Cultural Connections

Ger Camping in Terelj National Park

2009-08-21T03:47:00.006-05:00

Terelj national park is a lovely place to take a break from the urban insanity. It’s a bit overrun with tourist camps, but there are plenty of places to hike and take a break amongst the interesting rock formations and alpine like valleys dotted with wildflowers. We tried a few different camps, some mentioned in Lonely Planet’s Mongolian guide.

The first camp we stayed at was Melkhi Khad, located in a lovely, quiet valley near the Aryapala meditation center. Getting there via the unpaved road was a bit treacherous. It’s a family run camp and not as well maintained as the guidebook says. The twin beds appeared to be from a garage sale and I feared waking up in a collapsed bed. There were no showers and the bathroom was shared by everyone. They served traditional style Mongolian food which was ok. We were able to arrange horses to ride up to the gate of the meditation center. Our young guide reminded me of my 11 yr. old nephew.

Next, we stayed at the UB2 lodge to be near the Terelj River. The Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP) was having some kind of meeting there that week, but we managed to get a ger in the back. Not very traditional in décor, but a much nicer and cleaner accommodation compared to the first camp. However, they charged us about $5 less than a regular room and of course we had to walk to the hotel to use the toilet. We also had to ask to use a shower and Altay was told he couldn’t use the shower for some unknown reason. Hotel food, which was prepared by a European chef, was overpriced and not very good – shocking! In general, service was poor; staff was unorganized, uninformed and not very well trained.

Last, we stumbled upon the Khan Terelj camp – the best camp of our visit. A fairly new, family run camp with clean and cozy, well furnished gers. Settled in a large valley surrounded by interesting rocky mountains, it is located in the center of the park. It was nice to wake up to the sounds of cows mooing and horses neighing in the background. We had to pay a few extra dollars to use the showers and sometimes the hot water ran out, but that was the only downside of the camp. Staff was friendly and well organized – ok, maybe they needed to work on their English, but then, they appeared to have mostly visitors from other Asian countries like Korea and Japan. The food was very tasty with wonderful presentation. We spoke with the Mongolian chef who had been trained in Czechoslovakia. She put the fancy restaurant chefs to shame! We met the camp manager and his parents who knew Altay’s parents. They also showed us how to make cheese and yogurt.

After the five day break, we were recharged and refreshed and ready to tackle wild city life again!

A Day in the Life of Mongolia

2009-08-21T03:13:00.003-05:00

There is a famous traditional style painting in the Zanabazar museum called, “One Day in Mongolia”. It depicts Mongolia's daily nomadic lifestyle. But this traditional lifestyle has changed rapidly, especially with the establishment of Democracy and globalization. The traditional lifestyle is virtually obsolete here in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, home of more than one million people.

Here is a composite sketch of my current “Day in the Life of UB”. Initially awake about 6 am due to the bright and early sunrise. About 7 am, a young man calls outside the cluster of concrete apt. buildings – “Milk for Sale!” If you’re not awake by then, you usually will be from someone’s car alarm, or someone slamming their heavy metal apt. door, or a train horn from the nearby freight yard.

Fill up the electric kettle and boil some drinking water for the day. After a cup of coffee or tea, see about getting on the internet and connecting with the outside world. English language TV programs are limited and most stations aren’t up and on the air until about 9 am. No “Good Morning America!” Dial up connection seems to be run by moody yaks that operate on their time. Today, it’s unavailable altogether because the landlady has not paid the phone bill and has gone on vacation for a couple weeks. Decide to go out to a Wi-fi café.

Hope that there is hot water available for a shower or water at all. In summer, the city likes to conserve hot water for the winter months - ?! and will often shut it often for a few weeks in August or early September. Mind you, the hot water is always scalding hot. Why they keep it so hot, as well as the heat so high and have to control the temps is mind boggling. Leftovers from the controlling Soviet era - ?

Off to a café – walk down 4 flights of uneven, Chinese constructed, concrete stairs, past piles of garbage and the smell of old mutton. While walking down the street, I keep my eyes to the pavement as most of the sidewalks are now broken concrete and uprooted Chinese produced polished ceramic tiles. While walking in the downtown area, one also has to be aware of their bag and pockets as pickpockets work together and are VERY clever. I nearly had my laptop taken out of what I thought was my well secured backpack. You also have to be keenly aware of the traffic as drivers think they are in a horse race and rarely stop for pedestrians, even if you are already crossing the street!

At the café, the electric sockets are often falling out of the walls (similar to my apt.). Ugh. After playing around with the plug, ordering a coffee, we’re back in business. The cafes are great if you can get a table. But keep an eye on your things as people often wander in off the street. The other day, a young girl who looked to be about 5 yrs. old, tugged on my sleeve. I barely noticed her. She was holding a small box of wet wipes and was trying to sell them to me for 1,000 tgs. (In the store they are half that price) But often, alcoholic parents will send their little ones into the street selling stolen goods to raise money for the next bottle of vodka. Best to give them some food. It really tugs at one’s heart. Often too, while intensely writing an email, someone will come up and ask where you are from, if you are married and have children, how much money do you make and then ask you to teach them English – for free of course.

It’s about noon, so to keep my spot and the internet connection going, I order some lunch – “sloppy dorj”, the Mongol version of sloppy joe, except they seem to have put mayonnaise and mustard on this version. Oh well…
To be continued….

My Welcome Back to Mongolia

2009-08-07T23:54:00.001-05:00

About a week after I arrived back in Mongolia, my boyfriend took me to his older brother's apt. to meet his daughter who won a green card in the US lottery and his step daughter who is studying for an MBA near Washington, DC. The daughter who won the green card is going with her family to live in Seattle. That's a whole other story! Unfortunately, they are under the impression the US has granted them some grand prize and that they will be getting jobs, an apt. and allowance for their 3 children. If that's the case, I want a green card!

It was 9 pm on a Friday night and we had been waiting for 3 hours for him to call and tell us when to come over. We got the call and I nearly passed out from walking up the 4 flights to their apt. in an old concrete Russian style apt. building. When I entered the door, I nearly fell into a whole dead sheep being de-fleshed in my honor by 2 guys. I quickly turned around and started gagging. Everyone laughed and Altay's sister-in-law kindly took my hand and walked me around it. So there we were, sitting in a tiny 2 room apt. while a sheep was being butchered on half of the apt. room floor - Welcome to Mongolia!

Then there was the customary presenting and drinking of fermented mare's milk, toasting each other with shots of whiskey, eating dried cheese, pickles, then slices of boiled sheep liver wrapped in a thin piece of fat (being guest of honor, his brother presented me with the first pieces of meat) then boiled blood and then dumplings filled with chopped meat and some fat. Basically my worst nightmare! Something I have more or less managed to avoid - especially the dead sheep. And hey, I suddenly realize the young step daughter from DC has conveniently disappeared….did she know something I didn’t know?

Someone recently told me I could write my own “Eat, Pray, Love” book. I said, “Yes, it would be called – Mutton, Mutton, and More Mutton!”
(NOTE: The illustration above is taken from the traditional painting, "One Day in Mongolia. The woman at the bottom of the illustration sums up my reaction from the evening.)

Coming Home

2009-05-03T15:49:00.003-05:00

Guess I fell off the blogging band wagon here. Can’t believe it’s been a year – yikes. Life just gets in the way of this blogging business. In this society, sometimes it’s difficult to slow down, stop and think about what’s going on all around us. That’s why I envy the Mongolian Nomads sometimes. They must have a lot of time to stop and think while you’re gazing out over the valley, keeping an eye on the herds.

I thought coming back to Chicago would allow me the time to pause and think about what happened to me while in Mongolia the last two years. But that has not been the case. Interestingly, I came across an article I saved while in Mongolia:

“Pole Wakes From 19-Year Coma in Democratic Country - WARSAW (Reuters) - A 65-year-old railway man who fell into a coma following an accident in communist Poland regained consciousness 19 years later to find democracy and a market economy.”

Can you imagine?!

That’s how I kind of feel about coming home – like I woke up from a two year coma. Many things have changed in the two years I was away from the US. I thought I was doing a good job of keeping up on things via phone calls, emails and the internet. But it’s amazing, for example, what new technology has developed: ipods, iphones, facebook and social networking, police cameras at intersections. Not to mention new music, fashions, trends, tv shows, yada, yada, yada. In just two years! Even job hunting in the traditional method of sending out paper resumes has changed. Now you can create a website and even a video resume.

So here I’ve been back in the US for nearly a year now. I had expected to come back, get a temp job, make some extra money, work on my art work for a few months and try to organize a future art exhibition/project, catch up with family and friends and eat as much Thai and Mexican food (which I missed). But the US economy took a nose dive, jobs have been scarce, galleries have closed and funding for lots of things has been cut dramatically. Back in Mongolia….the Parliament is STILL “working on” the mining agreement, inflation is high, the value of the US dollar has risen dramatically, and it seems I have more job potential back there, working as an English teacher than I do working as a temp in Chicago – go figure!

I am happy that I was home for the election of our new President. I feel very hopeful, as do many of the friends I talk to overseas. On May 24th, the people of Mongolia will elect their new president. I hope they choose to make a change and are lucky to have a refreshing and inspirational president as we have. I’m looking forward to returning there again soon.

Award Winning Mongolian Film, "Khadak"

2008-04-16T07:59:00.006-05:00

(originally published in UB Post, March 2008)

The internationally acclaimed and multi-award winning film, “Khadak” will make its debut here in Ulaanbaatar on Thursday, March 20th. The feature film by Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth is a poetic journey which tells the story of Bagi, a young nomad destined to become a shaman.

The film has won 17 awards at film festivals all over the world, including: the “Lion of the Future” award at the 63rd Venice Film Festival; Best Actor and Actress Award at the First Asian Film Festival in Singapore; the Cultural Award of Flanders in Belgium and an Honorable Mention for the Swarovski Cultural Innovation Awards at the Toronto International Film Festival. Batzul Khayankhyarvaa and Tsetsegee Byamba, who play the lead characters, won Best Actor and Best Actress awards at the First Asian Films Festival in Singapore on December 4th.

Set in the frozen steppes of Mongolia, Khadak tells the epic story of Bagi, a young nomad confronted with his destiny to become a shaman. A plague strikes, killing many animals in the countryside. Nomads are therefore forced to relocate to desolate mining towns. Bagi saves the life of a beautiful coal thief, Zolzaya, and together they reveal that the plague was a lie, fabricated to eradicate nomadic life. A sublime revolution follows.

Filmmaker, Peter Brosens first came to Mongolia in the early 1990’s, a time when Mongolia was a newly emerging democracy. It gave him the opportunity to see it transform into an entirely different society. His initial impressions of this transformation were first portrayed in “City of the Steppes” (1993), followed by “State of Dogs” (1998) and “Poets of Mongolia” (1999). His films attempt to capture the idiosyncrasies of the culture. “Khadak” is his first feature film, co-directed with his partner, Jessica Woodworth.

One of the key themes in the movie is how Mongolia has changed - the once nomadic culture has become increasingly urbanized. The film explores the tensions between modernity and traditional life. And with the debate over mining policies these days in Mongolia, “Khadak” is a timely reflection of the anxieties and turbulence produced by such controversial mining policies.

Currently, Brosen and Woodworth are preparing their next film, “Fragments of Grace”. They also have plans to do some filming in Peru, later this year. Jessica Woodworth plans to attend the premier here in Ulaanbaatar.

Link to YouTube video:

Using Museums in Education

2008-04-16T07:56:00.002-05:00

Using Museums as a Tool for Teaching
(originally published in UB Post, December 2007)

In the U.S., museums have become resources for teaching. Museums are places where we collect and display pieces of our world, our history and our views of the world and life in it. Museums help us to remember who we are, who are ancestors were and the nature of our world. Visiting a museum exhibit about dinosaurs, or seeing real ancient objects is far more exciting than just to reading about it in a book or seeing a picture. And although museums may seem a bit boring at times, there are ways to make a visit more interesting. Here are some creative tips to use museums in your teaching or just to make a museum fieldtrip more interesting if you prepare in advance.

You may want to pose some of these questions to your students before or during a fieldtrip:
• What is a museum?
• How did all these things get in the museum?
• Who studies things in a museum?
• What is an artifact? (tool, rock, fossil, dinosaur, etc.)
• How was the object used?
• How was the object made? (example: How are fossils made? How is pottery made?)
• How is one object different from the other? (example: How are a duck’s feet different from an eagle’s feet?)
• And more thought provoking questions like: Why did the dinosaurs disappear?

Make it an adventure!
Turn your museum visit into a treasure hunt. Create a handout with a series of questions. Here are a few examples:

1. Find a dinosaur with big sharp teeth. Write the name of the dinosaur. Why do you think it has big sharp teeth? What did it eat? Draw a picture of the dinosaur.
2. Find a duck. Look at its feet and draw a picture of them. Now find an eagle. Look at its feet and draw a picture of them. Compare the feet of the two birds. Why are they so different? Think about where they live and what they eat.
3. Find a painting of the God Namsrai. What symbols do you see? What animals are in the picture? What do you think these symbols mean?
4. Find a Deerstone. What pictures or symbols do you see? How do you think this was made and who made it? Draw a picture. What do you think the pictures mean? Write a story about the pictures.

Create a list of new vocabulary. If you are teaching English this is another good way to practice new vocabulary by using real objects. Walk through the museum and use the exhibits to teach the names of things.

After your museum visit, have students follow up by writing or presenting a report of what they saw and learned. Have them answer some of the questions as listed above. They can draw pictures of what they saw. They can also make copies or models of the objects by using paper. Or have them work in teams and make their own museum exhibit from small boxes and objects they make or find.

Finally, many American museums have education departments that have developed teaching resources. You can find more ideas and information (such as about dinosaurs) on some of their websites.
Here are a few:
American Museum of Natural History: www.amnh.org
Smithsonian: www.smithsonian.org
Field Museum: www.fieldmuseum.org
Metropolitan Museum of Art: www.met.org

Arts Council of Mongolia

2008-04-16T07:49:00.002-05:00

Arts Council of Mongolia at Five, and It’s Just the Beginning…
(originally published in the UB Post January 2008)

The Red Ger Art Gallery, Arts Education Programming, Arts Advocacy and training, Cultural Heritage and preservation, are just a few of the projects initiated by the Arts Council of Mongolia (ACM), which celebrated its fifth year anniversary in December 2007.

According to Ts. Ariunaa, Executive Director of the Arts Council, 2008 will see the ACM continue to build on its foundation of programs and partnerships while developing new ones. It will continue such programs as the small grants program for artists, the Monastery Mapping project, and the “I Can Do It” program. Future plans include a Korean-Mongolian arts residency program, an after school arts education program at the Red Ger Gallery, preservation of the Chojiin Lama Temple with funds from Xanadu Mines, the development of a new TV show, “Arts Puzzle” that discusses issues relating to the Arts and Society, and the development of a master plan for Mongolian arts and culture with government ministries.

Recognizing the importance of art, culture and heritage in the development of a free, open and economically vital society, the ACM’s mission is to promote the development of Mongolian arts and culture. It was founded in 2002 with initial funding from the Soros Foundation and has gained the support of business, civic and arts leaders and citizens. It has established partnerships across the globe with similar cultural institutions in the U.S., Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Japan and Korea.

An Advocacy program is being established to promote policies and legal structures and partnerships with various local and international agencies to support the arts and cultural development. Forums have been held addressing important issues of cultural policy, financing, and tourism. Another goal is to raise awareness of the arts through media.

The Arts Council has been instrumental in increasing arts awareness and the importance of the arts throughout the Mongolian community through their arts education programs. These programs have also promoted creativity, critical thinking, the development of life skills, particularly for vulnerable and disadvantaged youth. Some of the programs have included: the Rainbow Horses project, the “I Can Do It” program, and the “My History, My Culture” TV series.

The Cultural Heritage program was established to preserve Mongolia’s rich cultural heritage. The program aids in preservation, education and promotion of Mongolia’s culture. It has provided support and education to many of Mongolia’s museums and has initiated a “Monastery Mapping” project.

A gala celebration and awards ceremony was held in early December at the Khan Bank Theater. Five awards were given to members of the arts and culture sectors who have been leaders in the promotion and preservation of the arts and cultural heritage.
Those who received awards included: Mr. Altangerel Zundui for restoration of of Danzanravjaa’s famed Khamryn Monastery; The State Morin Khuur Ensemble; Ms. Sergelen Bold of the State Opera and Ballet Theater; Ms. Byambasuren Davaa for her film, “The Weeping Camel”, and People’s Artist, Mr. Jantsannorov Natsag.

Teaching English

2008-01-25T08:35:00.024-06:00

10/20/06 “Julie’s Love Letters” After I finished writing the last journal entry, I went grocery shopping and nearly changed the title of this blog. I found this box of cookies called “Julie’s Love Letters”. I laughed. It seemed “sweetly” ironic to me on a few different levels. The past few weeks, I have slowly been piecing together the educational system here. For one thing, school starts every year on September 1 (this year it was on a Friday!). I didn’t start teaching until September 18, which meant I had already lost two weeks of teaching. There’s been a bit of a communication problem and a lot of assuming going on. Based on the job interview, I was under the impression I would have a certain number of classes with specific books to use. I had also seen the curriculum outline. All seemed very organized and straightforward. The reality is that I share grades 1-3 with three other Mongolian teachers who are trained to teach English. Each grade has 50-60 students, so the three grades are divided into sections A and B, so you now have 6 different classes. Each section is divided in half so there are 12 different sections. I teach one-half while one of the other teachers, teaches the other half. So I am scheduled to have each section about twice a week. This means I have six classes per day, 12 sections per week and about 150 students total. The other three Mongolian teachers have two grades and about 50 students per week. I suppose this was arranged so that each child would be exposed to a Native Speaker. Ok, then there is the matter of teaching materials. I’m sure you teachers out there know that it does not work having two different teachers teaching the same kids from the same book. You would have to orchestrate it, or each would be stepping on the other’s toes. Moreover, the kids would get bored if everything were repeated. Well, I had been tossed into the classroom with little explanation and no resources except for the books the children already had. The other teachers kept saying to me how the parents were complaining that their children could not speak English. It was as though I was expected to wave a magic wand and magically all the children would speak English perfectly. I was frustrated. I was an artist and anthropologist! I had only taught and developed fun/informal programs for the museum. Yes, I had done some volunteer teaching, but I was not formally trained. So I did the best I could with what I had. One day, one of the Senior English teachers walked in and started criticizing me and my 1st grade students. That was the last straw, I walked out of the class and let her finish. Ironically, the Department Head had come looking for me. She had talked with the other teacher and then found me in the hall. She was finally beginning to understand my situation. She said the other teacher realized she was wrong in what she did and apologized. (Although, she still continues to interrupt my classes!) I have since had a few talks with the Department Head and she has slowly come to see the bigger picture. In addition, I am getting an understanding of the bigger picture here in Mongolia, including the National Standards. One side note to all of this: Traditionally children did not enter first grade until they were eight. That standard has now been changed this year to seven. Next year it may drop to six. I asked what the children do before they enter first grade. “Mongolia has a very good child daycare system”, I was told. “Do they learn anything?” I asked. “Well, no, but they are taught games and nursery rhymes.” “When are they taught the alphabet?” I asked. “They don’t learn the Mongolian alphabet until the first grade. So we cannot teach them the English alphabet until after we teach them the Mongolian alphabet.” “ That’s very confusing for them”, I said. Therefore, I explained how most American children start to learn their ABC’s in preschool, so that they all know their alphabet before the first grade. Then you can teach them words, phonics, etc. No wonder the kids can’t speak much English in first grade - their poor little heads must be having information overload! Apparently, our Dept. Head is new to her position and is trained as a history teacher and not as an English teacher. I tried to explain to her the difficulty of two teachers teaching the same children from the same book. “I should be playing a supporting role to what the other teachers are doing”, I told her. She realized she was not prepared for me and my role in the department. I was also confused about our inability to teach the 1st graders the alphabet. How could I teach them English without teaching them the letters?! And how could I explain things to them if I don’t speak Mongolian? It made more sense if I taught the 2nd and 3rd graders who already knew some English. Well last week, I was told…the day before, that we would be attending a seminar sponsored by Oxford University Press. (I’m also beginning to think the concepts of “timing” and “planning” are new to other parts of the world…Anyone care to comment?) A British Education Professor that the Moscow branch of Oxford Univ. Press brought in taught this seminar. She was wonderful! She reiterated everything I had been saying to the other teachers and Dept. Head. I suggested to the Dept. Head that we invite her to our school afterwards. She accepted. We had a group discussion and I applauded her for her ideas and presentation. I asked her about the concept of two teachers teaching from the same book as well as not teaching the alphabet. She agreed that two teachers should not be using the same book and that I should be playing a supporting role. I didn’t win on the teaching without the alphabet concept, but I think she was also surprised by the national standards as I was. I am now scouring other workbooks, the small school library, storybooks, and the internet to develop all of my own lessons from scratch. This weekend I’ll be developing some sort of tests for them. Evaluation is a whole other new game for me that has not been clearly explained. Oh well, I just go in and do what I can and hope that my students will grow up to be smart and fabulous. Maybe one of them will become President or at least reform the education system!

Mongolia’s Wild Horses

2008-01-25T08:35:00.022-06:00

One of the most important animals in Mongolian culture and history has been the horse. Chingiss Khan and his men conquered most of Eurasia by horse. Amongst archaeological finds are many decorative metal pieces of horse bits and bridles as well as saddle decorations. But what most people don’t know is that Mongolia has been home to the last surviving wild horses. We’re not talking about the mustangs of the American west. The Prezewalski horse (named after the Russian explorer of the same name.), or “takhi” as they are known in Mongolia, is the precursor to the domestic horse – similar to those seen in cave drawings found in Europe. They are the native horses of the Central Asian Steppe. In the late 1960’s, the Takhi nearly became extinct due to poaching. They have since been re-introduced into Mongolia thanks to breeding programs by zoos from around the world. There are now a little more than 200 takhi living in Mongolia.

Khustai National Park, about a two hour drive outside of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, is now a protective home for the takhi. While living in Mongolia, I had the pleasure of visiting the park, known as a wildlife reserve. When we visited in November, we also saw a large herd of Red Asian deer grazing in the foothills – what a treat!

You can visit the park year round, go hiking, horseback riding, have a meal at the park center or stay overnight in a ger. For more information visit: www.treemail.nl/takh/index.htm

Mongol Media (coming soon)

2008-01-25T08:34:00.000-06:00

Adventures in Kharkhorin (coming soon)

2008-01-25T08:33:00.000-06:00

Beijing In July

2007-08-03T06:06:00.000-05:00

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore! Dream! Discover!"
- Mark Twain

Beijing - Noon time, July 16, 2007

I’m sitting on an ancient stone slab bench, under an ancient cypress tree, in the ancient stone courtyard of the Confucius Temple, on the grounds of the Imperial College, built by the Grandson of the great Khublai Khan. I've just realized, it's been 25 years since I entered Indiana University to begin my own scholarly studies in Art, Archaeology and Central Asian History. Across from me, in front of the Confucian Temple, is an ancient, living Cyprus tree that is rumoured to be at least 700 years old! Imagine the history it has seen.

It's nearly one year before the Olympic Games in Beijing and everything is under construction and being refurbished for the “Grand Show” - for all the world to see!

Outside the Imperial College “campus”, down the old

narrow street lined with Buddhist souvenir shops

and the walls of an old Hutong, I discovered an 18th century courtyard house. It has been converted into a lovely teahouse – Yisheng Teahouse. There’s nothing like this in Mongolia, much less the U.S. I wish I could take this place with me. I’ve seen a few old courtyard houses that have been converted into something quite similar. This one is off the beaten path and quite tranquil compared to the hustle, bustle and haggling that goes on just down the street.

The courtyard is full of potted flowers and plants, a few trees and birds. The rooms are lined with old bookcases and decorated with various antiques, old carved wooden chairs and tables, silk and brocade pillows, artwork, musical instruments and books. There are many kinds of exotic teas to try. I had a lovely Jasmine tea. There is classical Chinese string music playing in the background. All the natural elements rolled into one. It’s all very peaceful.

What a treat – this is vacation for me!

Peking to Paris Rally

2007-06-10T06:17:00.001-05:00

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

2007-06-10T06:15:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-06-10T06:13:00.002-05:00

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!

2007-06-10T06:13:00.001-05:00

Coming soon!

April in Beijing

2007-06-10T06:11:00.000-05:00

Spring in Beijing
Coming soon!

"Equinox" and "Camel Polo"

2007-03-25T11:04:00.000-05:00

March 25, 2007; 11 p.m.; month 6; 40 F; cloudy

“We must be willing to get rid of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” ~ Joseph Campbell

Sometimes it’s hard to believe I have been here six months already. I haven’t been away from my home and family this long since college! And I am missing my family, friends and some small things…like a good old Chicago hotdog and fries from Suzie’s! But as in Joseph Campbell’s quote above, sometimes we have to make sacrifices to experience new things; to experience life anew.

It hasn’t always been easy here, but it certainly has brought many interesting moments and experiences to grow that I would never have had in my old life. This month we had both a lunar and solar eclipse – unfortunately, I missed both due to clouds. But as the astrologers will say, with eclipses come change and this month has had its share (as if I haven’t had enough already). The Women’s Day exhibition certainly brought lots of publicity, interviews and connections.

Last week, I was offered an opportunity to read the weekly news in English on National TV. Oh, and we attended the first ever camel polo championship and race. This week, a friend offered me an opportunity to work with him on his tourism business. I’ve also decided to set up an online shop with Café Press to sell some of my artwork and photos. Six months ago, I never would have dreamed that I would be given such opportunities. Who knows how long they will last, what they will lead to or if they will succeed. I am ever grateful for these opportunities and my friends and family who have supported me!

Winter is slowly turning to spring here on the frozen steppes. The temperature has been hovering close to 40 F here all week. The smoke from the ger district is not as heavy. The flower seeds I planted are finally sprouting on my kitchen window sill. The little elderly ladies in their bright brocade dels, who disappeared during the winter months are beginning to congregate outside again. And the calves that were grazing along the river before the winter freeze have reappeared…nearly full grown. All signs that spring is coming and life is being renewed!

"Women's Day Art Exhibition"

2007-03-10T09:49:00.000-06:00

Thursday, March 8th was International Women’s Day – a national holiday here in Mongolia. Schools and offices were closed to honor the holiday. It reminded me of Mother’s Day, but less commercial and all inclusive; all women were honored. I saw many shops selling flowers, cakes and candy for the occasion.

On short notice, I was invited to participate in an art exhibition at the National

Modern Art Gallery, along with two other women artists. As is typical in Mongolia, things were a bit unorganized and always at the last minute, but somehow the event always manages to be “pulled off”. It always amazes me. In the U.S. we would need at least one year to pull off such an event!

In the U.S., an art opening is usually a rather informal event – a small reception of wine and snacks, perhaps a toast and few words of thanks to the organizers. When I arrived at the National Gallery, there was a small crowd of people waiting, mostly friends and fellow artists, but also the museum director, tv cameras and university professors. It was a bit overwhelming! There was even a ribbon cutting. What I didn’t know was that this was the first joint Mongol-American exhibition at the museum. Information and details always seem to be slow in getting to me or unimportant (sigh). There were tv and newspaper interviews and we got quite a bit of coverage for the event. Quite a feat for Women’s Day.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I could only produce one installation for the event. A photo and artist’s statement are listed below.

“Twenty-One Praises of Tara”

As a woman artist, I have had an interest in the portrayal of women and the female form, particularly in ancient history, religion and folklore. The Goddess Tara has always fascinated.
In Mongol-Tibetan Buddhism, Tara (Tibetan: sgrol-ma) is a central Goddess figure. She protects all women. She is considered incarnate in all good women. It is believed that Tara was born from the tears of Avalokitesvara, out of his concern for the many sufferings of humankind. The twenty-one praises of Tara is just one portrayal of this Goddess.
This is my interpretation based on the concept of quilting which my mother practices. It is made of pieces of ceramic and brocade fabrics used to make Mongolian women’s dels as well as the frames for religious paintings (thangkas).
In honor of Women’s Day, I wish to dedicate this piece to my Mother, all the women in my life, and those who have touched my life in some way.

-Julie Pitzen March 8, 2007

"Tsagaan Sar"

2007-02-26T09:41:00.000-06:00

Sunday, February 19th, 20+ degrees F
…Or “White Month”, is the start of the traditional Mongolian new year. Traditionally it was a herdsmen’s holiday. Today, it’s a family holiday much like American Christmas or Thanksgiving. There is much preparation of special foods and small gifts for family and close friends. People go from home to home (or ger to ger) visiting, eating, drinking and greeting each other for the new year. Generally, this lasts about 3 days in the city, but seems to carry out through the week until all the food has been eaten and all family and friends have been greeted.

A special food table is created for this holiday. Many white foods are bought and made as white is the color of good luck for the new year. The items are stacked in layers on a kind of large round cookie. Many of these items include dairy products such as cheeses made from cow, goat, sheep and yak milk. There are also white cakes, cookies and candy including rock candy that looks like a pure crystal. To drink, there is airag, fermented mare’s milk, also milk tea, and of course vodka! The center piece is the back of a young sheep - symbolic for the herdsmen and for good herds in the coming year. And the main course – buuz! The traditional steamed meat dumplings. I have heard that families make hundreds of these to feed their guests.

I was invited to the homes of some of my artist friends. We toasted each other for the coming new year and I got to sample all of the traditional foods and drinks. I only wished my own family and friends could have experienced this.

People also go to the local Buddhist temple during the first week. There they ask the monks and Lamas about their horoscope for the coming year – if the year of the pig will be prosperous or not. They also make special prayer requests for the protection of their families.

There is also a custom amongst the men. (I haven’t heard of any for the women.) They climb to the top of one of the four sacred mountain peaks that surrounds UB. At the top of this southern peak, is an ovoo, a kind of shrine. This sacred spot is designated by a pile of rocks and offerings. The men walk clockwise around this shrine (usually 3 times) and cast small rocks onto the pile. There are also offerings of khatags (blue silk scarves) and perhaps vodka. This is a kind of appeasement to the gods for a year of prosperity and well being.

Happy Year of The Pig!

Art Nirvana

2007-01-28T23:22:00.000-06:00

When surveying art history or the biographies of artists, there are many who have left their homelands in search of inspiration in exotic lands or landscapes. For example, the American painter Georgia O’Keefe, who grew up in a small, rural town in Wisconsin, studied art in the big city of Chicago, went to New York, and then left the east coast for the desert landscape of New Mexico – quite a contrast to life in New York and the lush landscapes of the east coast. Gauguin, whose colorful paintings were inspired by his life on the exotic island of Tahiti. And one of my favorites, Malvina Hoffman, who was a student of the famous sculptor Rodin. Malvina won a commission from the Field Museum in Chicago. She traveled the world to create a collection of bronzes depicting the many faces of the world’s cultures for a museum exhibition. The experiences of these artists in these exotic landscapes or other cultures, inspired them, and later defined their art and who they became as artists.

Five years ago, I would have never thought I would be living in Mongolia, much less meeting or working with Mongolian artists. It’s like a dream; it’s surreal. As I mentioned earlier, when I was younger, I dreamed of being an archaeologist and studying the ancient history of Central Asia, Siberia, Mongolia. I was fascinated by the animal style of art – the meaning behind the symbols, the spirituality, the movement of line, the animation. The artwork, as well as the culture and history, have been a fascination of mine, one that has slowly crept into my own artwork. Since 2004, when I first visited Mongolia, it has become stronger.

In 2005, I returned to Mongolia for a second time. This time as a volunteer. Little did I know I would be introduced to many artists, professors, galleries and many fellow ceramic artists. If you want to understand the soul of a culture, you look to their artists and writers – they are the windows or the eyes of a culture’s soul. Meeting and talking with many Mongolian artists was very eye opening regarding Mongolian culture. There was also a great connection. Perhaps we artists are the same throughout the world. Certainly, our mediums connect us and I found a special connection with Mongolian ceramic artists. It’s funny, some of us like to smell and taste the earth in the same way! Perhaps because our ancestors have produced ceramics for thousands of years and the earth connects us historically, geographically and spiritually.

Now that I am living in Mongolia, I am able to see, learn, and connect even more. This past fall, I visited an exhibition by artists of the Blue Sun Gallery. The theme was based on Mongolian business logos. It was interesting to see the artists interpret these logos or businesses in the style of American Pop artists, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol.

Recently, I visited the studios of several members of the Union of Mongolian Artists. It was exciting to see so many artists at work – the color, movement and energy in their work. For example, I had never been inside the workshop of an artist who creates monumental sculptures or bronze sculptures. It was how I imagined Malvina Hoffman or Auguste Rodin’s studios to be. And to discuss surrealism with one of my favorite Mongolian painters – I never dreamed I would meet him and so it was a real treat. Like an American friend said to me, “Jules, it sounds like you are in art nirvana!” So after experiencing Mongolia’s landscapes, like the sculptural rock formations of the Gobi, and its culture, such as Nomadic life and Buddhism, it will be interesting to see what develops in a year, or five years from now.

For now, I am busy meeting with artists and learning about Mongolian contemporary art. They have shown me their studios, artwork, new galleries, the National Art Gallery and art college. I have been given clay to create my own sculptures. In addition, I have been given many pamphlets and catalogues about their artwork - including an interesting one on "Earthworks" - art made of nature in the Gobi! Some of us are currently discussing some exhibitions for this year and next. I am hoping to do a show with a fellow ceramic artist on Women's Day, March 8th. And Of course, I would like to bring some of them to Chicago. We await the first edition of a new magazine on Mongolian Contemporary Art. If anyone is interested in receiving a copy, please let me know.

Here is a photo of my good friend and Artist extraordinaire, Mr. Boldbaatar. He is an art Prof. at the Technical University, Member of the Union of Mongolian Artists, exhibit designer for the new Chingiss Khan Memorial museum and creator of the new World Art magazine.

Blue Sun Gallery: www.bluesun.mn

Union of Mongolian Artists (UMA): www.uma.mn

Mongolian Arts Council: www.artscouncil.mn

More photos later...

"Happy Merry Christmas"

2007-01-03T09:13:00.000-06:00

Many people have been asking me if and how they celebrate Christmas in Mongolia. Let me say I have never been to so many parties in one week, in my life! I think I was invited to six, plus lunch at a friend’s home, but only made it to five.

As a few Mongolian friends said to me, Mongols are a little confused about Christmas and New Year’s. Traditionally, they did not celebrate either, just their traditional New Year’s in late February – “Tsagaan Sar”, which is really to celebrate the beginning of spring. When the Russians came along in the early part of the 20th century, they brought their celebrations. However, because the Communists did not celebrate religious holidays, they combined Christmas with New Year’s. So here, you have Christmas trees and Santa Claus, but no real celebration on December 25th. Still, I had friends over for dinner on Christmas Eve (making the traditional family kugel) and went to dinner at a Ukranian restaurant Christmas Day.

The party season seems to start the last week of December up until January 1st. As one friend put it, the parties are more “corporate”, sponsored by one’s workplace, companies, organizations and schools, not really family oriented. Our school held a Children’s Party in the Children’s Palace on December 28th. Some of the classes gave performances of traditional songs and dances mixed with nursery rhymes and Christmas songs. Then there were clowns, magicians, puppets, and a visit by Santa Claus who looked more like St. Nic or Father Christmas – dressed in a long, light blue, fur trimmed coat, a Mongolian hat and carrying a staff.

The other parties I attended were very interesting. One was for one of Mongolia’s largest family corporations, MCS. They own a construction business, telecommunications, beverage company, real estate, and a school to name a few. Held at the Grand Khan Irish Pub, it was like an American corporate party, complete with live entertainment. Next was a party for a non-profit – the Mongolian chapter of People to People International. This was a very formal Chinese-style dinner, held in a hotel, where the women wore evening gowns. There was some live entertainment, party games and a DJ. The last big party was for the Professors and senior graduating class of the School of Foreign Relations. Another formal dinner held at a restaurant. I was accidentally introduced by a senior professor (who already had a shot of vodka) as a professor from the University of Chicago….wishful thinking!

December 31st tends to be for family gatherings. New Year’s Eve, people pop their champagne bottles, there are fireworks throughout the city, and people gather in Sukhbaatar square – which was all televised, just like Times Square in the U.S.! And so ended the year-long celebration of the 800th Anniversary of Chingiss Khan’s formation of the Mongol State.

No Ordinary Thanksgiving

2007-01-03T03:23:00.000-06:00

No turkeys in these parts of the world. Kind of missed the annual Thanksgiving feast. There is some chicken; otherwise, it's all beef and lamb. They don't celebrate Thanksgiving here obviously, but some of the teachers had Thanksgiving activities for the kids – writing thank-you cards to parents, etc.

Thanksgiving eve, we went to a reception for an art exhibition on Mongolian Pop Art. A group of artists I know created paintings based on Mongolian business logos - ala Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. I also met a Member of Parliament and more interesting artists, writers, and poets from Mongolian society. It was like an art scene from the 50's and 60's in New York or Paris - everyone with their berets, tweed jackets, smoking their cigarettes...kind of romantic in a way. I’ll write more about the art scene later.

Then we went to the "Grand Khan Irish Pub" - sounds like an oxymoron. There was a Mongolian rock band playing that night. They were very good at imitating American rock. They even played Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" which made me think of a family summer at Lake Louise.

Thanksgiving Day was also interesting. Had planned to treat myself to some tandoori chicken at a local Indian restaurant, but after my Mongolian class, I met my friend Altay. He is working on his PhD and has patented a wonderful computer program teaching English with pictures. He wanted to show one of his old professors his program and dragged me along. His professor was a very charming older man who has written many books on Mongolian place names found throughout Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Who knew?!

After that, we went to visit one of his friends who is Chief of Mongolia's Bureau of Environmental Affairs. I talked with him about some ideas for public education and museums. He knows the head of museums and it would be nice to work with them on some projects.

Then we went to dinner at an interesting place – The Lenin Museum. As you enter the large concrete building, there is a big hall with some mosaics on the wall and a giant head of Lenin in the middle. I was waiting for him to start talking to us. The Mongols haven't taken this down because they discovered in the past few decades, that Lenin was part Mongolian – another surprise.

One of Altay's family friends joined us for dinner - an older gentleman who has composed many famous songs for Mongolian movies. He's also been an actor and now works on documentary films. He's very funny too, kind of a cross between Johnny Carson and Charlie Chaplin, but he looks a bit like Henny Youngman.

So no turkey for dinner; no American food. I wondered who was taking my place at home making the gravy. No, this Thanksgiving was spent with friends, eating Khuushuur, (one of my favorite Mongolian foods actually) and toasting Thanksgiving with Chingiss beer and a shot of vodka.

As my family would say: “Svakes!”

Chingiss and me

2006-12-17T08:54:00.000-06:00

When I have talked to Westerners or non-Mongols about Mongolia, they usually mention either Roy Chapman Andrews or Chingiss Khan (aka - Genghis). And usually when they mention Chingiss, they tell me how he was a cruel and unusual man. I can tell you Mongols would disagree. In fact, many would like to correct this western notion of Chingiss, which is based largely on accounts written by those countries, tribes, and people who were conquered by the Mongols.

In his recent book on Chingiss Khan, Jack Weatherford, an American Anthropologist, paints a different portrait of a wise and worldly Chingiss, who united the Mongol tribes into a nation-state. In fact, I think Time magazine named Chingiss "Man of the Millennium".

2006 marked the 800th anniversary of the formation of the Mongol state.
There have been many celebrations, conferences, new books, films, artwork, and monuments created to celebrate this great event. Even the airport was renamed in honor of Chingiss Khan. Since this summer, I have been watching the construction of an immense new monument in Sukhbaatar square, in front of the Parliament building. For those of you in the U.S., it is reminiscent of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The central bronze statue is that of a giant seated Chingiss.
He is flanked by two of his generals and then at the eastern end, by Kublai Khan. Inside this great monument will be a museum containing artifacts related to the Chingiss era. A friend of mine, Mr. Boldbaatar is actually working on the exhibits.

Since I am no expert on this legendary figure, I may save an entry for some of my Mongol friends to share their ideas with you. For now, here are some photos of the new monument.

Kharkhorin Chili

2006-12-01T10:50:00.000-06:00

Temperature
Nights: -10
Days: +10

With temperatures like that, why did I move here you ask?! For the adventure of course, right… Fortunately, I have my lovely fur hat fashioned after an old Mongolian style hat and made by an old friend, Phelgye. He came from the high Tibetan Plateau where they know cold weather, same as the Mongolians.

The other day I came home from school and there was no heat, no hot water, and no cable TV! I needed to do some homework and writing, so I insanely headed back out into the cold to my favorite coffee shop that was nice and toasty warm. I looked at their menu to see if there was something warm to eat. They had many American style foods such as pizza and “sloppy dorj”, a variation of sloppy joe. I noticed they didn’t have chili.

Today I came home and designed my own chili based on ingredients I could find (some a bit exotic) and with a touch of local flavor. These included ground beef and onions from Mongolia, red lentils from India, tomatoes, and superior dark soy sauce from China, garlic, cilantro, brown sugar from Korea, chipotle peppers from Texas and Kharkhorin beer.

Unfortunately for you folks outside of Mongolia, one of the key flavorful ingredients is Kharkhorin beer, which cannot be found anywhere else. You can substitute it with your favorite dark beer, but Kharkhorin has a taste all its own. I hope Chingiss would be proud.

Side Note: Kharkhorin was the ancient capital city in Mongolia during Chingiss Khan’s rule. Historical manuscripts and archaeological evidence tells us that it was a rich and diverse city full of international flavor and visited by artists, scholars, and diplomats from all over the world Some of the visitors included William of Rubrick, Giovanni de Carpini and an envoy from Pope Innocent IV.

Serves 4-6

1 TB vegetable oil
2 lbs ground meat
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup of red lentils, soaked about an hour or until soft
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt, to taste
ground pepper, to taste
3 chopped tomatoes, slightly roasted in oil / or 1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes.
1 tsp. of beef bouillon
2/3 cup of Kharkhorin beer
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. dark soy sauce
1 tbsp. of chipotles in adobo

Chopped green onions, sprigs of cilantro, grated cheese and sour cream or plain yogurt for garnish.

In a medium sized pot, brown the ground beef, drain excess fat (interestingly, Mongolian ground beef is much leaner than in the U.S.). In a small frying pan, heat the oil and sauté chopped onions and garlic. Add chopped tomatoes. Fold onion, garlic, and tomatoes into the meat.
Stir in the beer, bouillon, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Taste sauce and adjust ingredients to taste. Add red lentils. Lower heat to a slow simmer, cover with a lid and cook for about 30 minutes.

Serve with bread and a side of cool cucumber and dill salad.

Mongolian International Railway Station and Museum

2006-12-01T09:57:00.000-06:00

For those of you who know me and my family, you know that railroading runs in our blood. Infact, you may even find a few cinders in our blood! Well, I know I've had it in my hair and eyes a few times. And my brother Chris isn't nicknamed "Coal Pile" for nothing. Anyway, before the weather turned cold here, I walked down to the International Train Station and Train Museum.

As I came upon the train station, a Mongolian train had just arrived from north of UB. It's not clear to me all the trains that come and go from this station. Clearly there are trains that come and go from as far east as Beijing and as far west as Moscow. It has been a dream of mine to take the train from Russia to Beijing, but that would take about a week. Maybe I'll due it in steps.

The station was bustling with activity and I captured a few photos of the action on the platform. Locals transporting goods to and from UB, a man waiting on the platform with the wooden frame of a ger, vendors selling food to travelers. It was kind of exciting to think of this historic railway that connected Eastern Europe to the Far East. Although, once the trains reach the Chinese border, they must change the train trucks to narrow gauge. This system was originally created to prevent the Czar from invading China.

The outdoor train museum has many engines in restoration - from steam to electric. There's even an American made steam engine from Pennsylvania. Would love to know the story behind that and how it got to Mongolia!

Halloween UB Style

2006-12-01T09:48:00.000-06:00

Ok, just catching up here on some postings and pictures. We actually celebrated Halloween at school. The kids were all excited as they dressed up and came trick or treating to each classroom. I was really surprised they celebrated Halloween here. Guess it is one of those western cultural things that is creeping in due to Mongolians traveling and living abroad. Many of the masks and costumes came from the U.S. or England. And yes, that is Bill Clinton in the background!

Life in Ulaanbaatar (or UB for short)

2006-10-14T02:34:00.000-05:00

Stardate: Week 5, 10/14/2006, 2:15 pm, 50F, Long. 107, Lat. 48 - too many references to Star Wars and Carl Sagan on TV last night! ;)

I had always wanted to work in the field of anthropology, but it always seemed a bit… self-aggrandizing and they were always trying to pigeonhole people and cultures. While working with a variety of people and cultures at the Field museum, I had a couple of enlightening experiences. One day,

I overheard a Tibetan friend tell another friend about my archaeology job at the museum. He said something like, “can you believe such a rich country as the U.S., pays people to study other people’s garbage?” Another time,

a Native American asked me, “So are you going to become one of those fancy anthropologists and sit behind a big desk too?” That was it, I couldn’t just take from a culture, I had to give something back. Instead, I worked with Tibetan friends in the U.S., trying to promote their culture. Same with Mongolian friends. Infact, the two share a great deal of history. More on that at a later date. So here I am, playing anthropologist anyway through this blog, but hopefully, promoting some understanding of Mongolia, as well as other peoples and cultures, along the way.

So…my apartment – I admit I wasn’t thrilled when we pulled up in front of the row of Soviet-built, cement block buildings after arriving very late at night. They remind me of some of the Projects in large cities throughout the U.S. Just as we were heading up to my 3rd floor apartment, a small door under the stairs opened and a middle-aged woman popped out. It was the building custodian. I introduced myself in the few words of Mongolian I know. She was all smiles and nodding her head. Apparently, she maintains the halls and stairs. We are not sent utility bills, so she also collects payment for the water and electricity.

The décor is a bit fancy for my taste. However, the next morning, when the sun shone in, I realized it was kind of cozy and a lot nicer than what many Mongolians have. Each room has just one electrical outlet, which can be challenging when you need to plug in a TV, telephone, and computer. My two burner electrical stove/oven looks like something from the 1950’s. Only one burner works and I’m not sure what temperature the oven will go to. Electrical appliances don’t always have the same plug. Things made in Korea for example, seem to have three prongs, where the standard outlet is made for two. Our heat is by radiator and is controlled by the government. They decide when it gets turned on and off.

Standards or standardization as a whole seem to be lacking in Mongolia. Another example is cars – some have the driver’s seat on the left, others on the right. However, traffic stays to the right side as in the U.S. ...most of the time. Driving in Mongolia is a whole other topic. My first experience was driving in the countryside, which was fun. You can’t drive in the countryside unless you know where you are going – there are absolutely no signs and few paved roads. Most roads in the countryside are simply tire tracks. You have to be sure you choose the correct set of tire tracks or you could end up lost in the middle of nowhere. Even an experienced driver can get lost. However, driving in UB has got to be worse than NYC. It’s even more challenging for pedestrians. As it is, pedestrians have to watch where they are walking on the sidewalk – from broken concrete, to construction, missing manhole covers, and then the cars that own the street. Walking itself can be an adventure!

Ok, all about school in the next segment!

Chicago-Beijing-Ulaanbaatar

2006-10-08T08:55:00.000-05:00

From the time I agreed to teach in Mongolia (mid August), to the end of my first week here, it has been a whirlwind. One which I could not have accomplished without my family, especially my Parents (who I can never reach at home), and I can't thank them enough.

All the while, I kept thinking of some of the Victorian women and explorers who moved their lives to the other side of the world - Alexandra David Neel, Roy Chapman Andrews and his family, etc. The trunkloads they must have filled with their books, research tools and personal effects. There were no suitcases on wheels or travel size accoutrements. Then again, they didn't have to deal with airport security!

Since I was a young girl, I dreamed of traveling to Eastern Europe and Central Asia. A dream partly fueled by my Grandpa Joe's tales of being a descendant of a Mongol Prince. Not sure if that is true, but he was intrigued by my college studies in Anthropology and Central Asia. Anyway, it's been a long and varied road, but here I am.

The flight from Chicago to Beijing is about 12 hours, and takes you over Wisconsin, Canada, Alaska, the Arctic, Siberia, Mongolia and China - making a big horseshoe in the sky. Above is a photo of the Arctic.

I spent one and a half days in Beijing and met a relative of one of my Mom's friends there. She has been living and teaching in Beijing for several years. She showed me around a fascinating area of the Beijing art scene - the 798 Factory Complex. It's reminiscent of the Chelsea district in New York. Quite avant garde for a communist country!

From Beijing, I flew over the Gobi to Ulaanbaatar onboard MIAT's Kublai Khan. Arriving shortly after midnight, I was whisked away to my new apartment. More on teaching and life in UB in the next posting...