"in the spring of my 17th year" Nizhegorodskaya Oblast' by Faracy

I was a foreign exchange student to a little town called Sarov.. you will still probably not find it on maps, and if you do it may still be listed as Satelite 5.
This is the main place in Russia for the making of bombs, and more noteably in recent years the center of nuclear fusion research.
Most of the population is somehow associated with the nuclear program, although there are the residents who have lived there since before it started.
It was a very well stocked town, as in there were no shortages of food, water, or clothing.. the utilities worked all the time..
On the down side, you need special permission to enter. The area surrounding the city is blocked off by 20 foot electrified gates and armed guards.. maybe this has changed.. I hope so.
In many ways it was like stepping back into the USSR.
The landscape is lovely, birch forrests. There is virtually no crime there, and everyone seems to know one another.. it is a pretty small place afterall.

• In a nutshell:it felt like home while I was there