Expectations

There are many wise quotes about expectations.  Of course none come to mind specifically, but you know how they go... if you let yourself live in expectations then reality is going to be disappointing. Or if you are not flexible enough to adjust your expectations once reality presents itself, you will also be disappointed - and on it goes.

I definitely had different expectations of Mongolia than what we've experienced thus far. There is no question that the country is beautiful with wide open spaces and very, very few people. A smattering of gers here and there and lots of sheep,  goats,  horses and yaks. The scenery does not disappoint. However a large part of why I came here was to experience the culture - to learn about the people and in that respect our first nomadic family homestay was disappointing. We spent over two hours getting oriented to the ways of the nomadic people and their traditions and practices prior to departing for our white lake excursion - and worrying about how we would possibly remember all of it - only to find we weren't actually staying with a nomadic family up in white lake once we arrived. Nor were we staying with a herder's family... we were staying in a Ger camp. Ger camps are run by local families as an alternative to the herder lifestyle,  but you don't stay in their family Ger,  you stay in one of a series of guest gers which have only beds and a stove,  occasionally with a light or outlet which works for a couple of hours after dark. Tourism is a large part of the lives of many families in Mongolia because herding is extremely difficult. Their winters are bitterly cold and one bad winter can wipe out a large percentage of their livestock. Once that happens the only choice is often to move to town and set up your family ger in the Ger slums around the capital. Apparently it used to be the case with communism that there was more of a collective animal sharing so if one person lost a lot of animals there would be a redistribution of some sort so they would not suffer the full brunt of the loss. Now with democracy that is no longer the case and there would be no incentive to give another family some of your animals. Tourism gives families a much more reliable and steady income and is really a win-win for Mongolians and tourists. At the end of the white lake trip we did go to visit a nomadic family on our way back. It was extremely interesting to see how they live but I found myself relieved we hadn't stayed with a nomadic family for days because the language barrier is really difficult and they seem to feel obligated to entertain you which is a bit awkward.  So there was an initial disappointment but then a relief and a change of expectations.  We then planned the next seven days to see the geological and religious sites rather than focusing on how to try to expose ourselves to more native tradition because that can't be forced. It's more of a slow osmosis here... rather than being bombarded by facts and culture the learning comes in trickles which makes sense considering the Mongolian pace of life.