UB Living

I have been here for just under a month, and so far, I have experienced a little bit of both city life and country living.  In Ulaanbaatar, I live on the top floor of a 16 story apartment building with my 13 year old sister and her two grandparents, as well as her mom who splits her time between our apartment and her own.  The apartment has two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living area with a kitchen, dining table, and large couch and tv.  The building is new (there is even a combination code to get into the elevator), and I have a fabulous view of the city from my window.  Apartment buildings stretch out through the valley, transitioning to a colorful ger (yurt) district  on the hill sides to the north while two coal factories border the view to the West.  Two other SIT students live in the same apartment complex, and sometimes we walk the 45 minutes to school together.

This is the view from my window.

UB

 The city itself is manageable so far.  The traffic is terrible, and the dust and pollution are already noticeable.  I always see a few people wearing masks when I walk outside, and I always wonder if I should be wearing one as well.  The people here don’t smile as much as Americans do, and not speaking the language makes everything a little harder.  But that makes everything an adventure.  The people don’t smile much, but they are kind and helpful.  The weather has been a nice fall with cool mornings and mostly dry hot afternoons.  I have enjoyed the weather and cherished every walk, knowing that soon I will be so bundled up in layers that it will take me ten minutes to take off all my jackets.  The buses and trolleys are not too intimidating, and I haven’t had anything pick pocketed yet.  I am even enjoying the food here which is an accomplishment in itself.