April Update

Happy April! Trying to make as much update as I can, despite the fact that it's midterm season from this week.

Most of the photos below can be found on my Instagram, but I just wanted to post them here as well for self-documenting purposes. 

So, please read on!

One Sunday we headed to the center of the city, where a lot of cafes are, and got some work done over coffee / boba.

This was the first boba I've had since I've come here, and to be honest it wasn't great.

There just are some things you can't readily find here in UB, and one of those things is definitely some good boba.

I can't wait to for some good bubble tea I will find after I go back to Korea / US. And with legit tapioca pearls!

For Easter, the students at the service prepared a short shadow skit! 

I was really thankful for the students' enthusiasm and eagerness to prepare for it, because it really added some visual aid in reflecting back on Jesus' death and resurrection. 

It was a great Easter service, though ours would have been very low-key compared to everywhere else in the world.

We had a mini send-off for one of our friends! She has been living in UB for the last 6 years and she decided to return home, at least for now.

We had dinner at a fancy restaurant in Zaisan and ended with cake & candles.

UB and our work always have people come and go, and now it just feels like it's part of the routine.

It's always interesting to hear everyone's story of how they got to UB -- as well as how they got to leave UB -- because everyone's story testifies different works God's doing in each of our lives.

This was the lobby of a luxurious apartment complex in Zaisan. 

Zaisan was a culture shock for me really, because even in 2010 (the last time I was in UB) the neighborhood did not look so fancy and modern at all. Now it has lots of luxury houses, expensive-looking buildings, foreign good shops, and so much more. 

It was jaw-dropping to see how much Mongolia has changed just these past few years, and also depressing to realize that only a few Mongolians and foreigners would be able to afford this kind of luxury. 

Mongolia's economy is very messed up at the moment, and it's projected to become worse and worse over the following years. WSJ recently did a pretty good job with their article on Mongolian economy - read up on it if you're interested! http://on.wsj.com/1TZO9zK

The weather has definitely warmed up, which means more exploration!

We walked a bit from our neighborhood to visit this Russian Orthodox church.

It was behind a think white wall, but the buildings were pretty under the sunset and definitely felt like a haven from the traffic-heavy UB.

Today my sister went to a field trip at a Buddhist monastery early in the morning. I wanted to go as well but I wasn't able to (read "Sleep was more important".)

I know I am dying to travel and explore more while I'm here, but man, sometimes it's not always that easy!

Dinner has been pretty simple these days - usually they are pasta (like the pic above), or something like rice and side dishes.

If we have guests coming over I try to whip up something a bit more fancy, but nothing too crazy!

Couple times a week the school provides dinner for various occasions (e.g. faculty worship service), so I don't usually worry too much about the question: "What's for dinner?"

Sky in Mongolia is fantastic, especially since it's spring now. Mongolia is all about sky (Тэнгэр, pronounced as "tenger"). Hotels, stores, shops, and schools are named after Тэнгэр. In Mongolian shamanism, sky is supposed to be the god of the gods, overseeing and reigning on everything.

Of course I don't believe in shamanism, but Mongolian skyline definitely is awe-inspiring sometimes. It almost feels like this giant azure dome above my head is protecting me and surrounding me with warm sunshine. It feels very magical - 7 years ago I honestly thought about writing my college application essay on Mongolian sky! That is how much I've missed it.

This famous statue from the USSR era is Georgy Zhukov, a famous Russian general from the Soviet-Japanese wars. The district where this statue is located is named after him - Жу́ков ("Jukov"). I always wondered what this statue was, so I ventured out one day to take a look.

Apparently this general has played a key role in WWII, and is a Russian hero! Nowadays Mongolia is not part of Soviet Union anymore, but still there are physical as well as cultural remnants.

For example, during my Mongolian lessons I have learned many Mongolian words influenced by Soviet Union.

Saturday, for instance, is called хагас сайн өдөр, which is literally translated as "Half Good Day". During the USSR era, Mongolians were supposed to work half-time and take a break for the rest of the half during Saturdays. Hence the name Half Good Day! Naturally, Sunday is called бүтэн сайн өдөр - translated as "Full Good Day" - because they got to rest for the whole day.

Another example is the Russian style mayo-potato salad. This potato salad is called нийслэл салат, or the "capital salad". During Soviet Union times, mayo was a luxury and was only produced in UB. Only people in UB could afford it and could eat it. The potato salad made with mayo was something that people living in the capital could eat. Therefore the name, "capital salad". By the way, this salad is served everywhere now, including every lunch I eat at work. Mongolians sure love mayo!

A picture I took while dinner prepping, when I invited two of my coworkers for dinner! I made 닭볶음탕 (spicy braised chicken) which was pretty good. I feel like Korean food is occasionally needed once in a while to cleanse my palette.

And of course, some American food as well! This was at a sketchy burger spot my sister knew through the grapevines, but it was pretty good. We celebrated the end of the week with some legitimate burgers and fries!

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Few more blobs:

+ Learning Mongolian has been very difficult, but fun! I've been enjoying it a lot so far. I once again realize that a language is the window through which we can experience the country's culture, values, and its history, and that's what makes it very fun, despite Mongolian's nightmarish verb conjugation rules. This coming Tuesday I have a quiz! Even though I know I won't use Mongolian ever again after I leave, I really want to try my best in learning it -- I have to admit that I do have some perfectionist tendencies when it comes to studying. 

+ Preparation for grad school is now done -- surprisingly very quickly. The school was very quick in preparing all the documents and processing things. Visa? Done. Immunization record? Done. Plane ticket? Done. Deposit? Done. Now it's only the housing I need to look out for - I applied for on-campus housing, so let's see how that goes. But overall, I feel very happy and encouraged that things are going very, very smoothly! Now it's time to do my part in preparing spending the next two years in a new city.

+ I am going to Russia this coming weekend, to a city called Ulan-Ude. It's about 24-hour train ride, one way. Next weekend is the spring break -- I chose this time to cause less inconvenience as possible to my coworkers and students. It's to run an errand as well as just take a break from UB, so hopefully the train ride won't be bumpy / dangerous and things will go without trouble once I get to Russia. Also hoping I'll have some time to take pictures, so that I can write all about Russia trip in my next blog post!