Ulaanbaatar,
Mongolia
Monday, June 4, 2007
I arrived yesterday afternoon, fresh off the trans-Mongolian train to Ulaan Baatar. To be honest, I was not expecting for the city to be much of anything after reading so much about the economic problems and development issues Mongolia is facing, but to my surprise, it is alot more hustling and bustling than I had initially anticipated. Don't get me wrong though--it is certainly no New York City. To start with, the buildings are very low...not really any skyscrapers, and you are constantly reminded of the fact that you are essentially in the middle of a desert, with large sandy mountains clammering over the city. There are many little shops and places to eat, fruit venders, and people moving about in all directions very quickly. While the city is more than I had expected, poverty is still its constant companion. While the main streets are generally clear of trash and rubble, once you walk off onto the side streets, including the streets that lead to my apartment, there is tons of rubble and piles of trash. Homeless children, or as locals call them, "street children" are often seen wandering around begging for money. It really is difficult to take it all in...With my mother as a social worker, the idea that so many children are without homes and without parents is not all that different from the United States. But to see children as young as 5 or 6 wandering around begging for money is not something most of us in America are used to...these daily scenes in particular is very difficult to stomach.
We had a brief orientation today at the National University of Mongolia. The university is tiny by comparison to most universities I have ever seen (only 8 buildings!) yet it is the biggest and most prestigious school in all of Mongolia. Professors came in and lectured us about Mongolian shamanism, arts and literature, and finally, the nomadic culture of Mongolians--all equally very interesting talks. I can't wait to actually begin classes and especially, learn even more of the language.
With that, I must go...we are taking a trip out into the countryside on Wednesday, so I will get to experience the opposite of urban life in Mongolia, and will write all about it later this week!
