Mongolia May/June 2026
After too many hours to count, I just experienced a San Francisco Bay Area stopover to see the new Matisse exhibit at the MOMA with old friends; a 13-hour flight over Japan to the mainland of Asia; an overnight (or was it “overday”) rest in the transit hotel, in Seoul, South Korea; flying over Beijing, China and the Gobi Desert; finally I arriving in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. There is a 15-hour time-difference from California and the next three weeks will be too busy for blogging, but I can at share some of the first day.
I was met at the airport by my good friend Tsolmon Namhainyam, a PhD environmental scientist, fellow TM meditator, AMI Montessori 0-3 diploma holder, and head of the AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) affiliate organization in Mongolia.
My apartment isn’t ready yet but it is no sacrifice to spend a couple of days in the oldest hotel in the city, The Ulaanbaatar Hotel. For information about this interesting place CLICK: hotel
I have taken many pictures today just of the hotel, such as the hotel stained glass window and golden horse statues, an animal very important to the history and culture of this country.
First stop, as always when I am here, was to get a checkup from my traditional Mongolian doctor. He is quite famous and has published a book on the subject, in Mongolian. Tsolmon is helping his create the English version which I will be sure to order on Amazon when it is ready. For more information on this ancient system of healing CLICK: Mongolian medicine
Lunch at one of the best vegetarian restaurants in the city to order bean soup, which is something the doctor recommended for me. When I was first here twelve years ago there was only one vegetarian restaurant, but the increase in choices of food is one of the most positive changes. (Traffic is not one! The new airport is 30 miles from the city and last night it took Tsolmon 3 hours to drive here!)
We visited one of the Montessori schools where I consulted during an earlier trip. The head of the school earned her AMI primary diploma in Chennai and returned to open and teach in the first AMI class in the country, but since so many parents wanted to enroll their children, she became of administrator. At the school today a few of the children were practicing music to sing at the schools 20-year celebration next week. After visiting the children, the three of us met to plan for a deep Montessori discussion with a few others this week; already they have decided to translate Montessori for Family and Community into Mongolian and make it available as a free PDF as Russia has done. CLICK: Russia to see more
Today there are many Montessori classes in this country of 3 million population, but not one of them is taught by an AMI diploma holder. Just as all over the world, many people believe that after completing the diploma course they have enough information to teach other teachers how to “do it,” or to write a book, make YouTube videos, or blogs. I understand the impulse, the desire to help as many children as possible, but if this were possible there would not be a 10-year-long AMI program to teach successful AMI teachers how to teach other adults to be good Montessori teachers. I have seen Montessori in 30 countries now, so I have the first-hand evidence to share this perspective with confidence.
I have shared many pictures from the last three trips working here on Facebook. If you can go there, here is the link to many pictures from the first trip, October 2014, twelve years ago. And there also FB albums from the last two trips. CLICK: Mongolia 2014
Now, back to work. Tsolmon and I will be here for few more days, then off to Tokyo, Yokohama, and the Ishigaki island for a meeting with two AMI teacher trainers, and then back to Mongolia till mid-June.
I hope you have enjoyed this sharing of a fascinating country where people are doing their best to transition from a family-centered, environment-protecting, compassion-valuing culture to the modern world withing losing the essence of a happy and healthy life.
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Blessings,
Susan
Home page – CLICK: Susan