The UB

I went into this experience thinking that Mongolia would be like China with just a few differences. But, to my surprise, Mongolia is WAY different than China.

Actually, I'll clarify. Being the capital city, Ulaanbaatar (The UB) is not just different from China, but also the rest of Mongolia which is more nomadic.

Though I haven't been here long enough to pretend I know much about this place, I'll list a few observations I've made in the last three days.

1. CHOCOLATE.

In China, chocolate was worth its weight in gold. Finding good chocolate was like finding Ryan Reynolds--but more exciting.

This afternoon I went to a grocery story that had three aisles of chocolate.

WHAT???!!??!

2. Other grocery store things. 

A lot of food is imported, including produce, which means that food here isn't as cheap as it was in China. Meat, however, does not have to be imported and you will find a lot of these in your local meat aisle:

Yep, sheep is popular.

3. Coffee shops. 

While there is not Starbucks in sight, there has been a real boom in coffee shops here over the last few years. Yesterday I went to THREE coffee shops.

4. Dairy products.

You want cheese, milk, or ice cream? You've got it. The national drink is fermented mare's milk. These people are all about dairy.

5. Russian influence. 

Mongolia has quite a bit of history with Russia, what with being located right next to it and all, and this influence shows up in a lot of ways--most apparently in writing and European-y architecture. The Mongolian language has its own script, but oftentimes they use cyrillic instead.

"Mini Market"

6. Temperature. 

Yes, outside it is really, REALLY cold. They tell me this has been a warm winter, but I'm still dressing up heavily enough to play in the snow just to walk outside for ten minutes.

But they are so good at keeping everything inside warm. 

I'm currently wearing shorts.

But not in this picture. 

When it was taken, I was wearing my new yak mittens, which are a furry miracle.

7. Pollution. 

It's not as bad as I was expecting for being rated the second most polluted city in the world. 

Apparently the air is worse at night when families in gers (also known as yurts) are burning wood and coal to stay warm. This week it's been exceptionally clear because it snowed (which is somewhat rare here because--DIDN'T KNOW THIS WAS POSSIBLE--it's usually too cold for snow) and we've had some stunning views of the mountains.

That's all my observations for now. 

The last three days have been full of training, walking around (yes, even in the cold), and meeting people. The team here in Mongolia is thriving, spirited, and welcoming. One of the greatest perks is having Bethany, one of my teammates from Taiyuan, here to hang out with. She's currently sleeping over for the SECOND time and has been helping me around...like a good babysitter. 

My teaching start date is scheduled for March 10th. In the meantime, they are trying to get two more teachers to come help out with the program I'll be doing--and once they figure that out, they will also figure out where my final residence is. 

Unpredictable? That's life here.