first impressions

UB looks pretty bleak in the dark of night- an oppressive hulk of concrete, bitter cold and barely lit. My initial impression in the morning light was not much better. My hotel and the UN offices are in a drab area of town, rescued in bleakness only by a large square, Sükhbaatar Square, bordered by the impressive Parliament building, a museum, and the Opera House/Ballet theater. Interestingly, the square marks the place where Sükhbaatar, in 1921, claimed Mongolian independence from China as well as the place where the first protests were held in 1990 to escape the hold of Russian dominion over Mongolia.

After further exploration of UB, it is clear that much is going on here. There are many new buildings under construction, including several notable skyscrapers. And, in some areas, amidst a backdrop of rundown, deteriorating buildings, an attempt has been made at renovation. Foreign investors are buying up real estate at a rapid pace and, where once I might have actually been able to rent an apartment for 300-400/month, the rents have skyrocketed in the past few months.

Most of the places I looked at were in the 500=600/month range, all in tall (10 to 15 story), rotting, hideous buildings in less than desirable areas. I finally found a local realtor who “knew someone who knew someone” and I wound up in a fabulous apartment (by local standards), for 400/month, in a relatively trendy area on the main boulevard frequented by wealthy Mongolian shoppers, tourists, and expats.

I haven’t kept pace with the temperatures, but the nights and mornings are easily sub-zero. When the sun is in full glare it gives the illusion of warmth; however, even a small cloud passing overhead quickly plummets you into cold reality. We have had some lovely afternoons, perhaps in the 40s at times. Oddly, I don’t mind the cold so much as long as I can keep moving. Although March gives way to somewhat warmer weather (between 0 and 45F), the spring months are very windy here, kicking up both dust and cold. I am told by some residents that spring is really the least pleasant time here. I have yet to experience the brutal winters to be able to make that comparison. This is very tolerable so far but I don’t regret a cent I paid for overpriced Icebreaker and Northface gear.

My personal living space exceeds anything I have had in recent memory. With a bedroom, small living room, bathroom and modest kitchen, it feels palatial and I continue to wander through it marveling that it is exclusively for my use alone. The apartment buildings here are all heated by hot water traveling from some mysterious source over which the government has full control. The heat and hot water are cut off some time in May and it is likely I will be colder in the summer than I am now. I can sit comfortably in my apartment in a tank top, something impossible to do in my room in Petaluma even. I am not sure how the system works, but it seems I can access ample hot water in the morning, but not in the evening. I guess it just runs out. The apartment décor leaves much to be desired- garish combinations of colors and patterns, but there is a sense of luxury and I am pleased with my new home.

My time has been spent with apartment searches, UN paperwork, establishing bank accounts, etc., and I have not yet started my work (nor am I clear exactly what it is). I will be placed with the National Aids Foundation, oddly a non-governmental organization (NGO), housed in a dingy office in the main part of what you could call the business district. I have met the people there, all delightful and nice, but none of whom speak English. Clearly that will be a hindrance. I would estimate that less than 2% of the people here speak English and my first order of business, once I have settled in another few days, will be to locate a language school and begin classes immediately.

UB is surprisingly modern in some respects. Fashion is paramount and one gets a sense of Russian and Eastern European influence by high heeled black leather boots and leather jackets or long black coats that have set the uberfashion standard for the S & M industry. Cashmere is a Mongolian trademark and cashmere shops abound, but although less pricey here than abroad, it is still a high ticket item. American items, where available, are exceedingly expensive. I was able to find a store that carried my $18 bottle of Clinique clarifying lotion at an astonishing $48 and generally everything American and European is purchased at 3 times the cost of home. Tech toys, my weakness, are in somewhat short supply and unaffordable. Some of this can be accounted for by the high cost of importing these items but, additionally, the absence of Chinese goods, since there is no love lost between the two countries, keeps the competition at bay.

I am here, I am safe, and I am settling in. I bought a plant.