You have to cut the stomach open, reach inside, and crush the windpipe,” said the farmer, brandishing his knife along the goat’s leg. We all nodded in agreement, but my conscious was screaming, “Don’t let it happen!” Before I could say a word, the farmer made an incision along the abdomen of the goat, and stuck his hand in. The goat, naturally, screamed. As the farmer moved his hand through the wailing animal, I couldn’t help but feel nauseous. I turned away, hoping that it would all end soon. After sixty seconds of terror, it ended. I turned around, and all I saw was the farmer with his bloodied hand, and the motionless goat with foam dripping from its mouth. My three friends were pale, and it was as if they had seen a ghost. So that was that. In less than two minutes, an animal had ceased to exist. Everything went quiet, and it was just me, Jerry, Naidan, Uni and the farmer, all standing in the field. Surrounded by colossal mountains, whose peaks kissed the clouds, we were standing there. All that remained was the sound of the river, its current crisply flowing nearby. That is how the Mongolian countryside is. This is one of many stories that unfolded during my 10-day stay in Mongolia with my friend Jerry Gross.
The Asia Pacific Institute (API), a Mongolian think tank, invited Jerry and me to Mongolia to learn about the country's politics, foreign affairs, history, and culture. When we received the invitation, we were excited, so we packed our bags and flew to Mongolia on June 16th. As we began our descent into Chinggis Khan Airport, the landscape was stunning. Mountains, trees, creeks, it was all beautiful. As we got closer to landing, we began to see ger communities. A ger is the traditional Mongolian house, which can easily collapse and be moved somewhere else if needed. Think of the Native American teepee, but Mongolian style. We observed the downtown area of the city, which had many office and apartment buildings. Beyond the downtown, there were the suburbs, consisting of both houses and gers. Shortly afterwards, we landed and met up with our API driver, Tsolomon, and Naidan. Naidan was a boy about our age, who was staying in Mongolia at the time. As his father and my father were good friends, Naidan was commissioned to help us during our 14-day experience. Jerry and I arrived at the hotel, unpacked our bags, and passed out after an exhausting flight. For the first two days, Jerry and I participated in the “Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security,” a conference in which delegates from Russia, South Korea, Japan, North Korea, China and Mongolia met to discuss the political and environmental issues prevalent in Northeast Asia. As one would expect, most of the delegates pressed the North Korean officials on their government’s nuclear and missile programs, and the North Korean representatives, in response, blamed the United States and its “hostile policies” for tensions in the region. Jerry and I, for the most part, took notes and observed the conference and helped out where we could. It was fascinating to see diplomacy up-close, particularly involving North Korea and its officials. After the two-day conference, Naidan, Jerry and I all went to that bastion of American culinary culture: KFC, where the chicken, like in America, is finger-licking good.
From June 18th to the 20th, we spent visited temples and museums. It was interesting to see how Mongolia’s history as a Soviet satellite in the 20th century contrasted with its proud history as the Mongol Empire. The National History Museum we visited was full of artifacts, ranging from the bows and arrows used by Chinggis Khan’s armies, to the spacesuit worn by a Mongolian astronaut. The great Mongol Empire in the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest ever in history, and was famous for its tolerance of different religions. Mongolia is also known for its peaceful transition from communism to democracy in the late 20th century.
From the 21st to the 24th, we embarked on a 3-hour drive and to the Mongolian countryside. We drove to a ger camp and stayed in a vacant ger for three days. During those three days, we hiked, explored, rode on horses, and fished, although to no avail. We also ate a goat, though you already know that. It was true peace and quiet while we were there. Granted, the nights were cold, but at the same time, they were so beautiful. The sky lit up when the sun went down, and it was a sight like no other. It’s difficult to describe the countryside experience in words, but if you want, ask Jerry about the stunt he pulled while riding on a horse.
After the three days in the Great Outdoors, we visited the steel statue of Chinggis Khan mounted on a horse. It’s the largest statue of a man on horseback in the world. It was almost impossible to stare at, given the sun’s constant reflection off the the gleaming silver. After the statue, we visited one of the outposts that dates back to the time of the Khans, including Chinggis Khan. The outpost, although small, was stunning, as it contained many different relics and equipment that truly immersed Jerry, Naidan and myself in Mongolia’s rich culture and history. Afterwards, we drove back to Ulaanbaatar and, tuckered out, once we returned to the hotel, we immediately fell asleep. On the 25th to the 28th, we spent most of our time exploring the city. We went to various department stores and museums, where we got to adequately experience fully the life of the city. It was interesting to see how everyday street life compared with that of Washington, D.C. In all honesty, we noticed very little difference, except for the street signs, which are written in Cyrillic (Russian) characters, a legacy of the Soviet Union’s influence on Mongolia. People in Ulaanbaatar mainly enjoyed the same things that we do in the United States. We even saw Finding Dory in a packed Mongolian movie theater. As our time in Mongolia came to a close, we observed a traditional Mongolian performance, where various dances and songs were displayed. We even got to watch Mongolian throat singing, where performers use their throats to produce very interesting sounds. After the performance, we had our farewell party. In the end, it was an experience to remember for a lifetime. The country's culture, landscape, and history are beautiful, and I will never forget my time there.