Hello!

Welcome and thank you for taking a moment to get to know my blog!

The purpose of this page is to document the process of my going to Mongolia from inception to culmination. Of course, I am a little late. I have had the idea for a while, but I'm still making the arrangements. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Here's a little bio:

I'm currently a sophomore at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia, PA majoring in 2D Fine Art with a minor in Photography & Digital Arts. Right now, this school is my life and I wouldn't have it any other way. Art has always been both a skill and an interest of mine, so I always knew that I would make a life with it -- the problem was that I couldn't decide which direction to take it. In high school, I was on the fence between painting, acting, writing and filmmaking. Today, I still haven't figured it out, but with an education in Fine Art from a flexible program, I have been able to bridge the worlds of two-dimensional art, performance and video with moderate success. Though I've built my life around very specific, strategic planning, I still consider myself to be a largely intuitive person.

Here's why I'm going to Mongolia:

Several weeks ago, it became apparent that I was to go to Mongolia this summer. It began as a hunch - a vague, inexplicable interest in the country - and escalated into a mission. I would go to Mongolia. I stayed up until about 4 a.m. one night emailing every church, every missionary, every Christian organization at all affiliated with ministry in Mongolia begging for the opportunity to travel there. I did not fit the qualifications for any of the groups' pre-planned programs, but I told them that I was a hard worker and would gladly be someone's personal assistant in exchange for the chance to travel there. No luck -- UNTIL, in a google search for "Christian Churches in Mongolia," a link to the University of Colorado at Boulder's study abroad program appeared. The course? Digital Photography in Mongolia, a three-week, three-credit course designed to teach students the basics of digital photography as an art medium and as social commentary. Perfect, right? I spoke with everyone and his dog at Moore and made an agreement to transfer this class in as Digital Photo I, a class that I need to fulfill my minor.

Here's where I am now:

The application deadline for the program is March 3rd and I have nearly completed it. The only things missing are my transcripts (which are on the way as we speak!) and my letter of recommendation which I am guaranteeing overnight on Thursday.

The program is quite expensive, however, and I plan to generate as much of the funding myself as possible. In order to make the nearly $8,000 I will need altogether for this trip, I plan to apply for as many scholarships as possible, which is proving to be difficult considering the nature of the program restricts my eligibility for most available scholarships and grants. I will also save every penny of my meager paychecks until then, and as soon as school's out, I will work extremely hard to earn as much as possible. In addition, I plan to create and sell inexpensive prints of my work, so stay tuned and buy lots and lots of artwork to support me!!

Even with all of these things, I realize the virtual impossibility of raising $8,000 in 3 1/2 months as a beyond full-time college student, so I plan to take out an educational loan to cover any unpaid expenses. NOTHING will stand in the way of this project! Not even that small matter called money.

Here's what's next:

I have to get my passport, get a camera, get accepted into the program and get the bills paid. I will probably also need some warm winter clothes because the Gobi Desert tends to be a bit colder than Central Pennsylvania.

Here's a little bit about Mongolia:

According to Wikipedia, the entire population of Mongolia is between 2.6 and 2.9 Million people. ( the population of New York City is about 8.2 million ) About 30% of the population is nomadic or seminomadic living in round tents called "gers" (mistakenly called "yurts") and herding animals.

The predominant religion is Tibetan Buddhism, but Islam, Christianity and Shamanism are practiced on the fringes. Mongolia was once ruled by a militaristic, communist regime basically controlled by Stalin and the Soviet Union. When Mongolia recently became free from this restrictive regime, they began to open their country to a greater variety of religions. According to the US State Department, there is no national religion but all religious groups must undergo a complex application process in order to exist and work in the country. To date, there have been no cases taken to trial concerning injustices related to the permit regulations. Mongolia is currently in a state of transition between their traditional, isolated lifestyle and an interest in a degree of westernization including capitalism and democracy. The matter of religion is particularly sensitive to Mongolians because Stalin had out-right banned the practice of Buddhism in Mongolia, setting fire to many of the country's beautiful monasteries. Some Mongolians are afraid of losing the right to practice their faith because of another government mandate.

For further reading on Mongolia, check out Wikipedia.