I travelled to Russia as a journalist to observe life in remote Siberia.

I had heard that people aged rapidly in the region due to harsh working conditions, poor diets and exposure to the elements. Attending an outdoor ceremony, I looked around and saw withered and hunched townsfolk in dirty, drab clothing. Their gaits were slow and shuffling like awkward zombies as they gathered and took their seats. Several women were tending to their infants and toddlers, sporadic murmurs and coughs punctuated the thick, stale air as a disheveled man stepped up to the microphone on stage. "Welcome everyone, to the graduation ceremony of Tomsk High School.."