Some Differences Between Mongolian and American Schools

Just a small list of a few differences

Some differences between Mongolian and American schools (mostly in the countryside):

1. Cheating is prevalent—tests and classwork usually

2. Homework is rarely completed if done at all

3. Teachers typically teach straight from the textbook and leave no room for creative interpretation (although I seem to recall some classes in high school like that). Teachers often don’t prepare lessons ahead of time. However they are required to submit their lesson plans to the Training manager several times throughout the school year (typically they just create them with the help of the textbook). The training Manager is in charge of the teachers, the scheduling, payment, and school events (parties, teaching competition, etc).

4. Depending on the size of the soum or town, some classes can have as many as 40 students at one time.

5. Holidays, celebrations, parties, and projects will take predominance over teaching lessons and school work.

6. Students don’t even try to hide their cell phones

7. Fights break out almost daily

Of Mongolia’s cities

Mongolia is in a time of transition, from old to new. The capital and the larger cities have been drastically influenced by western culture and the 21^st century, whereas the countryside and small villages tend to stick to the traditional ways of living in gers (the traditional Mongolian home) and herding cattle or planting crops. More and more people of the younger generations are drawn to the large cities where possibilities seem endless.

Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar (Red Hero), already hosts half of the country’s population (roughly 1.5 million) and continues to increase almost daily. This is definitely a city lover’s city: taxis and cars always moving slowly through road traffic, tons of supermarkets and department stores selling almost anything you can get in the Western world, foreign or ethnic restaurants and food shops, karaoke bars and night clubs, even new apartment buildings not following the stereotypical Communist Block blueprint are being constructed. Yes, Ulaanbaatar is the metropolis capital in the middle of large mountains, wide open steppes, the Gobi desert, miles of rivers & lakes, and several native wild animals (i.e. the Gobi Bear).

The other two cities, Darkhan and Erdenet are very close behind in the western development, but not as large or populated as Ulaanbaatar. Darkhan, located just due north of UB, is spread out and separated into new and old Darkhan. Erdenet, Southwest from Darkhan, is more compact than Darkhan and UB, but still has the same big city feel. As like UB and Darkhan, Erdenet host several large supermarkets, a large gymnasium with a heated swimming pool, and communist era apartments, but also has an art gallery and a skiing slope. Erdenet is definitely my favorite of the 3, due to the laid back and chill atmosphere, friendly PCVs with a nice apartment, and not to mention I’m closer to it than Darkhan. If you are ever in Mongolia and want to see a more relaxed and less tense city than the capital, check out Erdenet or Darkhan.

Extra facts: Both Erdenet and Darkhan are the capitals of their own aimag (province), and both have a few soums (small towns or villages) in their aimags as well.

Somethings about Mongolian Culture

The 3^rd goal of the Peace Corps: to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of all Americans. I thought I should share with you, my few readers who are probably wondering if I’m still alive, some of the culture of the Land under the Blue Sky. These are the things I learned during training and over the past year.

1. Never whistle inside someone’s home. This calls bad spirits.

2. Always accept tea, candy, and food from someone. When visiting, even if it’s a short visit, it’s polite to sit and chat for few minutes while drinking and eating something. Stay as long as it takes you to drink some tea.

3. If you accidently kick someone or your foot touches someone else’s foot, immediately shake hands with the person. Kicking someone’s foot is a sign of aggression and initiating a fight.

4. The common greeting is Sain ban u? ( Сайн байн уу?)— hello, how are you?

5. The ger is the traditional Mongolian home. It’s like a tent and log cabin mixed together with between 4-6 walls, depending on the size of the ger. The ger has both a male and female side. The male side is to the left (West) and the female side to the right (East). The ger door always faces South. When you walk into a ger, you must walk around from left to right. At the north end of the ger is usually a bed, but sometimes a chest with family pictures or a Buddha shrine is placed there.

6. Orange and Blue are common colors, especially in gers. They represent the earth and the sky.

7. The main dishes of Mongolia

Buuz (Бууз)- steamed meat wrapped in dough.

Hosher (Хуушур)- fried meat wrapped in dough

Tsuvan (Цуван)- a stir fry like dish that typically includes pasta, meat, potatoes, carrots, & onions

Meat (Мах)- the 5 main meats are cow, horse, sheep, goat, and camel (in some places you can also find fish and chicken)

Milk tea (Сүүтай цай)- exactly as it sounds: boiled water, milk, and tea leaves. Excellent to drink on a cold day.

Yoghurt is also common, especially in the summer. Mongolians make their own.