Mongolia & Siberia: Nomadism, Geopolitics, and the Environment

I had an incredible, life-changing experience at SIT Mongolia. I decided to go on a whim, thinking that I wanted to experience something totally different from my life in the US; it turned out to be one of the best, best experiences of my life. The SIT Mongolia program is extremely well-run, and the teachers take you all over the country to explore. We visited the Gobi Desert in the south, a mining town in the North, the birthplace of Genghis Khan, and many other places. We had adventure after adventure. One of the best parts was staying with rural nomadic families: helping them herd, playing with the kids, helping them milk yaks, and playing cards. I also had a great experience doing my Independent Study Project. I studied trophy hunting, so I got to travel out to the west and interview hunters, as well as talking to government officials in the capital. The teachers offered great support throughout the process. Finally, I made truly incredible friends among my classmates. We had so, so much fun, and I'm so grateful for this experience.

For the rest of your life, you likely be the one person people that lived in Mongolia.

That statement will have its own significance to you, too. Truly there is no place like Mongolia, and in my opinion, there are no study abroad programs like SIT in terms of effectively engaging their students with the local context. At one point, about 2000 miles from the nearest city while my host family yelled at me in Mongolian, and using the words I understood, I helped capture a camel. At another point, I was studying the nature nomadic labor in tourism using theories of capitalism. That's what you might do, too.

Academics:
3/5 difficulty, yet I learned so much. The academic rigor was lower than my average semester at college though the homestay and excursions offer different challenges unlike written/read assignments. You may get an A in the program with effort.

Housing:
My homestays were desirable. On excursions the accommodation left something to be desired, but that's Mongolia. If you want prim and proper the program's not for you anyways.

Food:
consistently enjoyed the food. Though I had no allergies or dietary restrictions, and I like meat. I did buy fruit and recommend my host family to cook more balanced meals, since this wasn't common. You will have to adjust if you eat salad and fruit daily.

Integration:
I felt the programs allows you to integrate as far as you can. You are put into the most intimate situations with Mongolian people, such as spending time on holidays, sleeping in a ger (just google it), living with a family. Of course, there's limits on "being local" given that you are not, but these are important ways to become as acquainted with Mongolia as possible. By the end of the program, I was conversing with taxi drivers and locals in the main square, bargaining for things, etc. Even today, one year and a half past the program, I was able to interact with a Mongolian family in their language, so the language component is there if you work hard. I know a significant amount of Mongolia history, politics, and economic change. The ISP is important for that. Also, I'm familiar with key sites and was able to interact, and you may maintain connections with groups like the Wild Conservation Society, the WWF, the United Nations, and more specific NGOS if you try.

Mongolia was a great place to study abroad. The people were very nice and welcoming! The subject matter covered during the program was interesting and was taught in fun ways; like going on excursions. The lecturers all gave their unique perspectives. The program staff were very helpful and answered any questions we might have had. They made us feel at home and were very understanding. My host families were AMAZING and made me feel like I was really apart of the family.
When we went on our excursions we had great times exploring the new surroundings and getting to know new people and finding good places to eat! Every excursion was different and was fun in their own way.
Overall I had a great time in Mongolia with this program and highly recommend other people to apply to it.