Living in Mongolia

We are moving there in January 2011.
How is this interaction with expats in ?UB?
Is it a nice city for a 17 year girl?
Do they have all the gadgets we have in the us?
Can we get all the TV channels?
Can I bring a pet dog and how to go about that?

Welcome to Expat.com, Guy & Jac

I hope some of the members of the forum will be able to respond to your questions very soon, such as maybe some of your fellow countrymen registred in our Network of expatriates in Mongolia.

All the best
Arlette

@ guy and Jac:u can get all the TV channels and also u can bring ur pet dog.

If u come here, pls contact me solko_153@yahoo.com. I would be glad to help u

@ Guy and Jac
You're probably already there and know this already, but...
There are quite a number of Mongolians who can interact in English. And they are generally quite friendly when face to face.
It might be a little boring for a 17yo girl. And try your best to avoid going out alone at night if you're female.
They have phones, internet, blackberries/iphones... If that is what you're refering to.
I can't answer your last 2 questions as I had no experience with that.

Do share your experience now that you're living in Mongolia. I was there for almost a year but always wondered if anything had changed.

Hi. I just moved to Mongolia from the US. I've been here just over a week, and have my first impression to share.

I am currently staying in UB temporarily before moving soon to Omnogovi, which will be my permanent abode.

UB City is located in a beautiful river valley, surrounded by impressive and majestic mountains. You could scarcely ask for a better location for a city in this country.

I've arrived at the tail end of winter and the beginning of what the locals call Spring. It still gets down to -20F sometimes at night, with daytime highs sometimes around -5 to -10F. Coming from a much warmer climate, this will take some getting used to. But I brought some great cold weather gear with me, which helps immensely.

So many people have to burn coal here in the winter to keep from freezing that it has created quite a pollution problem in the city. Once you leave the big city though, this should cease to be a problem. The coal particulates in the air are causing me some minor sinus irritation, and you can smell the coal in the air. It's tolerable, if undesirable.

The city streets in UB are pure mayhem! I've seen some wild streets before around the world, and these streets will compete well for the title of the wildest streets ever encountered. (A friend privately tells me though that Italy still holds the title.)

Over the last decade or two, so many people have left the country for the city that it has created some tough civil engineering challenges as the government tries to keep up with the population explosion within UB. The streets are over-crowded and very busy at the usual busy times of the day. Off hours are much more manageable however.

If you walk in the street or on the sidewalk along the street, you really have to be on guard for aggressive drivers. Crossing a downtown UB street is not for the faint-hearted! It certainly qualifies as an adventure!

And if you need to get around in a private vehicle, you should definitely hire a local driver/guide. They are used to the craziness on the streets and can negotiate them better than any tourist. But if you like the risks, I hear you can pay $75 and show a home drivers' license to buy a new local driver's license. Good luck!

There is a surprising selection when it comes to local restaurants. I've eaten at over a dozen so far, and have hardly made a dent in the list of local offerings. I've discovered that I like seasoned mutton, and I find horse meat to be not so bad.

Another pleasant surprise is the sheer number of beautiful, fit and fashionable women in UB. Very impressive.

So far I've met several very nice and accommodating people in UB. Everyone I have spoken to has been very nice to me, and my list of new friends is growing daily.

Like most countries, things in Mongolia are done a little differently than things in the next country. I've discovered that this seems to be pretty universal. If you come to Mongolia expecting things to work the way they did "back home" you might become disappointed or frustrated.

If however you approach Mongolia without preconceptions and expectations, you should do well. Make no assumptions, and take the time to discover how things are done here. With the right attitude, your acclimation time will be shorter and smoother.

I was fortunate in that my company had interpreters and accommodations lined up before I came here, so getting settled in went very smoothly. I don't know what I'd do without my interpreter and guide. I am discovering though that many restaurants and hotels have bilingual staff, which helps immensely.

My interpreters and my guide have a large network of friends in Mongolia, so making new friends with them has become a wonderful experience.

If someone wants to live in Mongolia, I'd recommend finding some Mongolian pen-pals online who will be willing to be guides and drive you around to see the sights and meet their friends. They take friendships very seriously in Mongolia, and it would be a rich and rewarding experience for you.

I'm really looking forward to my new life in Mongolia. So far, so good!

Peace

Hi Gnomad!

Welcome to Expat.com and thanks for sharing your experience

Regards
Armand

Hi Armand,

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I just love a good adventure!

I'll write about my first impressions of the Gobi in a few weeks, when I get there.

Peace

There's tons of information in this surviving-mongolia.com for expats and visitors. I hope it's useful! Another good site is mongolexpat.com.

If you are new in Mongolia, just contact me. Because i know its hard be a new in abroad.

Hi, Im new here.
I am supposed to be flying out to UB for a 3 month teaching contract however I have read, to my horror, many stories about physical violence directed at Europeans and Americans etc......Unprovoked attacks. My question is........Is this a safe city to work in?

Martster,

I have heard the same things on a couple internet forums, but in the extended time I've been there I have not experienced anything of the sort. Thus far the worst I've experienced was a failed pickpocket attempt, and next to that every once in a great while some guy giving me a dirty look. And I do a lot of walking around the city (many times by myself), plus the area our apartment is in is all middle-income (by Mongolian standards) and not one of the expensive ones many foreigners live in.
I don't doubt any of the stories or experiences of attacks, but so far I'm not seeing any evidence that it's an everyday or very common occurrence. That being said, I think there are things that may increase one's chances of being harassed or attacked. Walking alone at night, frequenting bars (or at least doing so alone), being rude or disrespectful to locals, and not paying attention to one's surroundings.  Most of these no-no's are just common sense to avoid when in a new place, especially the last one.  I don't care where I'm at, if I'm out of the house I am always keeping an eye out for trouble and ready to leave or respond if it comes my way.  So far that has worked well for me in Mongolia, USA, and everywhere else.  I have heard some have had negative encounters as a result of being out with or dating a Mongolian woman, but it's certainly not something you have to avoid.  My wife is Mongolian and we've been out on the town together many many times without problems.  As before, it's all about being aware of what's around you and spotting trouble before it happens.  For me personally, I think I'm at less overall risk from violent crime in UB than in many places I've lived in the USA.
Most Mongolians are generally pretty friendly and quite a few are very interested and curious about people and places outside Mongolia.  If you'll be teaching I imagine you'll have plenty of opportunity to make friends with plenty of Mongolians and expats, and in the small chance you run into troublemakers, being around friends will make them think twice.

nickbert,
Thank you very much for your kind response. I do now feel slightly less apprehensive.