Club in the village of Polna. Photo courtesy of the author. All rights reserved.Together with Russian sociologist Sergey Damberg, we start a new column series on “sociology of the homeland”. The first topic is social atrophy. It’s an unpleasant topic, but we guarantee a positive ending.
Don’t even think about starting work in Gdov! This is what a fellow sociologist told me:
Do you know what kind of people live here! We once came here in summer to conduct some research on the shore of Lake Peipus. I had a really heavy rucksack and then another bag with all kinds of stuff in it. It’s really hot, I’m tramping through the village and suddenly I see an old woman. She’s pushing a wheelbarrow. It’s empty, but still heavy, and she’s old. I call over to her: ‘Hey, grandma! Let me give you a hand, I’ll push that barrow and carry my bags in it!’ And you know what she does? She just smirks and says: ‘Yeah right, what an idea!’ And off she goes without looking back.
