Kvosgol

In each and every ger, touches of the modern world are seeping through the rafters. One evening I would be watching a loud incomprehensible Russian card game lit by a single lightbulb. The next day lunchtime, I would be thanking a chain smoking old lady for tea, eyeing curiously the electronic boxes that powered her small flat screen monitor. Later that evening, I would be sitting warming my feet in the ger of a family of 3 in complete darkness, following the glowing blue screen of a mobile phone as the mother pushes in-between the wooden roof structure and the fabric top.

This gradual infiltration of modern conveniences in the countryside, as opposed to the bulldozing over with technology in many developing countries such as China, gives Mongolia a poetic charm. Whether this current lifestyle is as poetic to live as a daily reality is questionable. However, in the long run, perhaps this gradual change will allow for a more culturally rich modern society to emerge. Only time will tell.