I grew up in a village, and after finishing school, I moved to the city for further education. Many people saw college and university as a liberation from the hardships of village life and rarely visited their family home. I visited every weekend—I missed my parents terribly.
Of course, Mom and Dad didn't let us buy a house in the village back then, but insisted on a small house in the city. An apartment was out of the question—we needed a house on the land. That's how we're used to it.
Our children have inherited our love of the village. They know all the animals and take part in caring for them. They know how bread is earned and help in the garden. They are accustomed to work, although they perceive everything as play.
I could go on and on about the perks of village life. For example, where can you see a real tame horse just by stepping through the gate? In our village!
Where can you disappear every day by the river, cooling off in its waters during the summer heat? Behind our garden, just beyond that little forest in the photo.
My father also spends a lot of time on the river. He's an avid fisherman. His catches are impressive.
He recently got a boat. Now we go fishing together: we ride the boat while he fishes from the shore. In our free time, we use it as a pool for the kids, filling it with water.
Another active pastime in the village is cycling. It's the main mode of transportation for getting around the village, so every home has one.
On holidays, local amateur groups gather here. The whole village sings and dances.
Our son has a convertible stroller from the countryside. It's based on a wheelbarrow. We only change the "blocks." And the best thing is, no one ever talks about it or says anything nasty. On the contrary, all the kids in the area enjoy riding it.
The main advantage of village life is the ease of communication, mutual support, and shared holidays and sorrows. Everyone knows each other, so the village is quiet and peaceful. Children play active games outdoors rather than on computers. Of course, such life is physically harder than in a city apartment. But we are glad that the village is our small homeland.
And the air there is probably fresh?
We were so tired of the city bustle and the stinking air. We started dreaming of moving from the city and our apartment to our own house with land, far away from all this pollution. Meanwhile, young people from the villages, on the contrary, are yearning for the cities…
The evening and morning air is incomparable! Especially in spring, when everything is in bloom. We try to leave the city walls as often as possible to visit our home village.
I'm a city girl. But I've always dreamed of a house in the country. Every month we go to the village to visit my husband's relatives. They live in an apartment, but there are plenty of private houses with livestock around. We stroll the streets, surrounded by chickens and cows. The Volga is nearby—we swim in the summer.
We tried buying a house with land, but it's twice as expensive as an apartment. We definitely can't afford that, but we really want it...
Since childhood, I've dreamed of milking a cow at least once in my life)))) I love milk and animals))
I feel like I'll only get a house in the village when I'm old)) But for now we'll languish in the city's "concrete boxes."
We dreamed of NOT milking a cow just once))) Villages are different too. And life in them is different. Some even have internet, a small farm, and a patch of land for the soul... And then there are places of survival. The hinterland... Our village is considered the center of a rural community, so it's often more developed than the surrounding areas. There's even a central gas pipeline! And the villages nearby, 10 kilometers away, are dying out.