Tag Archives: Cultural
Burma Adopts A New Flag Today!
We were on our way to Shwedagon Pagoda today, when our taxi driver casually informed us that Burma adopted a new flag this morning! He pointed to a bright multi-colored flag flying from one of the government buildings, as we … Continue reading
Back to Burma
We are flying into Rangoon tomorrow and will be in Burma for the next 28 days, as long as their Social Visa allows us to stay. Needless to say internet access is a bit sketchy within Rangoon, and very unreliable, … Continue reading
Some Mongolian Customs
The following list of Mongolian customs are compiled with the help of our friends: Nara, Ugi, Usukh, Tsagaantsooj, Uyangaa, and Priscilla. Thanks guys, and we miss you!!! Ovoos are mounds of stones and wood found on hilltops in the Mongolian … Continue reading
Bactrian Camel Love
Being a westerner, I originally believed camels were stubborn, charmless creatures that spit at you. That was before I was lucky enough to be forced to ride a Bactrian Camel. On a 28 hour ride back from the countryside, after … Continue reading
Alice In Ger-Land
Living in a ger is like being Alice standing under the caterpillar on his fleshy mushroom. The wood burning stove vents plumes of white smoke out of a rusty iron pipe just like the chain smoking caterpillar. An umbrella of … Continue reading
A Country Naadam, Part IV: Let the Games Begin!
After the opening ceremonies, we bounced outside of Altai City, in a dust veiled procession of ‘machines’, with our student, Cassandra, and her family, to watch the horse races. A handful of bumpy miles later, we pulled up to a … Continue reading
A Country Naadam, Part III: Pre-Naadam Show
Naadam started on a patriotic note, as a small army blocked off Janchiv Square, while flowers were laid at the giant statue’s boots to honor his short heroic life. A silken tide of deels pressed against the sinewy curtain of … Continue reading
A Country Naadam, Part II: Happy Birthday Altai City!
Once my students learned of my interest in Mongolian wrestling, they walked me to the hanger-sized Altai City Sports Center, and introduced me to the local wrestlers. Even though they were preparing for Naadam, a handful of days away, they … Continue reading
A Country Naadam, Part I: Happenstance
It was pure happenstance that we experienced our first country Naadam, way out in left-field of the Mongolian Gobi. A day after enjoying UB’s Naadam, and just five days after arriving in Mongolia, we rushed out to Altai City, to … Continue reading
First Day of Mongolian Kindergarten
The Today Newspaper needed first day of school photos so I recruited my friend, Ugi’s niece and nephew, to lead me to the promised land: Kindergarten! Chubby little Mongols, puffed and pressed into picture perfectness, bobbled around with armfuls of … Continue reading