Summary: Last weekend, I got on the sleeper train to Darkhan, the third largest city in Mongolia, for no good reason, other than to have a memorably unmemorable trip. I also had a hiccup at work where I had a disagreement with the administrative office - a fair, learning experience.
Darkhan
When I say "the third largest city in Mongolia," I'm talking about a town of 80,000 people. Everyone I talked to told me not to go there, that there's nothing to do, and that it's colder because it's 200km north of Ulaanbaatar. And yup, they were totally right. There really is nothing out there, and we had to find the nearest cafe to thaw our toes a couple of times. But for some odd reason, I still had a really good time.
Getting on the sleeper train was fun as usual. Since there's no sense of privacy on the train, our experience was just a couple of hours of Mongolian passengers staring at us for speaking English and playing board games. It's never a subtle glance but always an intense, unabashed stare as if we're wearing the emperor's new clothes. For visual reference, here's a picture:
We decided to spend our day in Darkhan without making any plans, letting the whims of the wind (or maybe the cold and smog in the wind) guide us. We first visited an open-field amusement park that was empty and not operational during the winter. It felt like a ghost town, almost apocalyptic, because there just was nothing there. We then took over a children's playground and messed around with the outdoor exercise machines you find in parks.
After our exercise, we stopped by a cafe to thaw. Then, I popped into a movie theater not to watch a movie but to buy caramel popcorn as kind of my trail mix for our short climb to Darkhan's Buddhist site. Hindsight, my fingers would have liked to stay in my pocket to avoid freezing, but my mouth couldn't stop reaching for more popcorn in the cold. For lunch, we went to a Japanese restaurant, which was actually tastier than some of the Japanese restaurants I've been to in Ulaanbaatar.
The rest of the day consisted of just more of the "getting lost in the city" vibes and visiting another cafe to have round two of thawing our bodies and playing board games. Didn't catch much sleep on the train back, but that's what Sunday's are for.
All in all, the warnings were true. Darkhan wasn't really eventful, but I really enjoyed that weekend. A combination of the fun people I was with, not having any expectations, letting spontaneity guide us, and the simultaneously mundaneness and randomness of the trip had a great outcome.
Work Hiccup
I was told this semester that I was in charge of making my own curriculum, as long as I added eight "online days," which pretty much means students have no class and just get online homework instead. I got excited about it because I normally enjoy designing plans and starting new projects.
After spending several hours on a Friday night to create a curriculum for my classes, I was later told me that the undergraduate office disapproved of my curriculum. It turns out that they didn't want me to choose my own online days (which I was told I could do) but designated the dates for me. I asked why I couldn't choose my own online days, and they told me it's because people from the office will pop into classrooms to check if teachers really are teaching; so, if I have classes off on a different day than they suggest, then they might think I'm ditching. I thought that was ridiculous and a bit offensive. It was giving Big Brother. Never in my school years have I seen someone from the office snoop into my teacher's class to catch them. I also brought up my opinion that the dates the office chose weren't effective for my students' learning. They had designated online days for three weeks in a row, which pretty much means they're not learning for three weeks.
In the end, as expected, I just had to follow what the office wanted. I guess it's a bit tough. I recognize that this is only my first year teaching whereas others have been teaching for years, so there's much for me to learn. But at the same time, I think I know the specific needs of my students who I've taught last semester. I know my team trusts me because they do have me teach the highest level English course, and I really do enjoy my work. Yet sometimes, I can't help but notice some structural issues with administration and work processes here and there, so the fixer upper me wants to change things but gets frustrated when I can't.
I guess, ultimately, it's just another humbling reminder that I am a visitor to both this workplace and country, and I'm here to try my best to contribute in the ways they seek.
Thanks for reading the blog! Hope you all have a great week!
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