Interviewed by Bilguun Adiya.

Get to know Oyunkhishig Gonchigsuren (Class of 2016). Trilingual in Mongolian, English and Japanese. She has a B.A. in Social Science from College of Asia Pacific Studies at the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan.

She is currently working at a Japanese HR consulting firm “Gobi Group” LLC, while also pursuing her musical career as a solo artist.

• Full name: Oyunkhishig Gonchigsuren

• Hobby Alumni: Class of 2016. (Years attended 2004-2016)

• Higher Education: Bachelor of Social Science, College of Asia Pacific Studies, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

• Languages: Mongolian, English, Japanese

• Sector(s): Social science/Tourism and Hospitality

• Current Workplace: Gobi Group 株式会社 ; HATSON

• Past Workplaces: IRIM

• Frequented Website: dazeddigital

• Current phone: Iphone 8+

• 3 Favorite Restaurants or Coffee shops in UB: Coffee Hut; Fat Cat Jazz; Namaste

• 3 Books To Recommend: Давалгаа бас дахин давалгаа- Дарма Батбаяр, Man’s Search for Meaning- Viktor E. Frankl, The Stranger - Albert Camus

• 3 Movies or TV-Shows To Recommend: Blade Runner (1982), The X-Files, Dark

• 3 Songs You Are Listening To Most Right Now:  Tyler the Creator & Nigo- Come On, Let’s Go, Chet Baker- Chet Baker Sings (the whole album), A Tribe Called Quest- Jazz

• 3 Apps To Recommend: LinkedIn, NOWNESS, Genius

• 3 Podcasts or YouTube Channels To Recommend: Architectural Digest, WorthIt, Vogue (extreme beauty)

• Social handles: Youtube: Yoko

Education

1.     How many years have you studied at Hobby School and where have you studied before and/or after Hobby?

 I have studied at Hobby school for 11 years since 1st grade.

2.     What kind of a student were you? What was your favorite class/subject and who was your favorite teacher?

I was very active, compared to now. I guess I was always active, very involved in talent shows, student council, and more so in talent shows. As for my favorite subject, I think Mongolian literature. In high school, my favorite teacher was  Ms. Enkhchimeg who taught Mongolian language, and from 1st to 5th grade, it was my class teacher Ms. Tsevelkhmaa . I liked the way Ms. Enkhchimeg taught us. It wasn’t only in the classroom, but she took us to museums and did other interesting activities. I think that really helped us in the long run.

3.     What’s your fondest memory at Hobby?

I used to stay late. Up until like 12th grade, I was always the last one to leave the classroom, because I was just generally very slow. We would stay and we would play outside with kids from every class. And then, I would still be the last one to stay.

4.     After graduating, why did you pick Hospitality and Tourism for your bachelor’s degree?

I really liked hotel management. In the beginning of high school, I thought I would become a hotel manager. Then, I did a bunch of internships at Mongolian 5-star hotels, like Shangri-La and Kempinski. I liked the concept of hospitality because Mongolians are hospitable. That’s why I chose that major, applied, and went to Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU), which was focused more on tourism than hospitality. So, I learned about tourism and I liked tourism. It is also a great opportunity for Mongolia. Mongolia is a very attractive country for authentic, cultural and nature-based tourism. Learning all the theory about tourism as a Mongolian, I thought it was a good tool for development.

5.     Did you get scholarships? What originally made you want to study at APU?

So, I am going to be very honest. I applied to APU because it’s near home. I did get 65 percent scholarship. I did get accepted into some schools in the US, but I went to APU because it was the most convenient choice for me to make. It was the least financially stressful option as well. During that time, it was shocking how people never explain how you would have to. It was always “get into big schools, get a scholarship, get into good schools and go ahead”. There is so much more to that. Of course, I am very thankful for my parents. Of course, I could have done better probably, but I don’t regret going to APU. I don’t regret not bringing back much burden to my parents. They could have done it. They could have paid for it, but I couldn’t live with myself, giving such stress to my parents who had already done so much for me. That’s why I chose APU.

6.     What did you do after your bachelor’s degree?

After my bachelor’s degree, COVID happened. So, no graduation and I was stuck in Japan for like 8, 9 months. Luckily, my sister was in Japan so I lived with her. During that time, I guess I focused on my musical career. Because, I had quit my band while I was in college in 2017. Towards the end of my undergraduate years, I came back to singing again more. During COVID, I focused more on singing and released one or two songs. 

CAREER

7.     What was your first paying job? 

My first paying job was a housekeeping job at a small resort in Japan. I used to do vacuum-cleaning and make the beds. I worked there for 1 month /laughs/. I quit, because it was very far from where I used to live. Then, I got a job at a hypermarket near my place. I worked there as a cashier for 3 years. My first paying job here in Mongolia was at the Independent Research Institute of Mongolia (IRIM) right after I graduated. I got a job there as a consultant/researcher, and we used to prepare studies for projects happening in Mongolia. I still kind of work there as a translator.

8.     How was the job search market for your major?

 Not good, because of COVID. I think that’s pretty obvious /laughs/. Surprisingly, the tourism market in Mongolia is dependent on domestic tourism, people from Ulaanbaatar traveling within the country, rather than inbound traveling. It was relatively okay, but with COVID travel restrictions, we still have it tough at the moment.

9.     Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

 I would like to grow artistically while maintaining a stable career. I’d like to dive deeper and be able to write my own songs, direct the music videos, and create the artworks. Being able to oversee each aspect will allow me to convey the messages I want to deliver to the fullest. 

I’d probably still be in consulting. I love my job, my colleagues and how this opportunity exists in Mongolia. The Japanese job market is very competitive and there are brilliant consultants out there. In 5 years, I know that Gobi Group will be a strong competitor and I’d like to be one of the people who make that happen.

10.     What is your daily routine at your job?

I am currently working at company called Gobi Group LLC as a consultant. Basically, we provide consulting and recruitment services in the Japanese market.  Our biggest clients would be Amazon, Boston Consulting Group and other tech companies. We specialize in tech/consulting companies. We are part of the company called SCC, which operates similarly in the Mongolian market.

The great part is that our work is 8-5 and ends exactly on time. The working environment is really stress-free and there is a lot of time to do something outside of work. It allows me to focus on my music.

11.     You mentioned being in a band, can you elaborate on that?

In high school, I had a live band phase. I was interested in a lot of live music, rock music in particular. Fun fact, I was in the Student Council. We were hosting our school Halloween party, and one of the Student Council members said their friends wanted to come and play as a band. I happened to know that band. That band had happened to ask me to sing with them at some place, which turned out to be the Hobby School Halloween party. That was in 2013, I think. Then they asked if I could perform at Playtime that summer. We started preparing, and that’s when I officially joined The Tourists.

12.     So how is your musical career now?

The genre changed. The Tourists is a hard rock band, heavily influenced by Guns N Roses. My bandmates listened to metal rock, but then I was a girl who grew up listening to Justin Bieber and One Direction. I loved to sing hard rock but didn’t listen to it as much as I should have. I was more into indie-rock. When I quit the band, I stopped singing hard rock. So, the genre shifted drastically, and it became more similar to what I listened to.

A solo career is a very a different experience. You could say there is more freedom. I never defined myself as a singer, but I’d say I’m an artist. Going solo gave me the opportunities to create music like how I’d paint a painting, from complete scratch. When I was in a band, I couldn’t play any instruments so there were no ways to influence the music-making process but to create my singing melody and lyrics. But having that idea pop in you head, and making it come to life is the best part. So, I now have the freedom express myself and my ideas, however I want.

FUN QUESTIONS

13.     May we ask if you are single or married? What are your thoughts on family planning in Mongolia?

I am in a very long-term relationship, 5-year long-distance relationship. Currently not married. I am very strict about family planning. It has been only a year since I came back, I want to figure out what I want to do first and raise a human being. In terms of relationship, I think it is very important to know about yourself and the other person before getting married.

14.     How do you relax? What’s your hobby or where can we find you when you are not working?

  When I am not working, I will probably be at home either painting or reading or watching a movie. You will probably not meet me, because I like to be alone when I am relaxing.

15.     When you were young, what did you want to be when you grow up?

My parents are doctors, and I used to pretend. Because everybody asks you what you want to be when you grow up. I had no idea. Just being honest here. People used to say astronaut or doctor, and I used to say doctor just so I can answer that question.

16.     Who is your role model in Mongolia? A living person and why?

Probably my parents, because they love their jobs. They define their life through their job, and I think that’s really important. You are spending more than 8 or 9 hours there, and I think it is important to love what you do. I can really see that they are motivated. And they have managed to raise 3 daughters. Things they like and things I like are very different, but generally to achieve anything, you need dedication and I think that’s really inspiring. Even if I am not going to be a doctor like them, I just need to do be like them in what I do.

17.     Do you have any mentors? How did you pick them as mentors?

 This is where my boyfriend comes in. I started dating him when I was 18. I always wanted to do something creative, and I wasn’t good enough. He was and still is very aware of the creative design, arts, film and stuff and just culturally very aware. I didn’t know I was supposed to know these types of things, right? I was just living unaware, and I think he showed me a different perspective of myself and the world. He boosted up my creativity musically and in design and everything. Through that I now know what I want to do. I thank him for that.

18.     What’s the best life advice that you’ve received? Who gave this advice?

 This is the first thing that comes to mind. I think it was from a book called Man’s search for meaning. During that time of COVID, after I graduated, I went through a crisis kind of thing. I graduated in tourism, and I was stuck in Japan. The daily routine was just obvious. Nowhere to go. My sister had a little baby, so we just stayed home. No friends, just three of us. I would go to the park. Very solitary. I was very worried about my future, you know. My career, what am I going to do? During that time when I was kind of lost, the question “What is the meaning of life?” was raised in me. Just thinking about those stuff, that question was answered. What the quote said was something like “A man must be worthy of his or her suffering.” In any situation, having the strength to stay human and kind and true to yourself is the most important thing in life. I was wondering, a lot of bad things happen in the world, right? They say look at the brighter side, but they don’t explain why we have to suffer like that. This book was about a Holocaust survivor, details about the Auschwitz and everything. I think the quote was originally Dostoevsky’s quote but this man being worthy of his suffering and staying human was the meaning of life. I think that is great, and it cleared everything for me.

19.     A personal advice you would like to extend to fellow Hobby Alumni?

Hobby is a very rare school. It holds a big part in my heart. The fact that there is a Hobby Alumni and everything, I think that’s pretty sweet and helpful to stay in contact with people. I tend to have trouble staying connected to people. I am glad that I had the chance to reconnect with my classmate who is taking this interview. I am just glad this thing exists. That’s all I have to say to them.

20.     A personal advice you would like to extend to fellow Hobby students?

There is no specific way of living. There is none of that, just because you are Hobby. I used to think that: good college, going abroad.

 There are people who go to very big school and just choose not to learn, whereas there are people here and choose to learn. So, it is just a perspective. There is a certain pace for everyone, and I am just saying you make your own life and you gain the knowledge for yourself, not to prove yourself to anyone. If you want to be an artist, go be an artist. If you want to be a lawyer, go be a lawyer. Find yourself, find your own passion. You don’t got to prove yourself to anything.

21.     What are your good and bad habits?

Good habit: I guess I am very persistent, dedicated when I want to do something. If I put my mind to it, I can do it very well. Bad habit: when I don’t have that urge, I can’t get things done well. Also, I am very sleepy.

22.     Funniest story at work you can share with us?

 I wouldn’t call it funny but perhaps lucky. It was October 2019, I had just come back to Japan from my holiday in Mongolia. During my time in Mongolia, I had recorded my first single “Far Away” and was waiting for the mix & master to be completed. I worked very closely with Real Label and knew that they were going to shoot a music video for a different song in Tokyo. I got a call from my producer (who also works as a producer at Real label) saying that the video maker is going to Japan in a few days but the rest of the team can’t make it.

If you know how much making a music video costs, let alone in Tokyo, you’ll know how lucky I got.

 23.     If you can pass 1 law globally, what would it be?

 Globally, especially in Mongolia, copyrights issues. Because I am a musician, right? Musical copyright, art copyright, lyrics and everything. Giving enough credit to artists is needed worldwide.

24.     Now if you can fix 1 problem in Mongolia, what would it be?

That would come back to my tourism. The infrastructure, such as roads and transportation, for tourism to develop. If it becomes better, Mongolia has different cultural areas, depending on the ethnicities, so that would enhance the tourism and bring job opportunities.

25.     If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive, who would it be, and why? Also, what would be your first question?

 John Lennon. My nickname was Oko, and I started listening to the Beatles. I was introduced to what I think is good music very late. Some people are just born in a musical family, right? I had to find these things myself. Everybody knew about the Beatles when they were three, whereas I found them when I was 13 or 14. So, I changed my name when I got into a band. I went from Oko to Yoko, because Yoko Ono. I think I would meet John Lennon. My question would be “Did Yoko break the Beatles?”

26.     Name 3 conspiracy theories you believe in.

I don’t know any. Oh. Aliens are real. Is that a conspiracy theory? Yeah, right? The Truth is out there.

27.     Who would you recommend to interview next from Hobby Alumni? And Why?

My classmate U.Enkhjin. She is doing her master’s degree in Nagoya University, and I think it is very interesting. She is very scientifically driven, so I think it would be interesting to share what she is doing. Hobby Alumni doesn’t have many representation from STEM.