Living in Ulaanbaatar

by Tara Munch
(UB, Mongolia)

Ten great things about living in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
1. How cool is living abroad?
2. It is a city dotted with gers (yerts), trippy and fascinating!
3. It has a great, quirky, laid back attitude
4. Elderly people still dress in traditional costumes
5. Being small here means that I am lucky so people want to touch me (okay not always a good thing but pretty cool all the same)
6. There are movie theaters, restaurants, paved roads and strangers here! (hey, two years in Alaska people!)
7. I love my job!
8. I am learning Mongolian.
9. There are cows, horses, goats, and sheep in the riverbed next to the Sky shopping center. This is in the middle of town and connected to the most prestigious hotel in the country. That is just entertaining.
10. A thriving art and music community.
11. Very nice people (who love to sing!)

Ten Interesting things to see and Do in Ulaanbaatar
1. It is a city dotted with gers (yurts), trippy and fascinating!
2. There are random pigs heads in the meat section of my local store
3. Strange soviet architecture. They even have a Soviet Square.
4. Crossing the street (try Something old... something new...
it sometime)
5. Watching an old man fix a Russian jeep engine with a metal nail file.
6. Mongolian wrestling (watching not trying is my recommendation)
7. The fireworks every night for unknown reasons
8. Trying to mime that you need milk that isn’t from China
9. Shopping in gers
10. Having random children come up to you to say “hello” in English and then run away laughing…

I told you I would write again when I was less crabby!