Our view looking west One of the things I love about where we live in Ulaanbaatar is the exposure. We are on the southwest corner of our building, on the 5th floor, so we get a lot of light in the apartment. As the sun has moved far to the north now, we mainly get … Continue reading Life in a northern town
Time in Mongolia
My classroom at the start of class yesterday Last semester I taught Cross-Cultural Communication to the junior class at MIU (Mongolia International University, for new readers). One of the topics was monochronic versus polychronic societies: Societies that live by the clock and a single time-stream, and societies that don’t. According to the textbook I was … Continue reading Time in Mongolia
Emma in Mongolia
People have asked me for a post about Emma’s experience of Mongolia, so I will do my best. She is still sleeping right now (it’s 6:00 Saturday morning as I start this), but we talk so much these days that I think I can represent what she thinks about all of this pretty well. One … Continue reading Emma in Mongolia
Another garbage post: People and nature in the city
Trash pile in the street in our neighborhoodStreet cleaner Waste disposal may not seem like a sexy topic for a blog post, but this isn’t a very sexy blog (in case you haven’t noticed). It feels like a pressing topic in a city that has a huge waste disposal problem, especially in what they call … Continue reading Another garbage post: People and nature in the city
Springtime in Mongolia and the miasma theory of disease
It finally really seems like spring here in Ulaabaatar. After a crazy dust/mud/windstorm last Sunday that brought some real rain in its wake, we started to notice tiny new leaves on a couple of trees on our walk through the neighborhood. The evergreens are green again, after a winter of being encrusted in black soot … Continue reading Springtime in Mongolia and the miasma theory of disease
Sandstorm: When the countryside blows into town
The other day, as I was writing, the light in the room suddenly became dim and murky. I looked out the window to see the Bogd Khan mountain disappearing behind a cloud of dust. It was gradual at first, looking just like a thick haze, but then the air took on the sepia tones of … Continue reading Sandstorm: When the countryside blows into town
Nothing lasts forever…
The time we went out for my birthday It’s becoming official that we are not staying in Mongolia after this academic year. I had kind of hoped that we might both love it here, but only one of us does, and practically, staying for another year or two isn’t going to work. I have told … Continue reading Nothing lasts forever…
