Winter in Ulaanbaatar: The privilege of clean air

I don't know what it is, but the winter months in Mongolia seem to be the longest I've ever experienced. Not sure if it is the lack of daylight, the merciless cold or the fact that I've been living in winter since mid-October. Sometimes I wonder if there has ever been a life before winter?

Winter time is freezing and air mask time in Ulaanbaatar. Temperatures drop below -30 degrees Celsius and dust concentration climbs on hazardous levels on a lot of days. Like always...you get used to it, but still it is no nice way to live. It feels like you were taken away your freedom to walk outside without this tight, inconvenient thing on your mouth and nose or the freedom to open the window whenever you want to or the freedom to do some sport activities outside or inside.

Yes, air pollution is terrible here in winter. And everyone should be aware of this when coming here at that time. On the other hand, it makes me appreciate the privilege of having access to clean air even more. Every day I see people going to work, children going to school, traffic police officers standing on the street WITHOUT air masks. Not to mention what it's like in the ger districts in the suburbs of UB.

I hope this city will find a way to deal with the harsh winters without polluting the air so massively. I hope that one day people here have the privilege of having access to less polluted air as well.