As a rule I write posts to the great community of Home Edders about my unschooling tips with my son.
But now @OCD community highlighting initiative was reply to the question: what is the cost of living in your country?
Many people opened the truth about their lives thanks to this proposition, and I wanna thanks OCD for this idea. I like to know the truth, not nice stories about fantastic lives.
So what can I say about life in my city?
source https://www.rt.com/news/444857-russia-ukraine-kerch-strait-standoff/
Kerch that is situated in the Crimea became a part of Russia (Again) 7 years ago when after people's voting and referendum Crimea left Ukraine with its dangerous situation and was united with Russia.
There are many theories how and why it was done by Russia, but I saw it all by my own eyes, and I can say - people were happy. They came to Russia for peace and calmness, they didn't want to be in war like Ukraine, and they got it. We were saved from that danger. And the main mission was reached.
source -
https://anna-news.info/aksenov-referendum-i-vhozhdenie-kryma-v-sostav-rf-byli-neizbezhny/
But nobody in the world accapted Crimea as a Russian territory, they called it "annexation of Crimea", and my land appeared under sanctions. We still live under them. Formally we are Russia, but in fact we don't get many things all the rest of Russians get, and it makes our life hard.
For example, we can't get supermarkets with low prices that exist in the rest of Russia, and this situation is used by local traders to enrich themselves. They just set prices that they want because they don't have competitors in the market. People have no choice. Capitalism rules in action...
https://kerchinfo.com/28153-ceny-na-osnovnye-produkty-v-kerchi-v-marte-2021-goda.html - photos/prices
For example, prices for main market products:
meat - 3-6$/kg
fish - 2-4$/kg (I must admit Kerch is washed by 2 seas!! and we've a lot of fish here, though we have the same prices like if we live far from any source of water)
eggs - 2$/10
milk - 1$/1 liter
potato, carrot - 0.7$/kg
apples - 1-1,5$/kg
bananas - 2$/kg
kiwi, lemon - 2$/kg
buckwheat - 1-2$/kg
rice - 1-5$/kg
bread - 0.5-1$
Clothes are one more pain too.
Does it much? Yes. Food is our health, but really good and healthy products cost much.
Flat renting here costs about 150$ for 1-room flat.
If you are lucky to buy a flat, then be ready to pay about 20-30,000$ for 1-room flat.
Utilities for 2-room flat are about - 30$ in summer, and 60$ with heating in winter.
And it's extremely much for such a small city like Kerch!!
Now salaries... An average salary here is about 200-300$. Now compare prices for food, renting, utilities and buying a flat with salaries... No comments.
We really hoped that building of a bridge with Russia will save the situation somehow, but in fact - no. Sanctions ruin all chances for a better life now.
source https://www.vedomosti.ru/realty/articles/2018/05/16/769425-postroen-krimskii-most
Though the bridge really improved the situation with entering of huge building companies to Crimea nd Kerch, and now there are a lot of new houses and schools that are being built here. It's great because when Crimea were a part of Ukraine it was deep and long nothing.
http://www.newc.info/news/29563/ - source
Medicine is free here if you go to state hospitals and use your insurance. The quality of the medical service here is not good.
But I don't connect it with Russia or bad times, the medicine is rather poor in most countries, and medicine is more about bussiness now, not about treatment of people. That's the problem.
Education is also free in schools and kindergartens. Though this word "free" is rather funny.
source https://russkiymir.ru/publications/276685/
Of course parents pay money for food ij kindergartens (about 30$ per month! - can you imagine the quality of food there? it's my shock).
At schools there are always reasons to "ask" parents to give money, though this "asking" is more like a demand because if you don't do it, your kid will be hated by all teachers. I faced it in my school times, and it is the same now. It's a tradition already...
The quality of education is poor. I can't call it "education" at all.
Private kindergartens cost about 150$ per month.
Private schools (in my city there is only 1 ) - 100$ per month.
Education there is better, but only few people can pay for it.
Thanks God unschooling in Russia is not forbidden now, and parents can choose different types of education for their kid. I do hope it will be saved in future too.
Btw if you wanna develop your kid in any sport clubs or just entertain him - pay about 30$ per month and 5-7$ per 1 hour of fun for him.
Though there are free sport clubs too!
and there are very cheap or even free state museums that parents can visit with kids.
In general being parents and being old people is the hardest in Kerch now. Old people get so misery pension that I don't understand how they live in general - 150-200$ per month. Especially spending a lot of money for expensive pills.
So, in general I can't say life here is easy. No.
Kerch is called "a city of millionaires" because only they can live here with such prices.
But I can't say that everything is totally bad here. People like to complain about everything, it's a typical Russian feature, but in fact I see that:
- most people have cars now (early it was impossible for them)
- there are more and more restaurants and clubs and they are not empty! so people so have money to go there
there are more and more private medical centers with huge prices! (15$ just for 1 visit!) - for whom do they work if people are so poor?
there are a lot of fashion boutiques here - for whom if peopel are so poor?
etc.
and it's is my little Kerch with 180,000 population only!
In huge cities with millions of people the situatiin is much better I am sure. Big cities have bigger salaries - most of them start from 1,000$ so 3-4 times higher than here! and they have much more possibilies for bussiness and finding a job. Here it's a great problem.
So I won't complain on life, my city or Russia.
Things are hard, but not so hard if people stop to complain and start to see things wider than their own whining.
Now the whole world live in crisis, Crimea is in double crisis because of sanctions. So I do hope we will be free from them.
That is a great report on your town. You always have a genuine perspective and that's impressive to me. You covered life in Kerch well and honestly
Have you and your husband tried fishing? If I lived by the sea that is what I would be doing
thank you!
yes, my Dad and brother tried fishing in the past. Many people make fishing their job or hobby here. But not my husband. He doesn't like fish;))
ENGAGEtokens.Thanks!
!ENGAGE 5
Excellent first hand report.
Its great to get information from real people rather than the biased, lying media.
thank you!!
yes, media tells its own truth, far from reality. and I met many people who were sure crimeans people were under fire and guns during "annexation". Though in reality we had parades and holidays with concerts and Russian flags every day.
!ENGAGE 5
ENGAGEtokens.It's good to read in detail about your city my dear. The cost of living is almost same as in my city, but yes the Salary scale is very very less that makes the real problem in life. Normally in India the lower salary scale is around 300 to 400$ but then that's at the beginning of the career, once you have experience Salary gets better. I hope things get better in your city with time. A smaller place has it's own pros and cons I believe. Compared to Mumbai city, population in Muscat city is very small and I do like that.
ENGAGEtokens.yes, dear, big cities are very hard for living. I can't stay there even for 1 day. Huge moral and energetic tension.
The most awful sitution here is with pensions. 130-150$ is just nonsence...
!ENGAGE 5
Well, I can hardly stand a phrase like "capitalism rules" when it's politics that obviously rule here. Anyway, I love to read your first hand perspectives.
In a German posting I just read that from April, 24 to October, 31 there will be some new tension - that probably is not new but just another straw in a series of hidden agendas back and forth.
Translated from the posting: "Russia wants to close part of the Black Sea [...] to Ukraine's state and military vessels and has issued a corresponding navigation warning for the Strait of Ketch and parts of the Black Sea."
I hope you stay well. God bless!
back-link https://ecency.com/deutsch/@anli/re-indextrader24-2021416t134220293z
@tipu curate !ENGAGE 10 !invest_vote
oh thank you! i didn't know about it. thoug...I don't think it's a reason to worry.
Better to say, it can be a reason because we can expect really everything from Ukraine. During these 7 years they made many attempts to spoil Crimean life and make something bad for Russia. We lived for about 6 months without electricity in the very beginning, because of Ukraine. Until Russia didn't build new energy sources for us. And it's only 1 example.. So now we really expect everything from Ukraine. But I am sure Russia knows what it does and why, and knows how to keep us safe. Like then...7 years ago when we were happy to be safe in Russia.
Thank you for your reply !invest_vote !ENGAGE 20 !PUREWATER !FRESHAIR
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UKRAINE and most of the world think otherwise.
are you from their group?
I know what Crimean and Kerch people think. Because I saw it inside, and I live here.
I find this to be an important rule here: What most of other's think is non of their business anyway. The only thing I hope for is peaceableness. And I have seen A LOT of people capable of this! Some not.
!ENGAGE 5
ENGAGEtokens.ENGAGEtokens.