We went as students to conduct a study about sheep parasites. In addition to what we learned about our project, we learned so much more. I became quite a fan of the lifestyle of the nomads and of daily life in a ger. A round ger is by nature always embracing, and so were the nomads. They helped us each time we were among them. They were kind and generous with their time, their food, and their knowledge about their animals. Thank you all so much.
Our project went smoothly thanks to much organizational help from Dr. Batsukh Zayat of the Mongolian Veterinary Institute and his staff. They were able to sort out any problem right away. We would also like to thank the Mongolian State University of Agriculture for housing us in the student dormitory. We are grateful to DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst = German Academic Exchange Service) for their support, and hope that next year we will be able to host Mongolian veterinary students in
Berlin.
We take with us wonderful memories of blue sky and endless wide open steppes, of horses and other animals running free with no fences, of majestic mountains and streams we had to ford. The long journeys over dusty, bumpy roads gave us many opportunities to observe the vegetation, geography, herds and herdsmen, and daily life in
Mongolia.
I am grateful to the students who worked with us, particularly our student translators, and to their family members that we got to know. The students were always hard-working and fun to be with. They were patient with us, especially explaining customs and words to us. We also wish to thank the Mongolian veterinarians who worked with us in the field and in the laboratory, including Dr. Batbayar, the epidemiologist in Ulaangom. He and his wife, Javzmaa and family hosted us in their ger and took very good care of us. Dr. Namsrai, who oversaw my group (the Uvs group) in the field seemed to be highly regarded by the nomads in his area, and it was quite a pleasure to work with him.
People all along the way made us feel welcome. Thank you to all Mongolians for sharing your lives and your beautiful country with us for six weeks.
Linda Weistroffer
Die