My Life Right Now: East Meets West Film Forum + Festival

So sometimes, in between eating strange animals and getting my nails done, I work. Who would have thought? Lately, my working life has been all about this:

Yes, the wonderful Arts Council of Mongolia is hosting the inaugural East Meets West Film Forum + Festival here in Ulaanbaatar next week. Everyone has been working solidly on this for some time now + we've got filmmakers and film-type characters from Asia, Europe, Central Asia + the USA visiting us next week.

It will be epic. And awesome. And exciting. Then I will get on a plane + leave. If you're in town (or even if you're not) please look at the site we've put together + come along/wish you were here.

Things I Will Miss About Mongolia #1

With less than two weeks to go until I set sail for (much ado about)melbourne, it's time I recap on the wonders of Mongolia I have yet to 'big up' before now. This week's Things I Will Miss About Mongolia post is a shout out to...

MONGOLIAN MYSTERY MEAT GOODS

aka Meat I Have Eaten That I Possibly Should Not Have Eaten. This post is slightly more poignant given that I (very gently) embraced vegetarianism before getting on a Mongolian Airlines flight almost a year ago. As a general rule, when I go to a place that isn't Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane, I like to eat the food that everyone else eats. In Texas I eat deer jerky, in Dandenong I eat Dandee Donuts and in Mongolia I eat mountains of mutton. Case in point below. Yes, that is one big, old, fatty sheep.

I like to sample the local delicacies, like bull penis in hot pot.

I like to support the manufacture of processed meat goods, particularly those with delicious gelatinous hearts.

I like to eat animals that possibly have the Bubonic Plague.

And, of course, I like to eat the animals most revered by the country I am visiting, particularly in curries or garlic soups. They go faster.

My Clever Friends

So I've been 'makin videos' lately about my holiday exploits and my dad getting pissed. Sure, they might have scored a few chuckles + proved me and iMovie are making friends, but I actually know people who can really, really make videos, like for real. It is here I bow down before them + say, YOU RULE.

First up, my buddies Jess + James prove UB really is a State Of Mind with some help from Mongolian Bling's Benj. Our apartment even makes an appearance at the end of the clip. Tuesday night house parties are the best house parties.

Aaaaaand here are some videos Amelia the Legendary put together about a few issues here in Mongolia. Amelia is my hero. Please watch + learn. I did.

Flyin' In Four

In four weeks exactly, I will be boarding a plane to Australia. This is frightening / awesome / wtf. I have a number of things I need to do before then. They include:

1. Learning to play my tovshuur
2. Publicising an international film festival + forum
3. Getting a new tattoo
4. Packing a year of belongings into one suitcase
5. Plotting a course for, um, what next?

I expect many of my upcoming posts will be recaps / shout outs / pleas for help. You have been warned.

P.S. If anyone has requests for things I should do before I leave, please note them in the comments section. I will act accordingly.

P.P.S. GETTING SENTIMENTAL. These are the people I could not have survived without. More on them later. Photo in the interim. Legends.

Why My Uncle Tomi Rules

My Uncle Tomi, who resides in Melbourne, is a very smart guy. He works as a translator and lived in Russia once upon a time. He politely investigated the items in my fridge I posted earlier and shared some info with me. Thanks U. Tomi.

Dear Alicia,

I have really enjoyed your latest blog. You have a very good style; one can see the journalist schooling.

For your edification:

The bottle of pomegranate states that it is "a gigt from Azerbajdjan" and it is a "pomegranate juice" (COK = juice).

The next one with the cow on it states that it has a "delicate plum flavour".

And the cheese spread states that it is "molten pateurised cheese with smoked meat products".

Now you know what is (or was) in your fridge.

Look forward to seeing you soon and hearing all your stories.

Love,

U. Tomi

Yes, I am very concerned about the "molten pateurised cheese with smoked meat products" and no I do not know what "a gigt from Azerbajdjan" means.

Marmots, Mountains + Mosques

A couple of weeks ago I hit the western-most province of Mongolia, Bayan-Ulgii, with my buddy Katherine. The area borders both China + Russia and is very close to Kazakhstan. Its population is largely Kazakh Mongols and as such, Mongolian isn't the first language for many people out there. It is many kinds of awesome.

We spent a night with a beautiful Tuvan family near the Tavan Bogd mountain range before riding horses to scope a glacier. We watched our driver (who spoke Mongolian, Russian, Kazakh, Tuvan, Uzbek, Kyrgyz + some Chinese but no English) attempt to shoot and kill a marmot. Apparently many have the plague (yes, the mutha trucking bubonic plague best known for its appearance in ye olde medieval England) but we ate one anyway that was cooked in the traditional khorkhog manner. Mmmm. Plague flavour. Delicious.

I got to shoot a gun for the first time and we also warded off potential serial killers and a whole lot of mosquitoes with pepper spray... the gun probably would have been more effective.

It's clearly obvious I have just discovered iMovie on my computer, so here's a video extravaganza of our trip:

And a few shots of the town of Ulgii + Tavan Bogd. Many more pics on Flickr.

Folk of the Faraway Fridge

I realised tonight that our fridge is currently hosting a fantastical array of fabulous but freaky goods. I say goods because I am slightly concerned about calling some of these things 'food' or 'drink'. Here's a little look at the residents of the fridge Clare and I call 'ours':

I will now attempt to explain some of the curiouser items.

Once upon a time we had a Belgian housemate. He hosted an xmas dinner party at our place while we were out of town. This was all that remained. The "25% foie gras" label has had me running scared since it appeared on the scene. It's the longest standing item in the fridge, having clocked up an impressive nine months in there and still going strong. GO WEIRD TINNED ITEM!

So fresh + so clean. Everything I look for in a beer really. This takes second place in the battle for longevity in our fridge. It appeared one day and never left. I think we're subconsciously waiting for its owner to come and reclaim it, lest we get accused of snaffling someone's last beer. Is it yours? You clearly know where we live, so please come and rescue your lonely little friend.


Russian pomegranate juice is delicious. I don't know the word for 'pomegranate' or 'juice' in Russian but I do know the first gold Cyrillic word here says 'Sok'... which is funny.

Look at this fucking rainbow connection. Rainbows + cows = Russian butter. Did you learn nothing at farm school?

Seabuckthorn wine. No really. 16% alcohol and counting. Sweetly satisfying.


I thought this was Russian cheese spread when I bought it. Then I ate it. I am still no closer to knowing what it is.


A friend brought me back some camel cheese from the Gobi Desert. Over a month ago. The Mongolians sure know how to build things that last.


Luckily this veritable smorgasbord of Russian roulette, French faux pas and Mongolian madness isn't all we've got - somehow Clare and I have managed to keep a tomato plant alive long enough to each grow our own tasty tomato. Just like us, with only a month to go before we ship out of here, they've just about grown enough to jump off their cosy tomato branch and find a new home. *Insert collective 'aw' or 'vomit' here* depending on your predilection.