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Published: November 7th 2010
The Housemates
Beth and FarrahThe title of this blog is dedicated to my soon-to-be-departing-Mongolia-friend, Beth, who has used this statement many times over the past 3 months to retain her amazing optimism. I will certainly miss her. 😞
And I have to say, since I published my last blog, I have had some great experiences.....so let's commence!
The race that didn't stop a nation
The 150th running of the Melbourne Cup has been and gone. I certainly told my Dad that the best looking horse in the race was 'Americain' but I followed up on another import, 'Manighar', instead. Silly me. I may not have seen or heard the race live (thanks to being at my only work meeting for the week!), but I still managed to lose money on my betting account. That trifecta, so close, it was just not 'Maluckyday'.
I did, however, get to watch the closing stages of the race on BBC World News, so it was not all bad.
And surprisingly, I was
Wear Orange #1
The first shot of the day - complete with snowfall (Jo, Beth and Farrah) told by my interpreter the next day that the Mongolian news services also showed the Melbourne Cup on the evening news. She was so pleased to be able to tell me that 'Americain' had won the big race. Yes, yes, just rub it in!
Wear Orange Wednesday and other improvements to my apartment
On Wednesday 10 November, Victoria is celebrating the work of 5,500 State Emergency Service volunteers through 'Wear Orange' to work or school day. There is also a competition to win an iPad by sending in photos of you and your colleagues wearing orange.
What has that to do with me in Mongolia? Well, I was very fortunate to receive a tube of A3 posters of my favorite themes from home (see my interior apartment pic for evidence of the wine, whisky and cycling prints) which included a series of SES posters. So, with a bunch of UB volunteers, we braved the cold and a snow shower to have an 'orange' photo shoot in front of Chinggis Khaan. I am hoping my pics are unique enough to win me that iPad. Regardless, at least the Victorian SES volunteers will know that their efforts are
Wear Orange #2
Becky - replete with orange earrings and bag appreciated from afar by other volunteers - from the UK, Canada and the Philippines!
As to my apartment, the exterior also changed last month - I finally have a secure balcony! So I have put in a pic of that and my building to give you a feel for my accommodation situation.
Ger weekend
To celebrate Beth's final weekend in Mongolia, a party of 11 hit Bogd Khan National Park for a weekend at a ger camp. The pictures tell the story better than any words.
Late on Saturday morning, we started a hike which ended up taking over 5 hours up to a great lookout named Tse Tse Gun. You could see the vast spread that is UB and the nearby town of Nalaikh plus I enjoyed seeing the huge ovoo at the peak - I just love the color and movement of all those prayer flags!
The highlight of the walk for me, though, was walking amongst trees! Sounds so basic, but it is a rare treat in Mongolia!
The evening was spent eating, drinking, and playing games like 'Celebrity Head' - which is interesting when so many nationalities were represented
Wear Orange #3
Jo, Becky, Farrah and Me in front of Chinggis Khan - and 'Werewolves'/'Mafia' - which were variations of a card/tactical/story-telling game I had never heard of. I have written down the rules and will be happy to set up a game or two at a party when I get home!
It was a lovely weekend away!
Getting a hair cut
Yes, it may seem a mundane topic but I just have to report on this.
One of the difficulties for me when travelling is finding a hairdresser I can trust. After more than 20 years of visiting my dear friend, Michelle, and simply saying "do whatever cut and color you want", it is scary for me to sit in a salon anywhere else, especially a non-English speaking one.
So, my interpreter sorted out everything for me. We went to a store and bought a box of Garnier color for about A$3 and then headed to the salon. As with all things in Mongolia, there are no appointments, so I simply waited for the hairdresser to be free. My interpreter explained that I simply wanted a trim and color, negotiated the price and left me to it.
There is one universal truth about hairdressers
First snows
Very early morning from my kitchen window on Friday 22 October. - they love to chat! So it was very odd, sitting in a salon and being silent whilst the rest of the salon was bubbling with chatter. I managed 'yes', 'no' and 'okay' but that's about it.
By the time I left, my hair was looking so much better (although a little too red for my liking) and I had to fork out the massive sum of a little over A$4 for the privilege. Can you believe it? Less than A$8 for a cut and color!
When the hairdresser said 'Please come again', I nodded vigorously. Why wouldn't I be back?
Shaman ritual
The sister of Beth's interpreter has recently become a shaman. As I may have mentioned previously, many Mongolians are Buddhists but there remain a few traditional Shamanists and I am always keen to learn about different religions and philosophies so I jumped at the chance to attend a ritual in this lady's home in UB.
It was impressive. The costume, the beating of drums, the shaking of her body, the appearance of three different family spirits who each consumed different foods and drinks and each said in their own voices and
My apartment building
I live on the first floor at the opposite end of Building 6 translated by Beth's interpreter that we were scared of them. They also spoke to each of us separately. Nothing said to me rang true in my opinion but I was given a 'bracelet' of red string to drain away all the bad/negative feelings around me. Can't knock that!
Visit to Sharyn Gol (Yellow River)
A few weeks ago, with just 5 minutes notice, I was asked by my director if I would like to visit the small town (soum) of Sharyn Gol. "Sure" was my immediate response. Never again! I have now agreed with my interpreter on a list of questions to ask when this type of situation arises again like "what is the purpose of the visit?" and "how long will we be there?" We left Darkhan at 10:45 am, travelled in a crowded 4WD for over 90 minutes on roads which would be impassable without 4WD and then arrived at Sharyn Gol hospital. En route, we found out that the reason we were visiting was that there had been an unexpected spike in hepatitis in the town. Well, more than 5 long hours later, an investigation was completed and a report written by the infection
My secure balcony
Last month, workmen came and removed the flimsy wooden and glass structure around my balcony and replaced it with metal. I am no longer concerned about thieves simply scaling the balcony to get it! control team and we headed home to Darkhan. In that 5 hours, I was given a tour of the hospital (15 minutes), had some lunch (15 minutes) and wandered around the town (30 minutes). The rest of the time was spent practicing my Mongolian with our driver and sitting in the hospital director's office doing nothing! Agggghhhhh! Oh well, at least I have seen one of 'our' soums but arriving home after 8pm was not ideal!
Some days are diamonds......volunteering in the psych ward
Last Friday, my second stint of volunteering at the psych ward, and the first without my interpreter, was possibly the best 2 hours of my time in Mongolia to date.
I was there with the local volunteer leader, Davaajav, who, like all others present, speaks no English. But you know what? Language is not necessary to connect with people. I was so impressed with her. She had clearly made a plan of action for the 2 hour period we had. Starting with some group exercise, a few gentle stretches, it was obvious she is a firm favorite of the patients. Next task, some drawing. At this stage, my contribution was simply sharpening the
Update on my apartment
Reminders of home.....thanks Scott! pencils!
Whilst everyone was drawing, Davaajav was writing on blackboard. Apart from the title, which I recognised as 'My father', the rest of the text was unintelligible to me but within 5 minutes all of the patients and Davaajav were singing the words in perfect harmony. It was delightful.
We then started playing games - half with cards (the particular game of which I am yet to understand) and the other half with knuckebones. First off, was a horse-racing game, then a variation of tiddly-winks where you flick 'like' knuckbones together without touching any others. Each game is reliant on which side of the knucklebones is facing up - and they each are named according to a Mongolian animal - horse, camel, goat and sheep. The patients blew on the knucklebones for luck, participated in a bit of sledging (or so it seemed), and loved laughing with me when I failed to flick the knucklebones with any skill - including a few fresh-air shots!
As I left the volunteering room for the day, the overwhelming smell of the ward hit my nostrils and as I hurried out, I couldn't help noticing the large number of patients lying
motionless in their beds in the shared rooms that feature nothing but 4 inadequate beds and 4 bed side tables. It just makes me more determined to ensure this daily volunteering program continues to give these patients 2 hours of postive stimulation a day.
Some quirky stuff to finish with
- Roundabouts - I have only seen two in Mongolia - one here in Darkhan, one in UB - but it seems the rules of roundabouts are completely the opposite to what I am used to. You give way to vehicles entering the roundabout, not those already on it!
- Petrol - no one ever fills up! It is mostly because few people have the cash to do it. On longer trips, like to UB, taxi drivers use the fares their current passengers provide to purchase fuel. And all service stations are full service - there is no self-service in Mong!
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Scott
non-member comment
No thanks needed
No need to thank me, but a little surprised that the 150th posters aren't above the TV so you can see them always, or are they on the roof of the bedroom ;). While these ones were a surprise any others you would like let me know. Oh, is that a laughing bird on the wall ;) Your dedication to serving others as a volunteer is an insperation, enjoy the cold weather coming up :) (look at the bird on your wall)