Yesterday we said goodbye to Bayankhongor, a sweet, small town nestled between rocky hills and endless green plains.
The town’s museum director, Maakhuu, greeted us along with her staff.
Maakhuu has worked for fifteen years to build the cultural and natural history collections here, and we were privileged to enjoy a private tour before we left. Here’s a taste:
Tarbosaurus baatar was discovered nearby, and we were eager to inspect the skeleton on display.
Maakhuu also introduced us to the governor of Bayankhongor Province, Batjargal Gonchigdorj (second from right).
He’s very interested in a website about Bayankhongor’s fossils, which will fit nicely into a plan we’ve been discussing to build a system of websites for each of Mongolia’s important fossil locales. We’ll begin researching grants and endowments next month when we return to the US. (Suggestions welcome!)
After the meeting with the governor, we were honored with a small opening ceremony, formally introduced by a city official, and treated to a wonderful live performance by a traditional singer.
Then the kids lined up in groups of 15 for the first tours of the Moveable Museum. They were thrilled to meet us, and introduced themselves in English with a very adorable, pre-rehearsed “Hi my name is ___” and I stammered wondering whether to reply with “Taniltsand taatai baina” or “Nice to meet you.” I have to admit I’ve always been shy around kids but this group was so eager to meet us that it was easy to interact with them. They weren’t camera shy either.
The kids at the workshops the next morning were just as sweet and enthusiastic. It was great seeing Bolor in front of a classroom presenting the material she’s studied her entire life, in her native language. She had everyone in the room rapt, and as the kids went through the exercises, it was obvious they were having fun learning about dinosaurs.
I also finally got to see the inside of the Moveable Museum for myself. It really feels like a miniature dinosaur museum inside, with top-notch exhibits on a tiny scale. The kids couldn’t get enough of it, even though the exhibit descriptions are still in English (for now). Bindi is doing a fantastic job interpreting for each group.
I thought it was important to focus on Bayankhongor and the work we came here for in this update, but you can look forward to getting to know one of the guys in the next one, and hearing about our workshops in Arvaikheer, the town named after a racehorse.
Til next time!
–Thea
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Posted: September 9, 2016 by Bolortsetseg Minjin
2016 Campaign Update 5
Yesterday we said goodbye to Bayankhongor, a sweet, small town nestled between rocky hills and endless green plains.
The town’s museum director, Maakhuu, greeted us along with her staff.
Maakhuu has worked for fifteen years to build the cultural and natural history collections here, and we were privileged to enjoy a private tour before we left. Here’s a taste:
Tarbosaurus baatar was discovered nearby, and we were eager to inspect the skeleton on display.
Maakhuu also introduced us to the governor of Bayankhongor Province, Batjargal Gonchigdorj (second from right).
He’s very interested in a website about Bayankhongor’s fossils, which will fit nicely into a plan we’ve been discussing to build a system of websites for each of Mongolia’s important fossil locales. We’ll begin researching grants and endowments next month when we return to the US. (Suggestions welcome!)
After the meeting with the governor, we were honored with a small opening ceremony, formally introduced by a city official, and treated to a wonderful live performance by a traditional singer.
Then the kids lined up in groups of 15 for the first tours of the Moveable Museum. They were thrilled to meet us, and introduced themselves in English with a very adorable, pre-rehearsed “Hi my name is ___” and I stammered wondering whether to reply with “Taniltsand taatai baina” or “Nice to meet you.” I have to admit I’ve always been shy around kids but this group was so eager to meet us that it was easy to interact with them. They weren’t camera shy either.
The kids at the workshops the next morning were just as sweet and enthusiastic. It was great seeing Bolor in front of a classroom presenting the material she’s studied her entire life, in her native language. She had everyone in the room rapt, and as the kids went through the exercises, it was obvious they were having fun learning about dinosaurs.
I also finally got to see the inside of the Moveable Museum for myself. It really feels like a miniature dinosaur museum inside, with top-notch exhibits on a tiny scale. The kids couldn’t get enough of it, even though the exhibit descriptions are still in English (for now). Bindi is doing a fantastic job interpreting for each group.
I thought it was important to focus on Bayankhongor and the work we came here for in this update, but you can look forward to getting to know one of the guys in the next one, and hearing about our workshops in Arvaikheer, the town named after a racehorse.
Til next time!
–Thea
Category: Blog Posts