Zinaida says that she went to Western Mongolia in 2013 with the Kalmyk folk ensemble Erdem. In Mongolia she remembered her childhood back in Kalmykia i.e. how Kalmyks distilled milk vodka, made butter etc. According to Zinaida, the life of Western Mongols is not very different from those of the Kalmyks (in her childhood). There are many common words in the two languages as well. When Zinaida sang a Kalmyk song about the Volga, old Mongol women cried. Kalmyk dances, according to Zinaida, differ from Mongolian ones in that they are more rhythmic.Zinaida likes Kalmyk songs and music. With her folk ensemble, she has performed in many parts of Russia and beyond. Zinaida�s grandmother also liked singing. Zinaida has been singing since 1993 and hopes that the younger generation would continue the tradition of the Kalmyk people into the future.