Lucky Jeans

.I’d like to take a moment to tell my friends and family a little something about Mongolians, as a people. Mongol Chod (people) have this amazing way of surviving dangerous situations. Known to many Americans living in Mongolia as the “luck gene”, Mongolians can outlive probably any American. You know all those safety hazards you were warned against as a kid? The ones like, don’t play with matches, don’t play with uncovered wires, don’t play with fireworks; well, these DO NOT apply in Mongolia. In Mongolia, you can set off fireworks inside buildings, off your felt ger, or in the middle of some of the driest brush in the country. You can also play with the gas pipe in your car while smoking a cigarette. Not only do Americans baby safe their homes, covering sharp edges, and putting plastic plugs in the outlets, but they also trust their children with only a select few people. In Mongolia, almost every home has uncovered wires sticking out of the wall, kids learn to build a fire along side learning to walk and talk, and every person in Mongolia is fit for watching your child for a few minutes while you go to the toilet. It’s this ‘luck gene’ that makes these things possible. While Americans need to get their car towed or taken into the shop at the first sign of system failure, Mongolians can use scotch tape to repair their cars, as good as new. They can fully recover from broken bones with the simple advice of “don’t move too much”, while Americans need ex-rays and casts, followed by physical therapy to gain complete recovery. I would in no way advise trying any of these things at home, and I don’t even try them out here. I don’t have the ‘luck gene’ and I don’t need to burn down a theater or electrocute myself to find that out. Thinking it is something else that keeps Mongolians chopping wood and building fires until they are 90 years old? I don’t know what it could be. It can’t be the water, because they only drink HOT water, any extra nutrients would be boiled out. It can’t be the milk, because the ‘good’ milk is only available during the summer. They do eat a lot of meat, but half of that is fat, which has got to clog the arteries…… eventually. Once again, the ‘luck gene’ prevents all of Mongolia from random heart attacks.

Ok, lost my train of thought, so that’s it for now.