Hello!

Recently, people have become obsessed with the idea of ​​moving. Previously, everyone aspired to Moscow, then to St. Petersburg. Now the trend is the Krasnodar Territory and Kaliningrad. This is probably normal — people are looking for a better, easier, more interesting place to live … But here’s what I noticed: when a person who has moved to Moscow or the Krasnodar Territory writes about how well he is doing, everyone believes this. But it is worth writing to a person that not everything is as great as dreamed — fierce attacks immediately begin in the comments.

Some time ago, I wrote the honest truth about how two regular military men (husband and wife) retired and moved to live in the Altai Territory, in the district center next to me. Prior to this, the couple lived for some time in the Krasnodar Territory, but they did not like it there, and they moved. That’s why I described this case because it surprised me myself: usually, on the contrary, they go from the Altai Territory to Krasnodar.

Oh, what readers just didn’t accuse me of! Both in the fact that a custom article, and in the fact that the story was sucked out of the finger … I did not even understand why many commentators bristled so. And what, exactly, is the point? After all, climate is not everything. Yes, in the Krasnodar Territory it is much softer, but …

Here is our story…

My grandparents, my father’s parents, lived in the Krasnodar Territory, in the village of Mostovskoy, Mostovsky District. I visited them often as a child. When the old men were gone, the house was empty: the sons themselves were all already elderly, settled, living far away. And no one really claimed the house. We wondered for a long time what to do with the house.

Krasnodar region. Lake Abrau. Photo from personal archive. Krasnodar region. Lake Abrau. Photo from personal archive.

I immediately thought of moving. But the parents flatly refused to move. The younger sister and her husband went, lived for two weeks and also returned back. They said that they changed the awl for soap? The same village as ours. Yes, it’s warmer there… But here — work, friends, relatives.

The house where we live now. We decided not to change our house for a house in the Krasnodar Territory. Photo from the personal archive, summer 2020. The house where we live now. We decided not to change our house for a house in the Krasnodar Territory. Photo from the personal archive, summer 2020.

We wanted to leave the house as a family cottage. But it is very difficult, expensive and long to get there … And for 2 winters, while no one lived there, the house began to noticeably deteriorate, and the garden turned into a jungle …

We have been thinking for two years. Move or not? On one side of the scales were: a stable job (civil service) for me and my husband (and my husband also has regular customers like a cabinetmaker), a strong house, and most importantly — parents, siblings, friends … On the other side of the scales — only mild climate… To move means to start all over again. Look for work, restore the house … And the soul will constantly be sick about how parents, children are there …

For the sake of the climate, we did not sacrifice the opportunity to live next to people close to us. My husband and I could not leave our elderly parents on the other side of the country. Yes, and children live in Siberian cities. So we see each other once every 1-2 months, and in the event of a move, we could see each other, it’s good if once a year …

As a result, the house was sold …

Climate is not everything

I am sincerely happy for those people who decided to move and successfully implemented their plan. It’s disturbing to me how persistently those who have moved convince those who remain of how great life is for them in a new place. Moreover, the following are always cited as arguments: a) mild climate; b) the proximity of the sea; c) the ability to do without winter things and winter tires for the car; d) the extraordinary taste of local fruits … And no one writes that they quickly found a job, friends, or organized a business that is gaining momentum …

But I think that it is not the climate that decides everything… Let’s take St. Petersburg, its climate, even with a stretch, cannot be called comfortable and mild, the sun rarely peeks out… But it is not for the climate that they love and appreciate it!

St. Petersburg, November. The weather is peculiar, St. Petersburg. Photo from personal archive. St. Petersburg, November. The weather is peculiar, St. Petersburg. Photo from personal archive.

Or a European example. Denmark and Norway are countries with not the best climate. But after all, people from there do not tend to leave en masse for Greece or, say, for Spain …

It is great if people who have moved have found what they were striving for in a new place. But, unfortunately, for many, not everything goes as planned. This is probably why there are so many stories on the Web about how sweet life is in warm climes. I think people seek to convince readers of this not so much as themselves. It is very difficult to admit that you made a mistake in deciding to move. And there’s usually no way back…

For me, the decision to move was weak. Despite the fact that I would not have to go to the “naked bump”, and even my house here, in the Altai Territory, there was no need to sell. But, I repeat, not everything is decided by the climate …

Am I sorry? Sometimes it seems that yes. When, as now, for the second week the frosts are kept below 30 degrees. But as soon as we imagine how we live far from our dearest people, and there is no one to visit, all regrets immediately disappear …

What are your thoughts on this?