Terelj National Park with the English Department Staff

Friday afternoon the Language Education Institute (LEI) all went on an overnight trip to Terelj National Park. We had a blast! We went to get to know each other better and have some rest and relaxation together. As I have written before, the atmosphere in the LEI office is great. We are thinking of putting up a banner in the office that says "LEI: the happiest place at MIU" !! All the teachers work hard, know their subjects well, and teach well. And they also get along so well.

The park is huge. There are many camps in it. We arrived in time for a short climb up a mountain, then had dinner, and afterward spent the evening eating and playing games. The next morning some of us rode horses for over an hour. Super! But we were sore for a few days afterward! We all stayed a bit longer at the park and then headed back to the city. We are already planning another trip there... :)

From left to right: Kathy, Inna, JuHei, Eva, Gereltuya, Anar, Vica, Bayarmaa, John, me and Ricardo with his daughter.

Ready to go!

This is the inside of the ger Kathy and i stayed in. Plenty comfortable!

Some of the gers our group stayed in.

Ricardo, the director or LEI, and one of his dear daughters... :)

Kathy loved riding the horse!

The High School Graduation of a Friend

Friday I went to the high school graduation of a friend of Kathy and I. Her name is Munguu. Unfortunately Kathy was not able to go with me because she had to teach a class Friday morning. I had never been to a graduation in Mongolia before, so it was really interesting to be there. And I met a man from England named John Gibbens who has lived in Mongolia since 1972. Needless to say he is a wealth of knowledge about everything Mongolian and speaks the language fluently.

The students were all excited about the graduation. Of course I am proud of Munguu and other friends we have here in Mongolia who are graduating this year. It was so nice to be there on Friday!!

My friend Munguu and me at her graduation

Every country has its customs regarding many events in life such as graduations, marriage, funerals, and so on. I have posted a photo of my friends and I when we graduated from high school in Arlington Heights, Illinois in 1972. The reason I post it here is because to us in America, what we are wearing in the photo is totally normal. But if you think about it, don't you think it is strange for teenage boys to be wearing red robes and a hat with a square piece of cardboard on the top?!! The dresses the girls typically wear in Mongolian high schools are traditional graduation clothes. The style dates back to the mid to late 1800's in Europe and America. I have posted a few photos for you to see. The famous impressionist artist DeGas painted a family in 1859 where you can see two girls with quite similar dresses.

Friends and I at our high school graduation. I am on the far right.

The Belleli family by Degas - 1859

A Russian girl in the late 1800's

A New York grammar school - about 1880

Some of the students who graduated at Munguu's high school

The graduation ceremony

Munguu and her mother Nergui

John Gibbens from England, whose son attends the high school.

John with his son