I'm a simple emigrant, and I don't have a dacha

In Germany I haven't really seen people having “dachas” in the sense we understand them. Not only private ones but also those for rent. The birthday-celebration format we’re used to, somewhere in a country house with a pool, is simply impossible; most likely you’ll come across either a house for €1000 a day next to a city pool, and in that listing they may also write that parties are forbidden (why would anyone want such a house in the first place), or an apartment in a building somewhere very far away, and that place can host at most eight people, or just a plot of land with a gazebo, for example. Of course those who live in resort towns and villages can boast a wide selection, but that’s a completely different story. We’re used to the idea that, even living in a Siberian city, one can enjoy dacha holidays in nearby villages. For wealthy Germans there are houses in Spain or Portugal for this. I’ll admit, the alternative isn’t unpleasant. But it’s hard to fly the whole crowd to another country for a two-day celebration. And for ordinary people instead of dachas there are Kleingärten. These are little islands within the city, divided into small plots. Usually there are small houses there, mainly for storage, because living in such gardens is illegal. They cost differently, but around €400 a year, rent, of course. Kleingärten are very popular among city residents: everyone wants to go to the dacha in good weather, to bask in the sun, so renting such a plot is very hard. Each such island is a separate community with its own rules and customs, but you’ll almost certainly have to join a queue and wait from a couple of months to a couple of years. For laughs: in one community they told us, “Come in January, then we’ll reset the entire queue.” I can already picture the happy faces of the people whose queues were reset. Nevertheless, in January I will definitely come. 😀 And how are things with dachas for you? #useful #Ordnung Photo: Hans Blossey/imago