Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaSunday, September 20, 2009
Just before the weather let loose yesterday with the season's first snowstorm, things came to a boil down in the courtyard over the new mini market that's going in on the first floor of our apartment complex.
It all started Friday evening when workers arrived to put up the plastic letters on the building. Neighbors gathered outside the new mini market and advised the guy not to put the letters up over the neighboring apartment, but he proceeded to ignore their advice. Later that evening there was some heated discussion about the placement of the letters, but finally everyone went home.
Early Saturday morning, I looked out to see a man on a ladder removing the top halves of the "SUPER" letters. (Apparently he didn't have the tools to get the whole thing down.) Later that morning when the removal was discovered, an argument broke out between the apartment owner and the store owner.
By 1:30pm, the snowstorm was raging but it was time to call in the apartment's security people to mediate the situation. By 2:30pm, there was a police car down in the courtyard.
At last, it seems the apartment owner's friends convinced him to take a ride with them--and avoid going for a drive with the police.
PS: Monday afternoon I came home to "Market." All traces of the "Super" were gone. But it will be wonderful to be able to buy some milk without walking 1.5 miles in the fierce Mongolian winter...
