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Ulaanbaatar

Spring Semester Week 1

The first week of the semester has finally ended! It has been the longest week so far this year, mainly because there was so many things happening and changing each day.


It is Sunday night right now which means that the weekend is almost over soon and I shall plunge into the busyness of another week, but just wanted to post an update, with some pictures I managed to take amidst of the chaos.



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It is still very wintery here -- it is normal to wake up to lots of snow. This is my commute to work every morning.. They don't clean up the snow most of the time so by the time I go to work, all the paths are frozen.


You can also see a lot of construction around the city, it's because there was a short economic boom and a burst of foreign investment until last year. Now everything has all stopped due to the change in government policies, and the country is moving forwards to less open borders, less exchange with foreign countries, less foreign investments.





On the first floor of the main school building, there's a cafe named "Gilgal". The coffee here is relatively cheap, so the faculties and staffs all grab something to drink during lunch break, hangout and chat, and meet with the students. It is a good place to study, read the Bible, and take some rest from the busy day. :)





During the past week, my sister and I had some time to venture out to the inner part of the city and visit the restaurant we hold dear to our hearts. It's called "Hazara" and we have visited this place in 2007 when we first visited UB. We remember this place as a "haven" -- delish food, atmosphere very mystic and quiet, and great conversation with the Korean diplomat we met back then. 


We finally visited this place again -- it's right behind the wrestling stadium, so it is very easy to spot/remember. Never thought I would be coming back here again, yet it happens! Their food was still very, very delicious.






This week, I was been able to meet with some of the most God-loving and humble people I've ever met in my whole life. They do not hestitate in sharing their testimonies and life experiences, and are always seeking ways to become more and more God-centered. It's been a blessing and a source of inspiration for me as well. It made me determined to draw closer to God during this 6 months in Mongolia and become keen in hearing God's small, gentle voice.





I've also started taking a "survival course" in Mongolian. I go to the language learning center that's a part of my workplace for three times a week, 1 hour for every lesson. The lesson booklet consists of essential words and conversations we encounter on daily basis.


I think I was lucky for meeting such a passionate, experienced teacher who wants to teach me everything she knows.  I really want to learn it well and become proficient enough to communicate with locals in the markets, taxis, and on the streets. I am trying to set aside time to really review what I've learned and get used to the Mongolian pronunciations (which is the hardest part)!





It is not an exaggeration to say that this past week was a week of cakes, since I got to eat cake for 4 times. A lot of birthdays for faculties and Mongolian staffs were around this week, so almost every day there was a celebration going on somewhere in the school. Mongolian cakes are surprisingly pretty good -- maybe because they have good dairy such as milk and cheese. 


People love sweets here -- the city's altitude is high, and I can feel my sugar level dropping all of a sudden. Everyone carries around small candies and snacks in their pockets because they need the sugar throughout their day. It is a sign of courtesy and affection to give out whatever goodies you have in your pocket when you meet someone. We gave a candy to our taxi driver once, then he opened his sunroof and started playing Big Bang songs for us!



This blog post pretty much sums up my first week. Things are settling down -- classes are going great, and research project is also taking off from tomorrow after hiring two student RAs. Lots of progress needed and they are hopefully coming soon!


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