A man dressed in camouflage walking down a road in the Northern Russia village of Tikhmanga. Camouflage is a rather common site in Russian villages.
Rubber boots drying on a fence in Tikhmanga. Many of the villagers work in agriculture or forestry and thus need rubber boots to stay dry. But they are also useful just walking around the village as rain turns the dirt roads into mud.
Tikhmanga is located in Arkhangelsk region, which recently held governor elections. Posters of the candidates were ironically placed in front of the damaged bridge in Tikhmanga.
As villages are small, many residents get around on bicycles. These bicycles are leaning up against an old convenience store. A dog watches the bikes while the owners shop.
The entrance to Sergey’s school.
Sergey’s kitchen
Sergey on his way to work in a village.
Sergey, a village school teacher.
Sergei giving an English class to village school children. Sergei grew up in Ulyanovsk, a city on the Volga River, but decided to give teaching in a northern village a chance. Sergei is now in his second year. He receives housing and additional compensation for working in the north.
The 2nd-floor wall of the village school. The school was completed in the mid 1980s.
Two of Sergei’s students on their way home after class. As the girl on the left approached her house, her dog came running up.
One of the many colorful village homes around Tikhmanga. A cat or dog can usually be found nearby.
Tikhmanga’s old kindergarten. The government has built a brand new one.
Tikhmanga’s old kindergarten.
A colorfully-dressed village girl playing in front of her house. Dogs are omnipresent in Russian villages.
