Spring Semester Week 2

With a more fixed schedule and settled-down office space, I'm finding a lot more time to spend with friends, sister, and on my own. This weekend was my first "trip" to the downtown - it made me realize how much of an outskirt of the city I've been living at.

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I have been eating a lot of cake here - they got good cakes, due to good dairy and European influence. A lot of birthdays have been around last month and this month, so we almost had one birthday party per day. I can say I've tasted at least 5-6 different flavors now!

Gobi is one of the school dean's dog. Almost looks like a sheep since he/she's so fluffy and fat, but Gobi is such a gentle dog! He/she can sit quietly throughout the Thursday faculty worship service without barking or fussing around. 

On 3/1, we went to Hazara again to celebrate my coworker's birthday. The best naan ever in this city! Also the mystic/dark atmosphere adds to the ambience.

In the morning, the smog is pretty bad - the coal-burning stoves in ger towns are the main cause. These mornings are the times I'm glad I live only 2 minutes away from my workplace, so that I don't need to be exposed to the smog for a long period of time.

This city is so saturated beyond the USSR's original design of the city, and that's why there are so many people below the poverty line living in gers in the outskirt of the city. To survive through the harsh winter, they burn coals and trash.

But not all days are smoggy! When the weather is a bit warmer, it's easy to see the clear blue sky of Mongolia. To celebrate the weekend, we went to an American brunch place in the downtown. The place only had Americans and other foreigners, and I felt I was at the US for a short time!

After the brunch, we went to the Choijin Lama Temple and the Sukhbaatar Square, which are the city's landmarks at the heart of the city. (Pictures below)

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It was a strange feeling to come back to the place where I've been to almost 5-6 years ago. Some parts I could recognize and remember, but other parts I couldn't. A lot has changed, displaying a fascinating mix of the traditional and the modern. Still it reminded me how much I loved this place and wanted to come back to this country - the blue sky, the sculptures, the old history of Genghis Khan, the changing landscape of the city. 

The excursion to the downtown weirdly made me feel at home, and it reminded me again where I am at the moment. I shall explore the city more throughout the semester -- this Tuesday (3/8) is International Women's Day, which Mongolians observe as a national holiday. I am planning to try a new restaurant with my Mongolian coworkers.

A lot more is happening on the inside and the outside, but it is hard to explain everything here. I learn new things about this place, about God, and about myself on a daily basis - it will take some time to mentally organize them. Hoping I can make a post about that as well!