Still in Mongolia

I just noticed that 6 months of experiences have occurred without a blog entry.  I'm amazed at how quickly what was new, exciting, strange, frustrating and invigorating can become mundane and unnoticed.  Periodic mental check-ins cleanse my senses, and I have 20/20 vision and better hearing for a time.  For example, I've spoken about the traffic in the past and the 'all about me' type attitude people drive with.  I now see this chaos more like the horse racing that occurs during Nadaam, the national holiday during which Mongolians display the country's 3 main sports: wrestling, archery and horse racing.  The reality is that up until about 20 or so years ago, Mongolians were herders and the main mode of transportation was the horse.  It appears to me that the riding on the steppes mentality is still strong and that the horses are now fueled by petrol instead of grass.  Another recent reminder that the horse, be it motorized or biological, is king was watching transportation workers tossing ice and snow from the roads and onto the sidewalks making mounds that resembled hiking the AT.

We love getting together with our Mongolian friends for parties.  They are so welcoming to us and love to sing, dance, make speeches and drink.  We've learned, after a couple of forgettable experiences, how to pace ourselves and politely decline another round of vodka.  Pam and I wish our Mongolian was better than it is so that we had a better understanding of what is being said, but work in an English dominant school greatly slows the progress.  Our Mongolian friends do appreciate what we can say and our efforts.

We recently read in a UB newspaper that UB is the 2nd most polluted city in the world according to a UN study, if I remember correctly.  It seems that this year is worse than last.  Last year most mornings the sky was grey but turned blue by mid afternoon.  This year that blue is not being seen much at all.  As we flew into UB last week from Thailand, we were struck by how clear the sky was not more than 30 km outside of the city.  It doesn't take long before our bodies begin to try and expel the pollution we breathe.  Once the weather warms up, the pollution decreases immensely but winter here can begin in September and last until June.

Last night we celebrated a colleague's birthday and laughed about some of the topics of conversation that come about from living overseas.  There was a long discussion about airports and illnesses that occurred while traveling in various countries.  With the amount of traveling Pam and I have done over the past 6 months, we had plenty of moments to add to the conversation.  We've traveled around Mongolia with our kids, Pam's sister and brother-in-law and my sister and a friend, spent fall break in Malaysia because I had to attend a conference in Kuala Lumpur for a graduate program that I enrolled in, and then we just returned from a wonderful 3 week vacation in Thailand where we divided our time between an island in southern Thailand, Bangkok and Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.  It will probably not be the last time we visit Thailand because the country and its people are wonderful.  We filled our time there snorkeling, riding elephants, whitewater rafting, petting tigers, taking a cooking class, relaxing and of course eating fantastic food and washing it down with very good beverages.

We've got a few more trips planned before the end of the school year.  I'm headed to Jakarta in Feb. for a special ed conference where I'll be presenting a workshop.  In March I'm headed to Shanghai for another conference that is required for my grad program.  The conference precedes our spring break, so Pam and I will meet in Beijing and spend the week as tourists after I leave Shanghai.  Then in April I'm returning to China for this year's soccer tournament.

We're now beginning to focus on this coming summer because Pam will be returning to HCC.  We knew that 2 years was going to go by quickly, but this seems like we have been in hyperdrive.  We should be back in Easthampton sometime in July, and then I'll return to UB at the beginning of August for one more year to complete the graduate program in international educational administration.

 Common folk at the King's palace in Bangkok

 Happy hour:  Where's my drink?

 A close up of the outside wall of the palace

 Andy and Pam with the BIG ones

 Looking out from the resort at Koh Jum

 The bridge on the River Kwai

 Fish cleaning off our feet skin.  No fish died afterwards.

 Pam's replacement for Felix our cat.

 Our bungalow on Koh Jum

   Nirvana!!

   

Since my last post, Pam and I have bumped, jostled, ridden, fallen, climbed, paddled, swatted, rescued, gawked and laughed our way around southern and central Mongolia with a colleague and his friend, and some new Australian friends, followed by a visit from Devon, Kyle, my sister, Sue and her friend KD.

Our travels started with a 2-day drive to the Gobi Desert with our colleague, Bold, his son Boyna, his buddy and fellow math teacher, Baggie, and a very nice young Australian couple, Jeff and Emily and their 4 year old daughter, Lily.  Bold, Boyna, Baggie, Pam and I left UB to meet up with the Australian family flying into Dalanzadgad, the major town in the Gobi.  Pam was in Bold's car and I in Baggie's.  Eight hours after leaving UB we left the blacktop, and the drivers decided to test the cars' shocks and springs and our dental work.  All remained in tack for the next 4-5 hours as we bounced on dirt tracks that at times were as wide as the Champs Elysees.  We marveled at the green rolling terrain that morphed into patchy low scrub and, finally, to dust, dirt and rocks.  Welcome to the Gobi Desert!!

The desert changed its appearance every half hour or so.  We'd drive through a wasteland of dirt, rocks and small piles of sand that looked like ant hills seen between the cracks of a sidewalk.  We'd take turns eating each others' dust created by whose ever car was taking the lead.  Without much of a transition there would suddenly be a thin layer of grass making the new section of desert look lush at first glance.  Then scrub brush with sand pooling around the base of many of the plants would take over the landscape.

A highlight of the trip was Khongoryn Els, which The Lonely Planet says, "...are some of the largest and most spectacular sand dunes in Mongolia" and "are up to 300m high, 12km wide and about 100km long."  The book was on target here.  As we came over a ridge, the yellow/gold of the sand dunes from a distance looked like a mirage.  The enormity of the dunes didn't really sink in until we stood at the base second guessing ourselves if we were really going to climb to the top.  It was about 4 PM when the shoes came off and the Australian dad, Jeff, and I started the climb.  It wasn't long before I was regretting taking off my shoes because of the heat from the sand.  It got to a point where the sand was firm and I had to soften it with my hands because my feet had developed blisters from the heat and coarseness of the sand.  Then the steepness of the climb kept me bent over on all fours so I must have looked like some new species of sand creature that hadn't adapted well to its environment.  However, the effort was well worth the reward of an amazing view from the summit.  It looked like a scene from a Foreign Legion movie.  The lines of the dunes were augmented in shadows with the setting sun.  Kilometers away were jagged peaked mountains that provided a contrast to the yellow/gold color of the dunes.  Looking down from where I had just climbed were patches of green that bordered the dunes and looked out of place.  Suddenly a sight caught my eye that brought on a big grin.  There was Pam doing the beastly crawl up the slopes with a look on her face that seemed to question her sanity.  With shouts of encouragement and rest breaks every few moments, she found herself laying across the dune ridge with a smile of accomplishment and eyefuls of a magnificent scene.  If we only had skis with us, it would have been an amazing downhill run.

The dunes also provided us with one more memory but not quite as positive.  Camel riding was on the schedule for the next day.  We arrived at a ger with the camel herd that was going to fulfill our dreams of trekking through the dunes on 2 humpers.  The camels are controlled via a rope attached to a piece of wood that is pierced through the nose.  We watched a nose-piercing occur on a camel and, by the screeching sounds the camel made, that part of the nose must be sensitive.  Pam was the lucky one to get the newly pierced camel much to her regret.  We mounted our humpers and with our ONE camel herder leading the way on foot, headed towards the dunes.  We were making our way daisy-chained together at a leisurely pace when suddenly Pam's camel got spooked and began jumping and trying to run.  The herder managed to keep her camel under control but, in the chaos, my camel's rope became free and it took off running as I held on to its limp front hump.  For those that are not informed about camel humps, like many body parts, some are stiff and some limp.  Camels' hump stiffness depends on the amount of fat in their bodies,  not on the amount of water in its system.  My camel must have been on a low fat diet.  While I was clinging to my camel's limp front hump, I saw Jeff and Lily hit the ground, followed by Emily.  Not being able to grab the rope to get my camel under control (their necks are pretty long), I made the decision to abandon the humps.  When going for a camel ride the height of the camel is never a consideration but, when falling from one, a short legged variety would be appreciated.  All in all, 5 of us ended up spitting sand.  Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt, but there were lots of aches and pains for the next few days.  My camera was the biggest casualty as I was taking pics up to the stampede.

There were many other great moments during this first trip that didn't include the kids, but I don't want this to become a War & Peace type novel.  The next post will share our experiences during Devon and Kyle's visit.

XWeek at ISU and Summer Vay Cay

School has been finished for about a week.  Pam and I are quickly adjusting to summer mode which means sleeping beyond 5:15 a.m. and choosing to go to restaurants that offer outdoor seating.  The later is not a problem currently with the Euro Cup going on.  Many places have set up tents and large screen tv's for people to gather at and tip a few local brews in the wee hours of the morning due to the time differential.  The first round games began at midnight here but now that the quarter finals and semis are going on start time is 2:45 a.m.  My viewing has been limited to the apartment with the help of an alarm watch which doesn't guarantee one more bleary-eyed cheering fanatic soccer fan.  I may not need the alarm assistance tonight if an English friend can muster up enough energy to join me for the England/Italy game.

Thursday, Pam and I leave with a Mongolian friend, Bold, for a week long adventure to the Gobi Desert and central Mongolia.  We return to UB the day before Devon, Kyle, my sister and a friend of hers arrive.  Nadaam, which is the 3 day Mongolian sports festival, begins July 11th.  We'll be taking in the opening ceremonies, archery and the horse racing before leaving with the kids on another mid-Mongolian adventure trip which will include camel riding, horse trekking, hiking and some canoeing.  My sister and her friend will jump on a plane and head to Russia to spend time on Lake Baikal.  After the kids and we return we'll tearily say goodbye to Kyle and then head to a PitBull concert at the Olympic stadium.  Devon can't believe it nor could we when we found out that he was performing here!!  Not the old folks favorite music but it will be another experience that should produce a few good pub stories.

The school's first attempt at what is called XWeek was a wonderful experience for all the secondary students and staff.  This was an experiential learning event that offered students choices put together by the faculty.  There was an art trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg, building a "rocket stove" that uses 80% less fuel and emits nearly 0 pollutants for local housing, a 5 day canoe trip, a get to know UB experience that included setting up a ger, participating in traditional Mongolian archery and learning other traditional skills, working with an American artist from Washington St. to create a work of art using natural items, a 5 day horse trek, a multi-activity that included horse trekking, hiking and hanging out in hot springs and a 5 day back-packing trip that covered over 50 km. over some rough terrain in Khenti National Park.


It is amazing to me the number of Mongolian students who have never explored their country.  Some are more familiar with Hong Kong and Paris than UB.  With 20+ kilos strapped to our backs we explored Khenti National Park and worked on completing the requirements for the John Muir Award.  There were 11 boys 15-17 yrs, myself and 2 other faculty sweating, shivering and constantly stopping to adjust our dress because of the quickly changing weather.  There are mosquitoes here that make Minnesota's state insect look like a nat.  We awoke one morning marveling at the sight of our breaths and snow in the surrounding mountains.  Later that day we were in sleeveless shirts and headbands wiping the sweat from our eyes.  There were times when the scenery made me think I was back in New England.  Then the sight of a ger or herder on horseback jolted me to my GPS coordinate.  The kids had a great attitude even when they were told we'd stop our trek early and 3 hours later we'd find a suitable campsite.  Not having a good topo map lends itself to those unexpected hike extensions.  In the end the students felt a real sense of personal accomplishment and an appreciation of something Mongolia has to share with the world.  Their pictures of the countryside, interviews with local people, fellow students and teachers and video of trash and their efforts to clean areas was turned into a short video that was given to the Minister of Environment and Tourism for the possibility of it being shown on national tv.  This effort took care of the final requirement for the John Muir Award.        

UB is preparing for elections that will be held June 28th.  There are a number of political parties vying for the presidency and a number of Assembly seats.  Posters and ads have been placed all over the capital and the youth have mobilized to loudly campaign for their particular candidate.  Groups of people walk the streets waving flags of their candidate's party, handing out brochures explaining their parties action plans on education, mining, the environment and transportation concerns.  Discussions with Mongolian friends have lead us to believe that not everyone is sure that the voting process will be fair but there is excitement about the possibilities that this election will bring some needed positive changes.

Wild iris

How many more passes do we need to hike over?!!??

Are you sure we're there?  That's not a look of real confidence.

That was one too many questions!!

What is that YOU want?

NH or VT??

Reality! Yes, I live in Mongolia!!

The adults on day 3.  This was early in the morning for the planned  "short" day which turned out to be the longest hiking day.

"Star Trek" Mongolia.  Check out the aliens below that just arrived!!

You guys live here.  Do you know where we are??  How much would the horse be to haul these packs???

  

Here are videos that were placed on previous posts that for some reason couldn't be seen.  Hopefully this time you'll be able to enjoy them.  Cheers!!    contortionist,  contortionist 2,  Bayan Mongol 5th Anniversary,  Bayan Mongol #2,  Mongolian Music,  Wrestling practice,  Thank you pageant,  Thank you #2,  Thank you #3

Reflecting and Planning

The school year is coming to a close on the date that was scheduled at the beginning of the year.  This is a totally new phenomenon since for the last 18 years I was never sure of the actual last day due to mostly snow days, anticipated storms, too much cold (Ha!) and I'm sure there were other reasons that elude me.  There are 2 teaching weeks left and then a week of experiential activities outside of school and a final week of whatever.

For the week away from school the secondary faculty are offering a number of great experiences that include an art trip to Moscow, a week long horse trekking trip in central Mongolia, building efficient stoves for gers, learning how to construct gers, and I'll be co-leading a 5 day backpacking trip in the local mountains.  The students participating in the backpacking trip will be attempting to complete the requirements to earn a level of the John Muir Award that focuses on the environment.  These are great opportunities for students to develop executive functioning skills such as planning, organizing, strategizing, paying attention to and remembering details and managing time and space.  The natural consequences of not performing these skills can be the most educational moments during the student's school year.

Looking back to last August when Pam and I arrived here, I marvel at all that we've experienced.  It has not been the easiest transition from the US to Mongolia.  It has challenged our relationship at times and reminded us of the importance of effective communication in a healthy relationship.  We've gone from the blank stare of complete bewilderment when a Mongolian spoke to us to being able to understand the price of items, reading labels in Cyrillic, telling a cab driver where to go and how to get there and utter fluently the traditional Mongolian greetings and goodbyes.  We've perfected our use of Skype to stay in touch with our family and friends so we don't feel so removed.  Quite a difference from our days living in Morocco when we used predominantly snail mail!  We've been introduced to the term 'third culture child' and the struggles that they encounter.  As we become familiar with the Mongolian culture, we're reminded about the importance of being open minded and learning that there are reasons behind cultural practices and beliefs like eating sheep butt, walking clockwise around an ovoo (sacred spot), and knowing how to politely decline drinking more vodka before body parts go numb.

Educationally, this has been an immensely challenging year for Pam.  After 25 years of teaching at a community college, she's successfully adjusted her approach for 3rd to 5th graders and is presently designing protocols to meet the language needs of students and help the teachers with language strategies.  She's attended a conference in Taiwan, held my hand in South Korea after going through surgery, visited the DMZ and relaxed in a human powered peddle taxi in Indonesia.

The work for me has been challenging trying to meet the needs of students and staff from pre-school to 12th grade.  I became a French teacher for beginning 6th graders and team taught English for 7th grade additional language learners.  I've enjoyed trying to put together a teacher friendly SEN (special educational needs) referral process and forms along with identifying and helping to establish needed services such as counseling, vision and hearing screenings and finding appropriate educational assessments for international students.  I've had the good fortune to travel to Thailand and the Philippines for professional conferences and coach the boys soccer team in Qingdao, China.

Pam and I have learned about the International Baccalaureate program and discussed its strengths and weaknesses.  We've made great friends from around the world and here in Mongolia.  The topics of conversations are global and thought provoking.  There have been discussions about the transition of colonial power in what was Rhodesia to Zimbabwe and its effects, why Southeast Asians are so polite, and foreigners' impressions about the US presidential race, especially its cost and whether or not being a bully as a teenager can be pivotal to a presidential hopeful.

We're really looking forward to and planning trips for family coming to visit this summer.  Devon, Kyle and my sister, Sue, who is celebrating her 50th birthday, will arrive the beginning of July.  We have plans to attend the various Nadaam events of archery, wrestling and horse racing.  Then it's off to camel rides in the dunes, relaxing in hot springs, and doing some horse trekking and hiking through the middle of the country.  Cory, his roommate, Pam's sister Pat and her husband Len arrive the beginning of August.  Unfortunately, school responsibilities begin Aug. 14th, so there is limited travel time with them, but we're arranging excursions that may include spending time in the Gobi Desert.

All things considered, this has been a wonderful adventure that has challenged, educated, and enlightened us and brought us closer together.  
Love to hear from you.

Cheers!!

Paul Plourd's screen printing expertise on display in Qingdao, China

No!  This is not the Chinese version of Beach Blanket Bingo.  This was a Sat. morning wedding shoot.  

Is this a fashion statement?  Jeans under a wedding dress!

The pupil and his teachers.  The cheap entertainment for the local wedding arrival band.

Hitting the target celebration!!  

Now I know why the target fixers don't take cover.

Outside of our apartment window last August.

Intermittent dust storms

Currently outside the apartment window.  These guys work sometimes 24 hours non-stop!!  ARGH!!!

Here are links to some videos from China and Mongolian archery.

   

I recently got back from Qingdao, China where the ISU girls and boys soccer teams participated in a 3 day tournament.  We had a great time.  Take a look.

Here is a link to our Acamis Video

The Mongolian Morph

Over the last few weeks the snow has been disappearing but, amazingly, there have been few above freezing temperatures and no signs of melt.  This is truly an amazing country.  Apparently, due to the desert type climate, the snow just evaporates leaving behind various animal bones, empty bottles of all types of alcohol and dust.   The dust I marvel at because as most of the snow has vanished leaving a checkerboard type landscape, little clouds of dirt trail our footsteps to and from work settling on the remaining islands of snow.  

The temps are reminiscent of New England's roller coaster degrees.  One day we are in POSITIVE double digit celsius numbers, and the next we have snow squalls and that familiar negative sign in front of the temp.  A fellow expat, who has lived here for a few years, said that it's easy to tell whether the winds are from the Gobi or Siberia.  The daily dust storms don't seem to have a preference.  The veteran expats say that this place turns green with many wild flowers at the end of May/beginning of June.  Since our arrival, brown has been the choice of color, from the surrounding topography to the camel haired sweaters and socks.  Needless to say, we are skeptical that there are natural colors other than the blue sky and various shades of brown landscape.  

Escorting the non-negative degrees are the ladies pulling out their hottest fashions of short skirts, leggings and trading in their stylish boots for high-heeled shoes, which add quit a bit of color to and distraction from the landscape.  For me, this makes walking much more dangerous with the open manholes and broken sidewalks.  The long down coats and woolen dells have not yet been placed in storage, so there is easy access to defend against the Siberian winds.  An accessory that I've not grown fond of yet is the face mask that attempts to filter large flying particles out of the respiratory system.  There is probably a market for chic face masks here.  

Another sign of the change in seasons is the pine nut vendors are out again.  Pine nuts are sold still in their shells, which Mongolians are fond of cracking with their teeth and somehow teething the little nut out from its shell before swallowing and spitting out the debris.  It's a lot of work for little culinary pleasure.  It's reminiscent of tackling whole sunflower seeds.

Also accompanying the positive temperatures is the non-Olympic sport of marathon building construction.  With the first few non-negative temp days came 24 hour digging with backhoes and bulldozers.  We could not find earplugs anywhere.  With most living organisms, there are predictable behaviors; however, this sport does not seem to have any.  The 24 hour work day will suddenly stop, and will begin again at 5:00 pm the next day or it could be 6:00 am.  The gravel conveyor belt may run all day or begin at 6:30 pm as it just did while I was writing this and end when God only knows.   

I recently co-lead a 15 kilometer hike to mark a trail through the Bogd Khan range walking in snow up to my thighs at times and other times raising the little dust clouds.  Pam and I just spent a couple of days  during our spring break at a ger camp about 2 hours from UB reenergizing.  The boys' and girls' soccer teams leave for China in 10 days, so I'm learning how to get a visa from the Chinese Embassy since I'm the boys' coach.  All in all, Mongolia continues to provide us with daily adventures and tests our ability to adapt.  

     

The view from our ger at the Mongolian Secret History Camp.

Our 30th anniversary.  From Morocco to Mongolia.  What a trip!!!

Are you sure you know where you are???  Where is the ger?!?

Come on, we can bushwhack it back!

How did this morsel get left behind?

It's cheaper than water!!

It's almost cheaper than beer. (vodka)

Orkhon, our Mongolian teacher, and Pam, numb and not sure of what we learned after a lesson. 

Manshir, the beginning of our hike and site of a destroyed Buddhist monastery courtesy of the Russians.

Marking the trail.  Let me check that GPS again.  

How many more K's??????

Necessity IS the mother of invention.  How the locals get the pine nuts out of the trees.

Hard to believe UB is only a few kilometers away.