Өөрийн үзэж харсан зүйлс, туршлагаа ямар нэгэн нэмэлт хачиргүйгээр, хэн нэгэнд тал засалгүйгээр тэмдэглэн үлдээсэн нь маш их таалагдлаа. 2000-аад онд Монгол Улсад хууль, засаг үйлчилдэггүй байсан нь 20н жилийн дараа одоо ч хэвээрээ байгаа нь гунигтай бн шүү. “It is a government of men and not of laws” “Mongolians’ flexibility and adaptability come from harsh isolation. They are superb tactically but not so strong strategically. Flexible and practical problem solving in the immediacy keeps the family alive; thinking about long-term options and strategies is not a priority when immediate survival is threatened”
very much enjoyed reading this book. i would say this book as more of his dairy he wrote when he was in mongolia. i was very impressed on his curiosity and how much he made an extensive research on our history, cultural and people. as a mongolian , i cannot hide the fact that i read some details in this book that i didn’t know before. there was also times where he described “normal” gestures, (which are very true) in mongolia was entertaining. i was enjoyed getting to know our country’s view on foreigners perspective and i think this book will be handful for foreigners coming to mongolia for the first time.
It was a beautifully written book by Mr. Morrow. He was a true genius as an international banker and a man that impacted every Mongolian's life simply by contributing to Khan Bank's operations. Now, Khan bank is the largest bank of Mongolia, in which almost every Mongolian has bank account. His book gave me wonderful insights into Mongolian countryside, history, nomadic lives and Mongolians characteristics and helped me to look at ourselves through an outsider's eyes. There were some moments that my eyes were filled with tears, just being impressed with how beautiful his minds were about people and life just in general. Thank you Mr. Morrow for your contribution to our country. Totally worth reading and recommended!
I first met Pete when we worked at the Export Import Bank of the US in the early 70s. We lost track of one another until I heard he was living in Mongolia and my employer at the time, Bechtel, assigned me to work on a project in country. I found Pete through a mutual friend. Pete helped Bechtel as a consultant on its project and we became fast friends again after many decades. I thoroughly enjoyed this, Pete's first book. His insights into Mongolian culture are amazing! Rest in peace my friend. You died much too early but your legacy will live on in Mongolia forever!
It's an interesting read to see how expats view Mongolians. Some of the facts and incidents were saddening to learn about. The book triggered memories (though sadly, no written notes remain) of my time traveling extensively with tourists as a tour guide. I recall the beautiful nature and rich cultural experiences I witnessed. Through my colleagues at a USAID-funded project, I also gained a glimpse into expat communities and even danced salsa at Millie's Cafe. Great memories nonetheless!
Mr.Morros was well travelled man and very open-minded person. Accepted our Mongolians as we are no pre-judging. Book was very interesting for me as of looking ourselves from different window.
This book is the lucky encounter of a curious soul with a rare opportunity. The soul is that of J.P. Morrow, an American expert in fixing banks that are in financial trouble, especially in post-communist countries. The opportunity is that of becoming the CEO of a capillary Mongolian bank, and gaining with the job the influence to influence the evolution of the Mongolian society in a number of domains.
Morrow was indeed a peculiar man: he was in his 50s when in 2000 he left his life in Phoenix, Az to start a tenure in Mongolia that was supposed to last for 2 years, but that instead kept him in the country for 15+ years, until he passed away. His job commanded that he took an interest in Mongolian people and how their society is run, but his sincere curiosity in Mongolia led him much further than that, both figuratively and physically. An avid traveller, he went to many remote branches of the bank, hidden in the steppe or at the end of valleys, surrounded by mountains. Influenced by high-end Wall Street stereotypes, it was hard for me to imagine that any banking was going on in such areas, but in fact it is: one of the ways Morrow's bank was made profitable was through loans to individuals working as independent traders, who would cross borders and inhospitable lands to buy and sell their products. This is, in some way, the purest social motivation of banking as a concept, and Morrow firmly believed in the social value of the bank's actions. Through his trips, he met people, experienced the hospitality and the different facets of the Mongolian culture, and discovered sites of archeological interest that he then promoted within his circles in Ulaanbaatar and the United States.
The first chapters describe life in Ulaanbaatar and the peculiarity of Mongolian people and society through the eyes of a foreigner that is learning to understand the country. The second block of chapters describe his travels around Mongolia, and it is best read with Google Maps on the side, to attach an image to names and lands. The third part explains how he and his bank influenced the development of cultural institutions in Mongolia. My personal impression is that the important role he played in the Mongolian society was one of the reasons he elected to stay there. This role was clearly more important than anything he could have been in the US, because of the smaller size (populationwise) of Mongolia, the relative underdevelopment of many of its institutions, his own job, and his personal capital. The last part is a "summary", which despite the many caveats from the author that summaries are dangerous and oversimplify matters, does a good job of squeezing out of his many experiences a relevant synthesis.
Morrow seemed to have the same meticulous, no-compromise approach to his work as he had to his exploration of Mongolian culture and land. His prose is pleasant and direct, his statements are clean and sharp. His enthusiasm and wittiness makes us forgive him for the several occurrences of neoliberalismsplaining and for rarely acknowledging the value of points of view different from his own.