Dordzhi says that in the past boys and girls were brought up differently: In the past the Kalmyks used a vertical script. But when I started school, we already used the Latin Script and later the Cyrillic. In the past, a boy’s birth was a reason for joy and celebrations. People killed a sheep and threw a sheep’s head through the roof hole of their tents. Boys and girls were brought up differently. Girls were taught how to cook and sew. Boys, in contrast, were taught how to look after livestock. My father was a herder and I spent a lot of time with him tending horses.