Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
30 Jan 2024
Feedback
2
Email verified
Badges (1)
Details
Description
We are a family of 6 : Iva - a city girl, enjoying village life; Netti - a German shepherd dog, speaking French; Pixel - 35kg Bulgarian shepherd dog, scared of pincher dogs; the twin cats - Baku and Rio, always ready to fight each other, but love everyone else and Chilly - the most chill cat known in Garchinovo. We have a 100 years old stone-clay-wood house with a big garden next to a beautiful forest.
Iva: I am an easygoing and friendly traveler, that loves welcoming old and new friends in my house. I enjoys natural building and am trying to preserve the great work of the old builders and add the comfort of a modern ecological home. As I have a large garden I am learning about and practicing permaculture gardening. I have started a food forest that started giving me already some tasty fruits. I love to share my food and work, to listen to load music, read books and play board games. I love watching movies, but try to spend as less as possible time in front of a screen. I work online 4 hours a day and work on the house and the garden in the afternoons. Weekends I love going for long hikes with the dogs and friends.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Interests
Vegetarian or vegan
Sustainability
Politics / Social justice
Pets
Movies & TV
Farming
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Cooking & food
Books
Animals
Yoga / Wellness
Outdoor activities
Nature
Mountain
Hiking
Dancing
Camping
Beach
Adventure sports
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Staying with me will give you the opportunity to live in a small Bulgarian-Turkish village and experience the simple life close to nature. You will learn and practice natural building and permaculture. You will try some homemade Bulgarian food (mainly vegetarian/ vegan), learn some Bulgarian and/or practice your English.
Nearby there is a National park called Rusenski Lom with beautiful river terraces, high vertical rocks, caves, a great biological diversity, and historical monuments. Just 10km from us there is a small Thai restaurant as well, probably the only one in Bulgaria :D There are no bars or other evening attractions in our village, so in your free time you could easily hitchhike and visit around or put a hammock under a good shadow and read a book. Not far is Veliko Tarnovo ( old capital of Bulgaria), Bucharest ( capital of Romania), Varna and the Black sea, places that you could visit in the weekend, as transport is not very fast and well organized in Bulgaria.
Help
I am currently working on the plastering of the walls in the house and experimenting with clay sculptures. Everyone with building experience is very welcome, especially with some natural building know-how. I am as well always happy to accept people interested in gardening and preparing pots for the winter. You could help me as well with the everyday work - cooking, feeding the animals, taking the dogs for a walk. The work we have is different and depends on the time of the year you come, but you could always contact me if you need some more details on what I am currently doing.
Languages spoken
Bulgarian: Fluent
English: Fluent
German: Intermediate
French: Beginner
Accommodation
I offer a tent in the garden, as well as a matrace, pillows and blankets. You can also come with your own tent or hammock and choose a nice spot in the garden. It is 2000sqm and next to a forest :) I myself prefer sleeping outdoors in the summer and could let you the bedroom if you prefer to be inside and will be staying for a longer period. I have an inside and an outside toilet, and a solar shower outside and another one - inside(with a boiler for hot water). Short term volunteers could also sleep in the living room, where I have a rocket mass heater - sofa - bed. :) Comfortable kitchen is available for everyone to use.
What else ...
The closest city is Popovo. The train from Sofia passes through there, so I could pick you up from there. You could get there also a train to Varna or a bus to Veliko Tarnovo, Sofia, Ruse... There are only 2 buses passing through our village, going to Popovo and Russe, but hitchhiking is usually working very well in Bulgaria. I often need to go to Popovo as well for shopping, so I could drive you to a bus or train station.
Some more useful information - I plan my days in the evening, but I am very flexible and try to give space to people to do the things that they feel comfortable doing. I am looking for communicative, flexible and easygoing people, that can easily make themselves useful and doesn't need someone to give them orders.
People are welcome to stay for at least a week, as you need some time to get used to our way of work and make yourself useful ( this is from our own experience), and as long as we all feel good with each other. You could also just pass by for a night or 2, share your traveling experience and some tasty homemade food.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
I am working remotely 4 hours a day for an American company and can offer comfortable space to work yourself. Please communicate in advance your needs.
Can possibly accept pets
I can host worawayers with dogs. I have 2 big friendly dogs and 3 cats. Dogs should be well trained and calm around other animals.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (2)
The house and land is cool, and the food was good and interesting. It was also interesting to walk around the village. They are also board… read more
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Feedback
The house and land is cool, and the food was good and interesting. It was also interesting to walk around the village. They are also board… read more
