Nanzai
Basic information
Interviewee ID: 990903
Name: Nanzai
Parent's name: [blank]
Ovog: [blank]
Sex: f
Year of Birth: 1943
Ethnicity: [unknown]
Additional Information
Education: [unknown]
Notes on education:
Work:
Belief:
Born in: Hyargas sum, Uvs aimag
Lives in: sum (or part of UB), Ulaanbaatar aimag
Mother's profession:
Father's profession:
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Translation:
Byambajav -
Well, I thank you very much for accepting my
invitation and giving me this interview, interview of your
family. Now, let’s start our interview.
Nanzai -
OK.
Byambajav -
First of all, will you please introduce yourself
once again and tell in details what you recall about your
family, what are the memories that you keep in your
mind.
Nanzai -
Yes, well, I began my married life in 1965 I married
Mr. Goosh who is from our native land, we lived together
until 1994. Then my husband died prematurely of sudden
illness. Since then 12 or 13 years have elapsed, haven’t
they? The most difficult thing was, when my husband died, of
the children the youngest one was 13 years old and the
eldest had graduated from university. So since then we have
been carrying on our livelihood and left behind quite a few
years. As for me, as for two of us 4 children were born
between us, actually it was 5 but one we lost. My eldest
daughter was born when I was still a student, I gave birth
to my eldest daughter, the next 3 were born when I was
working in the youth league, so gave birth to the next 3 of
them. (laughed) Well, then our children are doing good
enough, we paid considerable attention…so that our
children…get some education, now all my children have
appropriate education. The eldest daughter Narmandakh is a
graduate of Food Technology Faculty of Technological
University. The next son Munkhtuvshin has graduated from
Transport college, he has, a middle education and vocational
training. There is a son of mine by the name of Batmunkh,
Batmunkh, after finishing the 10 year school, entered the
Military Institute originally, but after his father died
apparently he had no liking of the profession or interest in
the school he left the institute. So he decided instead to
take up some job, he thought that military (not “зэрэг” but
tsereg- militray) education has no future and left the
school, he has been doing various jobs until now, he
finished 10 year school and has full secondary education. At
present he is working in Korea. A year and half passed since
he has left(for Korea). The next one, the youngest daughter
of mine is Odmandakh, Odmandakh has graduated from the
Mongol Business Institute. Then she also studied in Magis…MA
courses of the University and graduated. She is an
accountant at Medical University. Anyway, I believe that all
my children have acquired certain profession that enables
them to pursue their own livelihood. I believe that any
education is sufficient if one can manage his own livelihood
and within their capacity organise his or her life. Well, in
general my children had grown up and they are living like
many others. My eldest daughter was born when I was still a
student, I was in the last course so 45 days after giving
the birth I started attending my lectures and without any
problem graduated the institute. Meanwhile my mother moved
to the city from the countryside. So there were my mother
and my father and mother in-laws, they looked after my
children. In general, it was my mother who reared all my
children. I was doing my job and never really had a leave to
take care of my children, and my children did not fall ill
very often and created problems for me. Of course during
their lifetime there were occasions when children fell ill,
some of them were hospitalised, catching colds or falling
with pneumonia did happen. Two of the children got infection
of hepatitis, so I had been in hospital with them such minor
problems which is inevitable in human life occurred.
Otherwise my children did not cause that much problem or
hardship. They did not suffer from long illness and did not
put me in a situation of fear and fright. Well, for a mother
there happens various complications related to giving a
birth, that was there. When I gave birth to my eldest
daughter I had some problem, as for the others I had normal
birth without any complication. Before the birth of my
eldest daughter Narmandakh…when I was studying in the
Institute of Agriculture I was sent to the rural areas for
practical work (on fields) for 6 months. (0-06-15) When I
was sent on fields studies for six months my pregnancy was
already in advanced stage, the child was moving in my womb.
When I was in rural areas on field studies my husband
followed me and came after me. I was in 7, 8 months of
pregnancy, it was in the 8th month, when he came after me he
brought quite bit of seasonings such as bay leaf. At that
time various seasonings were almost unavailable so probably
we took a liking in them and added it into our food, even in
our tea. So after adding the seasonings into our food for
2-3 days I could hardly raise my head, my whole body was
aching, so I fell ill why and how it happened we had no
idea, we did not suspect that it was caused by the spices
and the grass (leaf). When I was there earlier I had no
heath problems, no change (in my health), we were on field
practice, students of Agricultural institute were engaged in
practical work on production site, it was our practice, we
drove tractors and we were working on vegetable fields as an
agronomist. I was feeling fine, I was responsible for one
field and for the whole day I was on horse back inspecting
the field, everything was normal, then suddenly I got that
high blood pressure, we found out that it was a hypertension
later. That time I had no idea, suddenly I my head became
too heavy. So two of us went to the soum centre but I was so
ill and uncomfortable. So there was no other option than go
back to the city. I had to write a paper on my field
practice, so postponed it, told my teacher who was in charge
of us that I’ll finish the paper in town, I can’t now write
it. So we went to Selenge, from the centre of Brigade we
rode on tractor to soum centre from there on a car we went
to the centre of Selenge (aimag) from there we took a car,
no we took a train. In the train, apparently, from time to
time I was losing my conscious or passing out, even that I
did not notice, I had an attack of hypertension. Back then
blood pressure was rarely checked, now a doctor would, first
of all, check your blood pressure, it was not the case then,
I don’t know why, either they did not pay much attention or
did not care about it. So I came home loosing and regaining
conscience from time to time. Our ger was in enclosure at
Tsagaan Khuaran (Name of Military barracks in the eastern
part of Ulaanbaatar), when I came home it was September and
very hot they were refurbishing the ger, in autumn people
disassemble their gers, repaint their wooden floors and make
other minor repairs. My mother who moved from countryside to
town was doing this kind of work. I spent 2-3 days after
returning but I could not barely raise my head and my
situation worsened still further. My mother, my father and
mother in-laws decided that I was too tired working in the
countryside and they fed me mutton broth but as you know
mutton soup or broth is not good when you have hypertension.
All of them thought I was exhausted nothing else, no one
knew that was a hypertension. So after 2-3 days in my ger
one evening I had fallen unconscious, then I regained
conscious and heard a vehicle coming outside of the ger
apparently an ambulance had arrived. That time there were
not so many cars, noise of car was also rare. My mother gave
something tasting very good and pressed on me to drink it,
murmuring my daughter drink it, I think I made a few gulf
and then I don’t know anything or what happened after that.
Then I suddenly found myself lying in pitch dark room with
extremely white ceiling. So I thought, ambulance brought me
here, I am in a hospital. Soon doctors and nurses came in, I
was brought to what is now the 3rd maternity house. It was
then and probably it is now also like that when a mother is
unconscious and suffering from hypertension she was put in a
dark room.
Byambajav -
So was there a regulation to put in dark room?
Nanzai -
Yes, it is, yes, probably, it was necessary because
of the hypertension. So without regaining conscious I spent
there 2-3 days, then I regained consciousness, but I was
intermittently fainting and gaining consciousness, since I
was lying in a room, knew that I am in a hospital anyway. So
after a while I felt better, blood pressure had decreased,
but my whole body was in pain. Apparently, injections of
magnesium were made, my buttocks were sore from the pain, in
fact, injections were made many times. So I was better after
a few days in the hospital I were to be discharged but the
time to give birth came. And my eldest daughter was born,
she was born with some complications the rest had little
problem. The rest had not much…(0-11-31)
Byambajav -
So at that time you were pregnant, aren’t you?
Nanzai -
Why, I am telling you that I was pregnant and because
of pregnancy my time to give birth was very close, at that
time the pregnancy was already at its 8 months, a bit early
before birth. Therefore, the birth should have come after I
finished my field practice and came back but may be because
of the hypertension or because of something else I gave
birth slightly prematurely. Since then I understood that it
is undesirable to take spicy foods during the pregnancy. In
the hospital they had to discharge my placenta (afterbirth)
manually so Naraa was the first child born with severe
complications. The rest were born normally, normally so I
made out them equals to men and brought to this stage, in
general, my children respect their mother, they all love
their mother very much, none of them would speak anything
against when I say something to them. Of course if their
father was alive they would have received far better
education and went after something else,(0-12-33) they would
have chosen other professions or do other jobs. And if they
were engaged in better jobs that may have been far more
beneficial and improved their livelihood. My husband was a
very business minded man, he was an innovator and thinker,
had good acquaintances and contacts as well as with a lot of
good friends. If their father was here they could probably
get a different profession and skills. I think that
mastering such education and skills would have been very
helpful in their life. However, what can we do, it was our
fate that we find ourselves today in this situation, that is
the fate we can’t do anything about it. Then my mother had
been of great help to my children, my mother after she moved
to the town for a while took care of my eldest child.
Afterward she worked there…Generally speaking, my mother is
a resident of the countryside and had really no permanent
jobs as such, mostly men were working in earlier days. So
mother after she came to town started working as a cleaner
at Financial college. But when my mother came to the town,
she was not the one who had been transferred to the city.
The reason behind it is that…two of us were born from my
mother, and then there was very long interval between birth
of the second child, my younger brother is 16 year younger
than me. When there was no second child so my parents
adopted two more children in between when they were living
in the countryside. One of them was a young guy in his
teens, that poor boy was very young but was a worker in
Nalaikh coal mine, at that time mine workers were enlisted
in great numbers from the western aimags (provinces), it was
thanks to him that my family (was allowed to move) moved to
Nalaikh, after working for 2-3 years they came to the city.
After coming to the city my mother had reared my elder
daughter up and then worked as a woman on duty, no as
cleaner in the financial college. My middle son Munkhtivshin
was enrolled in kindergarten but he refused to attend it.
During night he yelled “I’ll not go to the kindergarten” and
cried, he disliked the kindergarten very much. In the
morning Khurlee that adopted younger brother of mine would
take him to the kindergarten. At that time various soft
drinks were rare, there was only one kind of sweetened
drink, so in the morning I would show a bottle of that drink
and tell him take it with you in this way we somehow tricked
him and brought him to the kindergarten. For a few days he
took the drink with him but he now did not pay any attention
to the drink again refused to attend the kindergarten. He
cried during the night I’ll not go to the kindergarten, I’ll
not go. So my poor mother had to leave her job in order to
take care of now this Munkhtuvshin. We were living side by
side as neighbours, he would sleep in mother’s ger, my poor
mother loved tenderly Munkhtuvshin, from the childhood of my
children from among them she cared more for him, my late
husband father of this child used to say…he was probably not
thinking of anything bad but would say (to my mother) your
education of this child is wrong…he used to repeat this
remark constantly. In general, he was a capricious child if
we say something he does not like he would run to mother’s
ger, he would not take our words. He was a spoiled child my
mother was generous in spending money on Munkhtuvshin. It
was a time when money (tugrug) was strong mother bought
whatever he wanted. Well, now this guitar was fairly
expensive at that time so she bought him musical instruments
and various items he wanted to have. So his poor father
would say you are bringing up this child too much on his own
volition. Of course there was no extra money but mother
definitely loved this child more than the others. However,
my children don’t have any abnormal or wrong characters. The
only thing is that these two sons of mine drink vodka a
little bit. This is what concerns me, this could affect
their life in future, now this Batmounkh who is in Korea,
when he was here in the company of his former dissolute
friends strayed for a while, spending the money he earned on
the job on drinking and merry making with that very
companions and he went in the wrong way. But after he left
for Korea, judging from what he is now speaking he has
become wiser and has been changed to the better. (0-17-46) I
was causing a lot of suffering to you back home, don’t think
or compare me with what had been before, I am behaving very
well here, I now understand everything, I love you he tells
me seriously when we talk on phone and I hope he is getting
better. Then I assume that the Koreans like drinking and he,
obviously, also drinks sometimes. I understand that when he
receives the salary he drinks a bit. He himself says that I
don’t drink during the rest of the time but I drink a bit
when I receive my salary. So I tell him if you drink
moderately once and while I don’t mind my son. It is the two
sons, the other two girls are very modest, my eldest
daughter as well as the youngest one are very mild-mannered
and sometimes I have to tell them to be more smart and
lively, if in the past modest person was valued now the time
has changed. But trying to be not very modest start talking
various things would be strange, isn’t it? However, one
should be able to speak out what one wanted to say. As for
their job they are doing their job and earning their
livelihood. When her father died this youngest girl of mine
was 13 years old and was attending 5th or 4th grade of the
school. Then shall I describe it as for the sake of living
my eldest daughter after graduation worked only for a few
months on her professional job and then quit, she did not
like the work in milk factory so she left and went into
small private business. It was a buying and selling
business, the ger of my eldest daughter was to north near
the bus station No.5. My youngest daughter was in 5th or 4th
grade, she was petite, as well as physically dimuntive, so
she went together with her sister to the market and sold
small items, she used to go from here (our apartment) alone
my poor daughter, poor thing a tiny, tiny creature went to
north (in the direction of the market). Now, that was one
thing she learned from childhood. She brought small amount
of items to the market and sold them, and there she was a
small pretty child. She accompanied her sister and had to
carry various heavy loads, so my poor daughter saw the life
from tender young age. Even when she was in 9th, 10th grade
during the summer vacation she was always busily engaged in
trading. (0-20-51) So she, generally, is quite experienced
in commercial activities…and I think that experience now
proves to be useful when she has become a professional
accountant. Any way it did not bring any harm to the child.
Yes, she had learned to take up various job and handle them.
And now she remembers how she was ashamed when she saw her
classmates walking over there (at market)…when she was
standing to sell something, she until now remembers… and
often tells about it. There is Olziinaran, husband of our
Odmandakh, these two knew each from very young age, they
both attended school No.40 and both were together attended
the kindergarten. Then they studied in the institute, after
graduation her husband went to Korea, worked there for two
years and came back last year and they joined together
(married?) in this apartment. So now Oogii (Odmandakh) talk
about how she was buying and selling, my daughter was also
doing the following, at one time the fast service points or
a small kiosks or stands became very popular in our country
, small kiosks were found everywhere, now these points grew
into big shops. When I was still doing my job I had a fast
service point working close to our apartment, nearby of our
home. So our Odmandakh was on counter of the kiosk.
(0-22-13) She spent all her free time there, after returning
from her school in the evening she stood there selling
things. Now they laugh that when she saw her boy friend
walking nearby she would hide herself. (laughs) However,
even he saw her, he pretended that he did not notice and
went away. Then including her classmates she probably met
many acquaintances. When she was small, younger sister of my
late husband after their marriage lived in this large room
of our apartment with her husband. This Odmandakh was very
small, may be just over two, so we were living together but
we had separate kitchens. They prepared and cooked their
food and drink in this room. Well, usually in morning we
went out to our work leaving the child behind. When we leave
for our work a bunch of children remained at home. The child
of that younger sister as well as that Batmounkh and several
other children after their school crowded here noisy and
fighting each other, that was how they spent the day. My
daughter from her childhood was very able taking care of
herself with cup in her hands…she found something to
eat…that young sister and brother of ours were very
economically minded and industrious persons since their
childhood, what they did was the following, at that time
meat was very scarce, when in the evening we were going to
the beds they would to chop or grind the intestines of sheep
and by the time you got up the next morning they would have
made 1000 buuz (meat dumplings) and put at the balcony (to
freeze). They are such an economically minded people since
youth. Accordingly they now have the possibility, to enjoy
truly a very good life because since young age they have
learned to make good use of things available. So they came
during the day break and steam cook the meat dumplings for
luncheon before going back to their work. So my daughter who
was two years old came in with her cup (laughs) and took her
share of dumplings and ate… she often told us about that,
and said that was how I take care of myself, and eventually
she learned to take things in her own hands this is what she
says. Soon those relatives got an apartment and left us. So
since very young our this youngest daughter was rather
independent and things done by others had never been to her
liking, she did not like that. For example, when I combed
and made her hair she would get angry and would say it was
no what she likes. She was attending a kindergarten, the
kindergarten No.86 which is not far from here to the north,
so when I wanted comb and make her the hair she did not like
this or that make, if I knotted a bandage on the hairs she
would say it looks ugly, took it off and threw away. So I
don’t know what to say since childhood she was a child with,
may be rather, quick temper. As for me I did not feed for
long these children with my breast, I had low yield of milk
from the very beginning, so all of them were generally fed
by bottles. This youngest one was bottle fed till 4, 5 years
old and she would not take that pacifier out of her mouth.
My mother lived Khailaast to the north and sometimes when we
visited her we’d either forget to take the pacifier or loose
on our way, so in evening she would not sleep without
pacifier and demands us to give it to her so my poor mother
would have to ask her neighbours whether they have a
pacifier. Since childhood she was…
Byambajav -
Would you please talk about your husband?
Nanzai -
Ok. Well, my husband graduated from Medical
Institute, after graduating Medical college he worked for
several years and graduated Medical Institute in 1972. So
after graduation in 72 he worked in ambulatory No.4, which
is situated at around bus station No.7 now, it is the bus
No.5 he worked as the head of that ambulatory. Afterwards he
worked in Suchbaatar district…in the past there was an
office of health, it was an authority in charge of health
headed by a chief doctor and responsible for the activities
of all the clinics on the territory of the given district
under the supervision of district authority. My husband
worked there, in Suchbaatar district, may be for 4, 5 years.
Then he worked as the chief doctor of the policlinics of
transport workers. When he came as the chief doctor, the
clinic of transport workers had just been constructed, only
the building was built, oh no the building was just being
constructed and when the construction work started he was
there. So after the completion of construction, installation
the equipments and all other related work were organised by
him. Now, that clinic of transport workers (0-28-02) is in
Tolgoit, now the policlinics of So… Songino khairkhan
district, may be that of Bayangol district is housed there.
My husband made the new clinic one of best and nice clinics
it remained as such for quite some time. My husband was a
talented and extremely capable organizer (manager) that is
why he made that a very nice clinic. So it was a specialised
clinic for transport workers and drivers, they passed
medical examinations and received medical treatment. But
later it had ceased to be a specialised clinic. After that
my husband was sent as head of the section of clinic where
patients were treated by airag. (fermented mare’s milk,
airag was used to treat various lung deceases) After working
for several years as the head of section he was sent to the
State Welfare Centre in Batsumber as the chairman of that
organisation. He worked for two years over there, fell ill
and died there.
Byambajav -
During the socialist period you must have been very busy? Both of you were working.
Nanzai -
Of course, very busy.
Byambajav -
Then you probably spent Saturdays and Sundays at
home. So how did you spend the holidays with your children?
Nanzai -
Well, now usually I washed their clothes and
prepared food. Then we also did that …we visited cinema
houses and went outdoors in open air picnic together with
our children, my poor late husband was very good at
arranging such activities. So we took our children outdoors,
attended some spectacles, strolled in the park, generally, I
think we spent our free time quite nicely. I washed their
clothes and made arrangements for other chorus at home and
went out taking the children with me, I can say that
normally I arranged fairly well both sides of my engagements
that is to say my job and my time of leisure. When we were
living in Tsagaan Khuaran, it happened, that time we were
living very near to the park, so on Sundays we usually took
the children outdoors, they were still very young, even the
two elder children were small, the next boy was (0-30-21)
recently born, it was a time when we had received an
apartment. So we put him in baby carriage and went to the
park. And the children played in the park. So, so I can tell
you one thing that I remember, when this our youngest one
was still very little. It happened that we had no
money,(0-30-57) the salary was not coming yet, I don’t know
what we had done with our money, we were out of money then
we wanted to get outdoors, then my late husband found and
took one dollar out of his pocket. The exchange rate for a
dollar was not very high then, I don’t know how much it was,
with that one dollar and taking our youngest child three of
us went down the street, down there, on the other side (of
street) was the Shop No.70… so with one dollar were walking
down looking for some shop, at that time service centre were
rare, so three of us continued to walk down the street.
There was the Prague restaurant, now it is probably a
different place. So we entered that restaurant with one
dollar… but as we saw there were nothing we could buy, so we
I think bought a canned soft drink, I don’t know whether any
change was left or not since we could not buy anything else
we came back home, we went out as people with a lot money.
Occasionally various (funny)things happen in the life of a
family. I don’t know what we wanted to buy by one dollar,
since it was not worth of anything we bought a soft drink
for the daughter and returned home.
Byambajav -
At that time there were some spectacles, and then a lot of films were shown in cinema houses but…
Nanzai -
….films were shown.
Byambajav -
…other entertainment services were extremely rare,
were there any bars, other places of entertainment and
show?
Nanzai -
There were no such places as bars and entertainment
and show where you could go and sit. It is now that there
are numerous number of these services, the services of that
time were groceries, stores and then the circus. When we
were living in Tsagaan Khuaran, this Batmoukh of our was
small, this our Bagii, since childhood, was a rather
cowardly and fainthearted child, so once we took him…and
went to see the circus. We were in Tsagaan Khuaran so we
went to the circus when we were sitting and watching the
performance this Batmunkh got fraightened and couldn’t see
it, started to yell and cry…to get out. So since he did not
stop crying two of us left with the child, there was a
canteen, in the past, on north side, (оросын хойд? -probably
wrong transcription) canteen No.7. We went to Canteen No.7
and dined there and when we wanted to go back to the circus
the child noticed it and would not go, we tried to pursued
him that the performance was beautiful, let’s go and see it
but he would not budge. How old he was, probably 3 or 4
years old. Since then he used to repeat circus baba (no
good, bad), canteen baba. (laughs) Then when we were still
employed our organisations used to observe children’s day
with special celebration, organised various contests, showed
spectacles, now they probably organise the same events.
(0-34-26) Organisations transported the children with their
parents (to the event sites), probably they do the same
today. Then during one celebration of the children’s day, I
was working at city youth league which was situated in the
park, I took the children and climbed the Zaisan tolgoi (a
hill on the south of the city), and when started to descend
the child was afraid and could not come down, he climbed the
hill but he was afraid to descend. He climbed the hill but
he was rather fainthearted, he was even afraid to come to
the balcony of high rise buildings, he was so fainthearted.
So in order to bring him down we had all the time to cover
his face and eyes in descending. Thus since his childhood he
was such a fainthearted child, even today sometimes,
apparently, he is frightened and feel uncomfortable.
Byambajav -
From among your children with whom it is easier for you to communicate, who was that child of yours?
Nanzai -
Probably the youngest one?
Byambajav -
Even today.
Nanzai -
Today? Now, first all I communicate with this eldest
daughter of mine, and mostly with my two daughters I
communicate. As for the sons I communicate them to say what
I think I should tell them. But I don’t contact that
often…tell them this and that, if I tell hem they will
understand. In the first place I’ll speak to my eldest
daughter then after that the youngest daughter, because
various good and bad things occur in our life (laughs) That
is it. Well, shall I talk about my father and mother, can
I?
Byambajav -
Of course.
Nanzai -
(laughed) My father Tseelei was a very tall man, he
was well-known in our land as Undur (Tall) Tseelei. Our
father was a very gentle and pleasant person, deeply
respected in our place. In his childhood he finished
(attended) no school, in fact, he even did not attend the
1st grade of elementary school. (0-36-53) So when he was in
military service there he, apparently, learned literacy by
himself…He had no profession, however, later he, somehow,
became an accountant so my father was in public service of
our soum and was always one of its functionaries in the high
office. My poor mother stayed at home and my mother did all
the housework work. At the same time my father was a very
industrious person, he was an avid lover of physical
culture, he tried all kinds of sports such as volleyball,
chess, table tennis, he even run in races, he was such a
tall person, and also very curious about everything. My
father served as the chairman of a county (баг-lowest unit
of local administration), then for many years as the
chairman soum Artel ( work association), later he was
working as the accountant of the Artel until he died of
illness. Shall tell a bit more details, my father liked very
much different games, basically there were no game that he
would not play. Our ger was a very big one, you know in our
Uvs aimag we have big gers.
Byambajav -
Yes.
Nanzai -
Yes, yes.
Byambajav -
With 8 lattice walls.
Nanzai -
An immensely big ger with 8 lattice walls, my family
had all the time such a big ger, so... my father loved games
so my poor mother (father?) brought people to our home they
played chess games, played chess. During that time, this
what… was gaining popularity in our soum, shooting
anklebones. (шагай харвах -It is called ankle bone shooting,
but ankle bone is not used, may be it was used in olden
times) It is popular today, yesterday they showed it on TV.
Father would come in together with several people and they
would remove the chest and other items to the one side, what
was on the other side would also be removed so as to make
room and they started the game of shagai kharvakh (Shooting
the ankle bones). My poor mother got angry with them
sometimes while preparing their meals, at times she did not
mind it. (laughs) My poor father was a person extremely fond
of different games. The last time, after completing the
first year at the institute I returned home on my summer
vacation, so after visiting my home on vacation I was
planning to return. That time my father was going to do
what… going to enlarge our ger(0-39-36), well exactly not to
enlarge a but change the uni (poles that form the roof of
the ger), and make new ones, apparently the old uni (poles)
had deteriorated. Our ger was in an enclosure on northern
side of the soum centre, the ger was dismantled, another ger
without wooden floor was erected on the other side. The
wooden floor was repainted and put to dry. So my poor father
went to the mountain to cut young trees and brought them
because uni-poles are made from young trees, usually it was
of young lark trees, half of the poles were already made and
half of them were not ready when I returned t (left for UB).
My father and mother both liked sports very much so they put
a make shift table from the floor woods on the site of the
ger and we were playing table tennis. So when I left, my
poor father was playing tennis, that was what he did, on a
table made from the wooden floors of our ger. And since my
father was a very tall person if we made a short pass and
drop the ball very near (to the net) then that tall man had
difficulty in moving fast and could not receive the ball. It
made us to laugh over the poor man, he was such a playful
man. When I was leaving he said to me “you could not do this
year but next year you should make for me a shiimeg (a kind
of slipper)” … no sport shoes of so many different brands
were available in early days as it is today, so when I was
child a slipper with flat heels and leather soles was made
for me which I wore during my lessons of physical culture
and it was called shiimeg, we sewed these shoes ourselves,
it was a kind of slipper. So my poor father was saying when
you come next year sew one pair of such shoes for me. So I
left and came to my school and probably two months passed. I
think two months passed. Then poor thing my father died in
coma because of acute liver illness, he had hepatitis,
without knowing that he had hepatitis he was sent to aimag
centre and the illness became extremely complicated and he
died in aimag centre, so I could not meet my poor father. He
was a man who loved very much sports. My father was an
accountant, a self taught accountant (0-41-55), after
becoming an accountant he used Chinese abacus, abacus has 5
and 2 beads (two rows) on each…he used that instrument…he
made calculation on it marvellously. So my father was a very
well-known man in our native land, he was called Under
Tseelei, therefore when the identity card of citizens were
renewed, though there was a scheme depicting the
genealogical origins of various clans, but we don’t know the
exact location where our forefathers and relatives had been
living, no we have any idea about our tribal or clan name.
So according to instructions that we can create a new name
on the basis of the name someone, whom our parents
worshipped and respected or take the name of a well-known
place in our native land, that was the instruction so we
have taken the family name of “Undur”. So all my children
have now the family name of Undur. Well, my mother, the poor
woman, married very young…my mother and father were married
when they were very young, there was a tradition to marry
children while they are still young. I guess my father was
20 and mother 18 when they were married and the next year I
was born. So they became mother and father while still young
when they were only 19. When I was in 10 year school I was
very big and fat child, it is now that I became so lean and
wrinkled, I was plump. When I was attending 6th or 7th grade
of the 10 year school in Tsagaan Khairkhan soum of
Baruun….one summer I was returning home in vehicle, the
driver was a young man he asked me “whose child I was” when
I said the name of my father he retorted don’t lie…that
father of yours is a very young person. Though I was not
tall I was plump, that is why he thought so.(laughs) I don’t
know may be my father was so young and youthful. My poor
mother did not work anywhere, so it was she who reared and
made us humans, my mother and father were both very good and
nice people, of course, no one will say anything bad about
their parents, however, I have to say that they were indeed
good parents. (0-44-46) If I imitate my mother, my parents I
must be rather calm and gentle person, I do hope I imitated
them. I don’t really treat my children with temper. There
are some parents with temper, who when speaking to their
children use abusive language, scold and even beat them. I
don’t do that to my children I take a positive attitude
towards them. People from my native land also say that I
imitated my mother and father, if their characters are
inherited, being the offspring I should follow their
heritage. I also conclude that I am a calm and primarily a
gentle person. My children imitated these characters they
all are, in general, rather gentle. Only the youngest of
several children Oogii has a rather sharp temper but without
any wrong inclinations, she flares up easily. I repeat to
her that she might encounter problems because of her temper
but she says I have tempers as well as intelligence.
Byambajav -
The character of your children and their attitude
towards you had probably changed since the demise of your
husband.
Nanzai -
No, not really, there was not much change.
Byambajav -
If you were to sum it up…
Nanzai -
… аа yes, there was not so much change, yes, not very
much, of course they had received a heavy blow, they were
still young and it was difficult when the only person they
could rely upon had passed away. Then my husband spend most
of the time at his work and he had not been that close
everyday to the children, if he had spent days with them all
the time it would have been different. So since he was
always on move even small child became a bit estranged and
probably did not feel greatly attached. This what I think.
Byambajav -
Generally, they say that suffering binds people closer, aren’t they?
Nanzai -
Yes
Byambajav -
Yes, after you have experienced that loss did you
notice that the children became more harmonious or something
of this kind, may be they understand better each
other?
Nanzai -
No, too bad, not bad, that was exactly what happened
if in the past we were able to cope (with the problems of
living) when one of us disappears even the size of salary we
received went down and that was why it became apparent that
it was going to be difficult, and this was the situation we
had encountered.. So my son had to leave his institute, he
said mother my father died I’ll now work. It was hard to
make the ends meet so those who were students after
graduation directly went to work. (0-48-02) Even the
youngest was doing some job. Every one came to understand
that they have to do that, in the past when we had
everything ready, we went together with the youngest child
everywhere, that time we could afford almost everything but
now everyone understood that what was possible then, was now
impossible now. Yes, when we paid the apartment charge what
remained from the salary of one person was insignificant,
and the necessity of more money and more items to buy rose.
My husband and myself were from the same soum and actually
from the same area, and our families were living nearby.
Byambajav -
You’d been living together for 31 years, aren’t you?
Nanzai -
Yes, we did.
Byambajav -
Then after seeing the sudden worldly mortality
(death), as an individual in what situation did you find
yourself, can you recall about that?
Nanzai -
Oh, it was very difficult, my husband never
complained of illness but the poor man fell ill…suddenly he
became ill and continued to suffer. Probably one year had
passed, he was still feeling ill, he was hospitalised but
did not recover fully, he was losing weight and was,
generally, in a very frail health condition. I had been
worried since that time (0-49-47) and we had been to many
different hospitals, at last he was admitted in the hospital
of polyclinics No.2, there he did not get much treatment, he
had symptoms of acute shortage of kidney function, in
shortage of kidney function the blood becomes contaminated,
the kidneys become congested and the urine spreads all over
the body so the whole body is contaminated. The doctors were
saying that he might suffer from kidney shortage, he himself
was a doctor and he knew very well the situation but had
still some hope, he once told me about that. So he spent a
few days over there, we met and talked with doctors of the
hospital. With acute attack of illness he had been
hospitalised 4-5 times before his death. Then when he was
still in the hospital and when the treatment was not over,
he said he would like to be discharged, he apparently also
wanted to avoid injections. He said he wanted to be treated
at a sanatorium…so he was discharged and went to rural
areas, he went to his office (welfare centre) in the
countryside and after two days departed (died there) due to
the kidney shortage. He was a man obsessed with work,
exactly the day when he was out of the hospital, people from
his office came to our home, so they were talking about
their work, the situation over there is such, we did this or
that etc. Then he said I have to go to my work tomorrow ,
I‘ll arrange the work there and come back then go to the
“Orgil” sanatorium for treatment…I have to get some
treatment. He insisted on that. On that same day just after
leaving the hospital he went to the Red Cross. At Red Cross,
since they had many people to take care of in the welfare
centre, evidently they needed a lot of clothes and other
items in aid for those in welfare centre. The chairman of
the Red Cross was a person by the name of Shuuraa, he was a
classmate of my husband, they graduated from the Institute
together, so my husband met him and it was agreed that the
centre would receive a lot of clothes and other items with
that he came back home. (0-52-14) Then in the evening those
people (from the centre) came and they decided it was
necessary to leave that evening and come back the next
morning. So the next a day a vehicle arrived and that
morning he left, then upon arrival he started making
arrangement with his people, on his arrival on the next
day….At that time I was feeling not that well, so I sent my
elder son and his wife to accompany him thinking that my
husband’s condition might get worse. But he sent them back
with a word that he was feeling well and would be back on
the next day. Even so I didn’t know why may be it was the
intuition, I told him I’d come after you on Monday and bring
back a few of your belongings, you should take a long term
medical leave, the doctors were also advising him to do
this, so I decided to come over and sort out and bring back
his clothes and a fix up a few other chores. And I thought
it might be better to take for my husband that long term
medical leave and arrived there on Monday, when I arrived
his condition had already worsened. I left from here on
Friday the next day representatives of the Red Cross arrived
we received them and distributed all items to the people (in
the welfare centre). Afterwards they hold a small party with
those representatives of the Red Cross, we prepared for them
a Khorkhog (a meat dish cooked with red hot stones in air
tight can or container) that dish probably caused the
deterioration, he said that he had a mouthful of broth of
the dish. So it was the thing that killed the man who was
suffering from acute illness of kidney function shortage.
They told me that he slept for the whole night and
throughout the day. The next day in the evening he was
seized suddenly by an acute attack of pain so my husband
departed in the home of a stranger. Of course I knew that
his future was bleak, but did not really expect him to die
so suddenly, I hoped that the medical treatment would help
him. His sudden death put us in difficult situation. So I
summoned my children to the countryside they arrived during
the night and we brought his corpse…the staff of his
organisation came after us and we carried out the funeral
rites of the poor man here (in UB). Then for over a year and
two it was very difficult, my children were still young, so
what can I do, we had no option other than to pursue our
livelihood, I had to look after my children’s education and
other matters for the in interest of their wellbeing. Now,
it is much better than in earlier days, they have grown up.
So it is my hope that they will take care of me, no matter
what, until I would have to leave them for good.(laughs). My
children are not bad, not a single of them has such
offensive or bad habits, they are not bad.
Interviews, transcriptions and translations provided by The Oral History of Twentieth Century Mongolia, University of Cambridge. Please acknowledge the source of materials in any publications or presentations that use them.
