Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaTuesday, December 15, 2009
I took a school field trip today that redefined my definition of hell--and not because the students were difficult: they were angels. It was the weather. When we left school at 8:30am it was -31 °F / -35 °C.
The purpose of the field trip was to collect pollution data of various kinds (air & noise pollution as well as loose trash and other data). We stopped at 12 locations across Ulaanbaatar, and the kids got off the bus at each location to collect their data.
By the time we reached the 6th data spot, many of us could no longer feel our feet. Fortunately a cozy cafe appeared close to the 6th or 7th data point, and we piled in and ordered hot chocolates for everyone. When the sensation had returned to our toes, we hurried back onto the bus and resumed our data collection.
When we got back to school about noon, Frank reminded me that innermost circle of Dante's hell is ice. I think I'll be doing a bit of catching up on my classics because I think Dante might have been onto something.
