Construction teams of the 80s for students of that time were the only opportunity to make good money and look at the new places. Who remembers, construction teams were different.
Some of them recruited conductors to long-distance trains, where the whole joke was on trips across the country from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok and observations from the window of the car for changing nature. To leave the city of residence was, of course, possible, but time was always not enough for a full acquaintance. The most profitable were trips to the southern direction - to Simferopol, because from there you could bring fruits and eat them plenty. They paid a little in these detachments - 200 rubles for 2 months, because part of the salary went to pay for travel and food. But there were fans of sleeping under the clatter of wheels, washing toilets and wagons behind the passengers.
For shock work for the benefit of the Motherland diplomas were awarded.
Others worked in the field to help the country's agriculture - they built cowsheds and pigsties. There they worked for 12 hours guys, they took girls only as cooks. By the way, I happened to work one summer in such a field - it's not sweet, you know. It is necessary to get up early, to go to bed - later all. Potatoes polish for 25 people, and food to weld to such a gang is not easy. Then wash the dishes ... And all over again. My friend and I fell so fatigued by evening that we were just falling asleep under the romantic songs by the fire.
The coolest thing was to get into the construction squad in Yakutia - it was interesting and money. Here they paid on another grid: for 2 months the girls could earn 500-600 rubles, and the guys - 1000-1200. On earned money were bought coveted jeans, tickets to the south, to Crimea, something was given to parents.
Flew by plane to Yakutsk from Moscow. Then local airlines reached Neryungri or Ust-Nera. These names sounded like music, much more attractive than Balakhna or Gorodets, where cowsheds were built. Our detachment worked on finishing the apartment buildings in Ust-Nera. The houses were erected on stilts, and we plastered them, before shoveling them up. Buckets with plaster were heavy, it was impossible to drag them, so we took half a bucket and carried them into the house. The bucket weighed 15 kg, half a bucket - 7. You drag the whole day - you fall by the evening.
But my story will not be about this, but about how we were taken to the mine. Yes, yes, to where the real gold is mined. First of all, we were instructed that we do not even think of taking the grams from there, as for such a crime you can immediately shovel 25 years in prison. Gold can be found here without ceremony, because all will be strictly checked after departure. Horror and nightmare!
We arrived at the dredge - the so-called device where gold is washed. The impression is as if I was in the time of Jack London - the same technique, the same bearded sullen criminal muzhiks are engaged in this simple affair. The gangsters are called.
The Indigirka River is shallow and stony, the bottom of large and small stones. Here these stones and sand and come to the dredge, washed with water, so that at the output you can see the gold grains. Some prospectors were looking for gold, standing in the water, scooping the bottom with large grids. We, too, were indulging in water - the water is cold, you can not stand it for a long time.
I took this sand in my hand - and a grain of sand flashed in the sun - that's it, gold! Should I take it or not? It's scary, and I want to bring a souvenir ... And then the heroes of Jack London lined their heads because of the "gold rush" and the heroes of the western "Gold McKenna " and Prokhor Gromov from the " Ugryum River " lined up in front of me , and I put them back into the water a piece, away from sin.
Having learned about the life of prospectors who earned up to 10,000 rubles per season, and by the New Year everyone was drinking, I was once again convinced of the destructive power of the " golden calf ", which it is better not to touch.
In the distance stretched lifeless expanses of Yakutia - small hills, dwarf trees, overgrown with yagel land, in which there are so many riches not needed for happiness.