A Latvian lived 15 years in England and suddenly moved to a remote Belarusian village. Now he keeps geese and swears he's happy

Latvian Martins Kipsts in a Belarusian zoo. Photo: Martins' Facebook

For the third year, Latvian Martins Kipsts has been living in a remote village in the Mogilev region. Before this, he lived for 15 years in the city of Boston, England, but a few years ago decided to leave that country and move with his family to the Belarusian countryside. Now he breeds chickens, ducks, geese and says he regrets nothing.

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Martins' house in Belarus. Photo: Facebook

He shares his story on social media.

"I never liked England, I was drawn to the village, to the rural way of life. The older you get, the stronger the pull away from the city," he admits.

Currently, he and his younger son Ricards live in Belarus. His wife, Aiga, still works in England, periodically visits Belarus, but plans to eventually move permanently to the Belarusian village with her husband and son. They also have two older, adult children who continue to live in Boston.

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Martins' wife Aiga. Photo: Facebook

A trip that changed everything

The story of moving to Belarus began, according to Martins, almost by accident. More than five years ago, his family came for a short visit to a dentist in Molodechno.

At that time, no one thought about moving. But, as Martins says, upon returning to England, Belarus somehow stuck in his mind.

After some time, they came to Belarus again — for a longer trip. Grodno became a new point in their journey. A week of walking through old streets unexpectedly changed everything: Martins' wife seriously began looking for accommodation.

"We monitored advertisements, considered various options, but none felt right. And the prices were biting. So, it simply wasn't for us. We moved on," he recalls.

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Martins in Grodno. Photo: Facebook

After that, they went to Minsk. While living in the capital, they went to see a house near Lida. It seemed convenient, but something still didn't quite fit. Then, Martins says, they realized for themselves: you can't choose a house by a photograph. You must come to the place and feel it, because that's where you will have to live.

Three weeks on the road searching for a house

As a result, the family went to the Mogilev region: they found advertisements on "Kufr" and headed to Gorki. They spent three weeks driving around the Gorki district looking for accommodation. The difficulty was also that they didn't have their own car.

"Everything started with a question at the ticket office: 'Can you tell me how to get to...'. We took a train to the district center, rented a hotel, and then took a taxi or looked for buses and hitchhikers. And everywhere we met incredibly responsive people. It was a real adventure," says Martins.

In one village council, they were offered a house at a basic price — about 40 rubles. When they came to see it, the house was in very poor condition: without a floor, stove, or electricity. But the beautiful location and almost symbolic price made them think. The family even started processing documents. But the process dragged on, and they had to return to England.

When they returned some time later, the situation was even worse: the house had practically collapsed, the windows were broken, and part of the outbuildings had been razed to the ground.

"We understood that we wouldn't be able to restore anything during the short visa-free period, and without that, we wouldn't get a residence permit. So we went to the village council and said we were declining," Martins recalls.

Eventually, another option was found — a house for approximately a thousand dollars. Not ideal, but with electricity, a stove, intact windows, a roof, and a floor. And no neighbors around.

"It's like a village, but it feels like living on a farm. The place literally captured our hearts," Martins adds.

Later, they checked the infrastructure: the village has a shop and a mobile store visits, the district center has a hospital and a polyclinic. In winter, about ten families live in the village, in summer there are a few more people.

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The village where Martins lives with his son. Photo: Facebook

What about school?

They moved to Belarus in the summer of 2023, after his son Ricards finished sixth grade in England.

In the local Belarusian school, he was immediately admitted to the seventh grade, without tests or additional checks. At the same time, the teenager practically did not speak Russian: he only knew Latvian and English.

But, according to Martins, his son experienced no serious difficulties with either language or studies. Now he speaks and reads Russian fluently.

The school is located in the agro-town of Maslaki (Gorki district), approximately six kilometers from the village. Children are transported by school bus, and there are 11 students in the class.

"There is no bullying in the class; on the contrary, my son has made many friends," Martins says.

Currently, the boy is finishing ninth grade and is considering what to do next: go to 10th-11th grade (but he fears the final exams) or enroll in a technical college. After a young paramedic joined the school through an assignment, Ricards became enthusiastic about the idea of becoming a medic.

"I wasn't chasing an easy life"

Martins himself manages the household and does not romanticize life in the Belarusian countryside. He warns: working the land is very hard and not for everyone.

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Birds bred by Martins. Photo: Facebook

"You have to understand that working the land is very difficult. And there is no other work here. Only if you live on a pension, or run your own business, or have remote work, or commute for work," Martins explains.

According to him, his village is gradually dying out, like many others in Belarus.

"I wasn't chasing an easy life. But peace of mind, freedom, beautiful nature, birdsong, and silence around me are important to me. In England, I could only dream of such a life," Martins says.

Houses in Belarusian villages are still relatively cheap, but almost always require investment. And even now, finding a house for a thousand dollars is already difficult — prices start from about two thousand.

But for now, Martins says, life in the Belarusian village suits them. And if something changes, they will simply move to another place.

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