Naadam and Some

Naadam (as defined by Wikipedia...check it out for more info) is "A traditional festival in Mongolia.  The festival is also locally termed "eriin gurvan naadam" "the three games of men".  The games are Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery and are held throughout the country during midsummer"

So now that I've defined Naadam for you guys, I can now tell you guys about my past week and my Naadam experiences.  But first, let me give you a rundown on my days before Naadam (which began on Wednesday).

I had a short week of school (only Monday and Tuesday) and of those days, only one comprised of a lot of work.  On Monday we had our regular language class followed in the afternoon by our last technical session of this half (which basically means we get new trainers for the next half).  On Tuesday, we has a brief language session (mainly to learn Naadam terminology) then our families came in with food for an appreciation "brunch" for us.  That was pretty cool.  After that, we (our whole class and our Language and Culture Facilitators...or LCFs) went to the market to buy components for a cooking class.  Instead of a technical sector in the afternoon, we made buuz (a typical mongolian dish which is almost like a Chinese dumpling) together.  It was great!  We didn't make the best buuz (some fell apart) but they were yummy (well....I can only speak for the veggie ones since i couldn't have the meat).

Now Wednesday...the big day.  I can't quite say it was all I thought it would be.  My family went super late (We didn't get there til 2..and it started at about 9 am) and the bulk of my experience was spent at a family khuushur (another big mongolian dish...very similar to empanadas) stand.  I had some khuushur without the meat and walked for a little while.  I took some pictures of horses, modeled a Mongolian deel (not really modeled...just wore it there.  Oh, and a deel is the Mongolian traditional dress), got some pictures of wrestling, tried some airag (fermented mare's milk) and then went home.  Later on that night, we went to the square for a concert.  It was cool.  This 1 singer sang Listen by Beyonce and it was AMAZING!  After that, I went home.

The next day,  I went to Darkhan with my family.   We met up with other family members and had a day by the stream.  It was awesome!  Outdoor cooking, drinking (and later very drunk) uncles, splashing in water, dancing, and music.  I can say with confidence that it is the most fun I've had here thus far.  We left there at night time while the residents of Darkhan were still enjoying their Naadam.  I give major props to the random guy wearing the Nicki Minaj shirt and the DJ playing What's Love by Ja'Rule and Ashanti.  We then drove to an aunt's house and slept there until we left at around 2 the next day.  I even got to stop and take a picture with a camel on the way home.

Well guys, that's been my Naadam so far.  I will put up pictures of the adventures later on.  Til then, you gotta take my word for it!

Much Love!