Thoughts From Mongolia IV

Ulaanbaatar (UB) is the capital city in which approximately 40 percent of the country’s 2.6 million people reside. It is a very big city with severe traffic and air pollution problems. There are neither sufficient street signs nor signal lights and driving is an exercise in aggression. If you are not properly aggressive you wait, wait and wait some more in traffic. I thought that when I spent time working in Israel those drivers were aggressive but the Mongolians lead the pack. Crossing the street is an opportunity for prayer.

The air pollution in the city is terrible and getting worse. Driving from the airport into the city when I first arrived last week I saw a large coal burning power plant bellowing smoke. There are a total of three old coal powered plants within the city limits. Many of the cars are at least 7-10 years old and have no anti-pollution devices. The gas, imported from Russia, has high lead content. According to the United Nations Millennium Report for Mongolia the air pollution in Ulaanbaatar has reached levels potentially dangerous for the genetic pool of the population. Apparently the pollution is worse during the winter because the city sits in a bowl and the air inversions capture the toxic air. A lot of people have coughs and asthma is prevalent.

Thoughts From Mongolia III

The food in Mongolia is a real trip unless you love fatty MEAT, MEAT AND MEAT three times a day. You have your choices of camel (yes true), horse (of course), tons of sheep (mutton) and beef, and limited amounts of chicken. Unless you go to a fancy restaurant there are few salads and if you could find one, it usually doesn’t have lettuce, but is like a vinegar salad. My translator and the woman who attends all of my meetings comes from a traditional Mongolian family and doesn’t really like other ethnic foods so we wind up in more traditional Mongolian places to eat. It is interesting trying to be a vegetarian in this meat country, but I brought lots of power bars, dried fruit and some other nutritious delicacies. I totally realize that I am in this part of the country not because of the food but because of the people and culture.

I had a fabulous session this evening at one of the largest private foundations in the country that is working on environmental and other grassroots issues. I conducted a 2-½ hour training session for environmental leaders. Among the many issues they are working on are: minimizing the impact of gold and copper mining on the pasture land and the rivers; dealing with the regulation of tourists in national parks; and stopping hydroelectric power plants. The majority of the folks were from the countryside all over Mongolia and they were the “real deal.” They were wonderful people—all community leaders and heads of NGOs.

Thoughts From Mongolia II

Mongolia is a country which is in great transition and the changes are leading to a real sense of optimism. From 1920 until 1990, the country was under the Soviet thumb. Life was very predictable for most people and generally their needs were met. Even though democracy was absent and being part of the Communist Party was essential to future advancement, there was no homelessness, hunger was limited, people had jobs and everyone knew what to expect.

In the early ‘90s when the USSR ceased to exist, life became unpredictable and it was very difficult for older people and people with disabilities to plan out their lives or know what to expect. The social safety net was withdrawn and life was uncertain. I was talking with a woman today who was telling me how hard it was for many people. Political and social freedoms were a tremendous goal but if you did not know what to do with your freedom and you did not have food on the table life was scary. People now have a real degree of freedom, and with it comes homelessness, poverty, alcoholism and other social issues that we also see in the United States.

Thoughts From Mongolia I

(Rich had the opportunity to travel to Mongolia recently to work with the NGO’s there. These are his journal entries.)

DAY 1

I left Denver on Friday at 10:30AM and flew into San Francisco to catch a flight to Seoul Korea. The flight was about 13 hours and every seat on the plane was full. When I arrived in Seoul the airport was incredibly modern and attractive and I ran to make my flight with Korean Airlines to Mongolia.

I left Colorado on Friday morning and arrived in Ulaanbaatar (UB) (the capital city of Mongolia) at 10:30pm on Saturday night. Tuya and her husband were waiting for me when I cleared customs after the custom’s officials searched my bags. Immediately when I got off the plane I smelled the smoke of burning coal and wood and the stench of air pollution.

This is my first trip to Asia and certainly to Mongolia. I haven’t had much time to really get excited for the trip because I have been jammed at work with our office move and I have been giving almost nonstop speeches on how nonprofits are going to survive these challenging economic times. However my level of excitement increased with every hour that I was getting closer to my destination.