Two months ago today I landed in Mongolia. It has been two months since I decided to take a life changing jump and move around the world to a country and continent I had never been to before. Time goes so quickly when you are making memories, exploring, and learning so much. Since moving here, I have had nine weeks of non stop exploring. Mongolia has so many interesting, unique things to see and do.
The weekend before school started was packed with new experiences. Saturday started with a trip to the “black market,” Dunjingarav. Ulaanbaatar has a few markets that started as black markets during the Soviet era but are now legal flea markets. They sell many imported goods and a lot of Chinese knockoffs. Some teachers grouped together and rode the school bus to the market to pick up some more supplies. I got a much needed fan for my apartment and some rugs for my bathroom. I also saw the best grapes I had seen since I got here so I snagged some of those. The market was a large warehouse with aisle after aisle of little cubicles stuffed with various items. You could find anything from hair products to butchers. It was really cool to get to explore and see what there was to offer. I should have gotten more but it was slightly overwhelming and I did not want to impulse buy.
After returning to our apartments and leaving our stuff behind, some new friends and I went out to explore. We walked so much around the city. There is public art everywhere and I loved getting to see all the modern buildings next to Soviet style architecture and even some traditional Mongolian palaces. Something I had been looking forward to since taking the job was going to Sukhbaatar Square, the large public plaza in front of the Mongolian Parliament building with a huge statue of Chinggis Khan (Genghis Khan’s actual name). I’d been especially wanting to see the opera house, which is a beautiful pink building where the state opera and ballet perform.
It just so happened that there was an international food festival going on while we were at Sukhbaatar Square. There were people out enjoying life, playing volleyball, roller blading, and lounging around in front of the stage. We saw a cooking demonstration from a local restaurant and then the stage turned into an open mic session. As I mentioned before, karaoke is very popular here. Mongolians are a singing people. Historically, they have been a nomadic people who spend much time in the countryside herding their animals with little access to entertainment. Because of this, they spend a lot of time singing to pass the time and entertain themselves. Their love of singing has stayed with them, even now. There was never a lull in performers as person after person took the stage to sing songs. Funnily enough, they sang many American songs. Of course, I hadn’t really arrived in Mongolia until I sang karaoke so I took the stage and sang Baby One More Time by Britney Spears. I had a blast.
On our walk home, we took a shortcut through the National Amusement park. The park has a rollercoaster, ferris wheel, lake with a castle, and other attractions to enjoy. I love that there are so many cool things for people to enjoy around the city, and they are all very accessible. We did not have to have an expensive ticket to get into the park, and were free to walk around as we pleased. To ride rides, one just purchases tickets to use at each ride. We didn’t ride anything, but I plan to at some point. I was told that, during winter, they freeze the lake and turn it into an outdoor ice rink. I just got my new ice skates delivered and I am looking forward to trying them out once winter has fully arrived.
Overall, the weekend was amazing. I really feel like it helped me get to know UB and settle into my new home. It was great navigating the city with friends and getting a good mental map of where things are. I was super exhausted so I mostly relaxed on Sunday. I was getting nervous to start school come Monday with my new students.
-Michael
Chalkboard Trailblazer 