Knee Deep and Still Wading
- Megan
- Jul 3, 2016
- 2 min read
Learning how to share the road...
It’s only been a week. We’ve been so immersed in the beautiful culture here, it’s hard to acknowledge the actual amount of time that has passed. Mere days ago we were sitting around a table on campus in Bellingham Washington, talking about what expectations we had about Mongolia.
Through ever adapting schedules
and unforeseen changes
In between delicious traditional meals
and red bull and granola...
I remember sitting there wondering why I needed to pack shorts and tank tops for the traveling to the frozen tundra of my mind. I don’t know why I imagined a frozen tundra, but for some reason the mention of Mongolia brought snowflakes to mind, and not little ones at that.
Although it has only been a week, we are starting to approach being knee deep in the experiences here. We’ve tried a variety of food, from street barbeque to fancy, snazzy restaurants. We’ve been shopping (literally) underground, and through stories of boutiques. We have explored the cityscape in cars, and on foot. We have seen the manholes on the streets and the tops of the buildings.
And we’re just getting started!
Iced blended dark chocolate mocha
Sun beaming down on the back of my shirt
Sorting through photos for blogposts
Staring at street signs I cannot read...
We still have so far to go, in what seems like so little time. Before we know it, we’ll be packing up souvenirs and heading back to the airport to return to reality. We've made it through eight interviews for our research, and that puts us at about a half way point. We have met so many inspirational women from all sorts of industries. These interviews are hitting each of us in a way I never really thought possible. Every one of us has had some sort of realization about ourselves while listening to their stories about successes and failures.
Next week, we will be heading outside of the city, to experience some of the country life. We will be taking time to relax and recoup a bit before traveling back to the states. I have been so excited to see that side of Mongolia, it's almost hard for me to stay focused on the present. I am so excited to be out and away from everything, to see the stars. But don't get me wrong, I don't want to belittle the fantasmic experience that is the city life here in Ulaanbaatar. There are new surprises around every corner, such as a monument to The Beatles, delicious coffee, gelato (so much gelato) and so many local artists.
We've gotten the chance to get to know one another on so many levels - signs of the hanger approaching, knowing when each other needs more water or sturdier shoes. We have seen history together through the monuments. Made international connections from around the world.
Knee deep and still wading
11 gigabytes of photos, 4 of video
Monuments and memories
And so much further to go
It has been so incredibly amazing thus far on our journey, and I am so stoked to know that we’ve still got weeks to go.
Quick Links:
Information on the Beatles monument in Beatles Square (yeah - they have a square!):
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