Brace yourself folks, this is gonna be a long one. But don't worry, there's pictures ;)
Sunday
Today I had to wake up very early to catch a flight to Khovd aimag (province), in the west. It is quite remote and difficult to get to. There are only two flights a week from UB that fly into this tiny airport with only two runways, and only one of them is paved. On my ticket they hand wrote in my name and information. There are some paved roads in the aimag capital, also called Khovd. Other than that it is quite remote. This is one of the most diverse aimags, with about 14 different cultural groups.
I was quite anxious to fly, since I knew it was going to be a small plane. But it was one of the most pleasant flights I have ever had. It was clear the whole way, and we were flying low enough to see all the beautiful landscaping.
The midlevel RC branch people picked us up from the airport, and dropped us at the hotel. They had to take care of a few things in regards to the relief items, so we had a bit of free time. After a brief rest, Zoloo and I wandered out to find some food. It was so weird walking through this town. It was quiet, hardly any people or cars. We found a vegetarian (?? in Mongolia??) place which was quite excellent. They had all these pamphlets about why to be a vegetarian and had American celebs that were vegetarians on the wall. It was quite amusing. My tummy appreciated the veggies :)
The RC people came to pick us up to give us a tour. We drove to the outskirts of town to this little stream. If you drink from one part, it is good for your stomach, and if you put some on your head, good for headaches. In hindsight, it was probably a terrible decision to drink the water with all the livestock around, but it must really be good for your stomach because no problems! Then drove over to another part near the river to take in the sights.
Poverty is even more an issue here than in UB. Many herders moved to the aimag center or soum (sub-province) centers after losing their livestock in the dzud this winter, but there are no job opportunities, especially since most are uneducated.
So my Fourth of July was spent seeing the beautiful sights in an extremely desperate region. Every day I am so grateful for the wonderful things I have available to me, just because I was born in the US. It seems unfair. Just because I was born in the US, my life is so much easier than someone born to a herding family in Mongolia. I am so thankful for all the people have lived and died fighting for the amazing life I am able to have. God Bless America!
Monday
I thought I have been on some serious dirt roads in my day, but our trip to one of the soums showed me otherwise. 220 km (~140 miles) to us FIVE HOURS! And it wasn't just that it took long, it was the constant swerving to avoid rocks, randomly choosing paths that appeared to look better than others, and pee breaks with absolutely nothing to hide behind. Many times I felt like we were driving for miles on the rumble strip on the side of highways. Needless to say there was Dramamine involved in this adventure. But it was so amazingly beautiful! From a huge lake and lush green grass to completely dry, to snow covered mountain tops.
When we finally arrived, we were warmly greeted by the soum governor and the director of the primary level RC branch who is also the soum doctor. Mongolian's are incredibly hospitable to their guest, and they particularly liked me! I got the best seats, served first at lunch, and stood on stage with them. They gave me this beautiful picture of a mountain that is of particular importance to them and a book about all of the descendants of Chinngis Khaan in the Khovd province. And I was there to help them! He was very excited that I was studying climate change in Mongolia, because in their province, climate impacts are particularly severe and they happen to be within four climate zones. He invited me to come back anytime to study the impacts in their province.
RC was able to provide relief items for 30 families in this soum. The most affected families are the ones that receive the items, typically those who lost all their livestock. Items have been or will be provided to all 17 soums in this aimag. The items include flour, rice, sugar, salt, oil and tea for three months. Also boots and warm clothes. The RC offers psycho-social support by talking with the herders as they hand out relief items and by arranging some traditional entertainment. It was really special to be a part of this. I was not only able to be part of something that helped people who lost everything, but it makes me realized how blessed I am.
Tuesday
Went to a closer soum today, only 110 km and the "road" was a million times better. The soum was affected greatly by the dzud also, but desertification is a major issue also. The director of the primary level branch told us that they have not received proper rainfall in 12 years. This site is desertification in action. The soum is right on a lake, but the grasses and hay produced on the small islands are difficult to get and not very nutritious for the livestock. And the clean drinking water is still rather far. Several people have tried small vegetable gardens, which have be successful, but they have not been able to scale it up. If they could somehow get an irrigation system, I think it would help immensely. Again we handed out relief items to 30 families outside of the kindergarten building.
Wednesday
Back to UB, but on the drive out we saw a great message. Its from a Swiss development company. This sign roughly says 'work together to fight desertification.' What a great note to end my time in the Khovd province on!
Driving again in UB was throughly unpleasant. We drove through a part of UB I haven't been in, and for good reason. It is largely industrial, dirty, and smelly. The driver tried to take a back road but was blocked by a stuck truck, so we helped pull him out. I am not quite sure why I am still surprised by things that happen here.
I would like to finish this incredibly long post with an amazing quote that was printed on the side of the RC vehicle.
I move where my heart takes me. I'm not bound to anything. I run in the fields. I cross over mountain tops. I pass through a lot of great places in this immense world.
No comments:
Post a Comment