Dashinchilen, Mongolia
Experiencing the village life in Mongolia
After my 16 hour bus ride from Moron, I arrived back in Ulaanbaatar. I was planning to head to Dashinchilen where I found an opportunity to teach English at the local school.
I was greeted by the brother of the lady that I was in contact with. He was going to help me find a bus to Dashinchilen. However, it was International Women's Day (a national holiday in Mongolia) it was going to be difficult to find a ride. While trying to sort this out, I ended up going back to his house where I met his wife and family. They were all so sweet to me. His wife made me breakfast as I arrived and soon after lunch since it was "lunch time". I have so many stories of over-eating and being fed an abundance of food during my time in Mongolia. It became a very difficult thing for me to manage.
Dashinchilen is located 3-5 hours from Ulaanbaatar (time really depending on the weather). The brother decided that he would drive me to his mother's house. I think it took us about 4 hours. We passed a few small villages on the way there, but other than that, there wasn’t anything more than the snowy steppes of Mongolia.
Of course, I had moments of "what am I doing?" I have recently discovered that I had been suffering from some pretty severe anxiety and found myself having many episodes where I would nearly faint. I have never experienced that before Vietnam, but we find out a lot about ourselves while on the road! Besides the few moments of doubt, I was really excited about this opportunity! It felt right and that's I could go off of. So, here I was, driving hours out into the desolate land of Mongolia looking forward to discover Dashinchilen.
The brother's English was okay, we couldn't talk too much but he knew enough to tell me a few stories here and there. He grew up in Dashinchilen and has been living in Ulaanbaatar since he went to university. We talked about the fall of communism in Mongolia which occurred in 1992, right after the end of the Soviet Era. Mongolia and the Soviet Union had close relationships throughout history. You can see the influence all throughout Ulaanbaatar. He spoke of new opportunities at this time and how Mongolia is still making developments in economic growth. Most of Mongolia’s industry is in mining. More on this later.
Arriving to Dashinchilen was really nice. I couldn't help but have the biggest smile on my face. I had a good feeling about it. The brother made a joke about how funny it was that he was driving me here, to where he grew up. "Why would I want to come here" and I would be staying with his mother, who doesn't speak any English. I think he thought I was crazy. It was the first time they have ever experienced anything like this too. I actually learned later, that I was the FIRST foreigner who's ever visited/stayed in Dashinchilen.
My new home for the time being. Dashinchilen is mixed with brick houses and gers (yurts).
The bathroom, situated at the corner of the property.
Dashinchilen School
When I first arrived in Dashinchilen, the town was covered in snow. I got to experience the snow melt and the fun that came with that. On my walks to school, I would watch the kids sliding on the ice and then soon it became the game of jumping over puddles. Some days after school, I found myself joining the kids, leaping from one dry spot of land to the next. It became quite the strategic game.
If you ever want to bond quickly with kids, just show them that you can play volleyball or basketball. One of the first days I was there, I played with a group for 2-3 hours. I was EXHAUSTED. I hadn't played since high school or college. I wasn't even sure I would know how to shoot a basketball. I quickly became the talk of the school. All the kids saying, "wow, our teacher is so good at basketball." This just makes me laugh.
By far the most popular game to play with the kids was Stop the Bus. I learned this game while in Vietnam and it was always a huge success. This kid is not being so discreet about using his book.
One of the older classes I taught for just a day. They are such a curious group of students. Everyone is involved in so many activities, from dancing, singing, volleyball, basketball, the works. The young boy in the picture is an amazing singer. He stood up and sang in front of the class, traditional Mongolian throat singing. It blew me away.
My younger class, who I taught regularly. Such a goofy group of students.
School lunches!
Things I learned:
1. It doesn't matter if you're 6 or 18, male or female, you will get the same proportions.
2. You will be served mutton. Don't be fooled by the sushi roll, there is mutton inside.
3. You must eat to stay warm. Everyone views food as a blanket for your body.
4. Fat keeps you warm. Whether on you or eating it. It's a key component to their diet.
5. The school cooks are the friendliest and they are so happy to share meals with you. They'll want to know how you liked it. Just smile and say MMMM!
Nym, my host and director of the primary school, receiving an excellence award for her contribution to the school. It was presented at the school spring festival. Here, I got to see traditional performances from all ages! From 6 year old human-contortionist, to young singers and dancers, to adults singing more traditional Mongolian throat-singing.
At Home
At the house, I helped wherever I could. One weekend day, Nym and I made a bunch of homemade buuz (meat dumplings) and khuushuur (fried meat pastries). It was really fun and really intense. Nym pulled out an entire frozen sheep from outside and we spent the day carving meat. I felt like a whimp because at the end I had blisters all over my hands from cutting the frozen meat. She even took it outside and got a good whack out of it with the axe!
Buuz is a typical meal in Mongolia, served with cabbage, pickled carrots and peppers. Every meal I ate consisted of these ingredients. The food at Nym’s house was pretty good. I had to adjust to eating SO MUCH meat, but other than that, I was grateful for just being there!
A camel wandering outside our house.
Nym out celebrating with her friends for the award that she won. I joined for a little bit, then let them have their karaoke time :)
In the rural areas of Mongolia (everywhere besides Ulaanbaatar), everyone knows how to ride a horse. Kids learn starting at the age of 4 or 5. Granted, the horses are a lot smaller than ones we see in the United States, it's still quite amazing. This young 13 year old boy, hops up on a wood stump to jump on the horse. Then carries on with his work.
I was in Dashinchilen for two weeks. I arrived right before the school was going to close for "holiday". This is a working holiday. Since spring was approaching, kids were required to join their families in the countryside to work on the farms. Animal herds were starting to give birth and families need all the extra hands they can get. It was really interesting learning of life as a child in rural Mongolia. They are such hard workers and are required to work full days, skipping school. They must take the animals out in the vast steppes, twice daily and protect them from any roaming wolves or foxes.
I also learned of many of my students who live completely on their own in Dashinchilen. Their parents will live in the countryside and the kids are required to take care of themselves and their siblings at ages as early at 6 or 7 years old.
In conclusion
My time in Dashinchilen was incredibly enriching. I was able to only experience a glimpse of life in Mongolia and with that, it has left an impact that will last forever. My host was so generous for sharing her home and life with me. Even though we couldn't speak the same language, were able to communicate and learn so much about each other. We shared many funny moments and i'm forever grateful!