2/22/2006

By Charlie

Today was a day like any other, which makes it a perfect day to be chronicled below.

7:00 AM — Wake Up
The 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 transferred the entire weight of her body to my neck through her elbow.

9:00 AM — E-mail
I arrive at the Asia Foundation to send and receive e-mail. The new wi-fi router that I convinced the Asia Foundation to buy is working great, but the internet is horribly slow and my computer crashes. It takes forever to download my mail since Anthony Cordesman sent me 5 megabytes of turgid Iraq analysis. I delete that e-mail, which helps a lot.

9:40 AM — Bus to Work
I catch the #11 bus and enjoy Episode 8 of the Fly With Me podcast. Thanks to Rachel D for turning me on to this. I absolutely love it. Everyone should click above and listen to this podcast.

10:15 AM — Late for Class
I make good time to the airport, arriving only 15 minutes late for my first English class of the day. The students are usually 30-45 minutes late, so 15 minutes should be no big deal. Of course everyone was on time today.

12:00 noon — Lunch
I eat my Korean version of Cup O Noodles and read some of the e-mail that I downloaded earlier.

1:00 PM — English Class 2
Nobody shows up for my afternoon English class. Three guys eventually appear 20-30 minutes late and we have a really nice class about taxi and departure procedures. Two of the pilots fly the Anontov 26 and one is an Airbus pilot who is grounded until he improves his English. I need to write a special entry just about him.

3:00 PM — Bus to Town
I take the #11 back to town. The ride is uneventful.

3:25 PM — Shell Game, UB Style
I get off the bus near the Library and find a dozen or more men playing the Mongolian version of the shell game. In this game, the shells are big plastic cups. A foam ball hides under one of the three cups. The game operator switches the cups around. As he stops, men put a foot on top of the cup that they believe is covering the ball. Each guy gives his bet to the bookie, the ball is revealed and somebody is paid –- or not. But of course, this is Mongolia, so there is a tremendous amount of pushing, shoving and yelling. Most of the players are drunk, so people are falling all over the place. One guy falls into the street and comes close to being totally flattened by oncoming traffic. The game seems to migrate south, moving a foot or two after every couple of games. The guys try to get me involved, but I refuse. I keep my hand on my wallet and stay alert. Eventually, a respectable looking Mongolian man walks up to me, points at the game, points at me and shakes his head while making an X sign with his forearms. The X sign, you see, is Mongolian sign language for “No fucking way!” This guy made sure that I did not get in on the game.

3:30 PM — Tuuv Shuudan
I visit the dreaded Tuuv Shuudan (Central Post Office) to collect a package from the wonderful KJ and Joe. This transaction involves five people and about 25 minutes. I sign four pieces of paper and turn over 1,216 tugrugs in import duty. That’s $1.

3:55 PM — Mongol Telcom
I walk around back from the Tuuv Shuudan and dive into the fray of the Mongol Telecom payment office. Pushing and shoving ensues. Praise Jesus, I am allowed to pay the phone bill: 11,759 tugrugs. First world dwellers might not believe this, but there are times in Mongolia when one is not permitted to pay one’s phone bill.

4:15 PM — Walk Home
With KJ and Joe’s package under my arm, I head home. The walk takes about 15 minutes and is pretty cold.

4:30 PM — Home Again
I arrive home to greet the brilliant afternoon sunlight that drenches our apartment. I eat a piece of Rachel’s chocolate cake and stare at KJ and Joe’s package, knowing that I should not open it until Rachel comes home.