Basic information
Interviewee ID: 990122
Name: Nyamdavaa
Parent's name: Mör
Ovog: Halh taij
Sex: m
Year of Birth: 1945
Ethnicity: Halh

Additional Information
Education: secondary
Notes on education: büren dund
Work: retired
Belief: Buddhist
Born in: Oktiyabriin raion sum, Ulaanbaatar aimag
Lives in: Nalaih sum (or part of UB), Ulaanbaatar aimag
Mother's profession: trader
Father's profession: political / party work

education / cultural production; work; urban issues; privatization; keepsakes / material culture; military;


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Summary of Interview 080713A with Nyamdavaa

Nyamdavaa has brought up by the kindergarten and studied at secondary school Number One and they were the first graduates of the school to go for 11 years. This graduation (after 11 years) gave students the opportunity to obtain some industry experience for two days of the week and provided an opportunity to learn a profession, so students were able to go to work immediately after graduation.

For professional training people usually went to Russia, but it was mostly children of high-level people who went to these trainings. Also, there were evening courses to learn a profession.

At the same time as the establishment of the collectives, the cultural campaign was organized in 1957-58 and it had good outcomes due to comprehensive agitation.

Structural change (after 1990) had a heavy impact on people’s life and women with many children and men of little more than 30 years old or people who worked for 20 years were forced retire. Since then, there was a shift to (rationed) coupon goods and life became extremely difficult. Privatization was done very incorrectly and only a few big bosses shared all the assets. In the shops, there were only a few items such as meat, milk, bread and vodka. Clothes were very rare and very expensive. Later, starting in1996, many companies were established and the difficult period of coupon goods was over.

In the past, herders secretly celebrated Tsagaan sar and starting in 1970, it became celebrated as a collective’s holiday. Since 1967, TV entered the life of Mongolians.

In Ulaanbaatar, in 1961-1962 there were only a few factories and the apartments in 40,000 and 50,000 and the State Department Store were built at this time. There were all ger districts in Ulaanbaatar, for instance, ger districts starting from the State Department Store and further south. The rivers Tuul and Selbe had a lot of water, and were very clean, so children played there and did some fishing. Rafts floated on the River Tuul.

The state created jobs and employed people. There was a tax for people with no children and Nyamdavaa paid for almost 10 years. During the socialism, salary was quite enough for living and as democracy came many people suffered due to structural changes.