The Mongolian 9′s
Description of a Mongolian Winter
Before leaving for my service, I attended an informational in New York University. At the session, we were able to ask questions to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs). Everyone in the room was asking about safety issues, potential volunteers were asking about what to expect, and parents were asking if their children were going to be fully taken care of while away for 2 years of service. All that crossed through my mind was: “I wonder what the temperature will be like...” Looking at the panel, I noticed all of them were from warmer climate countries of service and so, I hesitated asking my question. Just like everyone else attending the session, I knew where I was headed and, also, noticed that the others were serving in equally tropical climates as the RPCVs.
I paused. Slowly, I raised my hand. Stood up when called on, and announced my name and country I would be serving. I asked, “What should we do in extreme weather conditions?” Immediately after I asked the question, I received a response, “The weather will be the least of your worries.” Then they moved on to another person. I laughed it off with the rest of the people in the room who laughed away my question, but did so in embarrassment. Quickly interrupting was an RPCV in the audience who served in Mongolia, she said, “That’s where I served and I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have about the weather.” I was so grateful for her in that instant and felt a bit of relief. We chatted but her chat did not quite prepare me for what was to come.
The Mongolian winter is one of the harshest in the world. Their winter is counted off in a 9 day pattern with a 9 “week” cycle. For example: if December 22nd is the start of winter beginning the 1st week of the 9′s, the second week would be on December 31st , and so on. The winter climaxes between weeks 4 through 6.
A little more about the Mongolian 9′s:
1st 9s: Vodka made from milk freezes.
2nd 9s: Normal vodka freezes.
3rd 9s: The tail of a 3 year old ox freezes and falls off.
4th 9s: The horns of a 4 year old ox freezes and falls off.
5th 9s: Boiled rice no longer freezes.
6th 9s: Roads start to become visible.
7th 9s: Hill tops appear from beneath snow.
8th 9s: The ground gets damp.
9th 9s: Warmer days have set in.
Today marks the start of the 4th “week” of the 9′s. This is my second Mongolian winter and it hasn’t gotten any easier. At 11:00pm Eastern Mongolian time, the temperature is -19°F but the winds in the east are harsh and make the temperature feel like -34°F. If you step outside, you must have an intention to go somewhere or you will begin getting frost bite in less than 30 minutes. If you choose to wander around for longer than that, you must also layer. And by this, I do not mean 1 extra layer because it would not help beat the cold. I mean 2 or more extra layers of clothing under what you intend to wear. I have become a master at bundling up while serving in Mongolia.
As I sit in my Soviet-era apartment, I notice my heat doesn’t do justice to warming this place up. I have to wear 2 layers of clothing in my house and put an external radiator on from time to time. So to go back to the guy on the panel who answered my question so harshly: weather is a major issue a Peace Corps Volunteer needs to worry about when serving in Mongolia. Take this as fair warning and heed the above advice and the following: BRING EXTRA CLOTHES!
