TSOMO

TREKKING TOUR LEADER

During the time when I was born in 1989, my parents were working so hard to survive the transition era after socialism. But every city girl has grandparents who were born and grown in the countryside in Mongolia. I was lucky enough that I had my grandmother who raised me and taught me everything she knows through her life and how important to have a belief in traditional religion (Buddhism) and especially how to treat nature by talking me to her home village. I always remember that she was highly religious and brought me to Gandan Monastery for chanting every weekend. She always carried her 108 beads and pray to Deities with deep respect. That's why I became a Buddhist and grew up with beautiful Buddhist traditions.

I loved those moments of my childhood during the summertime, spending time width my grandmother in a Mongolian Ger with an open door, listening to the dog barking, and raindrops on the roof of ger.

From 2009, I attended a food nutrition class and decided to be a vegetarian from now on. Since then very interested in eating healthy food nutrition. After my graduation from business school, I worked for 6 years in the Mongolian mining sector. I dedicated myself to working with the company without any holiday for that time frame. In Mongolia, I believe my generation should work really hard to make a living and reach financial freedom, especially for young women. 

But on the other hand, it feels like our origin is lost, this connection to nature. Therefore, I lost who I wanted to be in life. And I realized that this business plan and the way the mining industry is built in Mongolia relies on destroying its beautiful nature. During my last year working there, I needed a break because feeling under lots of stress and tiredness. That is why I attended a Buddhist Vipassana meditation retreat for 2 weeks, as my first summer vacation. This is a popular retreat in Mongolia involving vows of silence, whole days meditation sessions only paused by the breakfast, lunch, and dinner breaks. This was the first time that I shared so much with the people around me, even without saying a word, when we were together practicing guided meditation on the main hall, from 5 am and until the evening. I felt something new inside, as a result of focusing on myself, my health and wellness, eating only vegetables to detox the body and the mind, and receiving teachings about Buddha.

After that, I deeply fell in love with meditation techniques and I tried almost every meditation center in town as my curiosity grew. Almost one year after, I met my meditation teacher - Boya - who introduced me to Mongolia’s beautiful nature, and a way for me to reconnect with Mother Earth. Then, when I visited for the first time my grandmother's home town located in the Zavkhan province, the Mongolian West, I could finally feel that deep connection with my heart.

I wanted to invest more time in traveling my own country as a result, falling in love with experiencing trips with the” Smile Mongolia Club" members, incredible people from various backgrounds but united with this common belief and values. They gave me so much until now, and I am grateful and proud to be an active member to this day. I was a city girl before experiencing traveling within my own country, and I had this wish to travel abroad only to know what real travel is. I came from a wrong approach and that change made me realize how beautiful my country is. I feel always grateful that my job is connected with my own ancestor's birthplace and feel proud to represent every corner of my country.