What am I doing in UB?

I said I wouldn’t do it, but I did.  I travelled to Ulaanbaatar by car last Sunday. That’s about 400 miles and it only took us about 14 hours. We even made 2 short stops plus one for lunch.  And fortunately there were just six of us plus a baby in the car.  The baby was coming to UB for eye surgery thanks to World Vision.

First stop on the road to UB includes sharing snacks we brought along

Another brief stop on the road to sample the local airag and here's one of the progeny

Since arriving in Mongolia in 2008, I have only travelled between UB and Muron, my hometown, by plane for Peace Corps training.  The tales of travel by road — lots of rough roads, too many people in the vehicle, and up to 20 hours travel – had convinced me it was something to be avoided if at all possible.

But when a friend at World Vision suggested I come along on a business trip to UB she had to make, I first said no and then agreed.  I’ve been working seven long days a week for some time, trying to make a success of our little craft shop in Muron plus working on some other things for the Chamber of Commerce.  It was time for a little break and if I didn’t get out of town, it wouldn’t happen.

The roads always have lots of tracks to choose from...which one will be smoothest?

The magnificent Mongolian countryside

As it turned out, the trip wasn’t bad.  Good people to travel with, a careful driver, a safe car, and one more opportunity to admire the magnificent Mongolian countryside of steppe and mountain speckled with gers and herds of animals grazing on the green grasses now fading to gold under the August sun.

Check out Mongolia’s first TEDxConference

I’ll be here a week and one big reason to be glad I’m here is that I’ll get to attend a TEDxConference being held on August 20 here in UB.  If you don’t know about TED conferences, please check out http://www.ted.com   I’ve been listening to TED talks on my iPod for several years and find them fascinating and deeply thought provoking.

Then last year, my friend and PCV classmate, Travis Hellstrom, got together with a Mongolian and began to organize a Mongolian TED conference.  These subsidiary conferences of TED are called TEDxConferences. Web address http://www.tedxulaanbaatar.com/

My Mongolian friends looked at the speaker list and said they’re some of the most prominent people in Mongolia.  You can actually see it streaming live on the website in English or Mongolian and it should be available after the fact as well.  I’ve been doing some long distance help on the event but now that I’m in UB I’ll be able to help out more.

If you’re into Facebook, please give the Conference a “like.”

A new park just outside my window

I’m staying this week with a friend who works in the PC office here in Ulaanbaatar.  She has graciously let me stay with her in her lovely apartment several times when I’ve been in UB and it is such a treat and contrast to my Muron home, much as I love it too.  I came on Sunday night and Monday morning was spa time: a good hot shower, washed my hair, trimmed my toe and fingernails, had real coffee and some pancakes she had made, used her washng machine and just relaxed a bit.  Now I’m ready for anything.

Looking down at a piece of the park from my 5th floor apartment

One of the perks is to see a lovely park that was completed since I was last here.  I’m on the fifth floor and the apartment looks down on the park shown in the photo.  It’s attracting a steady stream of people enjoying its quiet atmosphere, sitting on benches reading or watching the children play around the fountains, a few roller skaters and bike riders but everyone respectful.  And it’s really clean—lots of trash bins and a young man who seems to be constantly sweeping and keeping it clean.

From now on, I expect a busy week with a number of meetings set up and the special TEDx event on Saturday and then home on Sunday.

A Mongolian child gains confidence on her color-coordinated roller blades

Children love the fountain in the park