It is two months I am in Krasnoyarsk, and I am enjoying the city, people and my work so much!
At the beginning of July, I have been with my host Aygul and her family to dacha. That was a great experience! For those who do not know, dacha is not a simple country house. Russian people go there both to escape the city, both to work. The culture of dachas is a kind of compensation to a city dweller for the cramped living conditions…
There, in the embrace of nature, people enjoy fishing, swimming, picking mushrooms and growing their own vegetables. That was great for me, because I experienced a real Russian way to live and spent a weekend in a particular way. Firstly, I obtained a particular kind of “slippers”, used by Russians to walk into the woods or simply to go the nearest shop. That’s a thing that I love in Russia: do not be judged about your clothes, matching colors…do whatever you want. Relax, take it easy and enjoy the moment! After having obtained my “slippers for the weekend”, Aygul and I had a walk to the lake not far from the dacha, had lot of fun! Coming back, a typical hot tea (as usual) and went to sleep. The day after, we had a barbecue, in Russian are called Shashliki (шашлыки) and vegetables cooked in different ways; drank hot tea, talked a lot with the sun on our skin…and helped Aygul and her family in the reconstruction. That’s how I found myself to put out paper craft with a knife in Siberia!
Weeks later, I went to an excursion into the woods, and even if it was a hot day, I had no proper shoes and it was a bit hard, I got on top of the mountain. That was totally worth it! The view was amazing! At the end of the day, I could barely feel my feet….but is another experience I would suggest to anyone! It is not just an excursion; it is also a way to meet new people.
What about the work? Thanks to it, I met lot of people, coming all around the world and I had the possibility to go around the city and get into the deepest parts of Siberia. As an organization, we are plenty of projects, and I was asked to participate in different excursions – that is another way to match work, fun, implement your language skills, knowledge about the culture and interests!