35 Years of Mining in Erdenet

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the opening of the massive copper mine in Erdenet city. How big is it? Well, it’s the third largest copper mine in the world. The influence of the mine can be seen almost everywhere in the city: They have special buses specifically to shuttle workers from the city […]

The Cult of Chinggis

That’s how the Russians referred to the Mongolian reverence of the late conqueror Chinggis Khaan upon their orders to remove the conqueror from the popular consciousness. They wanted to remove anything that could be a distraction from loyalty to the state. Chinggis’ spirit banner, the physical embodiment of his soul, was lost forever during the socialist […]

Comrades

There are many things one does not know about a country until one lives there. It’s difficult to pick up on subtleties and emotional responses from the populace about their history unless you visit with and talk to these people. October revealed much to me in how Mongolia and Russia get along with each other. […]

White Russian

There is a curious phenomenon I encounter almost daily: Being mistaken for a Russian. I don’t know what constitutes “looking Russian,” but I must fit the bill. Walking down the street, little children gaze upon me with saucer-like eyes, mouths agape, only to let one word escape their lips: орос (Russian). Walking down the white […]