Village idyll: how the Zinchenko family found happiness in the village of Lepel district

Ten years ago, the Zinchenko family moved to live from Minsk to the village of Domzheritsy, Lepel district, without once regretting the sudden turn they took. Nowadays, a large family has its own formula for happiness: “Unity with nature helps you stand stronger on your feet.”

Evgeniya, one of the owners of three houses lost on the “Mythological Path” a few tens of meters from the Central Street in the village, is convinced of this.

“It’s as if housing was built here especially for people like us, nature lovers.” We are in the center of the village, but it seems like we are on a farm. And this is the beauty of life,” she emphasized at the meeting.

– How did Minsk residents who have their own housing in the capital decide to take such a step? – I’m interested.

“For me and my husband, who grew up in the same village in the Volozhin region, changing our way of life was not a problem,” shares Evgenia. – By this time I was working at the Belgoscircus as an assistant to a horse trainer. I always wanted to live in nature and do what I love - taking care of horses. When I saw an advertisement that a riding instructor was needed at the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve, I was excited about the move. My husband fully supported me. Moreover, over time, his parents were transported to the village of Chernitsa, which is not far from Domzheritsy.

Evgenia spends almost the entire day with her children outside. Her eldest daughter, seventh-grader Alexandra, helps look after seven-month-old Yesenia. And Danechka, who is not even three years old, is looking around his large possessions like a businessman. Two incredibly beautiful Belarusian draft horses, Bourbon and Brandy, are resting in the paddock. A guard and formidable dog named Typhoon, seeing his little owner, tucks his tail and hurries towards him. In another paddock two goats with a kid are grazing. At the sight of strangers, the goat fussily tries to protect her fidgety little goat. And Danya presses her finger to her lips, thus ordering her to calm down. The owner, after all! In addition to all the animals in the yard, there are ten piglets in the barn. This is the amount of work for a mother with many children on maternity leave!

“When you like everything, no work is scary,” smiles Evgenia, who also looks great.

“I’ve always dreamed of having my own horses, it’s been a passion since childhood,” she shares. “My aunt and uncle raised me, I helped them take care of their animals, including horses. My parents passed away early, I don’t remember them. I dreamed of growing up and creating a big, strong family. And so it happened, thanks to the devotion and attention of my husband Alexander, who went to school with me and now goes through life hand in hand. He works as a driver in the reserve, helps and supports in everything.

Now there are plenty of horses in Evgenia’s life. Two at home and five bays at work.

 By car, a married couple and their children like to go into the forest to pick mushrooms, to ponds, and visit their grandparents in Chernitsy.

– Someone will say: is there really not enough nature around the house? Enough. Behind the fence begins a real forest with wild animals that visit our property every now and then. One day a cheating fox carried away a hen with little chicks. After this I don’t keep birds in my yard. But I didn’t love nature any less. You need to be able to live in harmony with her,” smiles Evgenia, who teaches this to her children.

Domzheritsy has everything for children to fully develop, according to the Zinchenko family. The eldest Alexandra attends a music school, she sings beautifully, plays the piano and guitar. Along with this, he is interested in karate. The village has a ropes course and a gym. So the growing and inquisitive Danya and Yesenia will eventually decide on a hobby. The main thing is to live in pleasure, which is what the friendly Zinchenko family does.

Photo by the author.

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