A master graduate from a renowned Chinese excavator school(Lanxiang), Mike, recalled his amazing experience operating excavators in Mongolia.
Mike, introduced by a classmate, went to his classmate’s home in a Mongolian mine to operate the machine. Mike is someone who enjoys adventure and trying new things. Despite his rough exterior, he is meticulous in his thinking. After logical analysis, he believed that the benefits outweighed the drawbacks. Thus, in 2012, he decisively set off on his journey to Mongolia.
According to Mike’s recollection, he took a bus from Beijing to Erenhot, a border town between China and Mongolia. From there, he boarded an international train to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. He then took a small plane, something he had never seen such a small plane before, to reach the worksite. Upon arrival, all he could see was desolation and desert, with hardly any green vegetation apart from the mine. During his first visit, he worked continuously for two months, earning twice as much as he would in China and having all his travel expenses reimbursed.
Although he made some money, he remembers the living conditions at the time being very harsh. They lived in traditional Mongolian yurts, relying on coal stoves for cooking and heating. The food was also quite monotonous, mainly consisting of mutton. The local chefs prepared mutton in various ways, occasionally serving some depressingly flavored dumplings.
With the experience of his first trip, Mike became even bolder on his second visit, working at the mine for two years. If the first trip brought a taste of success, the second trip laid the foundation for his life back in China, allowing him to earn in two years what would take four or five years domestically. The boss, seeing how hard the operators worked, had the chefs cook meals according to Chinese preferences. In Mongolia, beef and mutton are abundant and cheap, with a sheep costing $50 and a cow costing $200.
Upon returning to China, Mike reflected on his two overseas experiences, embodying the saying, “Only through hardship can one become truly successful.” Many lack Mike’s courage and his enduring spirit, which is why Mike was able to earn his first bucket of gold in life.