Horses, camels, cows/yaks, goats and sheep
By Charlie Whenever the doorbell rings, we expect that it is someone looking for money or another alleged landlord claiming that they own our apartment. Nasantoghtokh rang our doorbell on Sunday afternoon. (Yes, I dare you to say that name out loud.) He did want money for something, but he also had a problem. Water […]
Continue ReadingBy Charlie “This is so Mongolian.” You hear that a lot from foreigners living in UB as they share stories about encounters with Mongolian friends and colleagues. A Mongolian high roller called my cell phone at 10:45pm the other night to get my thoughts on a totally insane scheme to fund Mongolian public broadcasting with […]
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By Charlie This year has given Rachel and me lots of time to reflect. We talk about our life together and how much we are looking forward to the years ahead. We talk about what’s important in life and we’re making plans. Most of our friends already have children. And just about everyone in Mongolia […]
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By Rachel I am sure many of you were wondering when we would get to this point. A low or a high, I don’t know, but we will now say publicly that we miss them. We talk about them everyday. We look for them at the foot of the bed. When we eat dinner, we […]
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By Charlie I’ve done another Mongolia story for NPR. You can hear it on the NPR website. It’s about Ella Beavers: Albanian Banker and Mongolian Boxer. Learn how to say “Left, left, right!” in Mongolian!
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By Rachel Today was grocery-shopping day. I have noticed that shopping seems to be a recurring theme in these posts. I hope it is a window on how life here is different, or the same, as life wherever you happen to be. I left the house with 43,000 tugrugs and a backpack with another bag […]
Continue ReadingBy Charlie Today was a day like any other, which makes it a perfect day to be chronicled below. 7:00 AM — Wake UpThe alarm goes off and it’s not pitch dark. What a relief. The crick in my neck feels slightly better after being worked on last night by a Mongolian masseuse who basically […]
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By Charlie Despite its shortcomings, MIAT is a strong Mongolian institution with loyal employees and a rich 50-year history. Many of the pilots have worked for MIAT since the 1970s and they talk wistfully about the glory days of Mongolian aviation. These conversations are aided by hundreds of pictures that decorate the gigantic room that […]
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By Charlie Last Monday was cold. It felt especially bad because I spent about 20 minutes waiting for the bus and another 30 minutes riding a bus with no heat. Here’s what the inside of the bus window looks like on a cold morning. And yes, all that ice is on the inside of the […]
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By Rachel Faithful readers might remember our neighborhood dog, Lightning. In the fall we entertained the idea of adopting her, and saving her from a miserable winter on the streets. Heartless misers that we are, we did not, but she managed anyway, surviving the cold and the dog catcher (read, dog slaughterer.) Different dogs have […]
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