The main language spoken here is Mongolian. It’s a unique language that belongs to its own linguistic group, known as the Mongolic language family.
However, Mongolian isn’t the only language you’ll hear! Many students study English, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean in school. Some members of the older generation still speak Russian, since Mongolia was a satellite state of the Soviet Union before the 1990s. Today, more young people speak English, as it has become the primary foreign language taught in schools.
Mongolians use төгрөг (tögrög, sometimes spelled tugrik in English) as their currency. The current exchange rate is about 3,550 Mongolian MNT to 1 USD.
A bottle of water usually costs between 900 MNT (~$0.25 USD) and 2,000 MNT (~$0.56 USD).
The best meal I had this week was бууз (buuz, steamed dumplings). Since it was Tsagaan Sar, the Mongolian New Year, families spent the first three days of the new lunar month hosting and visiting relatives and close friends.
One of the biggest traditions during Tsagaan Sar is serving buuz. Families often prepare hundreds (sometimes even up to 2,000!) in advance so they have enough to offer guests who come through their door.
