Suitable for a single volunteer or a couple. You’ll have a guest room. 20-25 hours work per week – you can choose your own schedule. Food provided.

Activities

Clear out the shed, clean the house, cook some meals, turn the compost heap, weed and water the garden, help with new permaculture gardening projects (these will depend on the season, e.g. planting a wildlife hedge, planting an orchard.).

Optional, depending on your skills:

If you have experience with dogs, help me train the sweet stray dog who adopted me.

If you’re a yoga/tai chi/qi gong teacher, you can teach me as part of your work

Are you good at DIY, building, carpentry, plumbing, electrics…? There are several repairs, improvements and new projects you can help with. .E.g. build a composting toilet, build a three-part compost bin from wood, build raised beds from bricks, lay a path from reclaimed stepping stones, build a grape arbour…)

Are you creative, with experience in mosaic/murals? I have plans for an outdoor mural mosaic made from broken crockery.

What I can teach you:

I can teach you how to train cats. My cats are fantastic performers, and they love their training sessions.

I can also teach you basic permaculture gardening skills, and introduce you to Bulgarian culture and life.

About the village:

The village has about 280 inhabitants. It is quiet, but not completely isolated. It has two small shops, a pub/bar/cafe, a library and a post office.

It’s quiet. The main sounds you’ll hear are the chirping of crickets, the twittering of birds, as well as the kikerikee of cockerels, the clapclapclap of storks’ beaks. There’ll be dogs barking, goat bells jingling, and occasionally you’ll hear a jackal howl in the distance.

The people in the village are friendly and welcoming. I can introduce you to some of them.

There are frequent buses to the towns of Elhovo and Yambol, although the bus stop is a 2 km walk away. Taxis are cheap. The landscape around here is beautiful for walking.

Meals:

I eat mostly vegetarian food, mostly prepared with local ingredients. I don’t have much growing in my own garden yet (I’ve only just moved here and am at the beginning of my permaculture venture), but generous neighbours give me their surplus vegetables, and the weekly market has great fresh produce.

In the summer heat, we eat mostly salads. In the cold winter days, soups, stews etc. If you can cook, cooking can be part of your job.

Accommodation:

There’s a nice guest room with a double bed. If you prefer you can pitch your tent or park your campervan on the land.

Climate:

Summers are hot. (You’ll want to wear shorts, sandals, a sleeveless top and a sun hat most of the time.) Winters are cold (The place is heated and cosy.)

Languages:

I speak English and German (and a smattering of Bulgarian). You’ll need to have conversation level English or German.

Not suitable for:

People with pet allergies (I have cats and dogs), extroverts needing a vibrant social life with nightclubs and noise, groups of travellers, families, immigration visa seekers, smokers, liars.

Conditions:

No money will change hands. I’ll provide accommodation and meals. You provide work (20-25 hours per week). The exact nature of the work will vary seasonally.

No smoking, no drugs.

I will require checkable references (e.g. from previous hosts).

CONTACT DETAILS

This announcement was copypasted from our FB group. This host only provided her facebook address:

https://www.facebook.com/rayne.hall

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