I was born and lived for 21 years in Kyiv. By 2020, the population of this metropolis is almost 4 million according to official data. When I fled from there to L’viv in 2012, I felt discomfort and differences in mentality, although these are two developed, rather large, cities. In fact, I had only two questions for the people of L’viv: “how to join local companies, where creativity is valued for the sake of creativity, and not for the sake of money …?” and “why do people walk so slowly, or do they have no purpose in life at all?”
Now I am a mother of two children and I am grateful to L’viv for preparing me for a more measured pace of life and for moving to the countryside. My husband and two children and I live very close to L’viv, the village of Zymna Voda, and in this suburb there are more than 5 pharmacies (night), clinics, schools, kindergartens, clubs, beauty salons and various services. The biggest advantage is that the city is so close that we are often visited by friends. With these big bonuses, we plan to move to a real village. Of course, it all depends on the goals of the family and the necessary conditions for the children, but maybe sooner or later we will test the harmony with nature or the horrors of the wild. I am a person who likes to plan, I have a plan A, B and almost to the end of the alphabet, but for now I want to share what benefits I found for myself living in the village.
Independence and responsibility for your home
Many people choose to live in a small apartment or rent for the rest of their lives, because it is economically viable. It can be comfortable for a person who travels all the time, but not for a family. My husband and I decided that we would look for different ways to earn money online and take responsibility for everything that happens in our home. Yes, it is a great bonus to regulate the temperature in your home and have clean water in the bathroom, to complete and develop your territory to your liking, to organize a playground and barbecue right outside the door, but it requires control and financial infusions.
I believe that responsibility is the best coach for self-development. All skills, absolutely all, can be mastered, if they are necessary for you. The best thing civilization has given us (our family) is telecommuting. Today, even my craft is academic drawing and painting, which people really need in online lessons.
The incredible beauty of nature
Maybe this point is so important to me, because I’m an artist. But for most people, the choice will be obvious, comparing the asphalt and the garden, which bears fruit and simply pleases the eye. In fact, I’m not a very romantic person, but I’m attracted to practical things. But with the advent of children, I realize that I no longer want to experiment with the fast pace of life. When we moved this spring 2020, from the noisy city street to the village, I felt a great aesthetic pleasure that permeates all 5 sensations. Sounds, smells, appearance, touching trees and flowers, passing even other people’s gardens. Everything bloomed so beautifully this spring that my daughter and I greedily plucked lilac and lily of the valley twigs from our neighbors’ backyards (they let us). And another neighbor treated us to his cherry. Fruits of berries, fruits, nuts, too, filled not only taste buds or visually attract the eye. There is something else… Deep gratitude to nature for generosity. And with these feelings, I didn’t really want any entertainment, just light a fire in the evening and admire the clear night sky.
Planning
Of course, everything described above was further enhanced by the fact that we lived in Kyiv for a year, then on a very noisy street in Lviv and moved just when nature finally came to life. In winter we are all lazy, although now I force myself to go to town, to the pool and meet friends for coffee. And the streets of the village do not want to walk with children in the rain and in the cold. During my active development of master classes and courses, I quickly realized that it makes no sense to do this in the summer, but there are many options for how to spend the summer productively and least painfully financially. Then I chose to do charity projects and sell paintings. I think that life in the village reflects seasonality like never before.
When my husband and I first got married, we thought we wanted to travel and the best time to visit his relatives in Texas was winter. We may take vacations, which is very important for the family. I don’t know yet what winter will look like in a real village, but many of the peasants and farmers use this season for recreation. And it’s great when there is clarity and planning. Since half a year in Ukraine bears a lot of fruit – this is an active time to work. Then you can get even more organized and work on sales, and you can just make stocks for yourself, friends and family. And I like this idea – 7-8 months to work hard, adjusting to the season, and then rest a lot and use the time to your satisfaction.
Stability and financial independence
Many people associate the village with poverty, but here the crisis is easier, if not noticeable. Even if our income from online lessons fluctuates, from another global crisis and no website will work, being in the village we will be able to provide ourselves with food. If you compare life in Ukraine and America, you should look at supermarkets. A large selection is not a bad thing at all, but when it is too large… a lot of time and money is spent.
For us personally, it was a great temptation last winter in America to try as many sweets as possible and go for a walk in the giant supermarkets. In fact, we in Ukraine do it, spend money on fast food, go all the time for discounts in supermarkets and just walk there. Still, we are now trying to switch to wholesome food, stockpiling and budgeting. Our biggest expenses are meat, milk, eggs, bread and fruit, and this is something we can organize in the village without leaving home. My husband tried to make bread for a few weeks ahead, pasta, juices, spins, sauces, grew microgreens and more. I make dried fruits and lozenges for the child.
For our people, eco-products are valued and some things are already sold. I saw the positive experience of friends who launched online stores in social networks with eco-products and had many customers, especially for meat. But our goal for this unstable and incomprehensible period in the whole world is to have useful habits that can provide us with the necessary and possibly help someone else. We have already bought a lot of kitchen equipment that dries fruits and vegetables, hermetically packs, another gadget I dream of is a large freezer. We already practice some things, mostly my husband, because I have the main responsibility for the children – Anakin is 3 months old and Elizabeth is 2.7 years old.
Physical and emotional health
This often becomes a priority when children appear. And not only the health of children, but also the health of parents is important. Personally for me, now it is very unusual for the air of a big city and causes a little nausea, from gas. But for the sake of children, it is worth thinking again. I started working with Elizabeth early in Kyiv, it was only a few hours a week, but with a child under 1 year the body needs a deep recovery, not additional stress. But comparing the level of stress in Kyiv and L’viv, it is best to live near L’viv. Air quality, society and its impact on you, huge costs – this is what motivates us to move a little further from civilization. Personally, my (like most people’s) emotional health directly affects my physical health.
I don’t believe in the energy of the city or any other shamanic words, but everyone in the city wants to share their worries with you and it’s often a look, a gesture, and sometimes dirty words that flow generously from every corner of the street. In Ukraine, people often do not see borders, and people just over 40 do not know about tact and personal space. Young people live in the city under the pressure of modern technologies, which force them to change all the time and try to earn even more, and then quickly spend everything. And this atmosphere of the city certainly affects you. The above points have already talked about the health benefits, so here I focus more on stress in the city. My expectations from our next and main place of residence are: clean air, clean water, physical work, healthy sleep.
Heard the phrase about the metropolis – that it is a city of unlimited possibilities. But I believe that the limit of time, money and other resources has its advantages. The best way to implement it is a plan with specifics, deadlines, accountability and a budget just for what you need.\
If you want to have the village life but can’t right now, read out blog about how to be more self sufficient and growing a small garden inside.
