#zorig

Санжаасүрэнгийн Зориг 1962/04/20 - 1998/10/02

Zorig Sanjaasuren (1962-1998) is one of the most important man in Mongolian history and politics. He is called the "Golden Swallow of Democracy."

Zorig was a prominent Mongolian politician and leader of the country's 1990 Democratic Revolution. In 1989 and 1990, he played a leading role in the events that led to Mongolia's adoption of a multi-party system. On December 10, 1989, a month after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Zorig led a group of 200 activists in a public protest demanding a free-market economy and free elections. Read more about him here: Wiki

Tonight is my last night in Mongolia! Of course that means that the majority of my sightseeing was crammed into my last three days here. Between work and pure procrastination, it ended up that everything on my “to-do” list got postponed for the entire month and had to get accomplished this weekend. I have to say that I was impressed! In the past few days I visited Gandan Monastery, the Bogd Khan Winter Palace, the Chojin Lama Museum, Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts, the Chingghis Khan monument at Tsonjin Boldog, Zaisan, a local ger district, and several art galleries. It’s been a busy few days getting caught up, packed, and ready to head back to the UK (with a five-day stop in Turkey on the way). 

Today was actually the birthday of Sanjaasuren Zorig and there was a public memorial in his honor that we got to attend along with the other employees of the foundation. It was a very fitting end to our month in Mongolia, honoring democracy, Zorig’s legacy, and the long but achievable path ahead for a young malleable country. I’ve loved my time here: it was a brilliant month with lovely company (Oyumaa and I are still friends, despite living/working/spending every minute together) and insightful experiences that gave me a working understanding of modern Mongolia. 

баяртай* (for now) from UB! 

Last night, I had the chance to attend a women’s leadership networking event sponsored by Zorig following a panel on women and corporate governance. Perhaps the factor that impressed upon me the most was the impact that these women felt they were making in Mongolia. Many of them were born abroad--or lived the majority of their lives elsewhere--and came to Mongolia after college to implement their newfound skills and help create progress in their motherland. I have never considered doing something similar--moving to India and staking a claim for myself. It’s a bold move, and one that tells of the widespread belief held by Mongolian youth-- that they can better their motherland. 

За хамгийн анхы хөдөлгөөнт зураг хийх гэж үзлээ... :D