What makes a Bridge?

There are several bridges in the capital city of Mongolia but none has that presence and unchallenged claim to the name ‘the bridge’ but our Peace Bridge. Built in 1963 by Soviet structural engineers, this structure has been part of our urban landscape for 56 years, connecting the north and south sides of a river that runs through our city. In the last 10-15 years this ‘connection’ has become symbolic of a disconnect between our social structure too. The movement towards a city where our wealth gap is ever widening, inspiring films as well as slang that bring forward conversations about the rich and the poor, with terms such as 'over the bridge' or 'beyond the bridge' referencing to the wealthier residents in the south.

Since our transition to a market economy and a democratic society in 1991 and onwards the rapid changes we see in Mongolia, and especially in Ulaanbaatar has been incomparable to any other post-Soviet society. Well, this is my personal opinion, and I’m sure residents of cities such as Prague, Sofia, Kiev et al will have more to say if asked. However, from my experience of having lived here for the last 11 years, it has never failed to amaze me how fast the cycle of construction, movement, trends as well as, unfortunate in some cases, opinions and policies spin around us. One major change we see very much visibly is the level of traffic and congestion from cars on the road. And although this is a topic that has several volumes of text owed to it, one small aspect of it is my desire to talk about how bridges are in the mix.

I believe that Bridges should and does transcend the practicalities of what a bridge is supposed to deliver from an engineering perspective. The way Peace Bridge does that so beautifully shows what our other recent additions to the city does not, so painfully. In illustration, my frequent walks from home to work and vice versa over Peace Bridge turns a short 20 min walk into a joyful experience where I can feel like I’m part of a city, of a public space that recognize my movement as its living and breathing part. The fact that the pathway that run alongside the car road has no barriers or barricades creates a feeling of transparency and openness which strangely enough lends a sense of safety and connection more than fear and danger. Then there are the structures built along the bridge that are like majestic atriums, where people can stop for a rest, meet a date, take selfies or just wander around in and make their own. Even though many people perceive these atriums as abandoned and/or dirty spots, the fact that people walk over the bridge everyday at every waking hour prevents it from becoming a crime magnet or a place of neglect, and instead they become small hidden parts of a city that doesn’t have to belong to anyone. This juxtaposition of elements is one of the unexplainable ways design can make a space. And this space over Peace Bridge is one that I wish was studied more and attempted to, not replicate but, recreated in other parts of the city where more and more bridges are necessary.

In contrast, in an effort to combat traffic and congestion, and increase mobility, the couple of new bridges that were built in the last few years are of entirely different species. Questions of whether they have been successful in their primary concerns still remain open to discussion, however for the sake of talking about their design, their place in our urban landscape and their presence on a larger scale leaves much to be desired. When an overpass is built, that is exactly what it is. Some may have extra space for hard shoulders, some lanes for cyclists, and some very generous ones have pedestrian space albeit close off with tall metal fences. But when all the elements of a Bridge are stripped back to its bare minimum of just performing its most basic purpose, the entire experience of using that bridge/overpass becomes a little sad.

There is a massive difference between a Bridge and a bridge. In a literal sense the way it looks, performs and costs cannot be ignored, however in a figurative sense they can be used to also explain and contrast the way we as urban residents should look at how we want to communicate with each other. Do we want to live, work, play and grow in a place that does the bare minimum, seeking results, hastening our progress, or do we want to ask for and demand places of experience, joy, connection, awe and dreams? Essentially, we want to live in a humane city and be able to tell our stories and help build the next stories, be the bridges to our future.

Go Help, plain and simple.

Every rally has a start line and a finish line. And the Mongolia Charity Rally is no exception but the first thing I thought when I saw this through my car window was: ‘Hey, they copied us!” For me, this was of particular interest because in a way I have lived this event and have done so for the last six years. Also because the Mongolia Charity Rally had this idea last year already (Finish Line at a hotel to receive our much worn out guests) AND a bit amusing as our hotel is called Kaiser and the other rally’s was Chinggis-rather well known emperors through history.


Yes, this is the time of the year when many Europeans, Americans, Australians to name few descend into Ulaanbaatar after almost 10 000km of rally across the world through Europe and Central Asia. The Mongolia Charity Rally is an event that is organised every year by Go Help, a UK Charity dedicated to raising funds to finance education and health care projects in Mongolia, in return for an adventure of a lifetime. This may sound a lot like Mongol Rally, a little better known rally event that also starts in the UK and ends in Mongolia, however what most people miss is the fact that theirs is a business model and the Mongolia Charity Rally is singular in a simple way that it is a charity event where funds raised are spent on local projects in Mongolia, as implemented by the charity itself.

When people make the decision to embark on a challenge like this over their summer holidays it’s understandable that they will do their research. Having more choice and the freedom to select a rally based on the fees, conditions, services etc is the basic expectation for most people.  And in the spirit of a market economy, the event that has most people joining, has most media presence and more people talking about it tends to be the more popular. In that sense, the Mongol Rally continues to operate with over 300 teams a year, whilst the Mongolia charity Rally has a few over 30.

But what seems to be overlooked is what happens when a team arrives at their destination in Mongolia, and in Go Help’s case this is when it becomes even more interesting because those 30 odd teams making it get to see what their funds are doing, meet the students who are receiving scholarships, the children who are reading books off the back of a mobile library, and meet doctors who are using the ambulances for check ups and emergency services throughout the vast Mongolian countryside. And I think this is when a Mongolia Charity Rally team gets the sweeter deal.

And gentle marketing aside, Go Help also benefits as the people who choose our rally brings so much more than just their vehicles and their money raised. We have worked with teams who came and stayed for weeks volunteering in a local hospital, then setting up a charity to partner with Go Help for medical student exchanges; donated hundreds of books and study materials to our Book House project; have taken part twice already with a third planned next year; stayed in contact and in support and have become our trustee; and even raising money for our Mobile Library project despite not doing the rally but honouring their friend’s memory from a distance, and many more. These connections make our rally and our charity special. The people who are involved enhance our work and give ideas for our future projects. And they understand that although our Finish Line may not be as large or as expensive as the other rally, once they get here there is a team of people waiting for them, ready to get to work and show them what this rally is all about.

Team leoYlou

Team Alpha Badger

the Go Help family of staff, students and volunteers

Book Ger project

Where is feminism in Mongolia???

The phrase “Since you are a woman…” must be one of the most over used start to a sentence to goes on to point to an issue that is not at all gender based. I say this in the context of Mongolia and the Mongolian language, however I’m sure many would be familiar with the less explicit versions of this comment in any other language around the world. And as someone whose point of reference and relativity is mostly based on life in the UK with parts of it in Ulaanbaatar, I can confidently say that people are generally terrified of saying the word 'woman' in the UK for fear of being called sexist and/or being subject to some work place disciplinary action. But in Mongolia?! Hey ho, it’s a phrase that comes out so naturally from both sexes’ mouths without anyone really going: “Hang on, would you say that to a man?” Nobody seems to question these phrases, where words have been put together to represent people's thoughts about issues that they clearly believe has strong basis in gender relations. I have never in my experience of living in Mongolia for three odd years heard a woman, or a man, raise gender issues in a non-threatening or accusatory manner that just pokes at the surface. And truthfully, I probably didn’t even realise what was happening fully, let alone become that ill placed poke. 

My impression so far is that of men and women accepting phrases such as “since you are a woman…” as a normal everyday exchange of opinions, opinions which have almost become unspoken truth.  And I also know that if I say: “Hang on, would you suggest a male colleague to furnish their office with potted plants, since you are a man??” would instantly brand me as the woman that talks about ‘gender’ and therefore must be treated with caution. Because I’ve seen very brief instances of other women attempting at the poke but being burnt by the “Don’t bring up such nonsense” look and treatment before being shut down for good. Although I was young and stupid and was not aware of such dynamics to do something about it then, I still didn’t quite get how I was supposed to think of or react to covert sexism in general. And I think many women in Mongolia still do not recognise sexism when they’re being served it, and those who do consider it as part of the day job. 

Unlike in Western societies where gender issues have been long raised and debated, and have seen their popularity rise and fall like fashion trends, feminism in Mongolia is very new. At least that’s my impression anyway, because during my time in Mongolia I have not come across one feminist writer, actor, politician that are concerned about the collective. There’s plenty of liberation of the individual, especially women who declare their independence in magazines and newspapers that are largely based on financial freedom backed by a combination of their acting, modelling and business ventures (a dark undercurrent that suggests you have to be reasonably attractive and in many cases just divorced an even wealthier man, to achieve this by the way). 

However, without going into murky waters where majority of these lifestyles are inevitably connected a male figure, I still want to ask…but where is feminism? Where is the feminist voice that says that women have choice even in the most trivial issues of everyday life? And have the right to talk about it without fear of being outcast? The verbalising of these rights is frowned upon in society and yet I’m sure we've (at least the ones who recognise it) questioned sexism without actually using the term sexism. And I’m sure plenty of us have longed for the same opportunity as a male counterpart without necessarily knowing the definition of feminism. I would like to speak to more people about this issue and hear what they have to say. Who knows, there could be plenty of feminist writers and bloggers, photographers and other creative individuals that create a bridge between women and ideas in Mongolia, which someone sitting in Coventry does not know about.

Lastly, I just want to say that I love my husband, appreciate him and realise myself to be a lucky lucky woman, not only because he’s just lovely but because he accepts that I have choices, wish to make them in due time, in due context without ever saying “since you are a woman….” He is my feminist hero. 

Existential crisis?

Someone I know has made the decision to quit work and move to the Mongolian countryside and live off the fat of the land as a herder, with his girlfriend. They're both highly educated and smart people with distinct voices and opinions and I don't mean to portray the girlfriend as an after thought but I'm afraid to this day we haven't met, despite my suspicions that we might get on real fine. Their decision has made me think about myself and what I want also. Ever since I returned to the UK minus my son and carrying with me a new found determination to do the best I can for him, there's also been some thoughts on what to do after this? Come the end of summer a decision must be made, like for everyone else in the world for whom their life is at the crossroads.

I'm a lucky person in that I grew up with the opportunity that many from Mongolia did not and do not have. My family has provided me and my brother and sister with the best possible start in life. Education and the chance to live a life of heightened awareness, especially when it comes to the complete polarity of life in Mongolia and in the UK. Considering the period in which we were born and grew up, I'm pretty sure thousands more young families and couples had also braced themselves for the tough times ahead and dedicated their lives for their children by choosing to move abroad and work countless hours making ends meet. These children grew up across the world in countries away from their home, friends and families, with some even losing touch with their backgrounds and language. I had always wished I grew up with my grandparents and cousins, and grew older with the children from my class at my first elementary school in Ulaanbaatar. The said person who's moving to the countryside is a classmate from this class and we found each other on Facebook of all places.

Over 20 years since the democratic movement in Mongolia has passed and now these children of the world have grown up-a time to consider about their futures and their own families has come. I know I have much to think about. Naturally many has the potential to become great leaders in their country in all fields, because on top of education, I believe they (and I) can appreciate the circumstances of their lives and perhaps grew up with a sense of desire to come back home and see things improve. Many has started to make the move back towards Mongolia either academically or career wise, however I sense a quite revolution coming, manifesting itself in changes that my above mentioned friend has made; careers in high end professions being shunned to do things their way; and in my case my wish to just spend time with my family and live in a country that I call my home.

For too many years I've lived a nomadic life where it's always been about moving onto the next pasture. Same goes for my parents and the parents of many others I presume. Even when I was living in Mongolia for a while after graduating I felt that it was always about the big job, the big opportunity, the people you must meet and know, the meeting you must attend and mingle. I doubt many of us who moved back even temporarily had any real idea of what Mongolia is and how beautiful it is. A sense of obligation and duty may be there but passion can only grow from within.

I envy the two people who've decided to live in a felt ger and I wish more people would do the same. But I'm also proud of a friend who quit an executive job because she didn't believe in it anymore no matter how important the position was. Another very good friend of mine chose to start at the very bottom even though her connections, education and even her desire to do good is way and above her superiors, because she wants to learn about her country rather than be delivered to a 'big' position that she would have otherwise been able to arrange had she wanted. Many people are starting to feel their own worth and value, and the potential contributions they can make as their own person, rather than as part of the machine that churns out policy makers and big shot project coordinators. They are not in a hurry because they believe in themselves. Enough to wait for the right time and opportunity, or better yet to make it for themselves.

As far as I'm concerned, despite a slight existential crisis, like everyone else at a certain time in their lives, concerning my plans for the future, I now feel less pressure for myself to go back and find the big job and join the rat race. Maybe because I miss my son so much or maybe because I did grow up with the privilege of choice, either way I would rather do what makes me happy. And how important that ends up being to the development of my country, only time will tell.

A Modern Solution?

Planning’s been on my mind recently-it bloody well should be as I’m upto my eyeballs in assignments for my master, but fret not-and it’s so inevitable that whatever I learn in my classes I’ll inevitably relate it to Mongolia’s (most likely) more abysmal state of planning at present, and daydream about what I’ll do when I get back. A dangerous hobby for someone with a power complex!

It occurred to me recently that the humble Mongolian ger, or a yurt as everyone else is determined to call it, is one of the most flexible, diverse, fluid and sustainable form of housing anyone has ever seen or utilised safely. Despite its’ centuries old heritage and the lack of practical amenities such as running water and a toilet, it has continued to be used today all over Mongolia and some European countryside and camp sites calling themselves ‘boutique camp resorts.’

I say fluid because the interior is always the same in almost every ger and all Mongolians know exactly where everything goes-where you place your chest, bed and kitchen. In fact you can fit a it in there and yet there’s always space to move around and locate yourself in different parts of your home.

It’s diverse because there are many different versions of it depending on what tribe you belong to or what part of the country you live in, as well as versions by Native Americans in the USA and other types in South America. And yet, you can always instantly tell that it’s a ger, wherever you find it.

I say sustainable because you can literally pack it up in an hour and take to hundreds of kilometers away and unpack it in the same time, without doing any damage to your environment. It’s also sustainable because it’s made from natural materials that a herder can get hold of easily and use and rescue over and over again. And for a particularly creative herder, he/she can paint it lovely colours and patterns inside.

And most importantly, in my opinion, it’s flexible for so many reasons it goes beyond the word flexible. It’s a home, a school, a nursery, a guest room, an office, a travelling clinic, a hotel room, a storage room-one man’s wealth, another man’s getaway. Besides being able to plonk it pretty much anywhere, the fundamental idea of a mixed use space in planning as a discipline, the issue of community and getting people closer at a local level, the utility as basic housing and shelter, adaptability in any weather and visual amenity conditions, and the cultural significance to its end users all tick the boxes for a great solution in a planning conundrum. Surely there’s an award that this humble example of great urban design should win?! If not urban design, at least a nod from the neo-anti-capitalist-self sustaining-freegan crowd, because by using it in a modern commune type of living arrangements with water, toilet and electricity (candle lit living will suffice the hard cores) it’s bound to re-start a revolution, no?

Either way, it’s potential and currently small scale experimentation as part of an almost non-existent public housing scheme in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia has brought lots of positives. But of course with negatives too. And this is something that today’s planners can and should address.

Original and still current use 

New settings-urban sprawl and ger districts 

Modern resort

Office Life

I’ve now been employed by a highly reputable foreign company in UB for the last four weeks, doing a 20 hour week, part-time translation work. Rejoining the work force has been great, and although I applied for and accepted a job well below my previous positions and capacity voluntarily, there is still that feeling of being underused but also being pushed forward.

Let me expand. Translation work is boring if you have no self interest in the job - and it is not going to benefit you in anyway by furthering your intellect or even just amusing you. But I’ve convinced myself that despite having had more managerial roles in the post, I had missed out on the crucial and basic skills one has to gain. Like typing, translating, concentration and submission. Learning the basics is quite grounding for someone who’s in danger of being a little too confident.

However, seeing the managers of departments and others in a slightly senior role than me I naturally feel unnoticed, wasted and, let’s face it, unimportant. The first time I felt like was like looking through the window of a bakery when on a diet-quite sad really. But now there is that knowing nod inside and an invisible pat on my head (‘don’t worry, you’ll get to eat the cake, but after you’ve lost the baby fat’).

Body issues aside, something else that I noticed is the gender inequality and the general inequality in the office. Trust a woman to reference the 3 classic female causes of today’s politics consecutively in my last 3 blog posts right? (Child care, healthcare, gender issues-but I believe one should talk about what one doesn’t know so they learn, write about what one does know).

For a foreign company with overseas operations it’s generally the norm to send male executive types to oversea and manage various departments, with local subordinates. In fact, it has become such a common establishment in Mongolia today that seeing one (female) Mongolian in charge of a department at my current company was refreshing (albeit she was heading up the typical female department of HR).

Why the bipolarity then? It feels almost like a modern equivalent of a 50s office situation, minus the cool Mad Men type attire and cigarettes. Study after study has shown that women tend to be better leaders and managers, if we only get over our inability to speak up and be aggressive, or that pesky little nature’s issue of child bearing duties. The typical Asian response would be that women are easier to work with (read: submissive and easily controlled) or the typical developing country based company response would be that they need someone with experience (read: one of their own and unlikely to cheat the company). I realize that there are many other sides to my above generalizations but the effort to overcome this typical-ness is frustratingly little.

Lower positions of clerk, translators and assistants are predominantly female, and funnily (and maybe saddeningly enough) the IT predominantly male so that the female assistant will at some point have to ask for help about her darn printer.

And what’s more interesting to observe is the fact that departments, different levels of position do not mix at lunch time, in the kitchen or even at after work functions. For a foreign company it can be understandable that the language can be a slight barrier to vertical socializing for some employees but even the competent English speakers tend to segregate themselves and run with their pack. This may be an age old issue that has been discussed, ranted and blogged about from a long time ago by millions of females out there. But considering I’m from a predominantly liberal, small scale and not necessarily a profit seeking professional background I find this setup alienating. How will one learn, gain experience and more understanding if one only sticks to their own department/work/recipe? Is the higher plan to keep the ants working so they can be wielded in one profit margin smashing direction or is it that there is no higher plan, just the reality of what employment is like in Mongolia today?