The
rise of Russian Eco villages is of great interest to many
people currently searching for meaningful, healthy and
community-orientated lifestyles. In this report Stefan Wolf recounts his
extraordinary experiences staying with Russian families who welcomed
him into their lives.
In 2011 the Anastasia series of books by Vladimir Megre opened up a new way of perceiving Russia and its society for
me. Prior to reading these books I had zero interest in Russia. However
the historical and visionary stories revealed about this land and its
inhabitants, as well as the family homestead movement inspired by the
books, appealed to me.
I
then released a German documentary in early 2015 about the family
homestead settlement “Slavnoye” and through this I was in contact
with the Director of the film Andrey Shadrov. He lives with his
family in “Slavnoye” so I made enquiries as to whether I could
stay with him for a few days. Andrey agreed and so it came about
that in August 2015 I embarked on a 4 week Russian journey. I
prepared for my trip by acquiring the basics of Russian language and
writing that I felt appropriate. In particular the words “vegetarian”
and “vegan” were very important to me, as I was anxious that as a
vegan in Russia I wouldn't get enough to eat. Fortunately this fear
quickly turned out to be an illusion when Andrey and his brother
Eugen collected me from the airport. Eugen explained that he was a
Raw Foodist and that in Russia there are increasing numbers of
vegetarian, vegan and raw food enthusiasts. I felt a sense of
pleasant relief!
In
the “Slavnoye” settlement
On
the way to the settlement Eugen told me that he would stay with us
for a few days before going to his parents who were based half an
hour away from the Slavnoye settlement. I asked him about Vladimir
Putin and he replied that most Russians considered him a good
president. Before Putin became president the average life expectancy
in Russia was 60 years and the death rate was higher than the birth
rate. In the meantime the life expectancy has risen to 70 years and
the birth rate is higher than the death rate. According to Eugen,
the rates of crime and corruption have decreased significantly, the
standard of living increased and the Russian people have restored
their love for the Nation again thanks to Putin. Generally speaking
the residents of Slavnoye also like Putin due to his support for the
idea of family homesteads.
When
we arrived in Slavnoye we needed to drive through the entire
settlement as Andrey lived at the far end. I was then very warmly
welcomed by Andrey's wife Tatjana. After a delicious dinner of
homegrown potatoes and vegetables I retired early to recover from the
long journey I had made from Taiwan.
The
next morning we awoke to fruit and watermelon for breakfast followed
by a delicious green smoothie with energy-giving greens from the
garden.
After
breakfast we walked into the forest. I almost didn't believe my eyes
at how many chanterelle
mushrooms there were. In a short time the basket was filled. At home
Tatjana prepared delicious meals with the mushrooms and dried the
rest to store for winter.
In
the afternoon I was invited to enjoy the Russian sauna on Andrey's
land. For me the idea of using a sauna in the heat of summer was
unusual, but according to Andrey, in Russia people sauna the year
round.
150
families have a homestead in Slavonoye, but the majority are only
seasonal residents. A lot of them still work in the cities and only
come to their homestead recreationally. I spent my first week in
Russia at Slavnoye with Andrey, his wife Tatjana and son Luchic at
their family homestead. I couldn't speak Russian except for a few
sentences and they also only spoke a few sentences of English and
German. Nevertheless we succeeded in being able to communicate
simply, but above all, we understood each other well at a heart
level. For complex conversation Andrey and I used computer
translation programs (Google or Yandex translator) which helped
greatly and worked very well. I stayed with them in their hand-built
wooden house and had my own room so I was granted insight into their
harmonic family life.
Homeschooling,
decision-making processes and increasing self-sufficiency
Three-year
Luchic was in my opinion an exceptional boy. In the week of my
visit I didn't see him cry once. Although he repeatedly stumbled
while running in the woods or on the gravel road, and a few times he
fell pretty hard, he didn't cry. Everything Andrey and Uncle
Eugen asked of him he undertook in a serene, but determined way.
“They really know how to raise a child” I thought. Also, I
never felt that he was disturbing me, as I have often experienced with other
children, because he always knew how to entertain himself and our
contact was based on mutual respect. To me this child was like
an angel. Perhaps the reason for his harmonious nature is based
on the fact that he was conceived in love on Andrey and Tatyana's own
family homestead, in their hand-built home?
Or maybe
because Tatjana spent the pregnancy on the homestead, Luchic was born
in the house, is now growing up surrounded by various flora, flowers
and trees his parents planted for him and that now provide him and
his family with real food? Perhaps these are some of the reasons
that may explain why Luchic is so harmonious. It is probably
also due to the natural, wise and clear way in which he is being
raised, as well as the harmonious and loving relationship of his
parents. Moreover, life in the community would certainly be
supportive of his development. Not to mention the beautiful
songs with truly good lyrics that are sung almost daily with or to
Luchic, accompanied by Andrey on guitar and Tatjana's flute.
Luchic
will not have to go to a school outside Slavnoye, because the
community's residents have created their own non-state school, where
parents jointly teach the students. Once a year, students must
pass an examination at a state school. This type of
homeschooling can be practiced in Russia up until the commencement of
high school.
Decisions
by vote
Incidentally the community residents make strategic decisions for the settlement by majority vote (75 % ) during a general meeting . Additionally they are also able to call on other communities for advice and they have a Chairman in the settlement, who is elected by the residents.
On
one occasion Tatjana showed me some photograph albums. In the
pictures I could see the change that had happened on their land. From
its beginnings as a barren field they have transformed it into a
living oasis with lots of trees, a beautiful wooden house and several
smaller buildings, a fountain and gardens.
More
and more people are able to achieve an income through activity
undertaken at their homestead or in the community. In addition,
their self-sufficiency increases. Water self-suffiency is 100
percent achieved through their own wells and according to Andrey
about 50 percent of their food needs are achieved on average by
self-sufficiency.
"Illegal" homes
One
day Andrey and his two sons took me on a tour of Slavnoye. We
visited some people that featured in the film Slavnoye, and I took
pictures. We also went to the lake of Slavnoye, a two hectare
natural lake created by Sepp Holzer and sponsored for the benefit of
the entire settlement by a businessman who lives in a homestead next
to the lake. It was a pleasure to swim in this lake.
What
was impressive to me was that each house really was unique and
individual. There are no two houses that look similar. This
is due to the fact that people designed and built their homes
themselves to their own specifications.
All
the houses in Slavnoye were built illegally, which means that they
have no official address and officially the inhabitants live
elsewhere. But in Russia, nobody cares all too much about these
things. Nevertheless they hope that a future law will make it easy
for them to legalize everything. There are already ways to
legalize, but at the moment they would bring practically no
advantages and the disadvantages would include higher payments.
The
settlement "Living Picture"
One
day we went to the neighboring settlement "Living
Picture". There the co-founder of the settlement had
invited us to his 67th birthday. It was a big birthday party on
a mown lawn next to a large river and there were an estimated 150
guests. There was a great vegetarian/vegan buffet and numerous
children and adults enjoyed the variety of dishes. On stage
there were musical and dance performances including Andrey and Tatjana with their uplifting songs, who incidentally are professional musicians. They have a wonderful Album called "Ode to Nature"*
At
this birthday party I met Rita and other people from the "Living
Picture" community. Some of them including Rita, could
speak very good English and we had nice conversations with each
other. So it came about that Rita and her husband Ivan invited
me for the following Sunday to their homestead. I accepted this
invitation enthusiastically, especially as it meant I would get to
know the neighboring settlement better.
As
a guest at Rita and Ivan's homestead.
On
Sunday Ivan picked me up by car. We drove on the gravel road
that leads through Slavnoye to the community of "Living
Picture". We had to also traverse a river and a steep incline
that would probably be impossible in rainy weather without an
all-wheel drive vehicle. Arriving at the family homestead of
Rita and Ivan I was initially surprised by their beautiful,
self-built eco-house and the beauty of their land. Both are from
Moscow, about 30 years old, ethically motivated vegans and have lived
for 3 years on their country homestead. In such a short time,
they have achieved so much. I was very impressed with what they
have done. They built the first straw bale home in their
settlement and have achieved remarkable results in the garden as well
as natural, peaceful beekeeping. Rita and her friendly neighbor
Svetlana greeted me and Ivan apologized that he had to leave again
because his neighbor needed help with building a roof on his
house. Yes, even on a Sunday there is work to be done in the
settlement. We agreed that we would pay him a visit later at his
neighbors. After Ivan had gone Rita showed me their house and their
land. Her neighbor Svetlana accompanied us wearing her six
month old baby in a sling. 
It
looked bright and neat, a space of love was already recognizably
felt. Rita showed me an apple tree, which was previously a wild
apple, with thorns and inedible fruit, and which has now mutated into
a "good" apple tree, with entirely different leaves, no
more thorns and now has edible fruit, which improve in taste from
year to year. She told me that she has achieved this through regular
communication with the tree. Truly amazing what is
possible! Co-creating with nature holds so much potential and
there is still much to discover! After a tour of the land, she
showed me her house and told me about the process of building. They
built most of it themselves, but the neighbors also lent a helping
hand every now and then. The interior of the house had a warm
and cozy atmosphere. The straw bales were coated with adobe and
then the walls were plastered with lime to create a beautiful white
color.
To
strengthen me in the kitchen home-baked, yeast-free bread was offered
with a spread made from their own honey and flaxseed paste
(called "Urbetsch" in Russian). This tasted so good to
me and I wasn't even aware it existed until now. “Unbelievable
that we do not have this”, I thought. In no health food store
have I ever seen linseed spread.
It probably doesn't taste so good pure, but in combination with honey from the land it was a delight. Then Jenya came to visit and invited us to his and his wife Anja's Homestead.
Prior to this we took a walk through the village, and we visited Ivan, who as I said, was helping a neighbor in house construction. I was amazed at the size of this house the neighbor was constructing.
Quite in contrast then was the home of Jenya, which was a small, two-story wooden house. Of course, he had also built the house himself and his child had come into the world there. Again, the energy of the house was good, it was bright and clean.
It probably doesn't taste so good pure, but in combination with honey from the land it was a delight. Then Jenya came to visit and invited us to his and his wife Anja's Homestead.
Prior to this we took a walk through the village, and we visited Ivan, who as I said, was helping a neighbor in house construction. I was amazed at the size of this house the neighbor was constructing.
Quite in contrast then was the home of Jenya, which was a small, two-story wooden house. Of course, he had also built the house himself and his child had come into the world there. Again, the energy of the house was good, it was bright and clean.
Professions
- as multifaceted as life
As
Jenya and I are both filmmakers, we had discussions about our
work. He has a Film company with Anja in England and has made
documentaries about their travels through most of Asia. He
also runs a successful web shop, which offers various natural
products. In regards to professional backgrounds in the
settlements I came to know people from all directions. From
doctors, filmmakers, artists, musicians and artisans, to the mining
engineer, nursery owner, beekeeper, online store owners or
self-sufficient, every possible occupation was there. When we
were back at Rita's homestead, we went to the birch forest, where I
filmed a nice interview with Rita. She told me of her
background, from their way to their own family homestead, the
building of their home, and many more interesting things. The
resulting Interview contains invaluable pearls of experience and
knowledge from Rita and is offered free to download from the online
shop at loveproductions.org
Heartfelt
farewells
On
the last morning at breakfast there was one final private concert for
me from Andrey and Tatiana, which naturally pleased me very
much. Then Andrey and Elisey took me to Moscow.
In
Moscow Andrey, Elisey and Andrey's mother brought me to the station,
waited with me for the train and then there was a heartfelt farewell
along with hugs. I travelled in the direction of the Kovcheg
ecovillage. The train journey there would take two hours.
To
be continued ...
Story by Stefan Wolf (Stefan Veda)
Story by Stefan Wolf (Stefan Veda)
*The album "Ode to Nature"
Andrey & Tatyana Shadrovi are two Russian Bards who are changing the world through their songs!
Finally you can get the full album with a Digital Booklet of two of the best bards of Russia!
The Album comes as a Digital Download with a Booklet containing all original Russian lyrics, as well as the English translations.
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