Reasons I can tell it's spring in Ulaanbaatar:
- torn up sidewalks for some sort of repair/construction/shenanigans
- the grocery store entrance no longer forces you to go through two doors on opposite sides to break up the wind (ex. door1A to door2B to get in), now you can go through 1A and then 1B
Door 2A Door2B
(small antechamber)
Door1A Door1B
- no longer need to wear my facemask outside, even on long walks
- sun sets around 8
- i got to do a little travelling and then saw...
- baby animals (little lambs, not as little baby yaks)
- didn't need to wear a jacket at all last thursday afternoon
- people selling strawberries and bananas on the street off their cardboard boxes
Glad winter is finally over (though we still might get some snow)
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Never the weekend that I expect, but probably the weekend I deserve
I woke up Saturday with three goals: walk the 1.3 miles to BlackBox Theatre without being hit by a car or overly smothering my lungs in dust and car exhaust, support my friend/colleague Nomi at her TedMed talk, and get to my interview at 6 pm on time and relatively prepared.
I arrived more quickly than anticipated at TedMed, which turned out to be fortunate as I had been told the afternoon session would start later than it actually was. So I got there in time to give Nomi a quick boost, find a seat, and to learn about Mongolian contortionism.
(from TedxUlaanbaatar's facebook page)
This was accompanied by a demonstration from a very talented young lady that made me tired just watching. At one point she supported her entire body by holding a bar between her teeth. Mongolian contortionists apparently develop very strong chin muscles, among others.
It was a really neat to learn more about Mongolian contortionism and to experience the TED talks Ulaanbaatar style. Very well-run, enthusiastic event, lots of great people.
Unfortunately I had to leave just after the closing remarks and before the end celebration to make sure I got to my interview on time. She had suggested the coffee place in Central Tower, so I headed over and was, once again, too early. Since Central Tower houses the infamous Louis Vuitton store in UB, I wandered around a bit, peeking in the luxury stores, before succumbing to my tired feet and the lure of a tomato, basil, cheese panini.
Setting up interviews are always a bit intimidating- are my questions tailored enough but still consistent with my other data sets, am I prepared, am I on time but not too early, is my voice recorder good to go, is this a big waste of their time? I have however been very fortunate that everyone who has responded to my interview requests have been incredibly intelligent and engaging people, and I always, always learn something new. It's also interesting because through my work with the Arts Council and through my previous experiences in Mongolia, it's not just a formal interviewer-informant relationship, a little more colleague-to-colleague. They may be more directly sharing information, but we're talking through a set of problems facing Mongolian arts and culture management and exchanging perspectives, backgrounds, ideas. Transcribing interviews then is a challenge occasionally, deciding what is "data" and what is "conversation". In any case, every interview I've had as been a very pleasant experience, and I am very grateful for that.
Sunday I had a much more planned schedule with a lot less work on my part- go to lunch at Veranda (my favorite restaurant in UB) to meet with a visiting professor and then show him around two museums. I had been told two different times, but decided to show up to the earlier time and what I had been told most recently. Of course, we were meeting at the later time- but I finally took care of a few things I'd meant to do for months.
* Took some pictures of random, interesting things on the streets of UB
* Bought more stamps and postcards
* Climbed the staircase of the Chinggis monument and got my picture taken
That all accomplished, the ACM ladies, myself, and the professor had a wonderful lunch...so much so that we were running a little late for the museums. It also then turned out that the Choijin Lama temple museum is closed on Sundays, so instead Gerlee and I told him stories of UB's tumultuous construction, bizarre buildings, and restaurant hot spots. After depositing him at the theatre for a showing of Don Quixote, we walked west and I returned home, stomach and camera much more pleasantly full than before.
I arrived more quickly than anticipated at TedMed, which turned out to be fortunate as I had been told the afternoon session would start later than it actually was. So I got there in time to give Nomi a quick boost, find a seat, and to learn about Mongolian contortionism.
(from TedxUlaanbaatar's facebook page)
This was accompanied by a demonstration from a very talented young lady that made me tired just watching. At one point she supported her entire body by holding a bar between her teeth. Mongolian contortionists apparently develop very strong chin muscles, among others.
It was a really neat to learn more about Mongolian contortionism and to experience the TED talks Ulaanbaatar style. Very well-run, enthusiastic event, lots of great people.
Unfortunately I had to leave just after the closing remarks and before the end celebration to make sure I got to my interview on time. She had suggested the coffee place in Central Tower, so I headed over and was, once again, too early. Since Central Tower houses the infamous Louis Vuitton store in UB, I wandered around a bit, peeking in the luxury stores, before succumbing to my tired feet and the lure of a tomato, basil, cheese panini.
Setting up interviews are always a bit intimidating- are my questions tailored enough but still consistent with my other data sets, am I prepared, am I on time but not too early, is my voice recorder good to go, is this a big waste of their time? I have however been very fortunate that everyone who has responded to my interview requests have been incredibly intelligent and engaging people, and I always, always learn something new. It's also interesting because through my work with the Arts Council and through my previous experiences in Mongolia, it's not just a formal interviewer-informant relationship, a little more colleague-to-colleague. They may be more directly sharing information, but we're talking through a set of problems facing Mongolian arts and culture management and exchanging perspectives, backgrounds, ideas. Transcribing interviews then is a challenge occasionally, deciding what is "data" and what is "conversation". In any case, every interview I've had as been a very pleasant experience, and I am very grateful for that.
Sunday I had a much more planned schedule with a lot less work on my part- go to lunch at Veranda (my favorite restaurant in UB) to meet with a visiting professor and then show him around two museums. I had been told two different times, but decided to show up to the earlier time and what I had been told most recently. Of course, we were meeting at the later time- but I finally took care of a few things I'd meant to do for months.
* Took some pictures of random, interesting things on the streets of UB
* Bought more stamps and postcards
* Climbed the staircase of the Chinggis monument and got my picture taken
That all accomplished, the ACM ladies, myself, and the professor had a wonderful lunch...so much so that we were running a little late for the museums. It also then turned out that the Choijin Lama temple museum is closed on Sundays, so instead Gerlee and I told him stories of UB's tumultuous construction, bizarre buildings, and restaurant hot spots. After depositing him at the theatre for a showing of Don Quixote, we walked west and I returned home, stomach and camera much more pleasantly full than before.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Light fixtures, a series
Mongolian home lighting is very strange...it tends between a hanging lightbulb (wires mostly exposed) and overly extravagant fixtures. We took a "field trip" in my 2011 language course to the home goods shopping area (zuun ail), and one of the stores that specialized in lights had some truly bizarre pieces (especially the chandelier of glass soccer balls).
Here are the lights in my apartment (minus the bathroom's hanging lightbulb, because it's too dark to take a picture unless it's on and blinding you).
Bedroom...kind of look like hearts
Office. One of the three bulbs has burnt out, not sure how I'm going to try to replace that one.
Living room, in all its opulent purple and rust majesty
Kitchen, with unnecessary lacing. This is the lightbulb I really, really don't want to burn out.
Why, may you ask, am I so paranoid about lightbulbs? Because they are all different wattages and sizes (and not consistently or clearly marked), which means a frustrating shopping expedition.
Furthermore, my hall light burnt out (when I forgot to turn it off behind me when I went on vacation in January, oops), it was so difficult to get it out I'm honestly not sure how I'll screw the new one in whenever I finally get around to buying a new one.
Sort of good news on that front...
As you might be able to tell, there is a large watermark on the wall with the hall lightswitch (and the apartment's fuse box). That wall separates the front hall and the bathroom, and apparently somewhere above my apartment there is a leak. So there is water dripping down through that wall, warping the paint, possibly messing up the electric wiring...and making it a good idea to hold off on replacing that lightbulb and turning on that light fixture.
My landlady has been informed and the building has sent two servicemen to look into the problem, but we'll have to see...it's possible they might need to tear down and rebuild that wall entirely. I'm also not sure how many floors are affected, as it starts above me and apparently spreads down another two floors.
At least for now I still have water (and hot water), and I did a big load of laundry Sunday just in case.
Now if only I could walk around outside without my throat getting sore...
Mongolia in the spring :)
(In case you found this post depressing as opposed to bemused- I had a fantastic research day today and a possible turning point in getting a better idea of how many cultures, arts organizations are active in Mongolia)
Here are the lights in my apartment (minus the bathroom's hanging lightbulb, because it's too dark to take a picture unless it's on and blinding you).
Bedroom...kind of look like hearts
Office. One of the three bulbs has burnt out, not sure how I'm going to try to replace that one.
Living room, in all its opulent purple and rust majesty
Kitchen, with unnecessary lacing. This is the lightbulb I really, really don't want to burn out.
Why, may you ask, am I so paranoid about lightbulbs? Because they are all different wattages and sizes (and not consistently or clearly marked), which means a frustrating shopping expedition.
Furthermore, my hall light burnt out (when I forgot to turn it off behind me when I went on vacation in January, oops), it was so difficult to get it out I'm honestly not sure how I'll screw the new one in whenever I finally get around to buying a new one.
Sort of good news on that front...
As you might be able to tell, there is a large watermark on the wall with the hall lightswitch (and the apartment's fuse box). That wall separates the front hall and the bathroom, and apparently somewhere above my apartment there is a leak. So there is water dripping down through that wall, warping the paint, possibly messing up the electric wiring...and making it a good idea to hold off on replacing that lightbulb and turning on that light fixture.
My landlady has been informed and the building has sent two servicemen to look into the problem, but we'll have to see...it's possible they might need to tear down and rebuild that wall entirely. I'm also not sure how many floors are affected, as it starts above me and apparently spreads down another two floors.
At least for now I still have water (and hot water), and I did a big load of laundry Sunday just in case.
Now if only I could walk around outside without my throat getting sore...
Mongolia in the spring :)
(In case you found this post depressing as opposed to bemused- I had a fantastic research day today and a possible turning point in getting a better idea of how many cultures, arts organizations are active in Mongolia)
Friday, April 5, 2013
Long live the weekend (a recounting of March 23-25)
One of the most challenging but rewarding parts of living of Mongolia (and of living abroad in general), is saying "yes" to things you ordinarily wouldn't. Last Saturday and Monday were good examples of this.
Saturday my friend Christa and I had decided to go to a local salon so I could use my Women's Day giftcard and experience my first massage. Christa's gone several times to a few different places in UB, so I had some idea of how things worked but was also apprehensive. To be honest, I've never gotten a professional massage before since in general I don't find the concept very relaxing or worthwhile, but since it would be free (courtesy of my lovely co-workers) and I had a support/buddy system...I went for it. I knew I didn't want a full body massage, but just a head/shoulder massage seemed a little silly. So instead we choose a hot stone head/shoulder massage. Of course, this salon experience starts over an hour later than planned, since there were no work hours posted and finally we just went to get brunch at French Bakery (scored the last two chocolate croissants that day).
So, at the salon, the woman asks when we want to schedule them. Uh, now? We put our belongings in the storage lockers and put on the house slippers. After a little wait, the first masseur came and took me back to the massage room. To be honest, it was a little hard to relax sometimes since I wasn't sure what to expect and then there were a few parts where I wasn't sure if it was a good hurt or bad hurt. On the plus side, I got to experience having my neck cracked and several vertebrae pops (weird but cool feelings) and the hot stone part was actually really nice and relaxing. I have a feeling that will be my one and only professional massage experience, but it was neat to try it out.
That evening I then went back to the State Philharmonic for the Arga Bileg ethnojazz concert. I'd heard some of their music before since I'm working on their U.S. tour in the fall, but I'd never seem them perform live. It was an interesting mix of musical styles, and a cool variety of guest artists (long-song singers, traditional and modern dancers, etc.) Though it was a bit weird when the fashion show (no, I'm not joking) started. All in all, a great performance, and I'm really hoping the tour works well (maybe even a stop in Cincinnati). After the performance, I got to meet my co-worker's mom and the three of us took a taxi home, and it was really nice to be able to chat in Mongolian with them both (and to again remember that even if my Mongolian isn't as good as I'd like/sometimes need, that it still means a lot to talk with people in their native language and show I appreciate their culture).
Because that was a whole bunch of words, here's a video of one of Arga Bileg's songs:
Monday after work was a strange, but fun experience. It was the start of the Mongolian Francophone film festival, and a small group of us piled into a taxi for the opening reception and first film. Because rush hour traffic in UB starts at like 3:30 and lasts until 8:30, we were a bit behind schedule. Did a little bit of mingling, chatted with a few people, and then realized that the theater was full- no movie for us. We talk over our options and finally it is decided to go bowling at the Children's Park. I am tempted to just walk home, since it's now almost 8 and I'm hungry..but since I'm already out, I agree to go. We pile six girls in another taxi (five in the backseat, one in front with the driver) and get out at the children's park. Walk in through the open front gate only to realize it's closed for no apparent reason. We hail yet another taxi, squeeze in, and try to find this sushi restaurant some mutual friends are at. Two of the girls get out at one point to go do something else, finally the rest of us disembark once we realize Gerlee isn't 100% sure where the sushi place is so it's easier to walk. When we finally find it, the door is almost literally a hole in the wall. I am again dubious about this plan, given that Mongolia is not known for its seafood, but hey...I have food poisoning before and lived (this is not how the story ends). Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious (and affordable) my "mexicana" rolls were (grilled tilapia, spicy cucumber, chili paste sauce) and the hot sake was a nice note to end the evening. Lots of silly Mongolian and English conversation was had, and we all got home at a reasonable enough hour so to be fresh for work the next day. Not at all what I expected when I woke up Monday morning, but a great day :)
Saturday my friend Christa and I had decided to go to a local salon so I could use my Women's Day giftcard and experience my first massage. Christa's gone several times to a few different places in UB, so I had some idea of how things worked but was also apprehensive. To be honest, I've never gotten a professional massage before since in general I don't find the concept very relaxing or worthwhile, but since it would be free (courtesy of my lovely co-workers) and I had a support/buddy system...I went for it. I knew I didn't want a full body massage, but just a head/shoulder massage seemed a little silly. So instead we choose a hot stone head/shoulder massage. Of course, this salon experience starts over an hour later than planned, since there were no work hours posted and finally we just went to get brunch at French Bakery (scored the last two chocolate croissants that day).
So, at the salon, the woman asks when we want to schedule them. Uh, now? We put our belongings in the storage lockers and put on the house slippers. After a little wait, the first masseur came and took me back to the massage room. To be honest, it was a little hard to relax sometimes since I wasn't sure what to expect and then there were a few parts where I wasn't sure if it was a good hurt or bad hurt. On the plus side, I got to experience having my neck cracked and several vertebrae pops (weird but cool feelings) and the hot stone part was actually really nice and relaxing. I have a feeling that will be my one and only professional massage experience, but it was neat to try it out.
That evening I then went back to the State Philharmonic for the Arga Bileg ethnojazz concert. I'd heard some of their music before since I'm working on their U.S. tour in the fall, but I'd never seem them perform live. It was an interesting mix of musical styles, and a cool variety of guest artists (long-song singers, traditional and modern dancers, etc.) Though it was a bit weird when the fashion show (no, I'm not joking) started. All in all, a great performance, and I'm really hoping the tour works well (maybe even a stop in Cincinnati). After the performance, I got to meet my co-worker's mom and the three of us took a taxi home, and it was really nice to be able to chat in Mongolian with them both (and to again remember that even if my Mongolian isn't as good as I'd like/sometimes need, that it still means a lot to talk with people in their native language and show I appreciate their culture).
Because that was a whole bunch of words, here's a video of one of Arga Bileg's songs:
Monday after work was a strange, but fun experience. It was the start of the Mongolian Francophone film festival, and a small group of us piled into a taxi for the opening reception and first film. Because rush hour traffic in UB starts at like 3:30 and lasts until 8:30, we were a bit behind schedule. Did a little bit of mingling, chatted with a few people, and then realized that the theater was full- no movie for us. We talk over our options and finally it is decided to go bowling at the Children's Park. I am tempted to just walk home, since it's now almost 8 and I'm hungry..but since I'm already out, I agree to go. We pile six girls in another taxi (five in the backseat, one in front with the driver) and get out at the children's park. Walk in through the open front gate only to realize it's closed for no apparent reason. We hail yet another taxi, squeeze in, and try to find this sushi restaurant some mutual friends are at. Two of the girls get out at one point to go do something else, finally the rest of us disembark once we realize Gerlee isn't 100% sure where the sushi place is so it's easier to walk. When we finally find it, the door is almost literally a hole in the wall. I am again dubious about this plan, given that Mongolia is not known for its seafood, but hey...I have food poisoning before and lived (this is not how the story ends). Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious (and affordable) my "mexicana" rolls were (grilled tilapia, spicy cucumber, chili paste sauce) and the hot sake was a nice note to end the evening. Lots of silly Mongolian and English conversation was had, and we all got home at a reasonable enough hour so to be fresh for work the next day. Not at all what I expected when I woke up Monday morning, but a great day :)
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