You can read about how I got to the festival here.
How the delegation from the Khabarovsk Territory arrives in Sirius
Get up at six in the morning, have a quick breakfast and run to the airport. There is one day ahead on the road from Khabarovsk to Sochi. Traveling on two planes with an eight-hour transfer only seems like a fun adventure at first, but in the end you get very tired. But the final point of the tour is the World Youth Festival. And it’s inspiring!
In fact, the inhabitants of the Far East are no strangers to such long journeys. For us, any trip to the western part of the country includes an eight-hour flight to Moscow (there is another option – seven days by train) and transfers. And within the federal district you often have to travel by plane. Features of geography.
Before departure, all the boys received merchandise with the symbols of the region.
Now we immediately stand out among the other passengers at the airport: stylish black T-shirts and vests with the image of an orange Amur tiger. Many people secretly record our team with their mobile phones. This equipment, by the way, is very similar to the uniform of the Khabarovsk “Amur” hockey club. Maybe someone confused us with athletes. And such clothes help us recognize “our” people among the general mass of people.
The first hours of flight go unnoticed. Some found old friends who also qualified for the festival, while others already found new ones. The boys chat quietly, trying not to disturb the other passengers too much, discussing who will do what on Sirius. Some have already signed up for excursions, others want to attend a speech by a specific speaker…
Then, one after another, the blinds are lowered. The lights in the living room go off. Many passengers begin to fall asleep. And I still can’t sleep. I’m reading a book I brought with me. And I’m thinking that if I manage to finish it before leaving home, I can give it to one of the WFM-2024 participants, leaving them a signature as a souvenir.
Finally we landed in Moscow. A crowd of “tigers” leave the plane in anticipation of new adventures. Now we have to separate. Half of the delegation will travel on the next flight to Sochi and will be staying in a hotel very soon. And I, together with the second group, are waiting for the afternoon flight. When we get on the plane, it will already be three in the morning in Khabarovsk. And when we arrive in Sochi, our relatives will wake up and be happy to receive the message that we have arrived safely. Well, for now we wait and continue getting to know each other.
