Annette Scott, 55, IT Consultant
Mongolia

Mongolia Community Volunteers 

In total, how long were you away from home?
4 weeks.

What was your motivation to take a gap break?
I hated the job I was doing and the daily grind of a commute to London. I felt that my body and soul need cleansing while I took stock of what was important in my life.

How did you feel before you joined the programme?
Exhausted. Caught up in things that really had no fundamental meaning.

What was the most memorable moment of your trip? Any anecdotes?
So many that I think I could write a book. Here is an extract for the first email I sent home during my trip;

“I was having a crisis of conscience at work - ethical and legal issues, so I quit. Probably not the most sensible thing I have ever done, but I don’t regret it. I had some money so decided to do some soul searching before I made any more bad decisions. Having spent the evening with my wonderful friend Karen and Sally, we decided I should have an adventure. So the next day, I went surfing and decided to do some volunteer work.

Two weeks and four days later, my plane landed in Ulaanbaatar (UB), the capital of Mongolia. Mad, but oh so exciting. I arrived at midnight on Sunday 1st June and leave again on 28th June, after which, I must get a job!

I have come with a company that specialises in Gap Year holidays, but also do career breaks for older people (Gap Year for Grown Ups). I signed up to work in an orphanage in the city for 3 weeks then to go trekking in the wilds and the mountains and stay in a nomadic tent for a week. Wild horses, camels, goats the lot. Ok so I have lost the plot, but hey, you only live once

So, here I am in the capitol of Mongolia. I am living with a family here, and go to ‘work’ each day. Let me describe the family situation. They live in a one-bedroom flat on the 4th floor of an 8-storey block about two kilometres from the city centre. By our standards the outside and neighbourhood would be inner city council type. Here it is a good address. The stairwell is exactly as you are picturing it now. Concrete and run down. However as soon as you open the front door it is a different word. Not a bit "Del Boy". Highly ornate decorations, beautiful furniture, and immaculate.

Only two people live here. (By the way, I am spelling all Mongolian words phonetically as their alphabet is completely different.) Basenji is the grandmother about 65 years old, and a retired accountant. Mojaka is the granddaughter. She is 24 and is a travel guide for Japanese tourists. Her English is extremely good, but Basenji speaks no English at all.

My biggest shock was when they showed me where I was to be sleeping. I hadn't noticed how many rooms there were to start with. As I said, it is a one bedroom flat but that is a misnomer as there are no bedrooms at all! Bathroom, toilet, lounge, kitchen, study and sitting room. Mojaka showed me into the study and unrolled a thin felt pad. She gave me a blanket and a pillow and said good night. I was stunned. Stupid of me, but it never occurred to me that they didn't sleep in beds. Every night they unroll these pads in the sitting room, lie down and go to sleep!! Every morning they roll them back up and get on with the day. The study has two wardrobes in it for clothes. Highly space saving and efficient but to my western backside incredibly uncomfortable. Ok you army lot can stop laughing now, I am used to a soft life!!!

The food is very pleasant generally and seems to consist almost entirely of soups and stews. They don't seem to even have table knives. Noodle soup for breakfast is common, but the oddest breakfast so far was simply a plate of boiled white rice drizzled with tomato ketchup. Not unpleasant just odd. If you don't like rice you would starve here I think. Lots of mutton too. This famous Mongolian tea is actually quite nice. I was shown how to make it today. Half milk, half water, leaf tea, pinch of salt and a small knob of butter boiled together for 10 mins then sieved”.

Have you benefited from your experience?
Yes. Most of the people I met were very poor by our standards but they were also a lot happier than we are generally. It makes you rethink your values.

What advice could you offer to someone considering this programme?
Try and clear your mind of preconceived ideas. Go with the experience - don’t try and fight it. It is a much safer place to be than I expected. I was very comfortable walking around alone, even in the dark. Embrace the people, they are kind, generous and intelligent. Take your own reading material. English anything is virtually impossible. Don’t stock up on toiletries, clothing etc. There are plenty, though not our brands and much cheaper. I took lots of pens and paper for the kids. Mistake. It was heavy and was readily available anyway. Take English children’s books and colouring books with the English words. Knitting needles and wool and cross-stitch kits are unknown but the kids love to do them. Teaching them to knit and sew is great. Take American dollars – there are banks on every street corner that will take them. The city is littered with Internet cafes, which are cheap (50p for an hour) and very easy to use. I sent a postcard, which took 3 months to arrive in UK. Don’t bother. Keep in touch by email.

Mongolia Community Volunteers 
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