Mongolia Nomadic Culture and Community Service

Learn more about this Experiment program through the impressions of recent participants.

“I really like my host family…I loved helping out around the ger whenever it was needed, and experiencing a different culture hands on and without any distractions. My relationship with my family was pretty strong, especially with my siblings. They all made me really feel like another kid in the family. I learned that I take everything, even the simple things like a toilet, for granted back home. It takes a lot of work to get things done at the homestay. I had to lug water up from the river and I have a greater appreciation for my own home and everything my parents provide me. But they make it work, they have a system for everything, and it’s nice to sometimes have a pattern every day.”

-- Shelby Scoggins, Bigfork High School

"In the Gobi Desert, we walked for hours with no particular destination and discussed our lives while watching the sunset. Coming from the busy and hectic New York City, I had seen nothing as calm and open like the Gobi. I lost of track of time, just looking out into the blue sky and never-ending desert. At night, the group went outside and lay under the countless stars. We pointed out constellations and wished upon occasional shooting stars, laughing and telling each other to be quiet and link arms so we could look at the beautiful sky in silence but know there was someone right next to us in the dark and vast desert. Painting the walls of a school in Sainshand, a small town on the edge of the Gobi, was a very rewarding community service experience. The children at the school were very welcoming and we all tried to communicate with one another by playing games, reading books, and attempting to learn a Mongolian dance. Knowing that we were painting the schools for the kids and that it would put a smile on their warm faces was very gratifying."

-- Mitsuki Nishimoto, Spence School