We have invited Andrea Alessandra, a Peruvian girl who has only been in Mongolia for a week, learning Mongolian on her own, cooking Mongolian food, and interested in everything about Mongolian, to be the next guest in our “Mongols through the Eyes of Foreigners” interview series.
"I feel like I'm here in Peru," she said. She speaks a little Mongolian and vlogger on YouTube. She came here to see the National Naadam Festival, travel to the countryside, eat khorkhog and make new Mongolian friends.
Nationality: Peru
Staying duration in Mongolia: 1 week ( 06.14 ~ end of July)
Age: 28
Current occupation: Languages teacher, translator 👩🏫
- What is the purpose of your visit to Mongolia and your first impression when you came in here?
- Mongolia was one of the countries that has always been on my bucket list. After meeting Mongolian friends in Korea I started listening to Mongolian music and learning the language by myself, so I decided that Mongolia will be the first country I visit after the pandemic is over in order to learn more about the culture, improve my mongolian speaking and meet more friends. My first impression was that people are very welcoming and friendly.
I can feel people enjoy simple things like having an ice cream in the park with their friends or kids running through the water fountains in the square, which is also very common in my country.
- What do you enjoy most while you staying in Mongolia?
- Even though I just arrived some days ago, I have realized that Mongolians really know how to have fun! I met some new friends here and they took me to many places to hang out and have fun. I also went to a concert last weekend. I went there alone, but people around me just sing, jump and dance with me as if we were old friends. I haven’t had so much fun in so many years!
- What are the similarities between Mongolia and Peru?
- Even though both countries are located so far away, there are so many similarities. I have been living in Korea for the last 4 years, and even now I can feel I’m in a foreign country, but after coming to Mongolia, sometimes I feel like I’m at home. Koreans seem to be always busy and life can be very stressful, but here the atmosphere feels very chill and relaxed, just like in Peru. I can feel people enjoy simple things like having an ice cream in the park with their friends or kids running through the water fountains in the square, which is also very common in my country. Even the traffic jam during rush hour reminds me of Peru. The capital city of my country is very crowded but we don’t have a subway yet, so people are used to get stuck in traffic jam almost everyday.
- What is your favorite Mongolian food?
- I really like Mongolian food, my favorite dishes are tsuiwan, huushuur and buuz. Peruvians also eat a lot of meat, so I like all the dishes I’ve tried so far. I used to eat a lot of Mongolian food when I was in Korea. The only dish I haven’t tried yet is khorkhog. I’ve heard it is super tasty but I never tried it before. That’s one of the foods I must try during my trip.
- What mongolian food do you cook well?
- I can make tsuiwan and huushuur. I made vlogs the first time I made these foods. I would say I can make tsuiwan better, because it’s not that hard and I’ve made it many times before. Huushuur takes much longer to prepare, so I only made it twice. Actually in Latin America one of the most common snacks is called “empanada”, which is almost the same as huushuur, but usually we don’t make it at home, we just get it outside since they sell it almost everywhere.
- How long have you been learning Mongolian? And what other foreign language do you know?
- I started around two years ago, I studied during one year in my free time and then had to stop because I didn’t have much time. I really like learning foreign languages, but I would say Mongolian is the most difficult language I’ve tried to learn. I would say my reading and writing skills are okay, but it’s still very hard for me to have a conversation in Mongolian since my listening is still really bad. Mongolian pronunciation is difficult, and some Mongolians speak very fast, so it is hard to catch the words, but I am sure it will get better if I keep practicing, so I will cheer up! My mother tongue is Spanish, and I also speak English, Chinese, Korean and some Portuguese. Currently I’m self-studying Mongolian and Japanese.
I don’t have a fixed plan, but I want to travel to countryside and see the sky full of stars at night.
- What were the good and bad things that happened to you while you were in Mongolia?
- I think nothing bad happened to me here. All the memories I have so far are nice. People treat me really well. I came to Mongolia alone, but all the people I’ve met are always willing to help me, and recommend me good places and activities to enjoy my time in Mongolia. One of the best things that happen to me is that everyday when I walk in the street or go to some place, I’d find some people who say hi to me, saying that they’ve watched my videos and that makes me feel so happy. Since I started making videos, I can feel how many people support me, and that encourages me to keep going on. I am sure that’s one of the best memories I’ll take with me for ever.
- You mentioned in your vlog you have a crush in Mongolia. If it is not a secret, who is he?
- Well, I can’t say his name yet, but I can tell you a little bit about him. I guess some people already know who is he. He is a very smart and talented guy. Before coming to Mongolia, I saw him on social media, and heard about him from some friends. I thought he was very hardworking because he does many things, and that also inspired me to work harder on my own things. Actually I didn’t expect to meet him that soon, because he seems to be busy and he’s getting more popular recently, but I was one of the first friends I met here, and he helped me a lot when I just arrived. Now I can say he is not only smart and hardworking, but also very kind and with a really nice personality, I’m really glad to meet him here and also feel very thankful to him.
- When will you go back and what is your plan to do in rest of the days?
- Well, I only booked a one-way ticket, so I’m not sure how long I will stay, but it may be around 6 weeks in total before going back to Korea. I don’t have a fixed plan, but I want to travel to countryside and see the sky full of stars at night. I also want to learn more about Mongolian culture and meet more people, because I consider we learn a lot from every new people we meet. I am really glad to be here, and I am sure this is only my first trip here, because I will definitely come back.
We have invited Andrea Alessandra, a Peruvian girl who has only been in Mongolia for a week, learning Mongolian on her own, cooking Mongolian food, and interested in everything about Mongolian, to be the next guest in our “Mongols through the Eyes of Foreigners” interview series.
"I feel like I'm here in Peru," she said. She speaks a little Mongolian and vlogger on YouTube. She came here to see the National Naadam Festival, travel to the countryside, eat khorkhog and make new Mongolian friends.
Nationality: Peru
Staying duration in Mongolia: 1 week ( 06.14 ~ end of July)
Age: 28
Current occupation: Languages teacher, translator 👩🏫
- What is the purpose of your visit to Mongolia and your first impression when you came in here?
- Mongolia was one of the countries that has always been on my bucket list. After meeting Mongolian friends in Korea I started listening to Mongolian music and learning the language by myself, so I decided that Mongolia will be the first country I visit after the pandemic is over in order to learn more about the culture, improve my mongolian speaking and meet more friends. My first impression was that people are very welcoming and friendly.
I can feel people enjoy simple things like having an ice cream in the park with their friends or kids running through the water fountains in the square, which is also very common in my country.
- What do you enjoy most while you staying in Mongolia?
- Even though I just arrived some days ago, I have realized that Mongolians really know how to have fun! I met some new friends here and they took me to many places to hang out and have fun. I also went to a concert last weekend. I went there alone, but people around me just sing, jump and dance with me as if we were old friends. I haven’t had so much fun in so many years!
- What are the similarities between Mongolia and Peru?
- Even though both countries are located so far away, there are so many similarities. I have been living in Korea for the last 4 years, and even now I can feel I’m in a foreign country, but after coming to Mongolia, sometimes I feel like I’m at home. Koreans seem to be always busy and life can be very stressful, but here the atmosphere feels very chill and relaxed, just like in Peru. I can feel people enjoy simple things like having an ice cream in the park with their friends or kids running through the water fountains in the square, which is also very common in my country. Even the traffic jam during rush hour reminds me of Peru. The capital city of my country is very crowded but we don’t have a subway yet, so people are used to get stuck in traffic jam almost everyday.
- What is your favorite Mongolian food?
- I really like Mongolian food, my favorite dishes are tsuiwan, huushuur and buuz. Peruvians also eat a lot of meat, so I like all the dishes I’ve tried so far. I used to eat a lot of Mongolian food when I was in Korea. The only dish I haven’t tried yet is khorkhog. I’ve heard it is super tasty but I never tried it before. That’s one of the foods I must try during my trip.
- What mongolian food do you cook well?
- I can make tsuiwan and huushuur. I made vlogs the first time I made these foods. I would say I can make tsuiwan better, because it’s not that hard and I’ve made it many times before. Huushuur takes much longer to prepare, so I only made it twice. Actually in Latin America one of the most common snacks is called “empanada”, which is almost the same as huushuur, but usually we don’t make it at home, we just get it outside since they sell it almost everywhere.
- How long have you been learning Mongolian? And what other foreign language do you know?
- I started around two years ago, I studied during one year in my free time and then had to stop because I didn’t have much time. I really like learning foreign languages, but I would say Mongolian is the most difficult language I’ve tried to learn. I would say my reading and writing skills are okay, but it’s still very hard for me to have a conversation in Mongolian since my listening is still really bad. Mongolian pronunciation is difficult, and some Mongolians speak very fast, so it is hard to catch the words, but I am sure it will get better if I keep practicing, so I will cheer up! My mother tongue is Spanish, and I also speak English, Chinese, Korean and some Portuguese. Currently I’m self-studying Mongolian and Japanese.
I don’t have a fixed plan, but I want to travel to countryside and see the sky full of stars at night.
- What were the good and bad things that happened to you while you were in Mongolia?
- I think nothing bad happened to me here. All the memories I have so far are nice. People treat me really well. I came to Mongolia alone, but all the people I’ve met are always willing to help me, and recommend me good places and activities to enjoy my time in Mongolia. One of the best things that happen to me is that everyday when I walk in the street or go to some place, I’d find some people who say hi to me, saying that they’ve watched my videos and that makes me feel so happy. Since I started making videos, I can feel how many people support me, and that encourages me to keep going on. I am sure that’s one of the best memories I’ll take with me for ever.
- You mentioned in your vlog you have a crush in Mongolia. If it is not a secret, who is he?
- Well, I can’t say his name yet, but I can tell you a little bit about him. I guess some people already know who is he. He is a very smart and talented guy. Before coming to Mongolia, I saw him on social media, and heard about him from some friends. I thought he was very hardworking because he does many things, and that also inspired me to work harder on my own things. Actually I didn’t expect to meet him that soon, because he seems to be busy and he’s getting more popular recently, but I was one of the first friends I met here, and he helped me a lot when I just arrived. Now I can say he is not only smart and hardworking, but also very kind and with a really nice personality, I’m really glad to meet him here and also feel very thankful to him.
- When will you go back and what is your plan to do in rest of the days?
- Well, I only booked a one-way ticket, so I’m not sure how long I will stay, but it may be around 6 weeks in total before going back to Korea. I don’t have a fixed plan, but I want to travel to countryside and see the sky full of stars at night. I also want to learn more about Mongolian culture and meet more people, because I consider we learn a lot from every new people we meet. I am really glad to be here, and I am sure this is only my first trip here, because I will definitely come back.