Ilya Timin told about unusual ways to spend school cannucles in Karelia

School holidays are over. No strength. I want to fall and lie down. And sleep. Year after year.

And it would seem that what prevents you from hugging a pillow, grabbing a sofa with your body, taking a long-awaited book or laptop with movies and spending five or a week in comfort and silence?

Here are some quotes from favorite songs on the subject:

“We can’t have our backpacks in the dust somewhere at home.” – Arik Krupp.

“And I’m not proud, I’m just busy, I’ll be pressed to the ground with a special order, / And a layer of dust on the suitcase – my intentions lie.” – Vladimir Lanzberg.

Which way to go?

It is good when there are young assistants who do not let the beloved backpack and tired head “get dusty”.

— Ilya, have we booked the ecological base of Matkachi for Osnyanka?

- Ilya, what about the autumn volunteer trip to the Karelian Zoo?

- Ilya, what about the guitar? When does it start this year?

- Ilya.

And there are many other questions coming from pilgrim friends of all ages, especially when it comes to vacation and school loosens its strong tentacles.

"Yes, yes, Matkachi in armor." And the Zoo... should we think, are they waiting for us there? – I answer, and I think: it would be nice to find a day on vacation and go fishing or hunting with some old friends.

“All schools should have the same holidays! “Who is in the woods, who is in the woods ...” is the second thought.

“Which of the older students, or those who are already working, will be able to take time off?” is another question that needs to be solved in the complex temporal schemes of space.

But some of the active members of the club will probably be in a scouting campaign or a sports tournament

Sometimes it's important to be able to pause. Just let go of all questions, listen to your heart and look up to heaven. It was the same this time. Schedule is on, decisions are postponed. And here comes a call from the Karelian Zoo. The director is Alyona. Alyona runs a large organization. Decisions need to be made quickly and plans implemented instantly. We know that. Therefore, to the question: “When will the pilgrims come to us?” – I answer simply and quickly: “We are ready, just in time for a vacation...”

And the next moment, all plans are automatically lined up - tutors are transferred, competitions are over, someone, of course, does not have time to return from another hike, but a second camp is being prepared for him on vacation.

In less than a week, we arrive at the Black Stones. We are engaged in volunteering: we help equip enclosures, prepare wintering houses for street animals, paint, decorate, clean... In the afternoon, we run our standard program.

Every time I wonder: how such a large organization as the Karelian Zoo and the Black Stones tourist complex find time for us? We try, we work to the fullest – to the last drop of strength. But we still don’t have the experience and stamina of the professionals who work there every day. We certainly create a lot more fuss than good. One thing is comforting: the employees of a large “state within a state” called “Black Stones” are always kind to us. So maybe there's some use for us...

It is necessary to give credit: when life is active, everything interesting meets itself. So, during this autumn vacation, the project “Kiga School of Bloggers” (KSB) came to us. An employee of the press service of the Kizhi Museum-Reserve, concurrently curator of many “Pilgrim” projects, Maria Timina told us about the prospects of KSB. And we didn't waste time. Training started immediately. In our team on the road were not only children, but also adults. So, one of the popes accidentally turned out to be an experienced employee of the press service of one of the federal security ministries. But nothing happens by chance: when we presented the first mini-notes, we received recommendations from professionals – from the rule “check all the facts” to “agree the final materials with partners”. These tips were very useful to us.

Amazing days at the Karelian Zoo remind something of Mark Twain. Tom Sawyer skillfully monetized the simple task of painting the fence. On the one hand, it's work. Heavy, requiring attention. On the other hand, who in life was lucky to work with a shovel one meter from a camel, squeeze the Christmas trees inside the aviary of birds of prey, take part in cleaning the pool from pelicans or learn secrets from the life of monkeys and capybaras, helping in the construction of structures? Right, it's an invaluable experience. Tom Sawyer would be jealous of us.

In the spring, we could only dream that short meetings in the Black Stones would turn into a camp where we would work hard, and ideal conditions would be created for us: a warm and comfortable magical house, a full diet with breakfast in a restaurant, access to the entire infrastructure of a huge tourist project. I could not believe that the story could become a reality. But the dream came true. We finished the camp at the Karelian Zoo and almost immediately began to miss this amazing place.

Ahead - a day for "laundries." And the next vacation project is already fitting: live, do not oversleep!

PS: And fishing and hunting? Someday next time!