Profile information
Host rating
85 %
Reply rate
100.0 %
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Details
Description
I am Tudor (42), a human that chose to leave behind the hustle and bustle of the city and find harmony by living a simple life in the heart of nature.
I live in an earthbag house designed by me, using the hyperadobe technique and built with the help of family, friends and many volunteers. I already live in the house but there is a lot more work to do.
Although I am a beginner in gardening I produce some of the vegetables I eat. As I am striving to live in harmony with nature, I enrich the local biodiversity by planting trees, shrubs and other plants, and responsibly managing the land.
Because inevitably I will not be able to produce everything I need, I will use barter where possible, and as a source of income I organize activities that will involve nature such as traditional arts and crafts workshops, practical workshops on building with natural materials, retreats and summer camps for kids.
However, not everything revolves around money, so I am waiting for you to visit for a day, a week or a month, as a volunteer; to feel the flavor of living in nature, to share experiences and to learn from each other.
Looking forward to meeting you! :)
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
UN sustainablity goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
You will have the opportunity to spend time in nature and experiîence the beauty of a simple life. My home is located in the forests of Mureș county. I have no close neighbors and we are surrounded by forests, meadows and a river.
I would like to find out your story and tell you mine, stay around a fire singing and playing musical instruments, talking about books, philosophy, traveling, hiking, biking, and sometimes just listen to silence.
You can practice languages like Romanian and English that I speak very well, French and German that I speak a little and also the language of other volunteers.
Hopefully there will be other volunteers at the same time so we can learn from each other and enjoy their company.
For a wider view of this place the villages are not that far so if you know some English or Hungarian you can engage the villagers.
And since happiness passes through your tummy, we should cook traditional foods and experience interesting tastes.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
will add and delete items on this list during the year so if you find my project an opportunity, please revisit. I will be more than happy to hear from you. Do not be intimidated by the list below, i am more chaotic and disorganized, I am easy going and go where the wind takes me that day. ;)
*Teaching me you language
*Setting up / taking care of the garden
*Cooking vegan or vegetarian food
*Foto and video editing
*Building and insulating floors
*Building gabions
*Burying the root cellar
*Other projects
*Teaching Hungarian
2-4 weeks, anytime
easy but patience is required
I live in an area with a majority Hungarian population but since I am not a local I do not know the language. I know numbers, colors, food items and greeting people. This is not enough for me. Speaking every day with someone for several hours will be of great help. We should find activities around the house, like cooking, gathering wood, taking care of the animals, reading, or just traveling or hiking, so learning will be a hands-on experience.
If French is your native language I will love to brush up my French that I rarely have the occasion to speak.
If German is your native language it will be of great hrlp.to remember how to speak it. My sister is married in Germany but we speak in Romanian and in English and for my brother-in-law it is hard to follow me.
*Setting up / taking care of the garden
2-4 weeks, anytime
maybe some specialized work that i will help you with while learning from you
I created some raised beds a few years back and I add over them each year leaves, straw and manure. But the soil has high clay content, the area is pretty cold, and I am not a good gardener since my eyesight is not that good. So if we can set up the garden together it will be great. In the last few years I have grown potatoes, beans, celery, pumpkins, zucchini, eggplants, cucumbers, some tomatoes and many others that did not grow.
If your schedule will allow a longer stay it will be even greater so you can also enjoy the fruits of your labor.
*Cooking vegan or vegetarian food
1-2 weeks at events, depends on the schedule
independent specialized work
I will organize workshops where we will build with natural materials. During the workshops (1-2 weeks each) there will be around 10 people that we have to provide food for. So your task will be to buy and prepare the food. Ideally this will be a job for two so a couple will work best. Some products will be available locally but for some you will need to go by car/bus, so a driver license will be nice to have. I eat mostly simple vegan foods, but some may like dairy products or eggs so let's try to be flexible.
*Foto and video editing
1-2 weeks any time or at events depending on the schedule
independent specialized work
I will organize workshops where we will build with natural materials. During the workshops (1-2 weeks each) I will not have the time, or the available hands to document the event. Your task is to be there during work hours and take pictures and make videos. I would like to post a small video update at the end of each day and at the end of the event I would like to have pictures to write detailed articles, and you to create a video documentary with slow motions, cuttings from the workshop, interviews, leisure moments, etc. I don't have much to work with, so you will have to manage your devices and software.
Your skill will be of great value anytime since my youtube channel is a mess and I take too few pictures and videos to document my projects.
*Building and insulating floors
2 weeks february-may 2023
easy work in front of the fire
The floor level is raised 25 cm from the ground. We will need to build some of this wood structure, protect it from rot, insulate it with fluffy sheep wool and then build some brick floors using lime mortars and earth.
*Building gabions
1-2 weeks april-may 2023
hard work involving moving stones
Gabions are wire mesh boxes created to hold a river bank. The boxes are already made and in place. The stones are at the river side. It will take a long time since the stones must be laid inside the gabion one by one, like a jigsaw puzzle, so you need to be strong but pacient.
*Burying the root cellar
1 week february-may 2023
team work involving moving earth
The root cellar was built inside a cliff face. After I finished building it a gap remained in the back and on one side. Some earth will be moved and it will take some time but as a team it will be fun. We may also need to build with earthbags so you may also learn this technique.
*Other projects
Do not run if you have other skills. Working is just an excuse to create. If you have ideas i am more then willing to listen, to discover new points of view, skills, activities.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Romanian: Fluent
French: Intermediate
German: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
I will love to learn Hungarian since i live in an are with majority Hungarian population. I will also love to brush up my french that i rarely use in the last 20 years. I will like to remember speaking german that i rarely use evdn though my sister is a german citizen.
Accommodation
Depending on the season:
- there is a loft available inside the house perfect for two;
- the bench of the mass rocket stove perfect for two;
- a camping bed perfect for one;
- a tent, sleeping mats and sleeping bags, good for two.
At the moment I have a kitchen with cold running water, a gas cooking top, electricity from solar panels, wi-fi internet access, a mass rocket stove for heating, and a compost toilet.
I provide 2 mostly vegan meals per day and cooking is done by rotation. I am a flexible vegan so I can provide milk from and tofu from my neighbors or local products depending on the season.
What else ...
My land is 3 and 5km away from the nearest villages (Ghindari 5km and Solanndlocma 3km) and you are welcome to use my bicycles to explore the area.
If you would like to visit a more populated areas there is Sovata, Târgu Mureș, Sighișoara,, Praid, Corund, Crișeni and many others.
Sovata is a popular health resort and is 15 km away by bus from Ghindari. Here you can walk around several salt lakes like Lacul Ursu (The Bair lake) , take a boat on Lacul Tineretului (youth Lake), hike around the salt mountain, and take a ride on Mocăniță (a steam train), have a bath in salted water outside in a lake or inside at a spa..
Târgu Mureș is the seat of Mureș County in the historical region of Transylvania and is 45km away by bus from Ghindari. Here you can visit the old fortification complex, the arts museum and the hall of stained glass windows, go to classical music concerts in the opera house or to the theater.
Sighișoara is a very old medieval town 1 hour away by car. Here you can visit an old town up on a hill still surrounded by fortification walls and all of the towers. There are churches, schools, restaurants, souvenir shops and a great cemetery with a beautiful view of the surrounding area.
Praid is a salt mine 1 hour away by car. Is a tourist destination and a health resort.
Corund is a craft village 1 hour away by car. They are specialized in pottery and with dome luck we can visit a workshop to see how it is done.
Crișeni is a small village 30 minutes away by car. In here they have a straw hat museum. The craft is alive and they are still creating hats from straw of a special wheat that they plant each year.
But if you ask me what I enjoy, I will recommend you to take thedogs and randomly hike the surrounding forests. There are thousands of hectares of forest with many hills and valleys, forgotten trails and great panoramic views. And if you are lucky, you may see some wildlife under the protection of my trusted dogs.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
If you are a webdesigner, foto or video editor or a jurnalist you will be more then welcome. Your knoledge will be of great value to my activiities of bloging and vloging
Space for parking camper vans
I havd a big parking are that you can use and the road is ok all year around.
Can possibly accept pets
I am happy to welcome pets as long as they are friendly with other animals as I already have 5 shepard dogs and 5 cats.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
