Where will you wake up today?

by Alyona Ilgacheva (Russia)

Making a local connection Russia

I wake up somewhere in a remote village, I go to endless open spaces and salute the world! So wonderful and amazing! Unfortunately, locals see it in their wallet size. And flee, carrying with them the traditions of their ancestors, legends and sroties and leaving a dilapidated heritage. I wake up somewhere in a huge mega city, because of a knock and scream behind the wall. Cars are buzzing outside the window, the train whistling. All rushed to their feet somewhere. I get sucked into this anthill: I need to find my place in it. But for the sake of what? For the sake of the wallet? They build grey multi-story boxes for the wallet, factories and laboratories, saving on health and ecology for the wallet. I wake up in my appartment and understand how much I hate this routine. I go out on the track, raise my hand. Where to go today? In wild Siberia to the Lake Baikal, where the hunters Roman and Semyon shared exciting stories from their hunter life. In the morning, when the fog enveloped the mountains, we stayed with Roman together. A tear quietly rolled down his cheek. He told me his deep sadness: "I was born in the village of Cheryomushki, on the Yenisei River. I arrived there recently. Now there is nobody there: the school I went to was demolished, the house in which I lived was empty..." Or should I go to the snowy glacial north, towards the northern lights? Where characters of the people are cold outside with warm hearts inside. Where driver Michael shared his theories about climate change: "People themselves created an imbalance. They get the planet's resources in one place, and transport it to another. Nature is smart, man destroys it." Or maybe go south into the sunshine hugs and splash of the sea? Where the local grannies in the villages beg you to pick fruit from their garden, eat or take with you. Or plunge into the culture of small nations, where I come from. Tourism... It's not just sights and good service. For each tourism is individual. But People are the most important. They set the atmosphere and rhythm of the area, its breathing and mood. Just ask: "Good morning! How are you? Do you like your village/city/town? And what do you prefer most? I wake up in a small cozy house in the historical sparsely populated town of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Young family Tanya and Andrew invite me for breakfast - flavored tea and porridge with raisins and nuts. I take out my notebook to share travel stories and write new thoughts: "Maybe sparsely populated areas are not famous and rich in cultural sites, but they are rich in soul. It's worth coming. For the sake of humanity and good neighborliness, which we have lost. For the sake of health and feeling part of nature. In order to wake up in thankfulness and happily welcome a new day!"