"Tower" of Bread Sticks

Traditionally, at Mongolian New Year (this year, 14-16Feb), at the center of the table is a "Boov" or tower of bread sticks.

It must have an odd number of layers and you don't eat any of it until the New Year celebration is over.

Sounds like a good source of croutons?

They are selling 2 weeks before in the stores.

Safety (not) ladder

After working 20+ years as a Safety Manager, I have to take pictures of scary things. No barricades. No person holding the ladder. And I doubt that this ladder is designed to be used like this?

Snow + Dirt = Snirt?

The air pollution is so bad here that the white snow quickly gets a layer of dirt/dust. I call it "Snirt" for Snow + Dirt.

Mongolia/Russian/English words

Language can be funny.

This sign says, "Auto Radiator Shop" in "Mongolian."

Phonetically in English, these letters are pronounced,
"Avto
Raad-E-Aa-Tore
Zaas-Vaar."

So, for the word "Radiator," Mongolians use Russian letters to phonetically spell English sounds.

Recycling Mongolian style

Garbage recycling Mongolian-style:
1. Put your garbage on the landing of your apartment stair. The jijuur (custodian who lives under the steps with her 2 children) takes whatever she wants and puts the rest in a pile in the parking lot.
2. The birds peck at anything they want.
3. The dogs gnaw on anything they want.
5. Men pick at whatever they want.
6. The garbage truck comes 2x a week and scoops up anything remaining.

Something we didn't see every day - until last week

On the way back from church last week, we noticed a large object by the apartment sidewalk that wasn't there 2 hours earlier.

It was a cow's skull.

Apparently it is too big for the dogs to drag away.

So it is still there this week.

Our apartment building

Our apartment building was built in the 60s and is in pretty good shape compared to other buildings.
Our apartment is on the 5th floor to the left of the yellow paint.
I think we are the only non-Mongolian tenants.

The steel door has no "bumpers" so it "Bangs" every time it closes.

No elevator so we have 5 flights of steps.
Four apartments on every floor.

Teaching English

Spencer Garner (in the picture) is a Pastor from Tennessee, USA. Because you cannot work as a foreign Pastor in Mongolia, he and his wife have been teaching English for almost 10 years in Mongolia. He is great and also counsels the Mongolian Pastor in his village.

Air pollution

Ulaanbaatar is in a valley. 400,000 people in the city live in felt tents heated with coal stoves. Many nights have no wind so the morning air pollution is often terrible. The picture above is taken at 0845. The haze is coal smoke. We can barely see 2 telephone poles away. Respiratory disease and asthma are common illnesses.

Drinking boiled yogurt

In the US, kids have cup of hot chocolate on a cold day. In Mongolia, a special warm drink on cold winter days is boiled yogurt; sour, curdled and warm. In the picture are Suvd, JCS Finance Manager, Odnoo, JCS Editor, and Altantsag, JCS cleaning woman, back up receptionist and cashier. Yes, I had a cup. I burned my tongue. Wimp!