Mongolia Blogppisodes #8

Last day in Mongolia!

We had breakfast in a different room this time! Am really going to miss the food and hospitality here! :((

Donuts, Sushi and Vegetable soup again!

We left for the airport after breakfast! Turns out that we are taking the same flight as the students from New Mexico to Beijing!! Yay! The bus ride to the airport was long so I had an awesome good nap!

The moment of truth. We had to say goodbye to the 3 most important people that gave a lot to us during our stay here. Christine, Uka and Alto. Everyone was hugging and tearing at the airport. We've only known them for 7 days but our connection with them was already very strong. Am really really going to miss them. It saddens me to think that we are (most probably) never going to see them again. I am sad but thankful that Tuya couldn't make it as if she did, then there would be even more tears.

The 4 of them treated us like family ever since we met them at the airport when we first arrived. They stuck with us for the entire 7 days from morning till late at night, arranged meetings and tours for us, transport, food, checked on us, calmed us(or me) down when we (I) were (was) so stressed with the lighting. I couldn't be more thankful to them. Hope that I will be able to be the one taking care of them in the future if/when they come down to Singapore! ;) Didnt manage to get a Solo pic with Alto! :(

Uka!

Christine!!

After checking in, some of us had coffee and foood!! Was really cheap and good! I had the Vanilla Latte and we all shared Pizzas and a slice of Mongolian Cheesecake! ;)

The first plane ride was scary. The turbulence was crazy! But the view was good as it was very very cloudy!! And the best part is that I had a window seat!

Cloudss!

The food was good too! Chicken rice with Apple Juicee!!! Love me some tomatoes and cucumbers!

The custom in Beijing was so crowded that we almost missed our flight!! Had to bid farewell to the peeps from New Mexico! They were a cool bunch!! The second flight was much smoother. Slept almost 3/4 of the ride home! The food was good too! Finally had Seafood and fruits again!!

Touch down! Landed safely in Singapore! Am so thankful for my friends that came all the way down to pick us up! Ended up leaving the airport at 1145!!

Came home and met my family after a week! Missed them so much! And PEBBLES!! Finaallly got to see my dog.

Today, I've learnt that goodbyes are never easy. I didn't think that I would feel that sad when saying goodbye to the 4 people in charge. Didn't see that coming; but it came. This leads back to my previous reflection yesterday. The one about treasuring friendship.

My aim is to bring the Mongolian culture into my family. The way the treat people, the way they do things and the way they see things and problems. Don't take people for granted. Always cherish the ones you love. This has been a fruitful trip and I will definitely remember every second of it. Till next time Mongolia!

I'll miss you Mongolia!

Ba-at La-lai!

- Rino

Mongolia Blogppisodes #7

Day 7 in Mongolia!

Started the day with Breakfast as usual! Second last breakfast for this trip! Had the Sushi and the donut again!!

Some of us left to go cycling while the others went for a day tour at the countryside. I went cycling at Mongolia's National Park. I absolutely loved it.  I fell in love from the minute I stepped out of the taxi. The scenery was beautiful. Mountains around us, birds soaring high above and trees and greenery everywhere! And not to mention the breeze. So good.

Look at that!

I met this cute baby!!!!!!! His laughter was contagious! 

We had lunch at this restaurant nearby! Finally something a little spicy!

We went to the Black market after lunch. Bought many things there!! Bought a pair of shoes, sunglasses and a blue Adidas sweatpants! They were all so cheap!!!

After that, we came back to the dorm. Most of them left to Burger King for dinner. I was really sleepy so I stayed behind. I packed up my stuff and went for a nice shower. It was really quiet as most of the other students have left!

After showering, since no one else was around, we decided to go for a LONG walk! We walked all the way to the other end of the city and back! We left at 8 and reached back at about 930! Was really chilly!!

Bye Mongolia! Will remember this forever!!

Found out that one of the person in charge of us, Tuya, won't be sending us to the airport tomorrow! Really really sad! :(

Bye Tuya!

Am really sad that our last day has ended. Am going to miss the people here so much.
  
I've learnt that we should treasure friendships while they last. Seeing Tuya cryin as we gave her hugs made me feel really sad too. Oh well!!

- Rino 

Mongolia Blogppisodes #6

Day 6 in Mongolia!

Started the day with breakfast and guess what?! They had sushi!! I'm not a Sushi kind of guy so I only took 2 but can I just say that it was not bad!! Was really tasty!! ;) They also had the donut fritters that we also had from yesterdays lunch!;)

After Breakfast, we went to a hill to "hike". Not really hiking as it was just about 200 steps up! But the view was amazing! Simply stunning. Could see the entire Ulaanbaatar landscape. The breeze was really cooling and strong too. Took many great pictures there! Sadly, we had to leave quickly as we had another event!

With Miss Grace!!

I find it a joy to sleep in every bus ride we have. So satisfying as I fall asleep just like that! Really comfortable!

We rushed back and changed into our Traditional costumes, then headed back back to the University for lunch. Everyone looked beautiful!!

We took a group picture with everyone involved in ATEC.

Everyone!!

With the people from Japan! Why am I dressed as a Malay? I dont know too!

We then left for a street festival! We are really lucky as the street festival only happens twice a year! Thankfully the date fell during the week that we are here!

We were once again treated like royalty. Walked down a lane with people cheering for us and clapping by the sides with our country's flag being waved! I love the street festival as everyone was so happy and hyper! Very "homely" feel. ;) There were many performances, game stalls and food stalls as well!!

One of the performances!

After the street festival, we went shopping! Bought key-chains for my family as we love collecting key-chains! ;) We then headed back for the awards and closing ceremony for ATEC. We won a special prize from the Shakespeare Association of Mongolia! Better than nothing! And it's a special prize so all the more better!! I strongly feel that what we did really represented our culture and tradition in Singapore. Maybe the Jury didn't understand it as they didn't stay for the discussion and didn't know our culture and the reasons for doing what we did. But on the bright side, there's always a next time!! We don't need to win to be winners! ;)

We had to give a 3 minute performance during the closing ceremony. So, we sang "Home" to represent Singapore! Was really heartwarming to see many MANY people in the Audience waving their arms and smiling during our performance.

This is Home!

Christine told us that many people enjoyed our performance as it was a really nice and meaningful song. #ThankYouKitChan

We had dinner and it was really good. Didnt manage to take a picture though :( I especially love their "Chicken over bacon over pork" dish. Was really goood!!!! Had second servings!

We were really full so some of us decided to go for a walk. Was a wonderful weather to take a walk!

The most amazing thing happened. I met the lady from the plane ride! From the flight from Beijing to Mongolia (Where I sat alone). I wrote it in my Mongolia Blogppisodes #2 entry! Was so happy to see her! What a small world! She said that she was doing well! And I managed to get a picture with her this time!!! ;)

Was so tired that all I wanted to do was to shower and sleep! :/ Went back to my dorm, took a nice warm shower and just r e l a x e d! I went down to meet the Japanese peeps as they were leaving first thing in the morning! Had a good chat, took a picture and said our goodbyes! :( Going to miss them!! :((

Bye bye friends!!

Today, I've learnt that you don't need to be a winner to win. After we found out that we only won that one award and nothing more, I met Ms Grace and gave her a long and warm hug. I could feel her sadness diffusing into the air. Could tell that she was really disappointed. I was really really disappointed too. But the fact that we took part in ATEC (and I'm Year 1), flew all the way to Mongolia, made many new friends, created many memories, were treated really well, had FUN and bonded with both teachers and friends, already makes us winners. We don't need an award to prove that we are winners! ;)

- Rino

Mongolia Blogppisodes #5

Day 5 in Mongolia!!

Time flies so quickly!! Started the day with a delicious breakfast today! They had sausages and the jam, butter, yogurt spread again! Wohoo!!

We then headed out to watch Performances by other schools! First up was by Japan! They did Mask work and it was so good!! They integrated their movements for each specific mask so well and everything was on point! Brought back memories as we did mask work for our Acting last semester!  

Next up was Korea! They did Medea! Then it was Lunch time!! We had lunch at a Mongolian Restaurant and the food was goood!! In fact, we ordered a slight bit too much! I had the Mongolian Noodle Lamb soup and the "Khuuchus?" (I'll correct the spelling later.) I also had to help a friend finish up her noodles as it was too much too!! My tummy was gonna explode!!!!

We were late for Intrigue and Love by the Mongolians. We then had dinner! Was really REALLY full!! But I had to eat as there was Pork! FINALLY! Was realllly good!!! They had green chicken curry too. And last but not the least, It was China and they did Mulan! Was really good! Many stunts and movements. One thing I didnt like was the ending. There were many false endings but overall it was really good! ;)

We then went back to the dorm and I went for a walk by myself! Was not too dark and really cooling. Really enjoyed it as I got to reflect about many things and I saw this! Noo my picture didn't get saved!!! But they were lanterns in the sky!! Turns out that it is a Buddhist festival and they were releasing lanterns into the sky! So beautiful!

Ended my day really well. Had a good talk with my friends too!

I love the fact that each country has their own culture and style of performing. Some, better than others. For me as an audience member, I kinda found it a little difficult to adapt to their culture and style as I didn't know what to expect! But it was a really good experience for me. I've also learnt that true friends are hard to get. And once we've got them, we gotta treasure them. ;)

- Rino 

Mongolia Blogppisodes #4

Day 4 in Mongolia! 

Today is the day of the Performance. I really am eggcited but scared at the same time. #Leggo

Breakfast again! Their broccoli soup was tasty! They had baked buns filled with ham and beef too!

Time for the ATEC conference. I hope I survive this. Its 3.5 hours long! And its just talks after talks :'( Hope I dont fall asleep! We had a coffee break during the conference and my gosh the food was good! Had Tarts, Cakes and Pastries! My personal favourite is the Caramel Coffee Chiffon cake. Super soft! I mean just look the these pictures!!

I went back for more!

Look at that!!

And now, our final rehearsal before the Performance. Came to the theater and checked my lights and guess what? 16/33 Cues were not right! Was I scared? Yes. Did I solve it? Hell yea! Fixed them myself! Am really proud and am proud of it! I've gotten used to their "Soundboard" It was so hard just a few days ago but was so much easier today!

I've got to thank these 2 lighting teachers that were helping me!! They were really really helpful!! I've got a picture with them but its with them!!! Must find a way to get it!!!

Me? Stressed? Nooo!!!

Time for the show! Was kinda stressed as the system had problems but Christine was so positive and cheerful and bright and kept telling us to just have fun! And we did!! It was so crowdeddddd!!

The show went really well! Was so happy that there were no screw ups from my side!! So thankful too to be able to do this here in Mongolia.

We rushed and had dinner! Spaghetti with meatballs!!! Yumz! No Picture though. Had a small portion as there were many people! Shall eat more for breakfast tomorrow! After dinner, we rushed to watch the New Mexico's Performance. Was fortunate that the theater was not too near. I slept like a baby on the bus. Super exhausted after the show.

Came back and had another goooood sleep on the bus! Some of us then went to watch a traditional Mongolian Performance in a Ger just beside our Dorms! They were reallly good!! Its so cool!

In a Ger

Finally, Some of the New Mexicans and us went to a room on the ground floor of the dorm to just chill. Ended up learning Flamenco and in exchange, I taught them tap! One of them actually learnt tap before. We were dancing like crazy!! And Flamenco is super fun!!!!!

Flamenco "teacher"

What I've learnt from today is that Mongolians really treasure their meal time. I was plotting my cues and didn't want to go for lunch but they kept asking me to go! In a nice way, that is. They were really concern! I wonder why though. Also, I've learnt that patience is a virtue. It took time for me to get used to the "Soundboard" here. I thought I'd never be able to, but I did! ;)

Was a good and eventful day. Still didn't snow but I'm sure it WILL tomorrow!! ;))

- Rino

Mongolia Blogppisodes #3

Day 3!! 

Woke up and it was 7°C! And it may SNOW! There weren't many clouds in the sky! :( Breakfast was pretty much the same as yesterday. But they had hotdogs!!! And it was good!

SMOKE CAME OUT OF MY MOUTH!!! Finally!! We then headed out for our Master Classes! First up was Stage Movement! We did butoh!! Reminded me of #ProjectSpaceship. Was fun being the leader for my group.

Butoh walk!!

Shoess!

After Stage Movement, we had Acting. It was a lecture and it was kinda boring! :/ But we learnt about ensemble and teamwork!

We had a small break and the food was soo good! Finally, Mongolian Snacks/Pastries! Their cakes were soo freakin goood! I gobbled everything down without having the chance to take pictures! :(

Lunch was buffet style!! Didnt manage to snap any pictures too but we had Chicken and salads!!

Our last Master class was for Voice.

Voice workshop!

After that, we left for the Opening Ceremony for ATEC. We were treated like Celebrities! Red Carpet and many people dressed up in the Mongolian Ethnic Costumes to welcome us. They had many performances for us!! And they were all so GOOD!!! Really had a good time!!

We then headed to New York New York again for dinner. But this time, with everyone!! We all got to bond with the other Participants and had a really GOOD time! Partied till 10! The food was really good too! We had a buffet again! Pork Ribs, Salad, Pasta, Rice; and thats not all!! But the sad thing was that it DIDN'T SNOW! :((

No, we were all not high.

Tomorrow is D-Day! Performance day!!! I'm Scared, Stressed and Scared. I hope that all the light cues are safe!! Would really suck if I'd have to plot them ALL again! :(

Today, I learnt that different countries have very different ways of doing things. The things we did in the Master Classes were somewhat new and different from what we normally do in class. I am really happy as I managed to take away things from each class! Shall start trying these techniques out when I get home. Also, The way they host us is just A-May-Zing. Didn't know that ATEC was so grand!!

Really felt the love and warmth from them today! ;)

Really hoping that tomorrow will be an even better day! :D

- Rino

Mongolia Blogppisodes #2

Day 2 in Mongolia!!

Despite only having a few hours of sleep, I managed to get up way early!! The morning sky was beautiful. My love for Nature is growing! Look at it!

Met "my" dog again!! So obedient this one! Actually listened to me and I'm on the 3rd floor!!

Breakfast was good!! Had many servings of just freshly baked bread with jam/ yogurt-cheese spread! :D And their baked bun-liked pastry filled with eggs and carrots are the BOOMMB!

After Breakfast, I decided to take a walk around the area again! Took many, MANY pictures! ;) Was a really nice walk! Was not to hot nor too cold too!

Because being cool in the cool weather is cool.

We then headed to the Theater to do our set up! And guess what, I had to hide in the boot of a car again! This was what I did when I was in Australia too!

We got there and set up the space. After a while, I had to start programming and plotting the light cues as I was in charge of the lights! It was TOUGH and mentally challenging. Thankfully, we managed to plot a few cues and went and had our lunch. I had the beef lasagna and with vegetables and it was good!! Didn't manage to get a picture as I had to rush to the lights ASAP!

After lunch, I had to stay behind with Miss Grace and the performers while the rest of my friends went to explore the space and have fun! I was jelly as I wanted to do some exploring too! :(

It was a hell of a ride. They didn't have an up-to-date lighting board - everything was on a computer. It was so frustrating as at least 10 controls needed to be moved in order to get a light working. And the worst part was that their program kept re-plotting the cues that I've already set! :'(

One of the lighting teachers from the school beside me!!

We had to delete ALL our cues and restart the whole process over and over again because of the program. It was tedious and soo soooooo fustrating!! And the 2 ladies helping me didn't really understand English. So on top of everything else, I was playing "Charades" with them too.

Baby talk with big-overly exaggerated actions. And I was the only one up there!! That drained a lot of my energy too sobzzz. And we had 33 cues. I was really really freakin out! What if all the cues suddenly gets deleted before the show?!

But thank the Lord everything ended well and all our cues were in. Felt so relieved once after it was all plotted. That moment of accomplishment. #Proud And it is especially nice when people appreciate you for your work. The feeling is just so good! :D

We rushed over to New York New York for dinner with students from the other groups. On our way there, 2 guys from USA were playing the Hamilton Soundtrack and singing along. That was a first!

They were all so warm and friendly! The food was so-so though. I had the chicken with mixed peppers and mushrooms. Was sad that we didnt go to a Local area to try their local street food though! Would LOVE to have them! It's okay, we still have time to try them!! (I hope! :p)

We came back to our Dorms and signed up for our Master Classes for tomorrow! Really eggcited for it!! The group went to the Night Market to shop. I didn't as I was kinda lazy and tired and wanted to just walk around the area again and not go anyway too far. So everyone headed out and I was left alone in the dorm. Hopefully I don't meet any supernatural creatures muahaha! My plan was to stay in my room and tap hurhur!

Megan suddenly appeared and said that there was not enough space in the car so she didn't go. We talked for a bit and then decided to go for a walk and hunt for fooood!! I was starving! We managed to get the a kebab and it was good! Really oily but good!! We were still hungry soooo KFC Popcorn chicken it is!! Hurhur

Came back, showered, chilled, and now I'm doing this. Was a good day! The weather forecast says that tomorrow will be a really cold day. Pleaseeeeee let it snow.

Today, I learnt that communication is so important. It was so hard trying to communicate with the Mongolian ladies while plotting the lights. It took a lot of effort for all 3 of us, but it paid off!! The more I "communicated" with them, the easier it gets. Was thrilled when we finally started getting the hang of it! Communication is key gang!!!

That will be all for today! Time to hit the sack!! :)

- Rino

Mongolia Blogppisodes #1

Day 1 in Mongolia!
We've arrivedd!!! We've landed in Mongolia!!! Met up at Changi Airport last night with the gang and took 2 flights here!! The first one was a 6-hour long flight from Singapore to Beijing. It was a smooth flight. However, and I've got to be honest with you, I was scared!!!! It has been a long time since Ive taken the plane and boy, this flight got a kick out of me. Kaykay and Miss Grace were sitting next to me. Miss Grace almost puked before the plane took off!!! And Kaykay, he was just craycray!

The food on the plane was really good!! And yes to fruits and veges!!!

Tried sleeping in the plane but the turbulence kept waking me up. Had about 3 hours of "real sleep". And the coolest thing is, they had the WAITRESS soundtrack by Sarah B in the audio section in the plane!! How cool is that!

The second flight was really short! It was a 2-hour flight from Beijing to Mongolia. The custom at Beijing was scary though. But we got through it anyways! I was sitting next to 2 strangers for this flight while the rest sat within each other in the group! Was really lonely :(

But on the bright side, I met this Mongolian lady and her 2 kids. She was originally from Mongolia but migrated to Los Angeles and is coming back to visit her parents. We had a great chat! She talked about the Parks, Museums and wildlife. I was really intrigued as I LOVE NATURE. I didn't manage to get a picture with her though :(

We got off the plane and it was already freezing cold!! But I, for some reason, could stand the coldness! It is probably because I've been in the SG sun for too long!! We got through the customs and picked up our luggage. Megan lost her luggage! It got sent to Taiwan!! Poor her ):

We were greeted by the people in charge of our group! They were really warm, friendly and welcoming. It got even cooler after we stepped out of the Airport!! But I love it!! We took a few pictures and headed into the transport.

First group picture!!

The view is absolutely stunning. The mountains, clouds, everything. The sun was shinning brightly upon us but the cool breeze was even stronger! Reminded me of my time in Australia! We learnt from one of the guides, Tuya, that they can experience all 4 seasons in 1 day! That's right! I really want it to snow now as I've never seen it before!!

While on our way to the Dorms, we saw many Museums, Cows and lovely local (traditional) housing estates (Ger). It is really amazing how this "still developing" country is already so"developed". Developed through the sense of Belief, Culture and Tradition.

We arrived at our Dorms and went up to put our belongings. I'm Dorm-ming with Benjamin. The rooms are kinda small but sufficient; just nice. We then went down for lunch cooked by the chef here. It was really good!!! Simple, but really good.

We then headed out to change money and some of then got their sim cards. We then went to the performing area that the production will be taking place in. Its small but still sufficient!!! We will be going back tomorrow to plot the lights!! Going to be a long day for me tomorrow!!

Small Space!

Then it was dinner time!! Again, the food is delish!! And I really love the fact that they have vegetables with every meal!!

After dinner, I showered and went for a walk around the area! Was really fun!!! Cold but fun!

Overall, I've learnt that you don't need technology to be happy. I was one of the few that didn't buy a sim card. And our wifi in the Dorms was not working too. Everyone else was, most of the time, on their phones, Facebook, whatsapp, twitter, but for me, because I don't have the connection/technology, it helped me to appreciate the simple things I have around myself. The only reason why I wanted the wifi so badly was so that I can contact my parents to tell them that I've arrived and am safe. That's it. Since I'm here, with such good weather, such nice scenery and greenery, why not spend my time exploring and discovering? I mean I speak the truth when I say that Singapore and Mongolia are really different. So, why not? And it brings so much joy too! Seeing dogs play with each other, the beautiful trees, the big open sky, these things make me happy. ;)

Long day ahead tomorrow. Hope it gets better (And snows)

- Rino