Saturday, October 26, 2019 Inakura Youth Activity Center
The 30th Anniversary of ica will be held on October 31, 2020. In preparation for the event, with the guidance of people from Mongolia, 35 participants gathered in the Inakura Outdoor Youth Center parking lot to assemble a Mongolian ger. On the actual day of the event, next year, the ger will be assembled with all participants.
When we arrived at the venue, several people were carrying heavy wooden framework out from under a storage staircase. I immediately tried to help but the last door I brought out was extremely heavy and quite challenging to carry.
We inserted the umbrella-like slats of the roof into their receptacles. Unfortunately we came up short one hole right at the very end. Because of this we had to correct our mistake. Even though we had this minor setback, like excited children, we still had fun. After its completion, it was already lunch time. In the end, I struck up some conversations with participants over lunch.
Finally, under roof of the completed ger, was a live performance of the morin khuur, a traditional Mongolian stringed instrument. Right before our eyes, came an impressive force of various tones. Eyes closed, Mongolia’s vast wilderness, emanated.
Hajime Katsuragi
