Newsletters from Mongolia

We are walking back to the van; another dis-appointment. It’s dark and I am shivering; I have never felt cold like this. It is -40°c. I open the door to the van and jump in; there are too many peo-ple in it but for once it doesn’t bother me, extra body heat.

In Mongolia, we celebrate lots of different international days. One of these important days is Valentine's day. In this cold weather, it is im-portant to keep each other warm, therefore couples ex-change gifts and spend the day watching a movie and having dinner.

The nine sets of nine days originated hundreds of years ago when clocks and calendars weren’t available to herding families. It’s set from the lunar calendar and understood as 81 days of winter. The first nine (nine days) usually starts on December 22nd. Here’s the breakdown of the 9 Nines:

Mongolians widely celebrates New Year with family, classmates and workmates during end of December. Instead of Santa Claus, Father Frost with Snow Girls visits to family and New Year gifts are given to children by Father Frost, fir trees are decorated by family.

Ok, so I"ve been here in Outer Mongolia for almost 9 weeks now, which is actually kind of hard to believe as these have been 9 of the fastest weeks I"ve experienced to date.

This annual festival, which celebrates the Golden Eagle as well as the hunters' traditional culture, is arranged by the local Kazakh community and members of the Berkut Association, a community-based conservation organization.

Some 60 thousand Mongolians gathered in Ulaanbaatar's Sukhbaatar Square, a grand public space in the heart of Mongolia‘s capital city, to celebrate the nation's heritage, contemporary achievements, and role for peace in the twenty-first Century. The 2011 Global Peace Festival (GPF) on August 26 featured performers from Inner Mongolia, Korea, and the ethnic Mongolian Autonomous Russian Republics of Buryat, Tuva, and Khalimag.

The Maitreya Festival is a way of honouring and making a connection with the Protector Maitreya, the Future Buddha. According to Buddhist tradition, Shakyamuni Buddha, our historical Buddha, was the fourth of one thousand Buddhas who will appear and give the Teachings during the current eon.

Mongolians have a high regard for horses since, for centuries, they have relied on them for transport, sustenance, and companionship. During the races, up to 1,000 horses can be chosen to compete. The horse races are broken down into six categories based on the age of the horses. For example, two-year-old horses race for 10 miles (16 kilometers) and seven-year-olds for 17 miles (30 kilometers).

This day is in annual 1^st of June. In Mongolia, Mother's and Children's Day, is a celebration and show appreciation for mothers and children all across the country. First this day was only children’s day so now the day is changed to Mother and Children’s day.

We organized a walking activity on May 7th. Volunteers of Projects Abroad and Mongolian students who are journalism club members participated in this activity. Participants walked from Sukhbaatar Square to National Park and organized games at the park. This activity is mostly focused on not only culture exchanges but also the practice of English speaking for Mongolian students which is very important for them. Those journalism club members also expressed their gratitude to Anna who was previously a supervisor as you can see from the picture.

Volunteers of Projects Abroad Mongolia, two professional midwives from Australia, Clare Immens and Kate Stein, came to The State Maternal House-2 for about two weeks and donated necessary facilities on March 29th right before the day of Doctor’s celebration. Midwives of State Maternal House-2 and related staff appreciated their warm heartedness and expressed their gratitude by inviting them to the doctor’s evening meal. Donation activity was fantastic and wonderful.

The sun is shining, the air is fresh and I take a deep breath and immediately start coughing because a big van just gave me a nice blow of exhaust fumes. But nothing can ruin my day, I am in Mongolia, back in UB – it actually fells cool that I am able to use the slang for the capital – and I am at this moment wearing only 5 layers, which is a huge thing as I started out with 8 one month ago.

Director of Projects Abroad Mongolia, Oko Togtuun was proud to collect an award for Best NGO working with children in Ulaanbaatar last month. Every year the Ulaanbaatar City Municipal Office presents awards to schools, kindergartens, NGOs and government organisations to show appreciation of their outstanding work with underprivileged children.

Try to imagine a 2760 sq km (1080 sq mile)alpine lake, with water so pure you can drink it. Then add dozens of 2000 m (6560ft) mountains thick pine forests and lush meadows with grazing yaks and horses, and you have a vague impression of Khuvsgul Nuur, Mongolia's top scenic heart stopper. This is the deepest lake in Central Asia, and the world's 14th largest source of fresh water.

The Mongolian flag was officially adopted by the new Constitution of Mongolia in the year 1992. The National flag of Mongolia is comprised of three vertical stripes which are equal in size and shape. The stripe in the middle portion is blue in colour and the left and right bands are red. 'Soyombo' formed in columns, is a geometrical presentation for water, earth, fire, moon and sun is present on the left hand side of the Mongolia flag.

I took a vacation in August 2010 to go to Mongolia for a one-month Human Rights internship through Projects Abroad. I wanted to experience something completely different from my day job, gain first-hand exposure to Human Rights in a developing country, and make a contribution. I was fortunate to achieve these goals through my Projects Abroad internship at the National Legal Institute (NLI), an agency of Mongolia`s Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs, in Ulaanbaatar.

Since remote times the Mongols are used to holding a snuffbottle as a snuff tobacco box; at the same time snuff-bottles are kept as a means of accumulating wealth, sign of fashion jewellery and lineage. Enthusiasts for snuff-bottles’ esteem collect them on the one hand as a hobby, and on the other hand as an item of historical memorial value.

Mongolian wrestlers who use Mongol boots for their sports activity prefer boots handmade by an age old technology. They were made from cowhide leather with stylish appliqué on it. No nails are used. The sole is hand sewn for durability. As time passes the thread on the sole tends to sit deeper into the sole leather, a softer material, unlike nails.

We watched a short documentary covering this information when we arrived at the park. Then we visited the park´s small museum and shop. Then we ventured out to the park grounds to see the wild horses. A guide who tracks the horses daily brought us to a small group of Przewalski horses.

The "Bielgee" dance, or dance of the body, is particular to the people of western Mongolia. It is performed to the music of Mongolian national musical instruments, such as the morin khuur (horsehead fiddle) and the yochin (similar to the xylophone.)

The infamous founder of the Mongolian Empire, known locally as Chinggis Khaan. The 131-foot-tall, 250-ton stainless steel statue, unveiled in 2008 and located an hour’s drive from Ulaanbaatar, is the world’s largest equestrian statue. Visitors can take an elevator to the viewing deck on the horse’s head and look out on the expansive Mongolian steppe.

The Lotus Children’s Centre is a Mongolian non-profit, non-government organization working with vulnerable children and families to provide the basic human rights of shelter, food and education. They care for up to 150 abused, orphaned and abandoned children at any one time.

Happy New Year! On 14th-16th February all of the stores are closed and there is very little traffic on Peace Avenue. Everyone is at home celebrating Tsagaan Sar. This is the last day of the last month of winter, called white moon or white month. It is one of the two big holidays here in Mongolia and the office is closed for three days to celebrate. It is kind of like Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Years all rolled into one celebration.

Winter usually lasts from mid October until April, with the coldest period occurring between mid December and the end of February or mid March (temperatures usually drop to -20 or -30°C and occasionally even lower throughout Mongolia). Snow usually falls between mid-October and mid-April.

Mongolian Ger is ideally suited for the country’s extreme climate and the people’s nomadic way of life. It is a multipurpose dwelling that can be easily dismantled and transported to another place and put up again fully preserving its original shape. Being constantly on the move with herds of animals or being on military campaigns, compelled Mongols to build Ger on carts.

At this time of year the summer pastures in the Altai Mountains in western Mongolia are strewn with belongings, and there’s a steady trickle of baggage-laden camels, yaks and horses down the slopes. Fall is fast approaching, and the Mongol and Kazakh herders who inhabit this land of craggy peaks, wide valleys and silver blue lakes are on the move, heading for lower pastures until winter sets in.

I never knew how to picture Mongolia. Besides a vision of special white tents and relatively choppy men wrestling, I honestly did not know what to expect. The curiosity to see and experience this remote country was soon replaced by great satisfaction and happiness that I had come. Having travelled a few weeks in Russia, Mongolia was a big change – a nice one.

I signed up to volunteer for the State Orphanage through ‘Projects Abroad’. This orphanage has over two hundred children aged between 3 and 17 years old. Every summer, the children stay at the summer camp, in the country side – about an hour’s drive away from Ulaanbaatar. Here, we were surrounded by many trees, tall mountains, lakes and the big blue sky...

During those three days of celebrations, we stowed away from the hustle and bustle of Ulaanbaatar to escape to the heaven on earth of the countryside. There, my host family invited me into their family reunion and traditions. From football (soccer), to touring the countryside, to archery and horse racing, I was welcomed into the games and the fun. Spending time and bonding with my host family and also being so welcomed by everyone (including the most excellent Projects Abroad Mongolia staff) have left me really touched. I cannot express how much I appreciate everything here.

International Working Woman's Day (IWD) is marked on March 8 every year. It is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women. Started as a political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries. In some celebrations, the day lost its political flavor, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love to the women around them in a way somewhat similar to Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day mixed together.

Mongolians will celebrate soon their most esteemed national holiday. Tsagaan Sar (the White Month) The first month of each spring has been one of the most important Mongolian celebrations for centuries. It is the time when winter passes, and spring is reborn. Chinggis Khaan played a most significant role in the creation of Tsagaan Sar.

I came to Mongolia keen to experience a different culture and to explore some of the amazing countryside I had seen in photographs of Mongolia. I arrived early in the morning by train from Russia and was already struck by the generosity of the people I had met on the train who shared all of their amazing food with me. I had Buuz for breakfast when I arrived which were amazing and my first experience of traditional Mongolian food.

This weekend five students from all different nationalities wanted to discover the wonders that “Happy Camel”, a company that run tours and expeditions within Mongolia, advertise. The students from Australia, England, Switzerland, Germany and Holland met at “Chez Bernard” Café (where “Happy Camel” is based) in the morning to leave for their planned journey to inner Mongolia.

Huvsgul lake has over ten varieties of fish, including the famous omoul, taimen, lenok, thymallus arcticus, etc. The icy lake looks like a brilliant mirror laying in the middle of the surrounding mountains covered with bright white snow. Though at Huvsgul lake, winter is the coldest time of the year the native inhabitant ethnic groups, such as darhads, buryats, urianhias, hotgoids, tsaatan reindeer breeders very much like the winter season. Reindeer breeders are the best winter herders and the reindeers are the most winter adapted animals.