I probably have herpes...

...sorry. But the reason why is also a lesson in Mongolian culture.

Speaking of lessons, today I taught my students about conditionals and different emotions. One example I like, and one of their favorites is... If I farted in class I would be embarassed. So, we are acting out farting and embarrassment in a kind of charades game and the 7th grader next to me, reaches over, takes my water and starts to drink. She didn't drink a lot, just a little. It was a polite amount to take from someone else. But there was no asking. That kind of behavior is typical. I think I mentioned before how everything is shared. Food, water, sleeping mats, horses, all of it. You don't ask for a person's water, it is just assumed that they brought it share. If it's out, it's fair game (That's what she said.)

I'm pretty sure we can connect this to herder life. A traveler will be welcomed into any ger with milk tea and cookies and snuff bottles will be passed around. Alcohol is always shared out of the same cup. When you are drinking fermented camel milk, moonshine, beer or vodka (if you are lucky) they will put some in a cup and hand it to you. You are expected to drink quickly (women don't have to drink it all but you have to at least put some to your lips) and hand it back. Then the host, the man with the bottle, fills it again and passes it to the next person. When it's his turn, he won't take his time either. Chug, pass to host, fill, pass to guest, chug. You are always offered. I think you have to refuse at least twice for them to stop offering.

This would be hard for me to get used to. I like it a lot, I'm not upset when people take from me, but it would be hard to get used to taking from other people. It's fun to think about what one of my teachers would have thought if I had just taken a sip of her diet coke. She would not have assumed I was Mongolian.

Sharing. It gives you herpes. Right?