00:00What is it like to raise a family in the world's coldest city,
00:04where winter temperatures plum to minus 64 degrees Celsius?
00:08Today we will explore the daily life of the largest family in Yakutsk,
00:13a family of 22 children who call this extreme place home.
00:22Alexander Pavlov, the father of the house, started his day bright and early,
00:26heading outside to gather ice to make sure his family has enough clean drinking water.
00:33Raising 22 children is a challenging task, and it's even more challenging in a place like Yakutsk.
00:40Alexander and his family live in the suburbs of the city, where like many others,
00:44they face the challenge of not having access to the central water supply.
00:49Instead, Alexander's family depend on water reserve containers
00:53to store the water needed for their daily activities.
00:56So, let's take a look at the house.
01:13Meanwhile, Oksana is waking up their children.
01:16Oksana and Alexander are loving parents to a total of 22 children, with 18 of them being adopted.
01:24Their family spans a wide age range, from the oldest, who is 37 years old,
01:29to the youngest, who is just 6 years old.
01:34The youngest members of their family are Sofia, Ramina and Nastya.
01:39Ramina is 9 years old and attends the local primary school,
01:43while 6 years old Nastya goes to a nursery next to their home.
01:47Today, Ramina has a day off from school, because her primary school doesn't work,
01:54when it's minus 45 degrees outside. However, the nursery continues to operate,
02:00even when it's as cold as minus 55 degrees, so Nastya still has to go to nursery.
02:06Today, the temperature outside is minus 48 degrees, which is quite common in Yakutia.
02:21As part of Alexander's morning routine is to check the heating in their home,
02:25to ensure his family stays warm on this ice-cold morning in Yakutsk.
02:35Despite the extreme cold, Alexander and his family rely on two gas boilers
02:39to keep their home comfortably warm at 25 degrees.
02:44Considering the size of their 3800 square foot home,
02:48heating costs are quite reasonable, around 200 dollars a month.
02:517.40 in the morning. All the kids are finally awake. It's time to get ready for school,
03:02nursery and university. The Pavlov family has 14 kids living with them now.
03:08Eight of them are married and have their own families, but often come to visit their parents.
03:15Despite having a big house, the Pavlov family still faces the daily challenge of a bathroom queue
03:20each morning.
03:25I'm excellent.
03:29I don't know how to stay the same.
03:32Hi guys, my name is David. I'm very grateful.
03:34My name is Ruslan. I'm very grateful.
03:38I'm Nastya Filipova. I got a child.
03:42I'm Filipova. I'm a very grateful.
03:45I forgot to go.
03:50My name is Janna, he is 1,5.
03:53My name is Kola, he is 1,5.
03:56My name is Malqistan, he is 1,5.
03:59My name is Marcella, he is 5,5.
04:02My name is Léon, he is 3,6.
04:06My name is Sasha, he is 2,6.
04:10My name is Vova, he is 1,6.
04:13My name is Yulia, he is 1,6.
04:16My name is Safiya, he is 1,6.
04:25While children are busy with their morning routines, Oksana is making breakfast.
04:29Traditional Yakutian pancakes is a high-energy food that keeps them warm during cold days.
04:37Managing schedules and responsibilities for such a large family can be overwhelming,
04:42so establishing routines and delegating tasks is essential and Oksana's children are always eager to help.
04:49Now it's time for breakfast.
04:50With just one kitchen in the Pavlov family, space is limited and can't comfortably fit everyone at once.
04:58So they found a way, they are eating in a two row with the youngest children eating first, followed by the oldest.
05:05The dog is so long.
05:06All my family is hungry for breakfast.
05:07Every day in the kindergarten, they are hungry for breakfast.
05:08So you are hungry for dinner.
05:09My name is Samasya, who is aанийy kid.
05:10They are for breakfast.
05:11After breakfast, with just one kitchen in the Pavlov family, space is limited and can't comfortably fit everyone at once.
05:12So they found a way.
05:13They are eating in a two row with the youngest children eating first, followed by the oldest.
05:15row with the youngest children eating first, all of it by the oldest.
05:45They're really good at home.
05:46I was hoping that we would have to have more of it.
05:52I had to go to the school of school.
05:55And I asked to go to the school of school.
06:00And they wanted to go to school with the school.
06:02And they wanted to go to school.
06:05And they wanted to go to school.
06:09I was born in Afghanistan, I was born in Afghanistan, I was born in Afghanistan, I was born in Afghanistan, I was born in Afghanistan.
06:24Oksana and Alexander have shared a happy life together for 30 years.
06:28This decision to open their hearts and home to so many children came to Oksana when she was caring for her children.
06:35Being a teacher by profession, she has always been drawn to children and wanted to provide love, care and a comfortable home to as many as possible.
06:46As their family grew, so did the responsibilities and the need for more attention.
06:51This led Alexander to make the difficult decision of leaving his job as an engineer to provide better support for his family.
06:59Alexander and Oksana are fully dedicated to caring for their children.
07:04They received government support for their monthly expenses, which they used to provide food and clothing for all their children.
07:18After a hearty breakfast, it's now time for school.
07:21Archulana is 14 years old with 3 years left before graduating school, thinking of becoming an actress, dentist or singer.
07:30For school days runs from 8.30am to 3.00pm with a standardized curriculum in Yakutia, focusing on subjects like Russian language, literature, math and sciences.
07:42To get into university, Archulana must pass the unified state exam, a test in various subjects.
07:48Competition for university scholarship is tough.
07:51Without high unified state exam scores, students must pay tuition fees, which range from $2,000 to $4,000 a year for local public universities.
08:01So Archulana is determined not to miss school even in the extreme cold of minus 48 degrees.
08:08Not only Archulana, but also her siblings go to school today.
08:16In Yakutsk, life continues even at such low temperatures.
08:20School, nurseries, universities and offices all continue operate in such extreme weather.
08:26From a young age, local understand the importance of dressing appropriately to brave the harsh winters.
08:33They wear insulated trousers and special winter jacket designed for extreme weather.
08:39Luckily, the Pavlos family lives right next to their school and nursery, just a five-minute walk away.
08:53They choose their house location with their kids' safety in mind, making sure they don't have to walk too far outside.
09:00The older siblings look after the younger ones, ensuring they reach the nursery and school first to prevent them from freezing.
09:08Next in line are Alkistana and Archulana.
09:18Despite their school being relatively close to home, the older siblings always make sure they arrive school safely.
09:30The oldest members of the family are currently attending the local university in the city center.
09:36In a city with no subway or other public transportation options apart from buses, their daily commute relies on taking the bus.
09:44They'reπειating the bus to walk a long situation through the coast.
09:50Vova, Diana, Yulia and Sasha start feeling the intense cold.
09:56This situation could quickly become dangerous.
09:58And with no bus inside, they must rush back home or try to stop a passing car to avoid freeze fight.
10:06avoid fluzzbite.
10:23Luckily the bus arrives just in time so they can safely reach their university.
10:29The buses in Yakutsk are red for a specific reason, not just by chance.
10:33They are painted this way because the red color is highly visible especially in thick fog.
10:39This makes it easier for people in Yakutsk to spot their buses from far away.
10:51Meanwhile some kids are helping their parents around the house and like kids all around the
10:56world they're excited about not having school today. Primary school are closed today so they're
11:02enjoying their time at home and even playing outdoors not minding the cold weather.
11:16Like most locals here, kids are relishing their days outside by playing on snow slides,
11:21ice skating and skiing. The kids try to play outside as much as they can until the cold becomes unbearable,
11:28at which point they move their activities indoors. Indoor they enjoy playing chess among other games.
11:35Alexander takes sports and healthy seriously, striving to instill a sense of fitness in his children.
11:43Alexander built their own indoor gym where the kids train and participate in various sports
11:48activities during the afternoon. The oldest members of the family are actively involved in professional sports
12:02such as athletic, skiing, boxing and archery, participating and winning in numerous sport competitions.
12:08Alexander takes his管 of a lot of sports in the country.
12:23Alexander takes care to their students and players.
12:28Alexander takes care of their children.
12:29Alexander takes care of their children from the country,
12:32including their families on their ends.
12:34Alexander takes care of their children of the country in Osman do kai.
12:37After returning from school, the children engage in dancing, singing and various other
12:52activities.
12:53Living in the coldest place on earth, it's easy to forget about staying active, but it's
12:57important to stay strong and maintain good health to survive the harsh winter days.
13:07The kids are playing, the father of the house, Alexander, is busy making barbecue.
13:21The weather doesn't stop him from cooking outside on his special stove.
13:51Even when the temperature tops below minus 40 degrees.
13:57The mint takes on a unique and delicious flavor when cooked in the frosty air, giving it an
14:02icy, special taste that the family loves.
14:05Alexander's wife, Oksana, is also busy preparing dinner with the help of the older girls.
14:11They are cooking up a delicious and hearty meal consisting of fish and Yakutian fried pies,
14:29filled with meat and rice.
14:39Unlike other regions, vegetables are very expensive and rare in Yakutia due to the challenging growing
14:46conditions.
14:47fruits are also rare in the traditional Yakutian diet.
14:50Instead, people often consume frozen berries, which are preserved and can be stored for long
14:55periods.
15:10Dinner is served and the family gathers around the table to enjoy a peeping hot soup prepared
15:16by loving mom.
15:17In Yakutia, it's a cherished tradition to have soup every day and it not only fills their
15:22palace but also warms their souls during the cold winter days.
15:41As night falls over Yakutsk and temperatures plunge even lower, the Pavlov family nestles into
15:47their warm home safe and secure in each other's company.
15:53In the heart of the coldest city on earth, we found a story of warms, resilience and the
15:58enduring strength of family.
16:01Thank you for joining us on this extraordinary journey into the lives of the Pavlov family.
16:06Until next time, stay warm and keep the spirits of adventure alive!
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