Ramblin' in Mongolia

Corey

Corey

One more thing before I leave… This is me showing teaching Mongolia a thing or two about the United States university system. My site-mate Stephanie won the girls contest. University of South Carolina and Texas represent.

Don’t worry, I promise to be safe in the Philippines. Take care.

(Source: daphnejo)

Corey

Culture and Language

Different cultures have always been an interest of mine but never languages before coming to Mongolia. However, culture reflects language and language reflects culture. This basically means that they mirror each other. Without language you wouldn’t have culture and visa versa. The English language has more words than Mongolian but like many foreign language, there are still words in Mongolian that don’t have meanings in English. Having more words and a different culture, we also have many words that take 2 or 3 Mongolian words to convey the same meaning. Learning a language and a new culture at the same time allows one to really appreciate the small nuances of the two. Through language, I am able to see small differences in culture/Mongolian thought by the way people talk and the words they use. I wanted to share some of the most commonly used phrases in Mongolia and any explanations I know from the culture side. 

Mongolians are a very friendly and optimistic culture. They are also very curious as to how your life is. Small talk doesn’t end with “how are you?” This is obviously reflected in the language. Even the most basic of words/phrases don’t translate directly to English.

• Hi/hello = Ta sain baina uu? Simply saying hi is actually a question in Mongolian. It means “are you well?” This reflects the Mongolian way to always ask about one’s well being.
• Goodbye = Bayartai. Bayar means happy and tai means with. It essentially means “be happy” or simply in English, “goodbye.” 
• Asking about one’s work is interesting. Ajil ondor uu? = Is work tall? The appropriate response is tall. I haven’t figured this one out yet.
• Sonin saikhan yuu baina? = Is the news nice? This is equivalent to asking how things are/how is everything. Except Mongolians don’t just reply good or nice here. Taivan (peaceful), tavtai (comfortable), taivan saikhan (beautifully peaceful), and targan tavtai (fat and comfortable) are more appropriate positive responses. I have never heard a Mongolian to reply things are bad. The worst I have heard is so so/in the middle (gaigui).

An extremely common and respectful way to greet someone is to ask them how their season is going. In Mongolia the seasons are never easy. Winter is deadly cold, summer is hot and dry, spring is cold and windy, and fall… is actually pretty nice. Thus, Mongolians want to know how everything is going This is sure to bring a smile to a Mongolian’s face because they know you are learning their culture and are not just a tourist.

• Saikhan ovoljij baina uu? Roughly means “Are you winter(ing) well?” Sub in the appropriate season before the jij and you have a sure way to impress and warm any Mongolian’s heart. They will know you are not a tourist and are learning the culture/language.

Asking about someone’s health is in every culture I am sure. However, there are less cultures that inquire about the health of the animals in the herd as the health of one’s self. Mongolians have a special word to mean a hard winter and there are many kinds of zuuds. Thus, the health of the animals is always on a herder’s mind. A polite guest would of course ask about them.

•  ”Tanii mal sureg targan tavtai yuu? - Are your animals/herd fat and comfortable/healthy?

Names also reflect Mongolian culture. Unlike most English names, Mongolian names are made up of words used in common speech. Commonly, but not always, Mongolian names are two words put together. Sometimes an adjective and then a noun or adverb or sometimes two adjectives. 

• Anything baatar (hero) for a man is very common. Sukh(ax)baatar, Bold(steel)baatar, Bat(strong)baatar, etc. Have an idea of what some characteristics are valued in a man?
• Anything tsetseg (flower) for a woman is very common. Tuya(radiant)tsetseg, Suren(majestic)tsetseg, Naran(sunny)tsetseg, etc. Manly names for men and womanly names for women.

Mongolians are also a very direct people. They are honest and upfront about what they want and what they are thinking. Thus, they express politeness differently. Normally, English speakers are very indirect with our speech. This is out of politeness but we understand the indirectness so miscommunication is not an issue. For example, “Can you help me?” actually means “do you have the ability to help me?” but we understand when someone says this. They want our help. An indirect way to ask to borrow something would be to say “Would it be possible to borrow your coat on Friday?” Or “Is there any way you could lend me 10 dollars?” It could be considered rude to ask another way in English. However, here in Mongolia, that indirectness doesn’t exist. To a Mongolian, saying the first sentence is “I need your coat Friday. Give it to me.” It is not uncommon for a coworker to approach me and say, “Give me 10,000 tugriks.” (Normally to put money into a party fund haha) Like a Mongolian who is speaking English, I also talk in Mongolian how I would talk if I was speaking in English. I am talking about grammar construction and my choice of words. I frequently ask people would they like to have tea or would they like to eat some food. Or I wish to or I hope to etc etc. The Mongolian way is to command. “Would you like tea?” becomes “drink tea” to a Mongolian. If you don’t want tea in this circumstance you must argue with your host, which is normally considered impolite. Better to just take the tea and touch it to your lips. Getting used to these differences in speech is all part of the fun though. I have to get used to them because I am living in their country, not the other way around.

Like many cultures, people repeat the same words and phrases to each other. They are considered polite, necessary, small talk, etc. I never really noticed how common some phrases are until coming over here. I am sure it is the same to someone learning English in America. Learning a new language in a land where I only understand (for now) what is happening around me if I am hard-core eavesdropping. To really get the essence of the conversation, I need to focus my energy on the verbal and non verbal parts of each sentence. Even then I miss most. Bring in two people from the countryside talking a million words a minute and using Mongolian slang and you can forget about it. Now a final rant… Slang sucks! Don’t use it. It is so hard to understand slang for a language learner. I work so hard to learn the correct way to say something and then nobody talks the correct way. People not ending the pronunciation of words and leaving out question words are my pet peeves over here.

I hope you enjoyed the post. Bayartai!

New home! More to follow

A link to a my facebook album of the pictures from the last several months. My goal for next winter is to get more pictures of all the great Mongolian winter clothes. It is normally just too cold to think about taking pictures outside… 

Update from Corey

Click on the title above to go to a facebook album of some recently updated pictures of Gobi. Slowing growing up!

Right now Mongolia suffers from high rates of unemployment. This is especially true in the countryside and is a major contributing factor in the migration from the countryside life to the city life in Ulaanbaatar. Soums don’t have a large selection of available jobs. The only people who have jobs are school workers, government office workers, post office workers (if they have a post office), hospital workers, shop owners, herders, and finally drivers. Being a driver in Mongolia can be a very lucrative position and they normally make much more money than teachers. An employed driver is never shy about letting you know his profession. In a huge country where automobile ownership is not the norm, being a driver is a very acceptable job. 

The Mercy Corps has our own driver here in Dundgobi and he will also me let go July 1st with the rest of the employees. However, Bat-Erdene, or Bagi, has taken on a much greater role in my life. In the office we joke that he is my Mongolian father, but Bagi has definitely become something more than just a coworker to me. Whenever I have the smallest of issue, like building a pull up bar in my home, or a rather pressing issue like a exploding toilet, Bagi is who I call. He speaks Russian but doesn’t speak English and even at just over 60, he tries as hard as my youngest learners. At parties, Bagi and I are among the first to start the dancing. He and his wife take care of their only grandson full time while his son works in UB because he wants his grandson raised in the countryside. He is a great testament to the ability of Mongolians to consider new ways of thought while keeping  their Mongolian roots strong. I know Bagi will stay in Dundgobi after our offices consolidates but I fear staying in touch will be harder than some of my other coworkers. Life sometimes doesn’t go as planned and July 1st is not a day I am looking forward to.