We conducted more interviews yesterday. It was more amazement. The night before we’d spent some time in a group with some strange dynamics. I finally understood the purpose of the mission and I understand why I was a part of it. I also understand what my role can be. There are lots of organisations working towards the same outcomes. The purpose of this particular journey was to compare my workplace with another and find out strengths and weaknesses for the benefit of everyone. I see my role as a intermediary – between my workplace and other organisations with ideas and research.
The interviews yesterday were interesting in a different way. After a night of total comfort we were back in my outer-comfort zone. The herder group we were interviewing work as a collective as per the group we were talking to previously. It is run by one ‘chief’. There are 10 families within the group that work together in times of need, and share the same pasture land. They respect the land in the same way and manage it together. They’re thought ahead. It was amazing. The group was much richer than others we talked to, and it was evident not only in their brand new motorbike and flatscreen tv, but also in their general health. They were actually (some) slightly pudgey. The children had long, shiny healthy hair. They all had clean clothes that were all relatively new. They had a ger full of beds and general utensils.
I think I will write a blog on each interview we conducted – what we learnt, who they were – what their houses were like and things like that. It’ll give you a change to meet these amazing people and it will give them some credit for the amazing life that they live. Just remind me. I’m likely to forget. Making friends and keeping fit keeps me busy at the moment!
Once we finished interviewing these herders we had a massive chat about whether to stay the night or not. We had planned to stay there or not. Staying meant sleeping in the Russian caravan on the floor and eating more mutton (albeit freshly slaughtered for us; way to tug at my heart strings!). Leaving meant a 6hour drive along 350km of the most hideous road you’ve ever seen.
We packed up and left. I donated my sunglasses (RIP Charlie Brown sunnies; I loved you so much I left you behind for someone else to love you more) and my hat (so what if it wasn’t beautiful, it was super practical) to the herder group and we drove. Til midnight. We fought for a room at some random soum centre (towns don’t seem to have names – they do, for foreigners but no one local uses them) and I had a sleep. It cost me 30000tugs which is crazy for that area. Especially for a shitty single bed with no mattress or linen, a bathroom used a smoking room (there was no toilet seat/cover by the morning) and paper thin walls. Having not eaten all day because we were so busy, I cracked into my emergency stock of food.
When I say I haven’t eaten 2minute noodles for 20 years, I really mean it. That shit is nasty and I generally wouldn’t feed it to the dogs. But they’re dry and small and practical. And when you’re hungry, you’ll eat anything. So I boiled water and cooked the noodles as much as I could in a plastic container and I ate them with the can opener of my leatherman. In retrospect it was totally avoidable. For example, I could have gone to bed hungry or I could have not bought them altogether.
I don’t think I quite expressed the horror that was the journey back to the soum centre. I was in the middle seat in the back. I had to blow up my aeroplane pillow to put around my neck. Not to sleep, but as a safety measure as I was worried the flopping around my neck could get serious and I wasn’t keen for a broken neck in that area. And then once I thought of that, I thought that maybe I could break something, and call my insurance and they’d send a helicopter and at least I’d get out of that shit. I’m also not kidding when I considered that being dead would have been more comfortable.
It got pretty real. But then we got to the hotel and I unfolded my shitty, cheap ass sleeping bag with feathers that go up my nose during the night and I slept and had nightmares all night.
And then we had a piece of bread (plain, no drink to wash it down) and did some work. It was SO cool. We’d done all this interviewing and note taking and we were putting them relevant groups so that we could present them and write a report. Oh man, it was awesome.
My dream job: Bossing people around and organising people in a group. Working towards a set of outcomes. Pushing people to learn more and work harder. Extracting information and interpreting it for a different audience. Presenting it. All over the world.
Then we spent MORE time driving back to UB. We got in about 3pm and I boiled three pots of water for a shower. Usually I only boil one. I needed a GOOD bath. The whole process took me an hour. By then it was time for the ballet so I ran out the door having not eaten basically for two days. In Sally history, this is actually unheard of. But, ballet is prioritised over food. It’s one of the few things that would ever be prioritised over food.
And, it was TOTALLY worth it. Wholey shitballs, it was freaking amazing. It was called ‘Tara Choidin’. Tara is a girl who gets sick, dies, goes to hell, makes her way to heaven, comes back alive and then it’s the end. The choreography was amazing. The dancers almost couldn’t handle it.
If if was an eisteddfod, I would say:
Costumes spectacular, setting very impressing. Timing was repulsive and needs some work before you perform again. Use of body stockings is unnecessary and very unprofessional. Choreography was obviously too advanced for some dancers but should be mentioned that it was enlightening to see a fresh performance. Intercultural dance was done effectively but you should never use clunky beads as the audience can hear them as you run. In general you need some touching up and would benefit from practicing without the music. All in all a good performance, I give you a highly recommended but would like to applause your obvious heart and soul that made the performance stunning to watch. Special mention to the orchestra – impeccable.
No pictures this time as there was a lady making sure we didn’t. Last time it was okay.
So my idea for when I have time next is to a. compile a video of some footage I took during the week and b. write a photo story, seeing as you’ve read these blogs sans photos. It will be an epic length blog but I hope it’ll be worth it; there are some great photos and C. write a blog on each family we visited.
Sleeping in my bed tonight.
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