Scrappy Quilt
5 days ago
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Am I fully formed?
Leaving the US for the first time in a couple of years, I am reflective about my prior trips. The things that have had the biggest impact on me- my time in school in Spain, my trips to Nicaragua, being in Greece over 9/11, realizing that residency wasn’t the cure to jet lag, but that our lives were conducted in a constant state of jet lag. These events, disparate as they are were all so formative in developing who I am now. Lessons that I learned from each of those trips come up all the time. When people are getting to know me it rarely takes more than a few conversations for one of those trips to come up. They are fundamental to my view of the world and to my persona, such as it is. Will this trip be formative? Or am I already formed? There is so much to be told.. Stay tuned this is only the beginning…
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2 comments:
I stumbled upon your post about going to Mng. I'm married to on and have been in your shoes heading to Ulan Baator for the first time. Your taking a long route getting there! Don't worry to much. The language is quite difficult, so forget about trying to learn much if your stay is short. You didn't mention much about where you were going, but if you are staying in UB be careful of cutpurses and pickpockets. This is a good time to travel there. It has been raining a lot from what I have been told, so smog should not be to much of a problem (big problem in winter). Most western foods are available incising Mexican. Be careful of what you eat. Stay away from milk products except their milk vodka which is very good. Traffic is crazy and unkind to pedestrians.
The people are great. Much pride in their heritage. They are very matter-of-fact and enjoy a good laugh.
If you need input or help my wife's family could help I'm sure. Included are acadamians, students, and English speakers. My wife's brothers mother-in-law is the first female doctor in Mng. She speaks good English and is quite charming. Best of luck! Matthew Gwylliam@hotmail.com
I definitely feel like my lack of travel is a detriment to me being "fully formed," to use your term. I do feel lucky to live and work in such multi-cultural environments, but it is in no way the same.
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