Peking to Paris Rally

06/01/07
I was beginning to think this was going to be a dull summer around here in UB. It's June 1st, classes are over, no adventures planned thus far for the summer. Still trying to figure out what to do next - stay another year? Go home?

This evening, I was walking home, trying to dodge crazy drivers as I crossed the street, when suddenly, a couple of antique cars came rolling by. I had to stop and think for a moment where I was. For one thing, owning an automobile is a fairly new concept here in Mongolia that has only skyrocketed in the past five years. Even rarer, to see a vintage vehicle. I suddenly had this flash of being in a small town in Wisconsin at a Fourth of July parade! The cars pulled onto the ramp at the Chingiss Khan hotel across the street from my apartment. Whoa! (This morning it was young kids riding horses down the streets of UB in honor of Mother and Children's Day – another rare site as horse and cattle have pretty much been banned from the city) A few minutes later, another old jalopy drove up. High up on the hill, I looked up at the hotel entrance and noticed a whole bunch of old cars sitting up there. On closer inspection, they all had placcards that read "Peking to Paris, 1907-2007".

It was 8:45 pm and the sun was beginning to set, so I ran up three flights to my apt., grabbed my camera and dashed across the street. I noticed one of the cars had Illinois license plates! So I told the guys I was from Chicago and apparently one of their partners is from Chicago as well. They explained a little bit to me. Above is the webiste for more history and information. They showed me the original Italian car that won the first rally in 1907.

The photo of the old black jalopy covered with mud kind of sums it all up though. I sympathize with these guys having driven through parts of Mongolia with no roads, just tire tracks and the occasional unsuspecting marsh. At least they survived the Gobi and a torrential sandstorm - should be the worst of it... weatherwise. Although it will be curious to see if the Jaguars and Aston Martins make it across the Steppes!

So I think I found my new motto: “Peking to Paris!” I've always wanted to travel through Central Asia and Eastern Europe....and of course, Paris…

Women and Children's Day

06/01/07
International Women and Children’s Day
It was a beautiful summer morning here in UB. If I had a back porch or garden, that’s where I would have been to write the weekly news. Alas, it was not meant to be and I tried to think of the next best place on such a beautiful morning. The French Bistro!

So I packed up my laptop in my backpack and headed out the door. As I passed over the river, I could see from the bridge that Sky shopping center had many activities set up for the children and that a large crowd of people had already begun to form in the parking lot. I made my way to the café across from the Mongolian National University’s building #1.

The glass doors along the front of the café were wide open and it was as f the café were part of the street, merging onto the sidewalk. It was a great place to sit and watch the parade of children and families on their way to Sukhbataar Square for the Children’s Day festivities. I would walk over there after I finished writing the news.

The café was unusually busy today. Not the best time or place to focus on writing news items. So after a couple of hours and my “big cup of coffee with milk”, I went indoors to pay my bill. To the left of the cashier, were a few café tables pushed together and about a dozen small children crowded around it, flanked by two Catholic nuns in traditional long habits. It was like a scene out the storybook, “Madeleine!” The small Mongolian children were wearing oversized ball caps that had “Sisters of Notre Dame” printed across the front. They were all being served big plates of what looked like a steak dinner. The owner, a graying, but handsome, Guy, sauntered over with cigarette in hand. He motioned to the children and shouted “Mangez! Mangez!” (eat! eat!) I felt too shy to as, but got the impression these were orphan children that he was giving them a special meal for Children’s Day – so cute! I wished I’d had my camera.

Later, I walked over to Sukhbataar Square, this time with camera, to check out the festivities. The square was full of people. There were stages with entertainment, concessions, tents from various businesses, and organizations who were selling, distributing, or demonstrating; vendors selling food and toys. But what really got my attention was a recreation of a 13th c. village from the latest Chingiss Khan movie. The kids could go inside a ger, see men dressed in old armor, try on costumes and get a general feel for 13th c. life. It was pretty cool and I know some adults who would think it was pretty cool too!

The day or afternoon ended with recording the weekly news program at TV25. One of the program technicians is expecting a baby soon. While I was leaving, I got the usual question from our news director, “Do you have any children? Or do you plan to?” In an ideal situation…sure. She seemed kind of sad and I asked her, How about you? She’s engaged to be married soon. Then she mumbled something about being too old. “How old are you?”, I asked. “30!” “That’s not too old!” But apparently, by traditional Mongol societal standards it is. Cultural differences. Then I reminded her of the woman in New Jersey who recently gave birth to twins at the age of 62! We both chuckled and agreed how lucky that woman is.
So as I finish writing this (in yet another café – Nayra’s – after indulging in their free issue of Vogue magazine) I think I will walk home and write my Mom, sisters, nieces and nephews an email and wish them all a Happy Mother and Children’s Day!

Katie Eat Your Heart Out!

In March, I responded to a newspaper ad for one of Mongolia's weekly english newspapers. "Read the news in english", the ad said. I was looking for a part time job and a new experience other than teaching english. I thought they meant editing and that I was interviewing for a part time gig editing the news for the UB Post. It turned out to be one of those "lost in translation" moments that actually worked in my favor in the long run. "Read the news in english on national TV?! Are you serious?" Yes, I've taught, given lectures and presentations in front of large groups of people, but TV was a whole new ballgame...much less journalism. Although I've had a number of friends in the field of journalism, I never expected to find myself doing this. "Can you do it?", the Chief Editor asked. "Yes, I think I can."

I have to say, I give Katie, Diane and all the news people out there a lot of credit. There's a lot going on behind the scenes that the viewer doesn't see. Sometimes it takes me nearly two hours to choose, edit/rewrite the short news stories that I read for a five minute segment. When I arrive at the studio, I have to meet my news director. Then they have to set up the computer, lighting, camera, sound and computer/recording equipment. During my reading, I have to pay attention to many things. For one, I have to control the computer that has the news script I have prepared. So I have to scroll down and read at the same time. I also need to be aware of the pace of my reading, tone of my voice, eye contact and posture. I usually try to practice at home, but I still get nervous at the studio. There's also a lot of activity going on all around me while I'm reading. I also have to be aware of any cues from my news director or the technician. After I read and record my segment, we have to edit it. This also means adding titles, photos or film footage on the computer. That's pretty cool to see and do.

I wish I had Katie or Diane's stylist and assistants too! It's a pain to try and come up with something "newsworthy" to wear in front of the camera. And doing my hair never works - it's always raining, windy or very dry here and no matter how many products I use, I can't do a darn thing with my hair.

The other interesting aspect of doing the news, is sometimes presenting difficult stories - stories about unfortunate happenings or things that you may or may not agree with. On the other hand, I've presented stories about things that friends have done or stories that will educate people about a topic and hopefully make a difference - that's a good thing.

The other unexpected thing that has come with doing the news, and that is a touch of celebrity. Many of my friends have called me or stopped me and said, "Hey! I saw you on TV!" My students especially. One of my young students came running up to me one Monday morning and said, "Julie-teacher, Julie-teacher! I saw you on TV!" "Oh really?", I said. "What was I doing on TV? What did I say?" To which he responded, "Oh I don't know....bla, bla, bla."

This summer, they started posting my newscast to an international news website. You can view it by following the link above. "That's the news for this week. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend."

Sainshand Adventure!

Coming soon!

April in Beijing

Spring in Beijing
Coming soon!