"Your life in the village will be whatever you want it to be." What does a family of bloggers from the Belarusian hinterland dream about?

Seven years ago, Daria and Viktor Lyakh moved from the capital to an abandoned village, knowing nothing about rural life. Now they have a large farm and a blog about everyday life on the farm, which has already motivated several people to leave the city and become closer to nature. We went to one of the most picturesque places in the Volozhin region, where a family of bloggers lives, to find out how the village changes people, whether everything can be learned on the Internet, and whether Dasha and Vitya consider themselves villagers.

Just 10 years ago, the young Lyakh family could not even imagine that their future lay in the village. Dasha and Vitya lived in MINSK. She worked in a store, he worked at a construction site. Every Friday we made sure to go on holiday outside the city - with tents or to the country house. We returned to the capital early on Monday morning and went to work, looking forward to the next weekend.

- They probably ran away from the monotonous life in Minsk. How's everyone there? Work - home - work . On the weekend, if you're lucky, you'll get out somewhere. Dasha and I wanted to be in nature more often than in the city,” explains Vitya.

The first step on the path, which eventually took them 75 km from the capital, was a dacha. The couple lived there for two years, and it was there that they first thought about moving to the village. Dasha assures us: this decision was a general one, its initiator can no longer be remembered after many years.

- We started looking for a house - closer to Smorgon, where our parents live . We traveled through several villages before we ended up in the one next to the one where we live now. The house there was very beautiful and well-kept. They wanted to buy it, but a local resident dissuaded us. He said that this house had been "swindled" a little on the outside in order to sell it, but on the inside it was complete rot. He advised me to go to a neighboring village. But there was a very dense building there: it was like a house standing on top of a house,” recalls the HEAD of the family.

Dasha was not at a loss: she examined the surrounding area using a satellite map and chose a village near Nalibokskaya Pushcha - Prudniki Nizovye.

- I was sure that all the houses here were occupied. What a place! Therefore, when we arrived, we were very surprised that the village was empty. There were literally a couple of summer residents who come for the summer, and no one else. It turned out that there were houses for sale here. When I saw the one we live in now, I even burst into tears: this place seemed so much like mine, despite the waist-deep dry grass and ticks,” says Dasha.

Parents and friends were shocked when the Lyakh family announced that they would live in the village. Usually, everyone from rural areas tends to go to the city, but Dasha and Vitya do the opposite.

- No one could influence this decision. We choose our own destiny, this is our life,” says Vitya.

The family moved to Prudniki Nizovye in August. Dasha remembers that hay was left as a gift for the house. And this helped the new villagers a lot at first:

“We bought our first cow, but we didn’t know how to make hay yet.” And summer was already ending, it was too late to think about it.

Only then did the couple begin to realize that they knew very little about village life. For example, they had no idea how to properly light a stove. And on the very first night in their new home, it almost cost both their lives.

- In the evening we lit the stove, due to inexperience, closed the damper early and went to bed. The dog started running and barking, Dasha woke up and said her head hurt. We opened the windows, and smoke poured out into the street. Almost got burned! - Vitya recalls.

Although the house was in good condition, it clearly needed repairs. And here the construction experience of the head of the family came in handy. Vitya, with the help of his father-in-law, rebuilt the old stove, dismantled the interior walls of the house, filled the floors with concrete, laid laminate flooring, whitewashed the foundation, and installed communications for the shower and toilet into the house. Later we bought a boiler for heating, and a year and a half ago we finished work on the extension.

Over the course of seven years, the Lyakh family’s farm has grown noticeably, and even by village standards it is already quite large. Dasha and Vitya have 14 cows alone! Well-fed Vietnamese piglets grunt satiatedly in the barn, and laying hens of the Pushkin breed grandly emerge from the chicken coop. There were also sheep, but keeping them turned out to be unprofitable. But the cows regularly produce so much MILK that not only is there enough for the family, but there is also some left over for sale.

- We now live on the money we earn by supplying milk, cottage cheese, sour cream and butter to regular customers in Volozhin. Now we have six milk cows, so the income is basically good. A couple of years ago we tried to transport our products to Minsk , but very quickly abandoned it. Firstly, the journey is long, but by the time you deliver all the orders around the capital, the whole day passes. Secondly, there is a lot of spending on gasoline. It's not profitable. Then they started donating milk to the dairy plant. In terms of money, this, of course, is even less profitable, but it is also completely inexpensive: the car came straight to the house. Our job was to milk the milk and cool it. Absolutely no more worries. But Volozhin, it seems to us, is the best option,” says Dasha.

She learned to make cottage cheese, butter , sour cream and cheeses thanks to the Internet. Vitya assures that all their other knowledge, useful in rural life, comes from the same place. After all, in a village where there are no neighbors, you yourself have to be an agronomist, a livestock breeder, and a veterinarian.

- Now there are no special problems with either the farm or the garden. After we got our third cow, it became clear that milking everyone by hand was difficult and time consuming. We bought a milking machine; it easily copes with six cows in an hour and a half. As for the vegetable garden, over the years we realized that we didn’t want to make it big. We grow cucumbers, tomatoes , beets, carrots, and herbs only for ourselves . The largest plot of land was given over to pumpkin because it is used to feed cows in winter,” Dasha explains and admits: she still can’t believe that she has become the owner of a dozen cows.

All these years, the Lyakh family continues to remain the only residents of Prudniki Nizovy - summer residents do not count. Dasha and Vitya assure that they are more than satisfied with this state of affairs. They do not suffer from lack of communication. Firstly, they are each other's best interlocutors. Secondly, after the Lyakh family started a blog about rural life on You-tube, they made friends among subscribers who sometimes even come to visit. There are very few people who are trying to prick Dasha and Vitya in the comments. The Lyakh family explains it this way:

- We have a positive attitude towards everything, maybe that’s why haters avoid us. If someone writes something bad, we try to respond kindly, even agree, saying, yes, we probably are like that, as you think - from the outside, perhaps we know better. And the person quickly cools down, because he has no one to argue with.

Dasha and Vitya remember that they started the blog one winter day. There wasn't much to do. Shy Dasha admits: she herself would never have decided to show her life to strangers if the open and risky Vitya had not been nearby.

- We just posted a video greeting on the Internet and were very surprised that someone saw it. Then they rejoiced at every viewing,” the Lyakh couple say.

Now the blog has more than 10 thousand subscribers. They closely monitor what is changing in the lives of Dasha and Vitya. And they, in turn, notice changes in themselves and admit: the village has made them different.

“I have become calmer, because this is how nature acts on a person,” says Dasha. - Although farming is also a constant stress, something always happens: a cow does not milk - she has mastitis; It started to rain, but we didn’t have time to mow everything. And one day a fox ran into our barn. We were completely inexperienced then and did not understand what to do with it. The first thought was that the animal was rabid because it was aggressive. Vitya and I started calling the authorities, but they said that they couldn’t help. They even found the hunters' phone number! But they also refused to come, because shooting is prohibited in the village. The fox and I were left alone. Then Vitya went at her with a pitchfork... By the way, the fox really turned out to be rabid - the analysis confirmed it.

Wild animals are not such rare guests in Prudniki Nizovyh. The Lyakh family sees roe deer and deer quite often. A couple of years ago a bear passed by, and more recently a pack of wolves came onto the road. Dasha and Vita are helped not to be afraid in such situations by their protector, a shepherd dog who stands by their owners through thick and thin. What also gives courage is the understanding that the closest person is nearby.

- Moving to the village brought our family together very much. Vitya and I started spending a lot more time together. When you are around all day, you begin to understand the other much better and think in the same direction. Although, of course, not everyone will be able to communicate with the same person around the clock, Dasha believes.

But the spouses are happy with each other's company. They relax together: they drink Chinese tea under the canopy that Vitya made and Dasha decorated, they go to the river, watch movies. When they get tired of the measured rural life, they go to the city. Fortunately, it’s just a stone’s throw from Volozhin - just 40 minutes by car.

- We go there to the pool, for example. I must say, it is no worse than in Minsk. Even better - there are almost no people there, two paths may be free for you alone. In Volozhin we go to a cafe and a cinema. There are usually very few spectators, and sometimes Dasha and I are the only ones in the hall - they play a movie just for us! - says Vitya.

From Volozhin they happily return to their village. After all, there is something here that the townspeople Daria and Victor have always lacked.

- An incredible feeling of freedom! You go out into the yard - and your eyes don’t rest on walls, cars, or any obstacles - an absolutely open space right up to the horizon,” explains Victor.

Nevertheless, he admits that even after seven years of living in Prudniki Nizovoy he does not feel like a villager. He assumes that the stereotype that all villagers work a lot and hard is still too strong in him. And for the Lyakh family, life in the village is a pleasure.

- The hardest thing for me is pushing a wheelbarrow with manure through snowdrifts in winter. Everything else is easy. And in our blog we try to convey that you should not be afraid of moving to the village. Don’t let the thought stop you that life in the countryside is hard work from morning to evening. Your life in the village will be whatever you want it to be. Dasha and I, for example, organized ours as comfortably as possible for ourselves, so we don’t regret the move one bit. If you want to try living in the countryside, act without fear, advises Vitya.

In 10 years, the Lyakh family sees their future exclusively in Prudniki Nizovyh. They plan to complete the renovations, get a dozen more cows and plant more flowers in their spacious yard.

“I think our children will be running around it in 10 years ,” Vitya smiles.

Dasha Lyakh admits that all her childhood dreams came true in the village:

- I always wanted a cat and a dog, but my parents were against it. Now we have both a cat and a dog in our house. I also remember more than once asking my grandmother, who lived in the village, to teach me how to milk a cow. But she answered: when you grow up, you will learn. And I learned.

created using targeted funds for the production of national content.

Elena IVASHKO,

photo - Tatiana MATUSEVICH,

newspaper "7 days".