sweet!  It's at this time I presented our crisp, new bill to them.  In my previous post, you can see the heaving boov. Here are a few other photos which tell our Tsagaan Sar story:

This lady is 73.  In the past, life has been very hard for the Mongolians, therefore, she looks older than her age.  This is Sunjid's grandmother, one of the homes we visited.  Sunjid is our friend who comes over almost every week. 

Here's the front side of the "hunny oats".  "Hun" is sheep.  This is the sheep back meat with a layer of fat on top.  It is very traditional for Mongolians to eat the fat of the meat.  In the past, when food was scarce, and work was always hard, (only 15 years ago and later), they ate the fat for extra calories.  We've heard, "You must eat fat to keep warm."  Hence, the extra calories are explained!  On top of this fat layer are some bones and a knife.  This is a very traditional item at the Mongolian Tsagaan Sar table...much like our turkey at Thanksgiving.

And, here's the back side of the same slab of meat.  The curled-down piece of fat is the tail of the sheep.  You can also see the meat on the left of this hunk better in this photo.

Here we are with Jargal (in blue) and her mother.

After visiting Grandma's house, Sunjid walked us to the bus stop.  We were in an unfamiliar area, so she escorted us.  Across from the bus stop were several small stores.  I just had to take this picture so you could see the small stores (every one of these stores probably carries about the same items: potatoes, onions, wet wipes, soda, crackers...you get the idea).  This was in the ger district where nobody has running water.  In fact, the only running water you get is when you run to the water house and fill your jug and run back home.  Notice the man in the blue deel (traditional clothing which about 40% of people on the buses and streets were wearing) with the red scarf/belt.  The small store buildings felt like an old western town on the movies.

One of These Things Doesn't Belong

Remember the old Sesame Street song, "One of these things is not like the other..." And the viewer was supposed to identify what the difference was in the items presented?  Well, here's the same idea.

Below are three different Tsagaan Sar heaving boovs.  I will write more about Tsagaan Sar in another post.  The layers of bread are the heaving boov.  There are also Mongolian and Russian candies as well as dried curdled milk products nestled within the tower of bread.

Our teammates, Pam and Susan, present the heaving boov which Kevin created on the eve of Tsagaan Sar this week
(Tuesday evening).

Today, we visited the home of one of our teachers who takes our teachers' workshop (Jargal in the blue shirt).  Her college-aged daughter (far left) comes to our home almost weekly to practice English and study the Word with us.  Their heaving boov tower is 5 layers high with many goodies interspersed within.

Next, we visited Jargal's mother's home (less than a U.S. city block away).  She had the "Queen" of towers with 7 layers and a bakery cake displayed on top.  The foil-wrapped chocolate candies were pretty tasty with our Soo Te Tsay (Milk Tea which is milk, tea, a little bit of salt, and sometimes some fat from the mutton or some butter). 

So, you decide: Which one DOESN'T belong!?!

Differences That Make a Culture

There are so many differences in the two Asian cultures of Mongolia and Thailand.  Every year, our organization requires all of their teachers to gather together in Chiang Mai, Thailand, to attend a week-long conference.  Almost all of the teachers who attend also spend 1-3 more weeks in some part of Asia.  This year, we are spending some extra time in Chiang Mai and Phukett...both in Thailand. 

For me, some of the differences seem to be magnified more this year than last...perhaps because last year, everything was new to me in Thailand.  Here are some of the most obvious differences I've taken note of:

1.  Weather!  Mongolia: we left when it was colder than -25F.  Thailand: It's been in the 80's every day we've been here so far.  Long johns, heavy boots, a scarf, hat, and coat have all been ditched for the quick and easy shorts and tank top! 

Proof that it's warm as I get chummy with the craziest mannequin I've ever met!

2.  Food!  Mongolia: Salt and pepper.  Potatoes, carrots, peppers, broccoli.  Amen.  Thailand: Spicy, deep, rich flavors.  Amazing flavors!  Fruits and veggies galore!  Did I say spicy?  Kevin and I had the spiciest meal we've ever had last night.  We were in pain.  Our eyes were watering.   I wanted to get out of my body so I didn't have to feel the pain in my mouth.  Luckily, the hot mouth syndrome died down about 15 minutes after the meal.  We want to go back to the same place later this week, but we'll order "mild"!

The white fruit has tiny seeds much like a kiwi.  It's dragonfruit.

Thai food on the street.  We haven't eaten any warm, meat-based foods from street vendors, however, we've gone to several "hole-in-the-wall" restaurants just like the Mongolian guanzes.  Good food!

3.  Manners.  Thailand:  Spitting or blowing your nose on the sidewalk is not a common occurence here.  People smile at you on the street.  Big, genuine smiles and a nod of the head.  Sometimes even an honorable bow.  People wait for one another to go through doors and offer one another to go first.  Mongolia:  These things mentioned are often the opposite.  To illustrate: The day we landed in Thailand, a Mongolian woman was pushing my back with her carry-on luggage as we exited the plane.  She pushed me again.  I had to stop to allow the man in front of me to bend down to pick up something and she pushed again.  I turned around and said, "You can only do that in Mongolia!"  I smiled politely, but with meaning.  She giggled and said, "Oh, sorry."  It is VERY normal to be pushed, sometimes just ever-so-gently, (and sometimes not) in Mongolia.  I've gotten used to it.  In fact, I sometimes gently press my hand into the small of someone's back to get through an aisle.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  However, I'm enjoying the difference of this in Thailand.

4.  Religion.  Both countries practice Buddhism.  However, there are many more temples here in Thailand.  There's a temple around every corner and large statues everywhere. 

Over 30 idols who can't see, hear, or help.

5.  Trash: It is perfectly acceptable to drop pieces of trash onto the ground in Mongolia.  I've seen proper citizens drop their gum wrappers purposely on the ground.  The best reason I can explain for this is that the socialism era has not totally died in Mongolia.  It's somebody's job to sweep the street and sidewalks.  Dropping trash contributes to someone else keeping their job, because there's trash which needs to be cleaned off the street. Thailand has a King rulership, and has for many years.  I'm not sure what the rules are concerning littering, but there's just not as much random litter, even though there are trash piles on sidewalks, collected, and ready to be picked up.  I am speaking of directly downtown.  We've been on some back streets with some major trash.  Don't get me wrong...this isn't heaven...there's just differences.

6.  Varmints:  In Thailand, we've seen a large mouse/small rat running along the sidewalk with a chicken leg; I swatted a mosquito last night which left a nice, round bloody mark on my calf (I needed to go to the hospital for a transfusion, he took so much blood!).  And we had a cute little lizard outside our B & B door last night.  Mongolia: mosquitoes are rare...well, non-existent this time of year, of course.  I've seen one little mouse over a year ago on a sidewalk.  I've never seen a lizard in UB.  I like the lack of varmints in UB, Mongolia! 

7.  Open alcohol use:  It's amazing that I haven't seen a single drunk passed out on a sidewalk here in Thailand.  The weather is perfect here for that to possibly happen.  However, in Mongolia, I've seen men and even a teen girl once (whom we helped), passed out in the freeeeeezing cold on the sidewalk.  I'm puzzled how this can be true.

8.  Language:  We stopped into a large, modern bookstore yesterday.  The number of American and British-written books which had been translated into Thai was astounding!  There were quite a number of original Thai-written books as well.  We even saw the Harry Potter series translated in Thai.

9.  Alphabet:  I'm so thankful that the language I'm learning is Mongolian.  Even though the alphabet is slightly different than English, it has many letters which are the same.  Thai?  It looks scary!  It looks like hieroglyphics.  sample of Thai language

10.  Traffic:  Taxis in Mongolia, of course, are cars.  One form of taxi in Thailand is a red truck that holds many people.  And, it's open to the weather.  Another traffic difference?  Motorbikes in Thailand.  Hardly a motorbike to be seen in Mongolia...even in the summer.  And the biggest difference? Very few horns are honking in Thailand.  In Mongolia, buses and cars drive with their horns!  Honking means, "I'm right here, don't pull out," "Get out of the way," "Move over, Rover," or any other thing the driver wants to communicate.  A horn is rarely used in the traffic in Thailand.

A red truck, open at the back, and benches on each side...a great taxi.

Art in Mongolia

On December 2, we enjoyed a visit to an art exhibition.  Tuya Natsagdorj and Tsegmed Tserennadmid invited us to their exhibition, after meeting Kevin when he was visiting Zorikhtuu at their daughter's English lesson. 

This man played a couple pieces of music on his horsehead fiddle.  I love listening to this instrument!

Here, Kevin and Zorikhtuu (an English teacher who has taken our course on teaching English better), pose in front of one of Tsegmed's paintings. 

I chose this painting as my favorite of Tsegmed's.

And, this is one of Kevin's favorites, also painted by Tsegmed.

Here we are with the two artists.  They are married.  Tsegmed is the husband.