Of course, most city dwellers who can afford it have a dacha outside of town. For some it’s a little plot of land where they’ll grow potatoes, cukes, and maybe some carrots or tomatoes, for others it’s a little house with a bagna. Natasha’s parents have a dacha in the town of Shoshka, about 20 miles outside of Syktyvkar. Originally they had little more than a potato field, but now they have to large fields, one full of potatoes, the other a mix of strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and cabbage. They are also building a nice house and bagna, and her parents hope to spend a lot of time there, especially after they retire. The house is bigger than their apartment in Syktyvkar (few city dwellers have homes, apartments are standard for even the well to do), though the village of Shoshka doesn’t have running water so the bathroom is an outhouse about 30 feet from the main house. Here are a couple pictures of the fields – Mainers should be able to recognize the potato field!