Section 3: Of Candles, Butterflies, and Apples

ContentOf Candles, Butterflies, and Apples

Our next stop took us near Altayskoye, a small village in the Altai Mountains. There we stayed with a family in the middle of nowhere. Andrej, his wife Olga, son Larijon (10) and little Lisa (2) with their dog Bima and cat Leila welcomed us with their warmth in their wonderful home. In this small village, life takes place outside, which is why we had an outdoor kitchen where we met to eat together, have great conversations, and discuss the day. We slept in an unfinished but super cozy attic, which was only equipped with a small lamp and a power strip. There we cuddled up in our super warm sleeping bags on our mattresses (there's a longer story about that). Our toilet was a small outhouse in the garden, and our shower was a rainwater shower or a small, cozy sauna tent where we lit a small fire before showering. On the very first day, we were taken to a village festival. At this festival, apples and honey were mainly sold. There was a stage and various attractions, such as paintball shooting or an Angry Birds stand. Initially, we felt a bit uncomfortable there and felt like we didn't really belong, as everyone seemed to know each other. So, we initially watched the shows, which consisted of many choirs singing old songs in traditional clothing, which were very off-key but lovable. But younger residents also performed, teenagers danced to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera's best hits of the 90s and 2000s, and a boy around 12 years old walked around in uniform with a hopefully fake weapon and a Russian flag draped over his shoulders. At first, it was a very strange scene that we were witnessing, but we quickly realized how super nice and open-minded the people of Altayskoye are. We were invited by a very kind person to have five to ten honey schnapps and pancakes. Without understanding a word of what the others were saying, we quickly made contact and had a lot of fun. It should be noted that hardly anyone else was drinking at this festival. So, once again, the stereotype of Russians drinking vodka was absolutely not confirmed.

The next day, we started our tasks. Over the two weeks, we collected birch, cherry, and raspberry leaves to ferment into tea, collected buckets of apples and processed them into apple chips, juice, and jam, weeded the garden, collected tomatoes and canned them, and made candles from beeswax. Although we always had a lot to do, life seemed to move slower and calmer. We enjoyed the way of life and the wonderfully warm family so much that we decided to stay longer than originally planned. And that, even though there were times when I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown because of 'babichkas,' which is what Lisa called the fat, disgusting moths that were her favorite toy and my nightmare. The creatures were everywhere, they landed on everything and laid their eggs, even on humans if you didn't notice the insects fast enough. The eggs are not dangerous, you can simply knock them off, but they are super gross. There were so many 'babichkas' that in some places the evening sky was filled with white spots. And the worst part: they found their way through the insulation foil of our room at night. So, we completely covered the door and wall with wood so that I could sleep at night. When it got dark, we closed our coats all the way up to our noses and armed ourselves with brooms to go on the hunt. I became a real 'babichka' hunter, and I hope we never encounter those fluffy creatures again.

On a day off, we went hiking in the mountains. Unfortunately, the trail ended, but instead of going back, we decided to keep going into the forest and look for a path. However, getting off the trail in Russia doesn't mean just crossing a few blades of grass like in Germany. We quickly found ourselves in a nettle field that was at least 1.8 meters high, located on a slope and seemingly impenetrable. Armed with sticks, we fought our way through the thicket and arrived back in the village completely exhausted, just in time for dinner, which we had really not expected. By the way, you could hear when it was dinner time from a distance, as the cowherd drove the cows back to the village at that time and their bells rang loudly. The food was probably the most delicious we will ever have on our journey. All vegetarian, directly from the garden, and cooked with a lot of love by Olga.

Another time, we went hiking with Andrej. He led us to a very spiritual place in the mountains from where we could see the mountains behind the mountains behind the mountains, it was breathtaking. There on the mountain, we talked a lot about spirituality, as Andrej and Olga belong to the Hindu faith. They met during a time when Andrej was living as a Hindu monk in Norway and Olga was helping in the kitchen at this temple. Many of his peaceful thoughts and metaphors filled us with a sense of fulfillment. I would like to share one of them with you here.

We are all like candles. When a candle is in a dark room, it brings light into the darkness. When more candles are added, the one candle shares its light and warmth with the others. But its energy does not diminish; rather, the entire room becomes illuminated. Our light is not like money; it does not decrease when we share it. On the contrary, it becomes stronger.

The conversations with Andrej, his positive attitude, made it a bit easier for me to cope with the events in Chemnitz. It was overwhelming and frightening for me to see the extent to which hatred has taken hold, and to be so far away and unable to make a statement. However, it is reassuring to know that we know so many wonderful people who certainly demonstrated against hatred on our behalf and, to stay with the metaphor, shared their light with others. Andrej told us that hatred is a creature that becomes autonomous once it is created. Let us defeat the creature together!

A friend of Andrej, Dima, recently moved to the countryside. He showed us his bees and took us around his garden. He is also a Hindu monk. Although we do not share all of his views, it was remarkable how much strength these people give to others.

Andrej's big dream is to create a temple of all religions to create a meeting and educational center. He has already bought the land for this. But Andrej is not only a spiritual person, he is also super funny and helpful. We hope to be able to visit him and his family again to support them in their wonderful project!