Mongolian, female, 47 years old, construction engineer
1. What’s the average earnings and basic living costs of food?
| Average salary | 240 000 – 500 000 tughrik/month | $100-200 |
| Milk, 1 liter | 800 tughrik (summer), 2 500 tughrik (winter) | $0.3 (summer), $1 (winter) |
| Rice, 1 kg | 4 000 – 5 000 tughrik | $1.7-2 |
| Egg, 1 piece | 350-400 tughrik | $0.1-0.2 |
| Chicken, 1 kg | ? | ? |
| Pork, 1 kg | 18 200 tughrik | $7.6 |
| Beef, 1 kg | 12 000 tughrik | $5 |
| Mutton | 8 000 – 10 000 tughrik | $3-4 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | 6 000 tughrik | $2.5 |
2. What celebrations and festivals do you have in your country?
| Naadam | 11-14 July |
| Saran-Sara | February (depends on a lunar calendar) |
| New Year | 1 January |
| Women’s Day | 8 March |
| Children’s Day | 1 June |
| Independence Day | November |
3. What’s the weather like in your country?
Dry climate.
| Winter (-30°C..-25°C) | December – February |
| Spring (+10°C..+25°C) | March – May |
| Summer (+25°C..+35°C) | June – August |
| Autumn (+20°C) | September – November |
4. What’s the local cuisine and the dish of the day?
Famous Mongolian food:
- Mongolian buuza
- Noodle soup
- Mongolian tsuivan (dried noodles with meat)
- Banshtai Tsai (cooked meat dumplings in Mongolian tea)
5. What expectations do you have for your grandchildren?
I wish them to live in a good place, to be proud of our country.
6. How did you furnish and design your place? Is your house big/small?
Apartment. Modern style. 1 bedroom, 1 living room, kitchen, balcony, 1 toilet/bathroom.
7. Is there anything unique created with people’s hands in this country?
Felt slippers, clothing made of wool and cashmere.
8. What pension are you entitled to in this country?
Females (55 years old) and males (60 years old) get 100 000 tughrik ($42).
9. How much would I be expected to pay for the following: land, house, apartment?
| Apartment in Ulaanbaatar (57 m², 1 bedroom, 1 living room, kitchen, 1 toilet/bathroom) | 142.5 million tughrik | $60 000 |
| Apartment in Choibalsan (57 m², 1 bedroom, 1 living room, kitchen, 1 toilet/bathroom) | 50-60 million tughrik | $21 000 – 25 000 |
| House in Choibalsan | 20-25 million tughrik | $8 000 – 10 000 |
| Land in UB suburbs (700 m²) | 25 million tughrik | $10 400 |
| Land in village near UB (700 m²) | 5-10 million tughrik | $2 000 – 4 000 |
10. How much would I be expected to pay for an apartment + energy bills + internet + other utilities monthly?
Apartment in Busan
| Loan repayments | 800 000 tughrik/month | $333 |
| Electricity | 50 000 – 60 000 tughrik/month | $21-25 |
| Water + Heater | 180 000 tughrik/month | $75 |
| Internet | 35 000 tughrik/month | $15 |
| Garbage + Lift | 50 000 tughrik/month | $21 |
11. What expectations do you hope to achieve for the future?
To travel. To see Europe, Thailand. To get enough money for living and paying for the school. I want to open my own business.
12. How do you want to die?
I don’t intend to die yet. There are many things I want to do before I die.