Mongols celebrate two important annual festivals: Firstly, the White Moon Festival (First day of the year according to the Mongolian lunisolar calender) And secondly, the Naadam Festival (This year: 11th to 15th July) And this article will elaborate more on the Naadam Festival Which is just around the corner at the time I'm writing this article (today is 28/6/17) My introductory image shows the Three Manly Skills that is much emphasized in Mongolia. Long ago, these skills were what constituted civilization And Mongols maintain that their "Three Manly Sports" separated real men from the boys. If you delve into the word: Naadam, you will realize that it is a direct Mongolian translation of "эрийн гурван наадам" which means "the three games of men". There are various sayings about the source and meaning behind the festival But a few things that I am sure of is that It is the most widely watched festival among Mongols And this tradition had a really long history, and has existed for centuries. The competitions of these 3 games are held throughout the country With the biggest celebration/competition held in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar. So how do I learn all of these? ---- From my students!It's all because of a sudden thought in the classroom today. While I was having lessons with them Most of them were lying on table Some with eyes half-closed They kept saying the hot weather makes them feel super sleepy and they just couldn't focus in class. Well, so I came up with a group competition! Every group was given a flip chart and some markers And they were required to illustrate and present interesting facts about their nation's festivals That's exactly how I learn from them! :) And their presentations were truly impressive! Looking at their presentations, You won't believe that this bunch of teenagers are mostly only 12-16 years old! And in such a short time (I only give them 15mins to prepare) They're able to come up with a colourful mind-maps and drawings And with a complete speech! (To be super honest, I myself can't do this at this age, seriously) Some even prepared drama to illustrate how the celebration was carried out in their tradition. It was definitely an eye-opening experience, even for me. And I had SO MUCH FUN this afternoon Thank you Jolly Teens for this superb experience, I'm really super sad that I'm actually leaving soon :( But I do have high hopes in everyone of you Because you are just too talented and adorable I wish you all the best for whatever you'll be pursuing for in your future! :) Love ya! <3
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In the last post I talked about "loneliness in Mongolia", and for this post Im gonna talk about friends in Mongolia! :) <3 Everyday in Mongolia is special Sometimes I spend time with myself, sometimes I get to spend with others. And a good balance of both is essential to me. I get energy from people But my energy drained quickly with people as well And when my battery s flat I'll need to recharge it by spending time with myself Yet this can't go for long As after a certain amount of time I'll start feeling lonely And will start longing for some quality time with friends And the cycle continues Most of my friends I met in my life said Im an extrovert Especially those that met me when I was younger, in high school/college But some in uni said Im an introvert Well, I think I am both It depends on who I'm spending time with, and whether the people make me feel comfortable The reason I mentioned all these is because that I am truly blessed and happy today I am connected; I feel included And I am genuinely happy with all the moments I had with all of you today And I had been longing for this for the past week This may seem normal or easily achievable to some of you who are reading this But definitely not for me Having fun doesn't mean feeling connected I love to talk with people, but I love it more when I feel connected while talking with people Thank you Azaa, Theva, Erik, Guillaume for today, it was wonderful! :) And so besides chilling with friends, actually today I spent most of my day travelling to countryside to visit Caroline and Maggie. They are EPs from US and Macau, who are currently working in countryside (to be precise, a summer camp for kids) in Mongolia. Below are some pictures that I took while visiting them. And some of the photos of the kids in the summer camp too These kids really surprise me! Because I initially thought that they would be camera-shy Especially with a stranger that walked around with a camera on her hand But surprisingly, they were actually really "passionate" to be my model Most showed interest and some were even ready with poses, waiting to be photographed! They are just too cute! :P And they were actually playing some games with hand when I was there! Don't really know what was that, but it's really adorable too! :) Kids were really energetic, but not the EPs/teachers They look really tired haha Well, they must be, especially when they need to deal with these "energetic" kids We were chilling in Caroline's and Maggie's bedroom for a few hours Basically there's no wifi or any other entertainment that you can find in the city No coffee shops, restaurants, cinemas, karaoke, just nothing Except a candy shop (They said even candy is luxurious for them, oh poor girls) And the thing that really surprised me was that They were forced to shower only once per week! WHAT?! oh man, how can one possibly stand this Two of you really have my utmost respect Especially when you guys still show so much positivity and happiness amid the circumstances you're dealing with right now I should learn more from you guys, really! ;) This is NOT ALL for today, but Im really sleepy now Will update more tomorrow! And... ps: It's Mongolian Presidency Election day tomorrow! Can't wait to see who will be the next leader of Mongolia! :) Goodnight everyone. Sweet Dreams. <3 I am definitely lying to you if I tell you that everyday in Mongolia was full of joy and happiness. Of course, I still feel loved and grateful for being well taken care of most of the time, but sometimes, I was overwhelmed with loneliness too. I am an emotional person. I am sensitive to feelings, be it of my own, or of others. And I love to overthink at times. I guess this explains why I always have fluctuating emotions, which isn't a good thing in general. I am the only Exchange Participant (volunteer) in my project, which means that in my daily life, of everyone that I talk to or interact with, I am the only non-Mongolian. In other words, I am the only one that don't speak Mongolian. And this explains why sometimes I was easily ignored or overlooked. I understand because it always takes more effort to talk to me than to their own circle of friends. I really understand because I have done the same thing too back when I was in college, when I am talking Mandarin with my friends, friends who don't speak Mandarin would then be in a similar situation I am in right now Since I have done this myself, This is therefore completely, absolutely, perfectly understandable. It's just that sometimes understanding it doesn't mean you are glad to accept it, At least not everytime. There will be times where for the whole day in the office (10am-6pm) I only get to talk for less than 5 sentences. When people cracked jokes and laughed, I try to look happy as well although I have no clue at all on what's going on. It is hard to pretend sometimes, but it is necessary. Because I don't want to make everyone feel guilty or uncomfortable, And I don't want to make people think that I am ungrateful, because they don't have the obligation to always tolerate with the only one in office that don't speak their own language. I am still super grateful and happy, but sometimes I just need someone to talk to me, more. 5 sentence a day is not enough, really. Sometimes when I walk to work, I feel like I am the only one in this big, big world. So many people walk past me, But nobody knows me. For the past few days, I always rush back to home at 6pm, because I feel like I want to escape from somewhere that doesn't belong to me And then I realized that, I am just escaping to another place that doesn't belong to me. Nobody is waiting for me at home, Nothing is waiting for me at home, I hate the feeling of being forced to kill time with myself. I keep searching for dramas and videos to watch, but I know that deep inside my heart, it is empty. Perhaps I have to learn how to live alone well Since I will be facing a similar situation when I start working in an unfamiliar city, soon. I don't like people to sympathise with me So, please don't. I am not weak, this is just one state of emotions everyone is dealing with in their lives, just that they don't explicitly writing it out to share with everyone, doesn't mean they are happy at every second of their lives. How will you appreciate the good things if there is no hardship at all It is necessary to feel sad at times, So that the happy days will seem to be happier I am glad that I am now getting through all these feelings Because I know that they are nutritious for growth, They are essential to develop me into a more mature adult who is ready for more responsibilities in life. I love you, life
because you always give me so much feelings and stories. :) I have written the first two destinations of the day in the last 2 posts, if you ever wondered what have I done as a "Mongolian Queen" and how pretty was the scenery of the Tourist Camp, please look at the previous posts! :) For this post, Im gonna write about my third destination of the day - Which I don't know what's the name (I'm so sorry!) but its another tourist camp that was much bigger than the first one! :P We came here to have lunch together! And most importantly, to celebrate two of our friends' birthdays! :) It was Bronze Hero and Gandolgor's birthday! Dr. Ganaa and her friends prepared presents and cake for all of us. It was really a heart-warming gathering, where I witnessed love and friendship in each other's eyes and actions! However, I couldn't engage much with them as they were conversing in Mongolian language. But it's okay, I enjoy observing how they laugh, talk and interact with each other! And then the most exciting part came! We were fortunate enough to have witnessed a live wrestling competition/performance in the Tourist Camp! It was super fascinating and was literally my first time to meet and greet the wrestlers in person, omg, what a day!! And so I took photos with all of them before their competition! They don't speak English, but luckily I have Tseegii who was kind enough to help me translate and approach them! (To be honest, I don't even dare to approach them as they look super strong and ... well I don't know, maybe I was too nervous!) And so the wrestling show began! They first played some Mongolian music, and then the MC started to introduce the judges and wrestlers onto the stage. Some quick information about the Mongolian wrestling before I continue the story! i.) Mongolian wrestling (Bökh) is the folk wrestling style of Mongols in Mongolia, and the word Bökh means "durability". Wrestling is the most important skill in the Mongolian culture's historic "Three Manly Skills", which also include horsemanship and archery. Mongolia as a country has won quite a few Gold medals in Wrestling and Boxing in Olympics! ii.) Historically, Genghis Khan (I've introduced this historic hero in my previous post!) had considered wrestling to be an important way to keep his army in good physical shape and combat ready. Since Qing Dynasty (1646-1911), wrestling has been one of the most favourite sports and entertainments to the Mongolian community. iii.) The most important rule of game: Touching the ground with anything other than a foot loses the match! After a good fight, the pink wrestler won the game as he successfully made the other wrestler lie on the ground! After finishing a game, two wrestlers have to run around the judges and the judges will then announce the winner and award him with a special crown! This show really made me speechless, I was so impressed by it and even until now, when typing the words out for this blog, I am still overwhelmed by happiness and excitement, and feel super grateful for being able to witness such an interesting show!
That's all for this post, the third destination on my 17th day in Mongolia! Stay tuned for the next few destinations on the same day which I will update very soon! (I know I know, it was a super eventful day, and I am truly beyond grateful for it!) A small hint for the next story! Can't wait to share with you all!! See you soon! :) This is the second part story of the day, you can read more about my first destination on the same day here! The second destination was Genghis Khan Statue Complex, a popular tourist spot that hosted the famous Genghis Khan Equestrian Square, a museum and some souvenir shops. Before we proceed to the story, I would first like to introduce one of the big hero in Mongolian history, which still holds influential position in many of Mongolian's heart, in every way that you can possibly imagine: Genghis Khan is a famous historical hero in Mongolia and is still very influential in today's Mongolian society, where the whole community still hold great respect and gratitude towards him. He was the Great Khan and founder of Mongol Empire. His greatest contributions include practicing meritocracy in the country, encouraged religious tolerance in the Mongol Empire and unified the nomadic tribes in Northeast Asia. You can find his monument, museum or books everywhere in Mongolia. Many restaurants, hotels or shops even use his name for their business. The reason I wanna introduce this great Mongolian hero is because my second destination: Genghis Khan Statue Complex, and the famous Genghis Khan Equestrian Square are all about him too! 3 interesting facts about this statue: 1. It's a 40 metres tall statue of Genghis Khan on horseback. Visitors can climb to the third floor and walk to the head of the horse through its chest and neck to have a panoramic view of the city. 2. Designed by sculptor D. Erdenebileg and architect J. Enkhjargal and erected in 2008. 3. The statue is symbolically pointed east towards his birthplace. The cost of the complex is reported to be US$4.1 million, spent by The Genco Tour Bureau, a Mongolian company. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And well, there's a shop that rents out Mongolian King's and Queen's costumes, where tourists can get to wear and rent for 5-10 minutes. It costs around 3000tögrög which is equivalent to £1. And so, there goes my "Mongolian Queen for a day" story! :P Many of my Mongolian friends said that I really do look like a Mongolian Queen, well, I'm not sure how the queen should look like, but I will take this as a compliment! :P And I'm not kidding, after I've put on the costume, many tourists started taking pictures of me, and I even found my King in the complex, what an interesting day! >< This was really super fun! And I would like to use this opportunity to thank my kind new friend, Gandolgor Tserendagva, who was kind enough to help me to take nice pictures and brought me touring around the building. Well, I would like to introduce my "Mongolian King of the day" to you too! His name is Tejan Chinnakonda. He's from Canada and came to Mongolia with his father for a short trip! So nice to have him as my modelling partner, thanks for adding colours to this wonderful day! :) Above are some of the pictures I've taken inside the museum!
It was definitely an interesting place to visit, although I was slightly disappointed by the museum where I expected more things to see. But it was still a nice experience nevertheless! This ends the second destination of the day, and I'm gonna introduce you my third destination of the day in the next post , stay tuned! I'll give you a hint, here's one of the stories about the third destination that you will not want to miss! |