Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
31 Oct 2025
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 11 days
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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
My animals / pets
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Feedback (4)
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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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
