Leaving the Nomad Camp
It’s my last few hours in the nomad camp, Altanbulag District, Tov province, Mongolia. I woke up about 615 am today, 20 minutes earlier than usual. The driver (Amma) is supposed to be here at 1200pm, so there’s still time…
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Day 10- Trash Duty
It seems like I’m doing less and less every day as the end of my visit approaches. I thought it would be the opposite. I woke up feeling a bit regretful because the night before Annjah had invited me to…
Day 9- Rain!
I woke up to the sounds of rain ( <– Isn’t that a song lyric? ) early this morning! It’s the first substantial rain since I’ve been here. It is welcome as most of the land is barren and the…
Evenings in the Ger
The early evening work would usually end between 800-830pm. The very last task of the day was to “hobble” the riding horses (tying three of their legs together) so they could graze but not wander too far. This usually occurred…
A day in the life of a Mongolian Nomad
In the early spring, the day begins well after sunrise. At about 645 am, Biyambai, my host Durukh’s wife, would be the first out of bed (although sometimes I would lay awake under the warm covers, well before the others…
Day 8 -Back to normal
Thankfully I woke up with my strength back this morning. I was very relieved as the day before I had thoughts of having to go to Altanbulag (the closest town, 18 miles/30 km away) on the back of a motorcycle,…
Day 6 afternoon and a “Boats” Dinner
After returning from the morning herding and having a quick lunch, I was again asked to pasture the goats. I think my usefulness is starting to come into play and Durukh and his wife Biyambai are starting to do things…
Is agriculture the origin of these two sayings?
I was just reviewing some video the other day and noticed that I used some phrases/sayings that we may use in everyday language in the USA to mean something similar. Phrase #1: “The local watering hole” People use this (…
Day 5-The Well Mission and The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
The type of work I do at the camp generally depends on the particular need for that day. I made this video the following morning which sums up day 5: So as I said in the video, After the ritual…
Day 4 addendum- A late night party
I usually go to sleep at 930 pm in the nomad camp. Work finishes between 730-800pm followed by a couple of hours of Satellite TV. The most popular show among all the nomads (and I’m betting in all Mongolia) is…