The nature is closer than you think

by Denis Dmytruk (Ukraine)

A leap into the unknown Ukraine

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Recently, I've come back from my trip to the Carpathians! I feel a bit tired, but undoubtedly satisfied! Honestly, I already miss all that happened to me! Let's begin with the start of the trip. The reason why I headed to the Carpathians was a summer camp I had applied for. Firstly, it was planned as an educational trip, but eventually it turned into something more! By the way, I'm a citizen and I live in an ordinary town in East Europe with all its own factories, lack of trees and car traffic every day. Not so ecological area, agree? So, when I ended up in the Carpathians for the first time I felt something absolutely new and special. Clean and fresh air, picturesque views and friendly people. Here you don't care about anything. You just catch every moment to enjoy your lifetime! Our camp was located in the mountains, covered by densely planted trees that passed into high forests. I still remember that nice wet smell which woke me up every morning those days... After that we had a long distance running. It was unbelievable! We were running through countryside (local) roads, listening to lovely birds’ chirping and looking for some berries bushes to satisfy our morning hunger. There was no passerby we met on our way. There was a complete wild silence which was sometimes broken by bird's singing. Despite our fatigue we continued running to enjoy such a delightful atmosphere. Next thing we did was a final warming-up activity which involved all campers. We were doing that with a pleasure, breathing forest air and listening to a noise our small waterfall was making. Perhaps, all that I told you is difficult to find in an ordinary non-ecological town... Everybody we met there was so kind and generous to us. People who live there just can't be sad because they live in the place that makes everybody cheerful and positive. I found them so outgoing and resilient. I was curious to explore their culture and traditions. Although they live in Ukraine, but their dialect is a bit different to the Ukrainian language. They speak prominently faster than Ukrainians. Sometimes I could not understand the speech because of their gabbling with specific accent. Another interesting thing I discovered was their extraordinary cuisine. There are a lot of dishes in which the most important component was porridge with some milk. It tastes really cool! Local people also have their own musical instruments which is different from others all around the world. One of the most well-known is trembita. This is a wind instrument. It differs from the ordinary blowing instruments in abnormal length of single tube. So, it's a tough challenge for everyone just to raise it up to blow and start making noise. It's a very traditional instrument , e.g. as for Scottish people their bagpipes. There's a true fact that local people in the Carpathians use trembita as a device to communicate with each other. They come on the highest peak and try to send a message to their neighbours by blowing the specific device. It is necessary for locals to keep in touch despite of long distance between them. During the last days of my trip I realized what a chance I've got to visit such a bright and pacified place. And the last night before I might come back home I spent with all people I met in the Carpathians, sitting around a fire and talking about our future plans. That was unforgettable! Packing my bags in the morning I was focused on catching that mysterious silence the high forests make... I was saying "goodbye" and "see you soon" because I promised myself to return there in the future to feel that once more. Sometimes we forget about the nature and we try to do something special of its own. But how can't we understand that fact the nature doesn't need to become more humane. Unfortunately, nowadays this a fortune to feel the nature around us cause there are only a few places on the Earth where you can really feel the nature. Our train noise was getting louder... The high forests were becoming lower and lower...