Help build a tiny house and food forest in a reviving village community near Vratsa, Bulgaria

Infos

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  Description

  Hello fellow travelers! We are Stanimir and Claire, a Bulgarian-American couple living in a community in northwest Bulgaria with our two-year-old son. After travelling around for many years (and volunteering with Workaway ourselves!), we finally bought some land and started our own project. Our village is part of a “rural renaissance,” with a growing community of people working to breathe life back into this once nearly-abandoned place. Together, we organize various events, share a community garden, and host a summer festival.
  
  While we’ll definitely spend time helping out with and taking part in community projects, this profile is more focused on our personal project: building a tiny house on our land, as well as designing and creating a permaculture food forest and a small pond.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  S’occuper des animaux

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Garde de maison et d'animaux
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Musique

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Livres

  

  Jardinage

  

  Arts du spectacle

  

  Menuiserie

  

  Animaux

  

  Activités en plein air

  

  Yoga / bien-être

  

  Plage

  

  Montagne

  

  Camping

  

  Nature

  

  Randonnée

  

  Cyclisme
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  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

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  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  We are part of a Rural Renaissance! By volunteering here, you’ll have a special opportunity to experience life in a rural Bulgarian village that is currently being restored and brought back to life.
  
  You can also learn a lot about:
  
  • how to build a tiny house
  • tiny humans and how they work
  • construction and building with natural materials (and a few non-natural ones, we're not perfect!)
  • permaculture design and earthworks (dam, swales)
  • gardening and growing vegetables
  • how to make your own cheese and yogurt
  • foraging and preserving native plants
  • local cultural and historical heritage (here we have a megalith complex and caves)
  • a chance to meet amazing local artist and changemakers
  • group work, group dynamics and principles for forming a community
  • healthy eating
  • crochet and knitting
  • ...and if you're interested in music, Claire plays the harp and Stanimir the hang drum

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  Aide « au pair »

  Cet hôte recherche des jeunes filles Au pair.

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  Projets impliquant des enfants

  Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.

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  Aide

  Our main focus ---> TINY HOUSE <---
  We are planning to build a small house (~60 sq.m) at the back of our property. We will use ground screws instead of a traditional foundation. Stanimir is an experienced builder and plans to start constructing the wooden frame in June. Building experience is a huge plus, so we really welcome those with some experience who are looking to learn more about how to build a home.
  
  Additional things-->
  GARDEN
  We have our own small garden here, which needs a bit of tender loving care from time to time, and there is also a larger community garden in the village which we participate in taking care of from time to time.
  
  CHILDCARE
  Our son is curious, outgoing and talkative and loves to meet (and receive attention from) new people. If it happens naturally, and you feel like hanging out with an inquisitive two-year-old, we would welcome the support.
  
  COOKING
  If you’d like to help with the cooking sometimes, it’s always greatly appreciated. (: We eat a vegetarian diet (plus fish on occasion). However, if you're not into cooking it's okay.
  
  FOOD FOREST
  Our property has a lot of underground water, so we have a great opportunity to implement a system which will manage and store the water. If you’re interested in permaculture principles and water management, this will be a great learning opportunity; you can learn how to mark contour lines and the best place to create swales.
  
  FORAGING
  We like to collect and preserve edible plants, herbs and nuts according to the season. Some of the wonderful native plants that grow here include nettle, dock, elderflower, St. John's wart, yarrow, hazelnuts and many more!
  
  PETS
  We have an incredibly friendly dog named Zara who loves spending time with people. We also have a cat, Muchacho, who is mostly outdoors.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Bulgarian: Courant
  Anglais: Courant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  Cet hôte a indiqué qu’il souhaitait faire partager sa propre langue ou en apprendre une nouvelle.
  Contactez-le pour en savoir plus.
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  Hébergement

  We have a community guest house for volunteers, friends and, well, guests. (: There are three bedrooms, each with 3-4 bunk beds (so 6–8 beds per room). There is also a large bathroom with multiple toilet and shower stalls and a kitchen/hanging out zone. Depending on when you come, there is a chance you’ll share the room with someone else (of the same gender). If you’d strongly prefer to have your own space, please mention it when you write and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
  
  Our friends and neighbors in the community are also workaway hosts, so they may have volunteers that would be sharing the accommodation with you.
  
  For those of you who like camping, we can also provide you with a tent and you can find a nice shady spot in the forest around the guest house to set it up. There is a stream that runs nearby as well.

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  Autres infos...

  We are located 100 km from Sofia, and there is a train stop in our village, although it's a bit of a walk (40 min). We will pick you up if you come by train!
  
  Our village is small (a little over 100 inhabitants) and usually quiet in the evenings, so it's best if you're comfortable spending the evenings alone or with fellow volunteers. There is a small local shop that's open for a few hours each day. There is no ATM. Please include the word 'rural' in your message so that we'll know you've read our page thoroughly. (:
  
  There are many spectacular places to discover IN THE AREA:
  
  • • Ancient megalith complex with cave and ruined fortresses (in the village)
  • • Centuries-old oak trees with sanctuary (in the village)
  • • Three rivers which run through the village and great swimming holes
  • • Ledenika cave - one of the 100 National Tourist Sites of Bulgaria
  • • Rafting on the Iskar river (rafting takes place in the safest and most beautiful sections of the river)
  • • Horse riding - Milanovo, Ledenika
  • • Waterfall Skaklya
  • • Waterfall Borov Kamak
  • • God's Bridge - stone phenomenon
  • • Vratsata - proven the best climbing place in the Balkans!
  • • Magura Cave - stone age 7,000-year-old spectacular drawings
  • • Lake Dabnika
  • • Ritlite rock phenomenon
  • • Belogradchik rock phenomenon - a UNESCO world heritage site
  • • Belogradchik fortress
  • • Cherepishki monastery
  
  ....and really a lot, lot more! We can give you a map with locations that you can visit.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  We have a good wifi connection and an unlimited supply of wifi. (: We mostly work earlier in the day, so late afternoons and evenings would be free for your online work.

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  There is a spot for campervans in the village, as well as an outdoor sink and compost toilets.

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  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  You're welcome to come with your dog, but he or she would have to sleep outside the volunteer house.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Deux

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  Mes animaux

  Zara

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