About me

Date: 16 March, 2012
Location: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

From my childhood I was fascinated by foreign languages, so many summer holidays were spent behind a study table. My list of self taught languages is long, but none of them came even near to fluency, except English and traditional Mongolian script.

Thanks to childhood stamina developed in learning it has never been difficult to qualify in different exams. I gained the highest scores in higher education institute admission exams, which enabled me to do BA in international relations in Foreign Service School, Mongolia and MBA in India and forfeited government scholarship offers from University of Hong Kong and International University of Japan. As a graduate of prestigious universities I was given great opportunities to work in different fields, traveling abroad, attractive compensation packages, e.g. I was shaped into a young successful professional. As mineral sector was about to revamp the country’s economy I was in the middle of taking another great opportunity to work in an international company with promising perspectives. I was again successful in my pursuit of excellence my career, but everything had to STOP at this point. Although I was always successful in exams, I failed in my own exam for caring myself. Due to irrational hard working, bad diet, different inhibitions and other adverse conditions, I became seriously ill.

It seems I have never had relaxation being occupied with huge professional and family responsibilities. I am the eldest in the family with 2 younger sisters and a brother. As my mother, a GP, suffered a stroke 10 years ago and my father had to look after her since then, I had to step in and take the responsibility for the family.

It was both ‘curse’ and ‘blessing’ that I was diagnosed with multi-drug resistant TB in early 2011. I have been staying in TB hospital for 13 months in total: 2 months in Mongolia, 4 months in Huh hot, China and 7 months in Mongolia. I mean ‘curse’ because it is difficult to treat, requiring a long time and posing a perpetuated risk of relapse. It is ‘blessing’ because I’m having this long holiday that I seemingly I deserve.

Being ill for a long time brought a lot of changes in my life. The illness requires to stay a very long time in the hospital secluded from one’s family and the society as it imposes a danger infecting others. In my next missives I will share about the changes that I had to encounter and experiences of my roommates.