Trick or Meat!

For thousands of years Mongolians have lived peacefully on their expansive steppe. Thousands of October 31sts have come and gone without making so much as a blip on the Mongolian radar. All that changed in a big way this year my friends. Just like Genghis Kahn taught the Mongols how to fight, Genghis Cochrane taught the Mongols how to fright.

It all started last week, on a day much like today. I was having a typical conversation with one of my coworkers. After exchanging pleasantries and information about the state of our respective livestock, I mentioned that I was "super duper stoked" for Halloween. A fifteen minute explanation of the phrase "super duper stoked" was followed by a 30 second description of my favourite holiday. I talked of Jack-o-lanterns, of trick or treating, of witches and of zombies. Needless to say, she was more intrigued than a Grizzly Bear at a honey tasting. She insisted that I show her and the rest of the department my weird and strange traditions.

And what a weird and strange party it was!

It began with me retelling the story of Stingy Jack and the first Jack-o-lantern, complete with different voices for the different characters. I do a great Lucifer in case you didn't know. This was followed by some inspired Jack-o-lantern carving. I fancy myself an expert in the art of pumpkinry, but much to my embarrassment, I was shown up by almost everyone in the department. I suppose all those years of slaughtering sheep and Chinese farm people have made the Mongolian people handy with a knife.

Jack-o-lanterns begat ghost stories, and might I tell you, there is nothing harder than explaining the concept of a haunted house to a Mongolian. Their nomadic lifestyle makes them completely immune to hauntings.

"What's that honey? There's a ghost in the ger? PICK IT UP!"

Perhaps this ghostly loop hole was the original inspiration for their lifestyle. I see no other explanation really.

Following the herds? Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

We had candy, we had jack-o-lanterns, we had ghost stories, but what Halloween party would be complete without a little Monster Mashing? I played my coworkers the Barry Picket classic on repeat and taught them the true meaning of fear.

Yes, all in all a classic Halloween, and an event that I am told will become an annual tradition. They told us at orientation not to try and change our countries, but like light bulbs and underwear, some things just need changin'.

Does this mean I am going to start changing my underwear? Lets not get ahead of ourselves here.

And finally here are some pictures for your visual enjoyment. They are not of the staff party, but of a party that I threw with my second year English class. The party taught me two things about Mongolians. They all throw the peace sign in pictures and if you cut one of them with a pumpkin carving knife they bleed red blood, just like you and me.



Happy Halloween!

GC