Farming in Bulgaria

So...the stories from the boat will have to wait for now - internet is hard to come by and I want to tell you about the farm I am working on.

I arrived in Tserovo - a small rural Bulgarian town, population maybe 500? The train let me off right on the tracks and is it pulled out I saw a young man with a donkey standing on the other side of the tracks. He asked if I was the new volunteer and I said I was. He introduced himself as Alexiv and the donkey's name was Maggie. The three of us turned and made our way to the farm - about a 45 min hike (more like an hour with a hungry donkey) up a steep wooded trail.

The farm consists of one small house, about two and half rooms, a stable, a teepee, a homemade geodesic dome, a composting toilet (outdoors), and several small gardens. There are two dogs and two cats in addition to Maggie. As of the other day there are now three chickens as well. Water is scarce, Bulgaria is generallly very dry in the summer, and so we don't really have a shower - there is a shower head hooked up to a hose outside but we don't use it right now. We wash dishes with ash from the woodstove we use to cook all our meals. There is electricity but it is not uncommon for it to go out intermittedly.

There are a few other farms nearby, most of them at least a few minutes walk if not more. We probably spend half our time cooking and cleaning since it is such a slow process. Basically we are not treated like hired help but like one big family. Depending on the day there are anywhere from two to five of us in the house and we all do everything. Whoever feels inspired cooks up a meal - we mostly all cleanup afterwards. I have been digging a trench to a new water source but also cutting firewood, cutting fence posts from a nearby forest, setting up tents for an upcoming festival, feeding the dogs, collecting some vegetables, sewing seed bags from old sheets, collecting and preparing small plums for compote, jam, wine, etc.....
Ian - the owner - is a british guy with a PhD in Agricultural Science or something similiar - he used to work for the ministry of agriculture in England. Hence he spends much more time in the garden than cooking or cleaning. He is a bit socially awkward but quite a talker once you get him going.

All in all it has been a great experience so far. The farm is quite sustainable, although it doesn't produce so much of it's own food yet - but most other resources used come from nearby. We got a bunch of goat milk and yogurt from the funny neighbor up the hill - he talks and talks to you in Bulgarian even though none of us understand a word he says. Then he'll disappear and return with an armful of jars with goat milk and offer you a ciggarette until you finally take one and at least pretend to smoke it with him.

Well, I must be going - it is over an hour journey back to the farm. But more will come as I get a chance. I should be able to get back to the internet next week but who knows when I get to the next farm.