So this is the week that all of the
Pre Service Trainees in Mongolia have been waiting for! This is the week of Naadam. Naadam is a national holiday in Mongolia. The
two-three day event consists of the three manliest sports in Mongolia, which
include wrestling, archery, and horseback racing. The excitement isn’t over
yet! Aside from these sports, when you exit the stadium there are what seems
like two dozen gers set up where community members sell hosher, which can be
best described as a delicious Mongolian empanada and beverages of all sorts.
Also there are a lot of arcade games and other fun activities to engage in
surrounding the stadium.
Being that
I am TEFL I was lucky enough to be granted basically the entire week off. The
day before Naadam, my Language/Cultural Facilitators (LCF’s) arranged a
Mongolian food lesson with our group. We had this food lesson at my site mate
April’s host family’s house. The foods that we learned to prepare were hosher,
soyven, and bashn teh shol (dumpling soup). Please excuse my American spelling
of the Mongolian foods. The foods that we created were very appetizing. I am
also delighted that we were able to spend time with our LCF’s in a more
informal environment where we could kick back, relax, and enjoy each other’s
company. That day I consumed more food than my body could handle. Unfortunately
it did not sit well with my stomach and I ended up paying the price for my
overindulgence. Nonetheless I did not allow that to completely deter my fun for
Naadam.
The first
day of the Suhkbaatar Naadam was great. It was my first time engaging in this
new experience. The smiles on everyone’s faces, kids jumping up and down in a
joyous melody, and people stuffing their faces with pounds of hosher brought
along warmth to my heart. Although I was not feeling my best, seeing other
people happy made me feel content. I also was able to see a few of my fellow
PST’s who are training in sites relatively close to me. It’s always great
seeing Americans even if it is for a momentary conversation or two. The first
day I was only with my host dad, 18 year old sister, and 4 year old
brother. We did not stay to long because
I was feeling a bit nauseous. Nonetheless I was able to view them eat hosher
and I also played some of the games that were outside of the stadium and I won
a precious tiger necklace. I also saw community members, adults and children.
It was a good feeling being able to recognize their faces and being able to
greet them with smiles and general conversation.
Day 2 of
Naadam went well. I was with my entire family and I was able to eat and consume
more than water. My family and I took a lot of pictures. I was wearing my
Mongolian del that was present from my mother with pride. The radiant orange
and gold colors complemented my complexion finely. I also observed two of the
three sports, wrestling and horseback racing. Mongolians I must say, have to be
one of the strongest people in the world. The sports that are celebrated during
Naadam take a lot of training and endurance. Watching the games with my host
family made me feel like I was one with them and with the culture. Overall my
week has been great and I have been savoring every moment as much as I can. It
seems as though the greatest moments tend to flash before my eyes but I am
holding on to each memory as it comes.
Me and My host family outside of the stadium
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