Information du profil
Host is looking for help immediately
Évaluation d'hôte
100 %
Last replied
31 oct. 2024
Taux de réponse
100.0 %
Usually responds ≤ 1 jour
Feedback
127
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Séjour min. souhaité : Au moins trois semaines
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Description
Hi, my name is Kathy and thanks for taking the time to read this. As usual we've had a great bunch of volunteers this year who helped me with a load of different projects but mainly helping to build my swimpond.
The very big hole was dug last January and the weather has very dictated how the work has progressed since then. Everything stopped during August when it was simply too hot and dry to work with the clay. I'm hoping that we'll start getting some decent rain in the autumn and we can lay the rest of the clay. If you want to learn about clay (not mud) and you could do with a load of physical activity and learn how a swim pond works, then I'd like hear from you.
Probably the only mud building I'll be doing this year will be making a sauna so that in the winter when it's -15c I can get steamed up and jump in my freezing pond. That project probably won't happen until the late autumn.
You would be staying in our house in the centre of the village. There's a cosy self contained apartment with a garden that always needs love and it's about 10 minutes walk to my house where most of the work will happen. You don't need any particular skills to come here but a good level of common sense and some life experience would be really appreciated. Also if you know your way around a garden, that would be wonderful. I guess the main thing that most hosts want to hear is that you can do a solid day of physical work. If you're strong, that's even better.
You can learn about life in a small village that used to be large and now suffers from depopulation but still maintains the traditions of Bulgarian life. You’ll learn about growing in a climate with a temperature range of -25C to +40 C. ….. and a climate that is changing drastically and seriously. We build with mud, wood and recycled stuff and I could probably write a book on what you can do with wire and pliers. There's also all the day to day seasonal stuff. Planting, pruning, harvesting etc. (there's a huge amount of stuff and work disguised as these two short sentences!)
Everything you do will be appreciated and remembered and we look forward to meeting you and knowing a little about you. If you're interested, first please read the rest of this profile then get in touch with dates. If you're serious about connecting with us or any host, a piece of advice is, don't send me a short, bland message that has been copied and pasted and doesn't even have my name in it. It can be tricky when you're applying for volunteer positions so I usually respond the same day that you contact me - I get lots of requests every week and its hard for me to juggle dates too so quick decisions work for me. Good luck with everything and we hope to meet you.Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre
Aide avec des éco-projetsJardinageBricolage et constructionEntretien généralObjectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre
Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre
Life goes on in Voditsa much as it always has done - farming, growing, wood things, preserving.... just living in an Eastern European village. But development in the rest of the world brings inevitable issues like depopulation - there aren't really enough people in the villages. I guess this is a unique period of time when you get to experience the end of an era... who knows what the village will be like in 50years but right now you can get a taste of traditional life here including dancing and singing with the pensioner's club if you want.
Aide
We ask for 25 hours of help a week, in exchange for food and accommodation and 3 weeks is usually the minimum amount of time that I accept volunteers- it takes a while to connect with how we work and for us to find out what you're best at.
Last year we changed the format of the work week mainly because of issues with my health and my energy, and it worked really well. So we work three 8 hour days - Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and you'll then have 4 days off. You can travel about Bulgaria or just chill in the garden. On the help days I provide lunch and there's usually enough for your dinner in the evening. I provide you with the basics - eggs, dried beans, grains etc and whatever vegetables I have in the garden. The non work days, if you don't go travelling, you do your own cooking and you can supplement the basics as you wish.
Help varies throughout the year - some of the regular tasks are:
- Gardening - sowing, planting, weeding, harvesting.
- Wood - collecting, chopping, stacking.
- General - fence building, garden reclaim, some landscaping and, general maintenance and improvements.
- Feeding and caring for the animals
(Maybe you could mention the word 'scrabble' in your message to us so we know you've read the profile.)
Animals - cats, a dog and a bunch of chickens.
We'll find jobs for you in relation to your skills and we'll endeavor to help you to learn new skills. One little point to help you as a volunteer - your dreams about changing the world or thoughts about your spiritual path are not the most helpful thing for a host. I will read your profile and what I really want to know is if I can rely on you to work as hard as I do....and I'm over 70.Langues parlées
Anglais: Courant
Bulgarian: IntermédiaireHébergement
Self contained, very warm apartment in the centre of the village. This accommodation is probably not suitable for children.
We eat mostly vegetarian, but some meals may have meat or be vegan. We are quite adaptable - just ask. At the moment, it's difficult for me to accommodate vegans - I have 7 chickens and their eggs are a main part of our diet.
.Autres infos...
We live in a lovely but underpopulated little village in one of the poorest countries in Europe......but dont be fooled by that statistic - Bulgarian culture is alive and well and thriving. If you spend time with us, you'll meet people who have lived through many big political changes....communism, democracy, the EU.....yet the need to grow food and survive the winter here are things that have happened every year, regardless of the current regime.
People are practical, friendly and relaxed....and often amused at the idea that foreigners want to come and live here. If you express an interest, people will happily show you more of their lives. You could also spend some time at the Pensioner's Club in the village - these people are great and a wealth of knowledge.
Besides that, there isn't really a vibrant night life here but there are some lovely walks and we're only a couple of hours from the Black Sea or the Danube. There are no main tourist spots around here but if you're reading this, then you're not a tourist! Spending time in this village will probably become a highlight of your trip and we are happy to be able to share our life and experience with you.Informations complémentaires
Accès Internet
Accès Internet limité
Nous avons des animaux
Nous sommes fumeurs
Familles bienvenues
Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads
The working week is three full days so you'd have four days free to work.
Espace pour garer des vans
Cet hôte a de la place pour les vans.
Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux
Maybe
Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?
Plus de 2
Nombre d'heures attendues
25hours a week
Feedback (50)
He worked with a couple of other volunteers on a stone laying part of my swimming pond project and I think he learned a lot about time management.… read more
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Feedback
Ce sont des évaluations supplémentaires en option lorsque les membres laissent un feedback. La note moyenne pour chaque option est affichée.
Exactitude du profil:
(4.9)
Échange culturel:
(4.8)
Communication:
(5.0)
He worked with a couple of other volunteers on a stone laying part of my swimming pond project and I think he learned a lot about time management.… read more
They were both ok with… read more
His visit here was quite short but he very helpful with this year's main project - building a swimpond. He worked with 3 other people moving blocks and stones and loads of clay.
This was heavy work and I think, he… read more
He had made an… read more
Kathy is kind, smart, a great cook and good company, and we happened to share some interests in common which led to an interesting discussion.
It was very nice to meet her… read more
We had a load of fallen trees after a snow storm and I really… read more
He did lots of useful things and especially he developed his bricklaying skills on my new raised bed. He laid the very exact… read more
I learned about… read more
She now has bricklaying skills, knows how to mix… read more
She works right along with you and explains the point to everything you do,… read more
She also learned how to mix and lay concrete, lay bricks and mix soil and compost. I have a lovely new path and step and a huge new raised… read more
Obviously doesn't take volunteering very seriously and isn't reliable.
Most of the things that we did were new to him and sometimes to me - like building a wall out of old bed frames and… read more
Kathy was the perfect host who always had a wide variety of projects on the go so things never got dull.
It was an ideal combination of being taught initial… read more
We had some interesting conversations and I learned a bit about Japanese life.
He helped me with lots of things that were too heavy for me and I was very grateful that he house sat while I went away for a couple of… read more
She was helpful and good at all the new things she tried. I would recommend her as a volunteer and wish her well with her acting.
Also it was a good opportunity to improve… read more
He has a very positive attitude and was willing to try everything including getting rid of a hornet's nest.
He learned things really quickly and made a… read more
A great volunteer and good worker, thanks.
Kathy always cooked us delicious food and the volunteers have their own house in the village. So there's a… read more
I enjoyed their company too - interesting people who've travelled with their eyes open. They're also good at poker.
I look forward to them maybe moving to… read more
He learned a lot about using tools and his first bricklaying experience left a lovely bench in the garden.
Pleasant and interesting… read more
He helped me set up a load of raised vegetable beds and now my garden looks super organised. He pushed wheelbarrow loads… read more
They took care of the property they were staying in and came and helped us… read more
I learned lots about Uruguay and that Jose is very good at washing dishes because he doesn't cook. He's got lots of very useful experience and can turn his… read more
I… read more
Her food is delicious and it allows to recover strength when the work requires sustained physical effort. We had… read more
Kathy's home is filled with warmth, and every part of it has memories of a workawayer that came before. You really feel like you're a part of a community; connected to people that live in the stories Kathy has to… read more
He did lots of different kinds of work here and he did it all with enthusiasm and thoroughness. He's very good at mud plastering now. He's also a good cook and not bad at poker either.… read more
I learned a lot of things from Kathy and I did a lot of things for the first time in my life while there!
I enjoyed the work and The room was comfortable. I really liked that we knew the hours we will spend volunteering for the whole week so I could plan how to… read more
She did loads of great things here - especially her work on the floor which looked wonderful after she sanded and oiled it. Natscha was part… read more
We learned a lot of new different skills and ways to improve. And we… read more
They helped me with loads of stuff and I'm very grateful - I have a lovely new entrance to my house now.
I… read more
Loo and another volunteer were responsible for making a gorgeous brick floor in our new outside kitchen and I really appreciate the commitment to making it just right.
She was a very good person to have… read more
Thanks for teach us about natural life.
We loved work with you in the litle Voditsa.
I learned loads about Argentina - thanks and I hope you come back to do some mud… read more
Good luck with the rest of your travels and hope we see you again.
Hope you are all really well!
A big thank you first of all, for welcoming us so warmly into your home and giving so much! We had an amazing time with you all!
We spent around 10 days here, helping out with a variety of tasks including picking plums, making all kinds of preserves...cooking,… read more
They clearer, sorted, built, demolished, mosaiced, cooked and had a… read more
They had a good work ethic, always asking to understand the job in hand, giving useful feedback to me endless rhetorical questions - they helped to… read more
Elly you are a inspiration.. you got vivian to actually look at other peoples gardens now ! Daniel thanks you for all the amazing cakes and sweets and pickles ,… read more
These two are really good volunteers. Enthusiastic, hard-working and keen to be involved. they took on all the tasks I gave them - even cooking up a feast one night. They helped with jarring and all sorts of preserving, looking after the piggies ( guys sorry to say we are eating them now - super… read more
Elly is an awesome host. You will definitely sweat because she has a lot of work and needs a lot of help, but she is super flexible, honest and… read more
He is a hard working volunteer, keen to learn new things and understand the task… read more
I would recommend them as useful, reliable, helpful and fun volunteers on your project, be it… read more
We were not only very synchronized for the date of my stay, but I think we have plenty in common. I enjoyed learning biodynamic, discussing after dinner or listening to your… read more
She has a good sense of humor and a way with words! I wish you well in your future writing… read more
All the guys were helpful, curious about how we did things ans life here and good company to be with. We got loads done, they helped with planting, weeding, building, chopping stacking and collecting wood. They also helped with some cooking and were clean and… read more
I think she may have been doubting her choice at first - no showers and basic conditions, and truly starting from scratch?! But she helped in very way we asked her to and more - building, designing and painting, transforming… read more