Many of you would never have believed this but I'm actually pretty used to the Mongolian winter. As someone who feels the cold in Melbourne more than anyone, the thought of living in -30 was a frightful one. But I've adapted. I factor in at least 10 minutes before leaving the house to apply my many layers of clothing (some days recently this has required three pairs of thermal leggings, plus my yak wool knee warmers and camel hair socks), then once outside I bury my face into my pollution mask and neck warmer so as to keep my entire face warm (my eyes remaining the only thing visible), and finally when I manage to get inside again (usually in an overheated building) I instinctively wipe away the ice and water that forms on my eyelashes and eyebrows after being outside for just 10 minutes.
So when the weather congregates somewhere around -15 to -40 (which it's predicted to reach in the next few days) on a daily basis, what do you do? Here's a summary of some of the things I've been up to the past month.
Going ice skating at Children's Park. This was great fun, although I could only manage to stay out in the cold for 40 minutes or so.
Watching Mongolian Wrestling. I did't really understand all the rules and procedures of the national sport, but just the outfits and various shapes and sizes of the wrestlers kept me entertained.
Eating. We've (me and the other volunteers based in UB) been having lots of dinner parties since I've arrived. Held at our homes or out at our favourite local restaurants, it's a great way to catch up and to also keep warm. Some meals include (shown below) hot pot, my housemate's home-made caesar salad, Brazilian, and vegan food.
Engrossing myself in work. I've been pretty designing new brochures, organising seminars, and holding training sessions, for the Agency this month, along with the couple of road trips to which I was invited along.
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