It’s been over seven months since I’ve moved to Mongolia. During this time, I’ve learned a great deal about the industry I work in, the country I’m living in and more importantly, I’ve learned a great deal about myself. I’ve learn that I’m spoiled rotten, to put it in black and white terms, I am spoiled rotten simply because I was born in a first world country and until I moved here, I didn’t realize how privileged I am for it. Basic rights, basic amenities I was given just because I was born. Many people including myself think these are birthrights or entitlements and deep down I believe they should be basic human rights, but unfortunately for many people they are not entailed to these rights, these amenities. Mongolia is a country like no other, on the surface you may think it’s a second/third world country like all the others, look a little deeper, you will see an ancient country that has been reborn and is beginning its infancy.
Someone once told me, the Gobi Desert is one of the most unforgiving places in the world, and after living here for seven months; I tend to agree with them. The extreme weather changes, the dry climate and the fact that you can’t grow any food; makes the Gobi a very difficult place to live; yet people have found a way. So you can understand my surprise to a fact that continues to blow my mind, is that people willfully chose to live here. And for all of you, who are thinking these people are poor so they don’t have a choice, let me correct you and say they absolutely have a choice. Mongolia may be a poor country from a North America perspective, but the Mongolian people are free. This is the freest country I’ve ever been too. I am not defining Freedom, as the basic right to vote or the basic right to choice, both of which the Mongolian people have, what I’m talking about is much deeper than that.
Some background information, Mongolia is a democracy, through peaceful protest via rallies and hunger strikes, the people of Mongolia established a democracy in Mongolia when the Mongolian People's Republic resigned in the nineties, this was done without bloodshed. This peaceful revolution is why many believe the Mongolian people went back to their thousand-year-old traditions, and the rebirth of Genghis Khan as a National Hero. This may be the case, and it can certainly be argued, but from my personal belief is that after years and years of suppression from China then Russia, the Mongolian people are as loyal as ever to their country. They are loyal because somehow a couple of the largest empires in the world have occupied them at some point in the last 100 years, yet they remain free, a democracy and their own country. It wasn’t long ago that this country was under Russian control, less then 25 years ago, Mongolia was not free. They had no god given rights that I take advantage of every single day of my life. They did not know freedom, so I find it amazing watching a country in its infancy of freedom. As the Russians left Mongolia and the Mongolian People's Republic rose to power, it was the countries youth that said ‘No,’ and they didn’t scream and start riots, they knew they were right, and when you are right, you don’t need to be violent, for a country that has seen so much violence throughout there history, choose to peacefully protest the suppression and through this protest began a voice which could not be silenced and by the mid nineties a democracy was created and a new constitution was written that protected the Mongolian peoples right to free speech, and freedom of religion.
To go back to my original opinion that the Mongolian people are the freest in the world, I say this for several reasons. At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of Mongolia and their people, there are certain things I’m not accustom too and probably never will be. Mongolians are an extremely proud people and can easily be judge as arrogant, but again the longer I’ve been here, the less I see their pride as arrogance. I’ve spoken to several locals about the history of their people and their country, and they are very humble in their expressions. Many people were alive during the Russian control and they have not forgotten, they take their freedom in a literal sense, and express it daily. For what can be interpreted as arrogance, is a form of expression. Mongolians do what they want when they want, period. And good luck to anyone who tries to get them to conform to the western ideals.
I’ve personally have not had problems working with the Mongolians but many of the expats here have. The mentality is simply very different. In general, the Mongolian people live everyday as if there is no tomorrow. If they want to drink themselves into a coma because they are having a great time with their friends, it does not enter their thought process that they may have work the next day. Everything is right now; tomorrow is a question mark. This way of thinking is the biggest reason the expats and Mongolians clash. What is perceived as irresponsible or lazy, is not what or how the Mongolians view it. Us westerns are taught from a young age to conform to society, we are members of society and we must be good, hard working taxpayers. I’ve heard the analogy that Westerners are chained to their desks, and to a certain degree, this is true. Mongolians are living, walking contradictions to this analogy. If you don’t believe me, go visit Ulaanbaatar and try to cross the street. Just because the light is red, don’t think for a second that a car will stop; the driver will stop because they feel like it, not because the light is red and therefore most cars drive through red lights. As I said, they take on the literal sense of the word freedom. The Mongolians come and go as they see fit. They live where they want too, and if that is the Gobi Desert so be it!!!
I have a great deal of respect for Mongolia. My time here has been hard but educational and very rewarding at times. Going without hot water for weeks, going without good food for months and then learning there are people here who have never had a hot water shower in their entire life till they came to this project, simply puts me in my place. I have met numerous people that live their entire childhood in a ger without electricity yet can work a computer better then me and speak multiple languages. Mongolia is a country on the rise and it will be interesting to see where they are in twenty years J
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