As I contemplate my placement tomorrow I am getting
incredibly excited! I feel like just two short weeks ago I was sitting in my
chair enthralled by the beautiful geography that every region in Mongolia has
to offer. Northern Mongolia, which is where we are at , is trickled with dense
forest meadows full of flowers and the famous Mongolian steppe. In living here,
I have been able to enjoy the rich landscape teaming with wildlife, and the
hills and mountains that are visible in every direction. Center and Easter
Mongolia is composed of fractions of the Gobi Dessert, as well as the Hentii
and Hangai Mountain ranges. Eastern Mongolia also has grass steppe and the
largest herds of gazelle left on earth.
Southern Mongolia is home to the Gobi dessert. Cliffs valley’s and
rolling hills dominate this part of Mongolia. Herds of animals raised by nomads
are sustained by the plant life that trickles this region. This region also sustains animals that are on
the brink of extinction, like the Gobi Brown bear, the Mazalai, black talk
antelope and the Havtgai (a wild Bactrian camel). Western Mongolia offers the Altai Mountains
(at 14,000 feet), as well as lakes ancient stone monuments, rivers, larch
forests and valleys with wildfires. The most famous lake in Mongolia is located
in the Northwestern part of the country. The Khuvsgal Lake is not only a
crystal clear lagoon surrounded by ancient forests but it is drinkable
water. This area also offers snow
covered mountain ranges for your viewing pleasure.
In Mongolia, the ethnic groups are also an array of ethnic
groups. Consisting of 77 percent of the
population, the Khalkh (originating
from Halhavch, bambai, which means shield) ethnic group lives in center
Mongolia and had an important role during the creation of the Mongolian empire.
It should also be noted that these are considered the “Pure Mongolians” and are
said to be directly related to Chinngis Khan. One of the largest ethnic groups
in Mongolia, the Kazakh practice
Islamic. The live in the BayanUlgii and
Khovd regions and continue to celebrate their religion and traditions. The Durvud
spread out in Khovd, UVS and Bayan-Ulgii (near the Kazakh region). The Bayad
live in Uvs and are famous for traditional dance and literature. The Buriad
live in Khentii, DOrnod and Selenge aimages (northern Mongolia) but they
originate from Russia. They cultivate hay and plant nogoon (vegetables) and
jimmie mot (fruit trees), and live mainly in apartments and houses. The Uzemchin which live In Sukhbaatar and
Dornod aimages (Northern Mongolia) come from ancesters’ that came from a land
that harvested raisins.; there name comes from “uzem” (raisins). The Darigana are also located in Sukbataar
aimaigs. They make traditional Mongolian trinkets such as snuff boxes, horse
tact and silver bowls. The Zakhchin group live in the Khovd aimag.
Zakh meaning “border”, they were a military tribe who protected to borders from
foreign enemies. The Tsaatain/Dukha tribes live in the
Khuvsgul aimag. The small group of about 23 families, maintains their
traditional culture by continuing to live in Tepees, hunting, and utilizing
reindeer for everyday activities (including riding them: take that Santa and
his plush sleigh). Before the governmental reform this ethnic group was
isolated from Mongolian society, and since, has not received governmental
aid to help replenish reindeer
population from Serbia. As of current, a
small independent program is looking into artificial insemination to keep this
population of reindeer going. If nothing is done, this ethnic group will be
forced to give up their traditional lifestyle. It must also be noted that this
tribe practices shamanism and most of their income comes from tourist who ride
their reindeer and buy their trinkets. Khoton’s are thrive in song and dance.
They live in UVS and share a similarity with Turkish people.
As I sat through this particular class, I cannot tell you
how much I was looking forward to going out on my own, into Mongolia. Now, the
night before I leave, I find myself looking around my room and feeling
nostalgic. What once seemed like a huge dresser piled high with books and my
backpack, and filled with all of my clothes appears tiny and is vacant. My room seems to empty without my water
filter and shoes. It was a great night filled with a lot of laughs and I am
glad I am going out on a positive note with my enormous family! Until tomorrow night, I won’t know where I am
going but, I can say that looking back over the past two and a half months that
it has been an incredible ride and I have made some amazing friends. I have no
preference on where I go, only that I don’t stick around this northern area
because there is so much more of Mongolia to explore. Variety is the spice of
life, and I am itchin for some adventure!
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