Help with our project and return to nature in Šumadija, the Heartland of Serbia

Details

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  Description

  Calling Creatives and Health advocates!
  
  Would you enjoy helping establish a sanctuary where like-minded folks can gather, heal and share their stories while nourishing their bodies and minds?
  
  Hi, I’m Lena, Belgrade born but London bred until I finally escaped the rat race back to my motherland.
  
  The past 10 years have been a journey of Self re-invention from a stressful IT career to a more joyful and self-sustaining life in nature, fuelled by clean air, home-grown food and daily health rituals.
  
  I know there are many of us feeling the need for something like this these days so it is my intention to provide a tranquil space where they can fully focus on themselves.
  
  For my own sanity and personal evolution during those corporate years I travelled extensively, for both work and pleasure, and studied/practiced behaviour change methodologies (NLP), yoga, weight training, and lead highly popular happiness clubs based on positive psychology sharing techniques for happier living 😀
  
  Now I want to share my experiences and insights with others trusting that something will resonate and spark ideas for how they too can elevate their experience of life, in less time than it took me ✨️😉🦋
  
  I finally found a lovely location to do this and after renovating the main house I now need help with the 3 acres of land, including woods and orchards, and to create guest accommodation, but with the cost of living and building materials skyrocketing the past few years the project must now be completed on a shoestring, which is where you come in.
  
  I was a city dweller, now totally out of her comfort zone, so I need enthusiastic artisans and those who can help tame my land and fill the gaps in my experience and capabilities.
  
  I know it can be done with some imagination, the right skills and a group effort, fuelled by love and commitment, so if you have similar interests and can perhaps see this as a home-away-from home for yourself, where you may also want to bring groups for your own retreats in the future, I’d be delighted to welcome you so we can create something mutually beneficial and for the greater good.
  
  2024 turned out to be very productive thanks to the wonderful Workaway souls who shared their time and talents with me... we even made it on national TV and radio with a story about volunteers helping out in the Serbian countryside.
  
  Heartfelt thanks to you all 🙏🕉💚
  
  For 2025 I mostly need help on the land as listed below, and dog and house sitting when I need to go on trips.
  
  Preferably for longer stays please 🙏 so you get a feel for the place and know what to do when I'm away... energetic self-starters who enjoy their own company and possibly have a project of their own to work on in peace and tranquility will fit here best I think.
  
  Has any of this sparked your interest Got your visionary juices flowing? Well, then this is the right place for you and I look forward to your message!
  
  Sending light and high vibrations,
  Lena ✨️🙏😊🌷

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  House sitting
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  If you’re interested in yoga but have been uneasy about joining a class back home because it looks too complicated and you’re not sure what it’s really all about, I can simply explain the philosophy and we can practice some basic movements, alignment and breathing so you can go back and join classes confidently. We can also meditate together to start the day.
  
  If you’re interested in languages I’m bi-lingual in Serbian and English so happy to help you practice either of those. I was an English communications expert in my corporate life so can offer advanced instruction for composing documents and speaking eloquently.
  
  I can also offer Reiki, or a life coaching discussion.
  
  For anyone interested in moving to Serbia, I can share all I've learned the past couple of years regarding property sales, government administration, citizenship requirements and working with local builders... I can save you a head of grey hairs 😉 battling to figure it all out yourself! It's a minefield out here!

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  Help

  My dream team primarily includes folks with skills in carpentry, gardening/ permaculture, construction, forestry... and ideally with interests in yoga and keeping fit.
  
  So, in the spirit of “Build it and they will come!” (Field of dreams) I look forward to manifesting with you ✨️😊🦋
  
  There’s plenty still to do including the following:
  ( ✔️ = now completed )
  
  To build / DIY / upcycle:
  > Create shower room with compost toilet
  > Compost heap
  > Yoga deck
  > Create a storage room for harvested fruits, nuts and canned food (jams and pickles)
  > Room decoration and DIY odd jobs
  
  ✔️ make raised beds for vegetable garden
  ✔️ make cold frame from old wooden windows
  ✔️ make outdoor kitchen sink unit
  ✔️ make bed frames and shelves
  ✔️ clear out smaller cottage
  ✔️decorate main room
  ✔️ parquet the floor
  ✔️ create a tool room/workshop
  
  
  Land maintenance:
  > Clearance of my wood on the hill of shoots and fallen trees/branches, and make trails to the stone circle
  > Gardening: decorative and for food
  > 3 streams need clearing of overgrown vegetation and fallen leaves
  > A LOT of cutting grass and weeding
  > plant seeds for herbs and vegetables
  > plant and maintain vegetable garden
  > chop wood and organise storage space
  > harvest fruits and nuts
  > prune fruit trees
  > plant new trees
  
  Other:
  > House tasks, help me cook and put together recipes/menus
  > Make jams and pickle vegetables
  > For all of the above, help me photograph, video, document and share via a blog and social media
  > Most importantly, keep my Bernese mountain doggie happy! She is ready for play and walks whenever a willing human pays her some attention 🐶🐾 and as she's a big strong girl she needs a confident and energetic dog lover to take care of her.
  
  Can you see yourself taking part in any of those?

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Serbian: Fluent
  French: Beginner
  Italian: Beginner

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  Accommodation

  What I can offer in return is a comfortable room with ensuite shower/normal toilet and fully equipped gym. It is all newly decorated, has a sofa bed, and with constant hot water.
  
  NO SMOKING inside please 🙏
  
  For meals I can provide breakfast and one main meal, with home-made snacks and raw fruit and nut energy-bites to keep us going in between.
  
  I do eat meat as part of a balanced diet but we can work around vegetarian options if required.
  
  Milk, eggs and honey, and some meats are straight from my neighbours. Fruit and nuts are available in abundance in harvest season.

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  What else ...

  The region is called Šumadija [Shuma-dija], where šuma means forest. It is hilly and green, with many mountain water streams and dotted with hot springs, great for hiking and farming.
  
  A lot of the forest got cleared for small holdings over past generations, but the land is now slowly returning to the wild, with fewer humans to maintain it as youngsters are more frequently moving away to cities and abroad.
  
  Our village is 500m above sea level so the air is beautifully clean, in a rural setting but not isolated.
  
  There’s a grocery store just a 5 minute walk away with almost any supplies you may need, and is where the villagers collect and natter over a beverage.
  
  For transport, there’s a bus 6 times a day during school time (none in the holidays) to the nearest big town, a 15 minute drive away. A taxi to town is about 400 dinars, less than 4 euros. In summer it's a pleasant, picturesque walk 45-60 mins depending on pace.
  
  In town there are banks with ATMs, post office, market and all kinds of shops and restaurants/bars, and a coach station with connections all over the country - 2hrs from the main station in Belgrade.
  
  If you’re interested in local history and traditions I can arrange trips to monasteries, hot spring spas, mountain hikes, quad biking, horse riding and more.
  
  Most IMPORTANTLY, you should know that ALL FOREIGNERS MUST be registered with the local police station within 24 hours of entering the country, or change location, otherwise there will be hefty fines to pay via a summons to court. I know this from experience so "Once bitten twice shy" as the saying goes!
  
  The primary responsibility for this is with the host but if you have no paperwork proving where you stayed and are asked for this by police or border control when you leave, it's on you.
  
  Further information is on the website welcometoserbia.gov.rs
  /registration-upon-arrival
  
  So, if you stay anywhere in Serbia before coming to me, please may I ask that you have a stamped piece of paper from the police or hotel/bnb receipt for every place you lodged at.
  
  I will not accept you if you don't, as has been the the case with one Workawayer already.
  
  Hotels will do this automatically but in my experience no bnb host has offered to and have even said it's not necessary.
  
  I kindly suggest that you make sure they or any other host Does, as they may be unaware of the legal requirements or simply avoiding the bother at the risk of getting caught, and the authorities are more savvy and rigorous at checking these days!
  
  Thanks so much! 😊✨️

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

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