Lowell Whiteman School

 Anissa Corser April 12, 2008 Geography

Mongolian Values

Mongolia as a whole was an amazing country that I really appreciated. I really enjoyed being exposed to their values and different set of beliefs. One of my best experiences was during our homestay when a bone-chilling cold had set across the valley and it was determined to be too cold to do anything until it had warmed up. So our homestay mother Bayira, our interpreter Badna, our cook Naraa, Hannah, and I stayed inside the ger for a couple hours just playing games.  We played Egyptian ratscrew, but they also taught us to play ‘flicking anklebones’ (a game that uses a sheep’s anklebones). We had been playing the anklebone game for quite a while and Hannah and I had gotten out a while back. I was sitting on a little orange foot-high stool watching the Mongolians’ hands move faster than a machine. What I was more fascinated with was their behavior. My ears were marveled by the outpour of laughter coming from these middle-aged Mongolians. I had never seen older women laugh and chatter like I do with my friends. The hardest part for me to grasp was that these three women had met for the first time yesterday and I thought they had grown up together.

 So I decided to attempt to understand why these women were able to befriend each other so quickly. I asked Badna and Naraa what they thought were the most important and admirable characteristics. Badna answered that being respectful, trustworthy, friendly, honest, and kind are the most important qualities. Also, earlier I had asked Badna what she liked about Americans and she said she admired how we all think differently and are relatively open-minded because we think from different angles. Naraa answered that being honest, truthful, and open-minded are the most important qualities a person can embody.

Badna also talked of Mongolian hospitality. She said Mongolians visit a lot and are very open. As opposed to Americans who ask “can I visit,” Mongolians never ask that question because the answer is always “of course”. During our homestay, Bayira always made sure we were ok. We always ate first and during one of the really cold mornings she graciously lent me her only del (coat). In addition, when we were with the Kazakh family they cooked us a huge, special feast. The Mongolians also value respect. I asked a Kazakh lady what values were most admirable and she answered being respectful and being sociable (she described this quality by talking about parties and lots of friends). Plus, when we were in the school, whenever anyone would enter the children would stand. Also the students were always dead silent, no troublemaking when the teacher was talking. I was extremely impressed with the 5^th graders’ listening skills. The Mongolians’ respect for each other was astounding. 

I also noticed how helpful, eager, and caring the Mongolians were. All of our interpreters and guides were constantly looking out for us, asking us how we were and if they could do anything. On a little hike five people had not returned to the ger and Badna was so worried. She insisted that we take binoculars and go out in the Land Rover to find them. Also after I got my concussion, all our guides were so caring and the ones who could not speak English would motion to their head and then do the thumbs-up sign. Right after I hit my head, Badna gave me a massage and then she arranged for the village head healer to visit me. Also, during my interview with Badna she mentioned that her daughter lives with her parents. When I asked her why, Badna replied that her daughter hated the city so much and even though it inconveniences her, she was able to make her daughter happy. Also I was very struck by how eager and happy everyone was. One of our drivers always had a smile on his face. I never saw him once without the silly grin. Our other driver would laugh at everything, even things I didn’t find remotely funny. Plus, all the kids at the school were so eager to be with us. One right after another they would come up a shake my hand and say whatever English they knew which was mostly: What is your name? They were so eager to learn whatever we were trying to teach them. They put their whole heart into everything they did, especially Red Rover.

One of the values they embody the most and is the hardest for me is being open-minded and nonjudgmental. Although traditionally Mongolians have a set of beliefs they all follow, they are very open-minded toward each other. There were no cliques in the school. All of the girls would come up to me and introduce each other as their best friend but even as more girls came to join they were all introduced as a best friend. Also, when we were with the Kazakh family they kept repeating the phrase “don’t worry about our religion”. Although the true meaning might have got lost in translation, I interpreted it as  that they were trying to say that their religion does not come between us and that it should not cause any stress. Once again this displays their nonjudgmental views. All together the combination of being nonjudgmental, caring, eager to help, respectful, and extremely welcoming is what enables the Mongolians to be able to kindle relationships with anyone.

The interviews not only enabled me to learn about their values but I also learned a lot about their culture, like the many taboos in the nomadic way of life. I learned about Buddhism from someone rather than a book. I also was really fascinated by how much importance they place on their family. One man named Iedri that I shortly interviewed said that family was the most important thing in his life. Badna, Naraa, and Iedri told me about their jobs and how hard they work to support their family. Naraa left her home for four years to work in Korea in a cell-phone factory in order to buy an apartment for her daughter and herself. Iedri said that  his winter job was being a father. It was apparent that all the parents I saw really took time to be with their child. It was captivating to watch our homestay father play with his three year old son after he came back from a long hard day herding sheep. This really touched me because my dad travels all the time and a rarely see him. It was cool to see how much love the parents have for their child and how much time they dedicate towards them. Being exposed to their way of life and their admirable values really made Mongolia an incredible experience.