The itty bitty ways we're different

I wanted to share a small part of Mongolian life that I don't exactly understand. I blow my nose into a tissue/Mongolian brown crepe paper toilet paper. Most Mongolians look at me with disgust because I do this. Their method can be explained as "the snot rocket". While walking with many Mongolians, it has occured that one will turn to the side, hold one nostril and blow his or her snot fiercely to the wind. Sometimes, if their snot rocket isn't too successful, lingering snot will hang and they must wipe it away with their hands. I tried the snot rocket once and was not successful. I have never done it again and I still prefer my tissue.

The other day I made pancakes for two students who came to chop my wood. I have tried to tell my Mongolian mother that I can indeed chop wood. She disagrees. Thus, I must make food for students who come to chop my wood for me. The two boys had never had pancakes before. I told them what you put on them....butter, jelly, (not exactly what we Americans do but I've come to love jam/jelly on my pancakes now) and syrup. I was amused because the boys slathered on the butter, jam, and syrup, and then rolled the pancakes like a burrito and ate them with their hands. I just feel like Mongolians and Americans are so minutely different....yet strikingly different at times. I definitely took American cultural customs and norms for granted.

Here, I have realized how selfish I can be. Mongolian culture is very communal. If someone has a pack of cookies (like Super Kontik which are my favorite!) and there are four cookies, the owner of these cookies is likely to get 1 or 2 of those. Sometimes I find myself waiting for my alone time to eat my precious Super Kontik because I know that if I walk into a room full of teachers I won't get all four of my cookies. If I have a bottle of juice I know that I also have to offer it to everyone around me. Germs apparently don't exist here anymore. My immune system is slowly turning into steel because it is constantly innundated with shared spoons, forks, cups. Dwan, my sitemate, and I have talked about the beast of selfishness and how we feel it clawing to the surface often. I have definitely realized what an individualistic culture I come from.