by Alexis Sullivan, of Weber State University
The days in the Darhad are ever changing, unpredictable, and long. In the last six days we have had an abundance of experiences, mileage on our boots, sleep deprivation, hours of dancing and days where we kept our heads down, never stepping out of the ger unless to eat Umkah’s delicious food and never looking up unless she brought us snacks to keep our academic marathons fueled.
Some of the things I think we’ve all learned here so far: deels are hard to put on, there is something for everyone, smoking cow patties are a good bug deterrent, how to start a fire in a ger, and long days are best ended with handstands and yoga. The one thing I love the most of what I’ve learned is the value of reciprocity because the people here value it so much. 
On July 2nd we spent the day at the ranger’s headquarters doing workshops for them refreshing them on Garmin GPS, camera traps and common plant families in Ulaan Taiga Specially Protected Area Administration (UTSPAA). It felt strange sharing this knowledge with them because I’ve felt they have so much more to teach us. Until I saw the rangers furiously taking notes and laughing vibrantly as they ran around headquarters practicing GPS points, I felt like they valued what we shared.
Later in the evening we went to the Mungash River to have Horsog, a traditional Mongolian BBQ where large rocks are heated in a fire until they’re glowing red hot, and then placed into a metal tin with a sheep and some vegetables and cooked for ~ 30 minutes. While we waited for dinner all the Round River students with our instructors and all 30 rangers with their wives, and the rest of UTSPAA walked to a rocky island in the river, to take photos and play volleyball. This has been one of my favorite moments on the program.
We spent twilight laughing, falling in a river, and eating amazing food. Before horsog ended Tumersukh gave a toast to all the rangers protecting the land, their wives, and to the Round River students for leaving our homes to come across the world and research this place that he cares for so much. A few of the rangers recited poetry and continued to share their kindness, as we all took shots of Sprite. Afterwards we returned to headquarters for a dance party. We learned a countryside Mongolian dance to polka music, and taught them some David Byrne’s moves in return.
It was amazing to feel so deeply connected with people that I have been unable to verbally communicate with. Sharing a love for the Earth has brought us here together.
