“They don’t even wear cowards here”: Girls about working in extreme conditions
For women, hundreds of occupations are still closed. Strict requirements, difficult conditions, constant risks to health and life - the usual arguments of those who do not take seriously female colleagues. Nevertheless, women do not get tired by their own example to prove that there are no difficulties that they can not do, and even more often they are conquering even traditionally male professions. Together with the Libresse, we talked with three girls who work in extreme conditions and do not succumb to them. Evgenia Korneva, 24 The navigator on a freighter Approximately 1.5 million sailors in the world, and only 2% of them are women; they mainly work on cruise liners and only 6% on cargo ships. Eugene Korneva for the second year serves as a navigator on the gas carrier. Each time she goes to sea lasts about four to five months. On the ship, Yevgeny is responsible for navigation and divergence with ships, monitoring compliance with the rules of navigation in different countries, as well as loading cargo. Once you have stepped on a ship, you must do your job as well as you did before you. It is dangerous on board, so you should always be alert. We are the eyes and ears of the captain. There is a clear daily routine: you keep watch for four hours, and the next eight - you rest. It is important to sleep: no matter what the conditions or your condition, you should always take the watch on time. In winter, it is hard: frost, snow, twilight. The heat transfer is much easier: air conditioning works in the rooms, and there are deck chairs on the deck - you can even sunbathe. Of course, there are storms - it shakes so that everything on the ship is shattered. It hurts me a lot, but you need to defend your watch anyway. Through force, but you stand.Whatever your condition, you always have to step on the watch on time. I usually remember food only when there is no pitching. I love to eat tasty food, and every time it is hard for me to switch from home to the ship's diet. Houses cook with the soul of only three or four people, but here we are over twenty - the cook is clearly not up to personal preferences of everyone. Even so: the cook relies solely on their preferences. Ours, for example, leans on potatoes, and the cook of colleagues from another ship is a fan of spicy Indian cuisine. Food is a source of strength and energy, so you have to give what you need. There is always water on the ship: it is filled with huge tanks with a reserve. Because of the processing, it becomes tough. At first, acne appears, the skin dries, so I use oils. The air from the air conditioners is also dry, hard and to the eyes. Four months is a decent time, and it’s better to have everything with you right away. In the men's team, there is usually no one to ask for a hairdryer, cotton pads, and even less pads. You take the necessary minimum: there will still be no time for multistage care. You are always busy on a ship: it never stands idle and demands the same from you. You never know how the elements will behave: at any moment a situation may occur that will require a momentary reaction from you.The most stressful night at work? Any night of mooring. In the midst of sleep in the cabin the bell rang - call on the watch. You need to quickly wake up, put yourself in order and go to command. The most inconvenient place to sleep? A small couch during pitching. The most awkward situation when critical days were taken by surprise? During a night watch. It was necessary to very quickly find a person who would change me for a few minutes, but at night it is almost unreal. Larisa Melnikova30 years old consultant of the “big three”, a member of the Health & Help management team In 2016, about 45% of women were engaged in volunteering under the authority of the UN. In recent years, their number has grown, while even in the most dangerous regions, women-volunteers sometimes significantly more than men. For the third year, Larisa Melnikova has been part of Health & Help, an organization that builds free clinics and provides medical care to people in poor countries in Latin America. In countries like Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and in the villages of Brazil, you need to play by the rules of the jungle. No electricity, no mobile connection, no hot water either. If the cold turns out to be clean, it is already good - you may be able to wash off the dirt. Although there are showers, after which it only gets worse. Brush your teeth and wash yourself accustomed only purchased water. You wipe yourself with wet wipes, and you wash your head every few days with soap in the ocean. There is hardly such a thing as disinfection. With a manicure is better not to risk it. In public catering there is hardly any dishwasher: at best, the dishes are rinsed in a basin with dirty water. Man gets used to everything. Fruit, we wash our water or clean, food is only thermally processed. But one thing: everything is prepared in liters of cheap oil. It is impossible to buy feminine hygiene products - they simply do not exist: we don’t sit tampons or pads very often, it takes enough time to travel between countries. If you travel by bus - we are in paradise, but everywhere you will not pass on it. The most convenient transport then is a wagon for pigs. We spend the night often in dubious places: on the edge of the world it is not necessary to choose. Sometimes you go to bed in clothes, and instead of a pillow - a backpack. In such patriarchal countries, no one cares about women's comforts. Some trips last more than four hours, there are no toilets at one stop, and this is normal: it’s enough for a man to just go outside. Buy feminine hygiene products is also impossible - they simply do not exist: no tampons, no pads. Even finding ordinary cotton underwear is a problem. In provincial Guatemala, women simply do not wear them. Paradoxically, but the shoulders, knees and decollete are always covered. But all this is nothing. We change the lives of thousands of people: they learn about hygiene and contraception, they are less sick, they see that a woman can work and not give birth every year. Recently, a girl came up to me on the street: "I admire you! How can you do this game?"The most stressful night at work? Once, when our bus was stuck in a kilometer traffic jam, we had to spend the night in a brothel. The most inconvenient place to sleep? On the floor of the airport in El Salvador. Suitcase is pressed so that it can not be opened; You put a backpack under your feet and push them into the straps so that they do not pull it out. The most awkward situation when critical days were taken by surprise? I keep a calendar and try to be ready for a couple of days. Yulia Skachkova37 is a yachting coach, a sailing coach Volvo Ocean Race races offered participants new rules: the team must have at least one woman. Otherwise, you will have to play in a limited composition, which means that there is less chance of winning. There are still more men's teams in sailing than mixed and especially purely female ones. Julia Skachkova has been sailing since the age of nine. She participates in regattas, organizes sea voyages, and for the last four years she has been teaching sailing to children. There is a saying: “If you go out to sea for a day, save yourself for a week.” Anything can happen, but over time you get used to everything. For most people, the word "yacht" is associated with comfort - immediately imagine such a mini-apartment, equipped with everything you need: a kitchen, a bedroom. Well, if there is at least a latrine in the boat (pumped toilet. - Approx. Ed.): This is when you need to swing a special lever, until everything goes into the sea. On sports yachts, which are free from all that is superfluous, to reduce weight, you will not find a shower and toilet. Instead of a toilet bowl there can be a bucket, which everyone cleans up after himself. Gradually, the boundaries are erased: with experience you stop being embarrassed.We seldom take a shower on the boat - there is simply no time for that. There is no hygiene on board. Of course, you can wash and brush your teeth, but we seldom take a shower on a yacht. There is no time for this. Although, when we go on sea voyages with clients, some crew members, even against my orders to save water, cannot do without a shower. I remember how one girl spent almost the entire supply of water on the boat - well, she really wanted to wash her hair.During the voyage, we share watches: you are awake for four hours, four are sleeping, four more are watch. The bed is usually an ordinary lounger without linen, as in a train, or a sleeping bag. It often happens that in two days it is practically impossible to sleep. If the wind increases, you need to constantly be on the deck. We always come back squeezed, but the last thing you think about discomfort is only one thing that matters: to be first.The most stressful night at work? At the Giraglia regatta, we fell into a storm. He came at night, by that time we were already in race mode for a day. Forces are running out, but there is no choice. The most uncomfortable place to sleep? When you sleep in equipment that is wet at the end of the day. There is neither time nor power to undress. The most awkward situation when critical days were taken by surprise? I do not remember such a thing happening to me. MATERIAL IS PREPARED BY SUPPORT