EN060504B living space Living Space, Interview 2 Batbaatar Byambajav The Oral History of Twentieth Century Mongolia 2006-05 mn XML Male Övörhangai, Taragt sum 1942 060504 Batbaatar ..My family lived in a house, we had to change a lot of flats due to the work of my father and mother. In those days mostly people from entertainment lived in houses, to talk the truth when you reflect now, it was the case, it is, generally, also the same, even when they take TV interviews, only a few children from Ulaanbaatar TV are talking, did they forget about it, they are always called as stars and they broadcast only them, now three is a fat fellow, who talk of canteens and eateries… Byambajav Yes, the cook show Batbaatar Aa Yaa, that is it, I haven’t seen that a construction worker participate in it (the show) for many years, if you ask a construction worker and a herder to cook. The herder will make a nice booz (dumpling) while the construction worker will make a nice fried meat pie. And so… Byambajav Star… Batbaatar You say a star, what sort of star are they, however, they are stars, they participate in the show, the others can not afford to pay the money, they have the money. Byambajav Would share with your impressions when you for the first time moved to an apartment house? Batbaatar Apartment is nice, after that, aa first I lived in Suchbaatar khoroo (sub-district), this over there where now there is the Ministry of Health. Byambajav Hn Batbaatar On this side of that there was a place called the hollow of march that was the turf where we played football, I lived behind that place, there was the family of Batochiryn Togtokh adjacent to our family then to the south of us lived the chairman of the cinema factory(studio) Sanjaajav, it was nice there, his father was one Darijav, and his wife was a bulky woman, we were good friends, they were friends of my father, the cinema studio distributed among all aimags of Mongolia movies, all over the Mongolia, including the cinema houses in Ulaanbaatar, it was such an organization. It is no more there now, that cinema studio, I don’t know whether the glass house is still there or not. He was working in that former Ministry, we knew him and good friends, his son and me were also god friends. It was his family that they first moved to an apartment. They suddenly moved one day, I was crying when the moved out. But actually they moved at a distance of two bus stops, from the south of the Ministry of Foreign Affaires you reach the Department store in few jumps. The apartment was adjacent to the department store, I thought they moved far a away. Then on the next day or the day after father came in smiling, I helped the heighbour to move and spent a night at their apartment. It was (the apartment) very beautiful, the smell of paint was still hanging on. So I thought when our family will move to such an apartment. The Ministry of Culture was distributing apartments to its workers, so the workers of the cinema studio received first the came the turn of photo studio, then it ended with the theatre of opera. The opera was almost together with those organizations. Then during the day break after two days father came in smiling and said we were also given an apartment, I asked where and he said adjacent to Khurlee’s apartment, I was overjoyed, it was the opposite apartment, he had received two, three keys, at the beginning a brother of my father was living with us, he was ill and came to stay wit us. We moved with him. We had a ger our own and we stored two gers so we stored our ger before moving to apartment, In those days we did not move by vehicle, there were plenty of horse drawn cart, so we loaded on cart our beds, belongings and moved. Living in a house is wonderful, it was the most pleasant thing, the only thing you become a bit lazy. Byambajav There is considerable change as far as the customs and traditions are concerned, was it very curious? Batbaatar It was curious, at least, (coughs) at least you can not remove the hair of head and legs of slaughtered animal in the apartment, this only the beginning, in general, it is completely different. In Mongolian ger when you make fried pastries or fried ,eat pie you don’t have to open the door, just open the small window at the top of the ger that would be enough. It is problematic to prepare meat pie or fried pastry in an apartment, even f you open the small opening in the windowpane on one side you have also to open on he other side as well so that there is an airflow but the smell of fried food would be permeated in everything on its way, it is the least inconvenience, then Mongolian ger you don’t have to wash the floor. At the door you put a piece of linoleum that can be a thin one not that thick linoleum used today when you bring water you spill on. Byambajav Hn Batbaatar That you can wipe out. Thus you clean the linoleum. The rest of the floor you don’t wash, you just sweep it there is no wet cleaning. But in an apartment you have to wash (the floor of) two three rooms, well then you start from I usually do. That is to learn your lessons. I had to that so there is a big difference. Living in Mongolian ger you don’t have to make monthly rent fee for the Mongolian ger, you had to buy monthly firewood and coal, you give away some of the livestock [малынхаа талыг нь тараагаад өгчихнө??] the lorries from the office bring the coal and unload, you dig a ditch and put the coal in it. In the evening you bring in two, three containers of 8 kg. capacity, saw and chop the firewood and bring in, prepare your food and tea on stove it is nice. When you live in an apartment you don’t that, you are in debt monthly, you have to pay the rent take the money to the cashier that is debt. Of course for those who read a lot of books, for learned people it is very convenient they have more time available. Well, there many old people living in apartment houses, it is clean, at least you have readily available hot water, even relieving yourself easy. It the true, that is advantage, it is truly very nice to live in an apartment house. To say the truth children today want to live in an apartment, yes it is, but I don’t think there is the need to be interested in building apartments in Ulaanbaatar that much, because soon the drinking water will be exhausted. It will be over in four, five years. People do not understand it, we Mongols understand something when it is usually already late, we are such a people. Byambajav What do you know about (political) repression? Batbaatar As for the repression, I heard and knew about that, Byambajav Please tell me about it? Batbaatar Probably people up there knew about that I myself have been repressed, for doing something as a favour to someone I did sit for a few days (in detention). Byambajav Did you? Batbaatar I was not repressed if I was repressed that was it, nothing dreadful, it a common happening in Mongolia, that was really nothing. It had something to do with kindness of man. Mongols are repressed because of the words they had spoken. Speaking of the repression now that is… Byambajav Have you heard about the case of Lookhuuz and others, can you tell what you heard about it? Batbaatar In fact, they were right, originally what they said was Mongolia was a small underdeveloped country and it had virtually become a colony of Russia, and several intellectuals did that so that it would not happen. They were people who in their time studied over there (in Russia). Byambajav Do they? Batbaatar Аа Lookhuuz and Surmaajav… Byambajav Aan, where they studying there? Batbaatar Yes, some of them were studying there, some had graduated from there, and they spoke Russian brilliantly, they were such a people. But in my view they were they patriots of their motherland and did spoke for the good of it. And they were right in doing so, it is something embedded in the mind of everyone. Now I assume that it was de to the fact that in those days Russia influenced strongly the members of the central committee. In those days most of those who were educated and learned had been on the side of the Russians and working with them. Soviets were everywhere. The central authority was not here but in Moscow. It was a time when a Minister would not take a decision without consulting the advisor, he had to receive, no matter what, the agreement of him in order to make a decision. Those who exposed that became the wrongdoers. Byambajav How did the ordinary people, for example you received that what happened? Batbaatar How can we know all the details... ... Byambajav Did people think that they were indeed very bad guys? Batbaatar In those days people would see in them bad guys who went against the state and government. Because there were numerous meeting and those two or three guys were exposed people speaking one after another against them, and those who were victorious would be the good guys and those vanquished would not be accounted as good guys at all in those days. Then Mongolia, in general, was such, we became literate, we have a lot very good qualities and achievements. In 50’s there was the cultural drive, thanks to it we became universally literate. Every Mongol could write their name. And then how can we master that high intellect teaching that mean we had to attend schools to learn and we were not taught that high wisdom, there was no use of teaching us those who were guys in street (he means just ordinary people). But they were indeed good people, that they were is now evident. They are now living happy, to the end of their life they respected, of course in those days they were through hardship and sufferings, that the suffering every human being passes through. It is said that when you do good, the bad follows you like the shadow, you will happy only after being victorious over it. It is what the elders say and those poor fellows were going for the good of their motherland and were repressed, at the same time, we can not blame the leaders of the state and government of those days. They had done wonderful things, they worked hard for the good of their country. In general, they were nice people, they were mistaken rarely, but nothing is free of mistake, even putting a nail you sometimes do not nail it straightly, in that mood I, for one, haven’t seen a person who could put 10 nails in row all straightly in the place. At least one nail would nailed crooked, the same is true when you say 10 words, it is likely that we pronounce one word wrongly. It I, indeed, like this. The you are surprised to find out that if there is predestine, that is the predestine. Life itself is wonderful, life in Mongolia is also wonderful. Byambajav As far as you know after thirties and forties big changed had taken place in transport system of Mongolia what do you think about it? Batbaatar Oh, this has been so great that it is incomparable juts like the earth and the sky, bazaar vaani khumpad , bazaar vaanii… Byambajav Why do you think so? Batbaatar Well, now look at Ulaanbaatar, Ulaanbaatar was a very small town, this side for example after the Drug store No.25 there were nothing further down. This tenth micro-region and the first micro region and the five yellow apartment houses were non-existent,… then this meat factory after… was far away from there on this side, it is still there. On this side of the meat factory the flour mill was constructed later, bus rode till the flour mill, to the north there was brick factory where we received brick. Byambajav Yes. Batbaatar The (brick) factory was under construction, there were households living up to it, a small bus drove there, then after the Consul hill it was empty up to Amgalanbaatar settlement, to north there was the bus stop station No.7 after it there was nothing, such was the city. We had city transport bus (A Russian made small bus) 51, when I was young between a station 5 mungu was charged from children, if a small child like we got in back of the bus, if we had to pay 15 mungu for 3 stops you had to ride until Amgalan and ride back. It was impossible to disembark, the bus was crowded, there was only one door, behind the driver which opened pulling gear to let the passenger go out. Those brothers and sisters (adults) rushed into the bus and we the children if don’t disembark through the window, it was impossible to get out. It was the situation, it was like that. Now, what has happened, it is awesome, then afterwards Zil buses came in. When I was very young lorries were used. They had long bench at its back, during the Naadam (Traditional summer festival) celebration only such lorries were used to transport the people. All the depot sent special trucks fitted with seating benches at their back, these trucks also served as public transport to summer camping sites special ticket were issued for the ride, the conductor sat in front row, he had a light installed on over head, I don’t know whether it was used to check the money or the ticket, now you will not see such unusual trucks. Oh yes, there is the dump-truck but you will not see any other brown vehicles (by “bor” or gray he could have meant the colour proper or trucks for all use), well, of course, they can be seen at the triangle (a unloading site near the railway, where owners of trucks queue, waiting for customers), you will not see them at any other location. Such was the great change, now look at the road, a few days ago a exhibition was held. Since the last year’s annual auto inspection, the number auto vehicles grew by 20-30 thousand, I mean the number of privately owned cars, so as you see so things have changed completely, these are cars for transportation of passengers.