Kamyshin is a provincial town divided into two districts with just over 100,000 inhabitants and is located on the Kamyshinka river on the western bank of the Volga. One part of the city lies to the north, the other to the south of the river mouth, which are connected by a bridge. We drive from the Volga under the bridge to the mouth of the Kamyshinka, where we moor at a small marina, the only boat there… It’s actually more of a leisure centre for parties, who rent a few bungalows here and celebrate a private party with BBQ and music (although it’s an insignificant Monday this evening). Kamyshin is a mixture of provincial backwardness with a fashionable waterfront promenade in the southern part along the Volga, unfortunately on the western ‘evening side’, so soon shady. In the bay itself there are simpler beach facilities, here with evening sun, where the children (have the summer holidays just started?) have fun. Walks through Kamyshin give me the opportunity to observe the people: some are strolling, others are very busy, young and old, dressed in rural clothes or in a somewhat over-the-top outfit – a wide range of lifestyles that I encounter here.
Constantin is one of the groundsmen who looks after the place and is very accommodating. The groundsmen share this job: Constantin works here one day (24 hours), then he has three days off – days off on which he takes on other jobs, depending on the situation… We can hardly imagine this division of labour here; many people have to piece together jobs to make ends meet. The labour market seems to be very fragmented and not very regulated. I see it as free, others probably see it as difficult, capitalistic, depending on what qualifications you have and how you want to organise your life. But in general, productivity (and therefore pay) and loyalty is rather low, with a lot of discretionary and organisational freedom for the individual.