One tip I have for learning a new language is to listen to music in that language. Currently, my favorite Mongolian artists are The Lemons and Magnolian. I discovered both of them at a music festival called “Indie Fest.” If you want to hear what Mongolian sounds like, I recommend listening to Harah Durtai by The Lemons. It tells the story of a man walking alone on a quiet, crisp morning as he reflects on the beauty of the world.
At the Winter Horse Festival, I watched an outdoor play called Aravt (a unit of ten legendary soldiers from Khan's army), which was about Mongolian soldiers following Chinggis Khan’s orders. They travel through dangerous land and face tough choices about loyalty and survival. The whole play was performed on horseback, with actors reenacting fast-paced battles. Even the horses would play dead when they and their riders were "slain".
I’m reading a nonfiction book by Robert Macfarlane called Is a River Alive? In it, Macfarlane travels to different rivers and learns how they shape the lives of the people who depend on them. He also explores an ancient, widespread belief found across many cultures: that rivers are living beings. I've really been enjoying it!
I didn’t play any sports this week, but I did go to a basketball game! My school had a “Sports Day,” where students and teachers skip classes to cheer for our basketball team as they play against other universities.
