On 19 April, an international group of students from Voronezh State University visited an ethno village in Ertil representing everyday life of the 17–19th centuries. The village was created by Vladimir Brezhnev, a Cossack chieftain from the Cossack village Ertil and an honourable farmer. The guests from France, Germany, Great Britain, Russia, and China were welcomed with aphorisms of Confucius who is the favourite philosopher of the owner of the “Village of the 17–19th century" tourist complex. It was a pleasant surprise for students from China.
During the excursion, the audience learnt about the origin of the word "rouble", climbed a Cossack watch tower, learnt new Russian verbs used to describe different kinds of village jobs, and crossed seven bridges on the way to happiness. They also learnt about the everyday life of peasants and craftsmen: tailors, smiths, fishermen, bee-keepers, and potters. The crafts of different cultures are more or less the same. However, there are some differences. For example, such a thing as a wooden abacus was used in ancient China, whereas the spinning wheel and a shoulder poll appeared to be more puzzling.
The trip was organised by the university Buddy-Club as a part of the project "System of Curators for VSU Foreign Students". It was also supported by the International Student Exchange Office of Voronezh State University International Cooperation Administration.
