Summary: I have a ton of exciting news to tell you all! I wrapped up my first semester as a teacher this past week and attended a faculty holiday party. I also got connected to Mongolia's national security think tank and got an offer to get involved with their research. And finally, I share about how I celebrated Christmas in a country where Christmas isn't celebrated on the 25th.
End of the semester
I did it! I wrapped up my first semester as a teacher, and I've got to say that finishing a semester is just as exciting for a teacher as it is for a student. But before I go into that, I want to quickly share this video of my students from the non-profit organization I work at. They've been watching the Sound of Music for English exposure, so I decided to bring my guitar to teach the class Do-Re-Mi and perform for the rest of the organization:
So back to my primary job at the university. Grading exams and papers for 60ish students took some long nights, so when all was done, I could feel a physical burden lift off my shoulders. Also, I guess karma is a real thing. Some blog posts ago, I talked about how I was struggling to handle students hiding AI usage on their essays. All I need to say is that the students who were honest knew the material on the final exam, and those who weren't honest didn't. Karma kind of resolved it all on her own.
To celebrate, the university held its annual holiday party for faculty members (which also coincided with their 100th anniversary). Set at the chamber of commerce, the party included a four-course meal, live performances from several popular Mongolian artists, raffles, and a dance floor. It was incredibly fun, and let's say... I met a side of my coworkers I hadn't seen before...
Joining a think tank
So through a series of connections and conversations that first stemmed from me reaching out to the author of the Foreign Affairs article, I ended up landing a coffee chat with the director of Mongolia's national security think tank (really cool, and what's even cooler is that he bikes 30 minutes to work even during the winter). We had an interesting conversation on what Mongolia's security risks are, and although expected, it was still very eye-opening to see how different those risks were compared to America's. For example, the primary risks aren't military/physical conflict but foreign economic influence and reactions of neighbor states.
He talked about some projects the institute is working on and invited me to get involved with them. Obviously I accepted the invitation. The two responsibilities I'm most excited for are contributing to their blog and attending the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue. I'll be joining a team of 7 writers to research and write an op-ed for their blog and possibly an English publication. And later in June, Ulaanbaatar will be hosting an event where diplomats from the United States, China, South Korea, Japan, Russia, and possibly North Korea will attend to discuss Northeast Asia security. I feel super lucky for finding this opportunity and feel that I'm fulfilling the goals I've set for my fellowship.
Christmas Day
This year's Christmas Day was very different. Other than the fact that I'm far from home, it was kind of hard to feel festive because Mongolia doesn't celebrate Christmas on December 25 but combines it with News Years Day altogether on January 1. So, all my friends were still working during the day, and there weren't any public celebrations happening.
Then, I thought about the missionaries serving in my congregation and imagined how they're probably feeling. I remembered my time as a missionary in Canada and how Christmas Day could feel different without family, let alone being in a country where they don't really celebrate it. So, I took them out to dinner at an American-style restaurant, and we had a really good time getting to know each other. I've got to say, even though the two missionaries are pretty much strangers to me, having dinner with them definitely helped me feel the Christmas spirit a bit more. Afterwards, I went to my Mongolian language class, and then grabbed a late dinner and played Uno cards with my friends at a pub.
Again, not the most conventional Christmas Day I've had, but still a memorable one. This year, I've been learning how to make myself a home wherever I go. And really, it's the people that you surround yourself with, and I've found such a good bunch here. It's crazy to think this, but in many aspects, I feel more at home here than I do at "home."
That's the end of this week's blog. I'm actually heading out of Mongolia today, and starting a cool solo trip in Asia for winter break. I'm first flying to Korea to see my grandparents there, then visiting Japan for 10 days and China for 5 days - both of which I have never been to before. So, I think this is where I will sign off with the weekly blogs and start back up when I return to Mongolia on January 21. Until then, Happy New Year! I am so grateful for the people and opportunities I've met this year, and I can't wait to meet more in the coming year.
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