Vama Veche (Part 2)

It’s 10.00pm on a Friday, we’ve arrived at the beach and everyone is ready for a party. Vama Veche (to rhyme with drama vecky) is where Romanians go to let their hair down. The bars lining the seafront play music through the night and everywhere is open 24 hours. You can see teenagers on their first trip away from parents, rock loving motorcyclists, ageing hippies and everything in between.

After putting up our tent on the sand we head off to see what is in store.

It is plain to see that the party has started. People are drinking and dancing in the bars and the street. As you move along the music changes from place to place. Hip hop, rock, electronic dance and folk are all being played. You just choose your music and head for the appropriate bar.

The following day we sampled the restaurants and found the food to be fantastic. This was no surprise as all the food we have eaten in Bulgaria and Romania has been excellent, fresh and tasty. The summer is best as everything is freshly picked and on your plate in perfect condition. It’s also cheap by Western European standards, but compared to Romanian salaries it’s quite expensive. But that is only to be expected at a place such as this.

One week on and we have secured two ‘jobs’ where we help out in exchange for, in one instance, food, and the other, a bed. While helping at these places we are spending time with locals which means we are also having some entertaining language lessons. As we don’t speak much Romanian and they don’t speak much English, working out translations can be challenging (especially when we use the wrong part of the phrase book and try using Hungarian) but usually ends up with everyone laughing. We have been warned to be careful what they teach us though, so we do check new words later on.

As a native English speaker it is difficult learning a new language. Because the rest of Europe, and probably the world, all learn to speak English from an early age. It is possible to get around, eat and find a place to stay without learning the local language. We are often asked why we want to learn Romanian. For me it isn’t learning more of the culture or hiding the fact that I’m a foreigner. I enjoy the challenge of learning, and I don’t mind looking like a fool if I say something wrong. We are still learning the basics but hearing Romanian being spoken so much is helping. I can’t follow a conversation at all but odd words are starting to stand out. We are also learning useful words such as foods and numbers. Language lessons at school were full of grammar, which should be learnt, but not at the expense of more useful vocabulary. After a year of French lessons we visited Paris and I discovered that I could introduce myself perfectly but couldn’t order a burger without resorting to pointing.

There are always jobs to do around a busy hostel. Washing sheets is a never-ending task, as is sweeping up sand. I am finding that I need to limit my hours of work as it is to easy to do ‘one more job’ until I realise it’s starting to get dark and I haven’t been to the beach yet. When you are working as part of a small team you do whatever needs doing so others don’t have to. It is important that no-one feels that they are doing more than others.

Everything seems to be going well at the moment and we both still enjoy meeting new people everyday, just like in the Bulgarian campsite we stayed in.

This is a crazy place, and that always helps to keep things interesting. The rules are slightly relaxed at Vama Veche, but people are generally well behaved. I haven’t seen any fighting or football hooligan type behaviour. Yes, there are people sleeping where they fall, but no-one steals the bags laid next to them. People walk the streets asking for cigarettes and others seem happy to hand one over. Romanians appear to have a strong sense of right and wrong. If they can spare a drink or cigarette then giving it to a poorer person is fair. Maybe this is why theft is less of an issue than I would have expected.

Anyway, I should get back to work. I’m sure there are sheets to wash

J.

Vama Veche (Part1)

So you spend all that time planning where you’re going, how you’ll get there and how long it will take. Then it all goes out of the window with one decision at the right ( or wrong) time.

We had planned to be in Bulgaria for 6 months then possibly head down to Greece and Italy for the winter. 7 weeks in and we’re sat by the beach in Romania with two part time jobs, one in exchange for a bed and shower the other for food.

When we were at home, it seemed sensible to plan everything in advance, stay with English speakers and nail down every detail. Back then, even though it is only 2 months ago, the world seemed a much scarier place. Everyone will try and rob us, packs of wild dogs will chase us down and we’ll end up crawling back home begging for our jobs back. Or that’s how it felt.

We quickly adjusted to life outside the UK and found that our mistake had been to take the ‘softer’ option when choosing hosts to contact. We had left home to go on an adventure. As fanciful as that may sound, that was how it was. Within a few days with our first host (a campsite) we felt at home. This was great because we could relax and concentrate on the work, rock climbing and trying to learn a new language (and alphabet!). However, this soon led to us feeling restless as we didn’t feel we were living very differently from back at home. We were being looked after too well. We needed an element of risk in our lives. Nothing too drastic, just the occasional night where we didn’t know where we would sleep, or if we would eat that day or not.

2 weeks into our planned month at our second host we made the decision to abandon Bulgaria in favour of Romania. I was expecting a difficult conversation with our hosts. They had however, spent some time travelling prior to settling in Bulgaria. This meant that they understood our feelings and agreed that breaking free would probably work out better for us. They even offered us a lift to the bus station.

During our time at the campsite we met a number of people who became friends. Three in particular live in Bucharest and all invited us to come and stay any time. We contacted one of these, and she insisted that we stay in her apartment, even though she was in Italy at the time! So another friend met us (in McDonald’s, I admit it) and took us to the apartment. He let us in, gave us directions to the nearest shop and left us to it. This felt more like it; a strange city, a strange flat and two dusty, tired travellers. So after a shower and a quick trip out for food, we settled down to watch Batman.

The next morning was a very relaxed affair. Plenty of breakfast and coffee readied us for our friends return. A quick trip around Bucharest was followed by frenzied packing. A weekend at the beach was suggested and there was only one answer.

To be continued………

First impressions of Romania.

After a car, a coach, a minibus, McDonald’s and a tube ride, we arrived at our new friend’s apartment. Her friend was sent to collect us from McDonald’s and take us by tube train to the apartment. He was shy and soon left us with the key and the address of the apartment should we get lost.

We arrived at our friends apartment 24 hours before she did. We have only spent 2 weekends with this friend but she has insisted that we stay in her Bucharest apartment. We are, again, very lucky.

En route from Ruse to Bucharest we got talking to a young couple from South Korea. One of the best bits about traveling is we get to meet people from all over the world.

As we crossed into Romania I enjoyed looking at how the houses and their roofs are painted bright colours; yellow, pink, raspberry red, emerald green and lime. Not all, but enough to show a trend. There are houses painted pale oranges and browns too. The buildings begin to be less colourful the closer you get to Bucharest.

 

We look forward to  seeing more of Romania soon , including the Transylvanian mountains.

T.

Food over the last two weeks.

Quick food update re the last two weeks.

Top of the list must be the Yummy cakes.
Chocolate and courgette cake
Plum and ginger cupcakes
Chocolate and Beetroot cupcakes
Apricot cupcakes
Walnut with a hint of coffee cupcakes
Walnut and Courgette cake.
Chocolate orange cupcakes

More sweet stuff
Chocolate spread
Chocolate biscuits
Pain au chocolate
Ice cream
Local Honey from the neighbours
Home made jam.

Lots of;
Courgettes
Pickles,chutneys and relishes.
Russian salad ( peas, carrots, mayo, ham and sometimes potatoes)
Home made Veggie Quiche some times fresh and warm but mostly cold ( defrosted in the fridge as an easy lunch)
Yellow cheese and white
Eggs from the hosts chickens in lots of forms including burgers.
Yogurt on cereal

Some but not a lot of ;
Home made breads
Potatoes as mash and oven chips
Food is often fried
Pancakes and veg and cheese
Pasta and veg and cheese
Lamb.
Pork
Carrot soup with Dill and chives (all home grown)
Bananas

We drink a lot of
Black Coffee
Sugar free Ice tea and juice.
Fruit tea.

Summary
A lot less bread, meat and fresh fruit, fresh salad and or raw veg.

A lot more Cake and cooked veggies.
Chutneys, Pickles and relish. Mostly home made.

Not feeling too fat lol.

Building with mud.

Around Christmas 2012 we started telling everyone that we were giving ours jobs up and going travelling. A lot of people asked me how I could afford to do it. The answer was Workaway. The idea is simple, you live with various people and work around their house/business in exchange for food and a bed. You don’t get paid but all your essential expenses are taken care of by your host. Travel from one place to another and sightseeing are the only real expenses that come from your own pocket.

But how does this relate to mud?

Mud is how we’ve been earning our keep over the last ten days or so.

In this part of Bulgaria there a large number of houses built from mud brick. When they were originally built the locally sourced mud was packed into moulds and left in the sun to dry. A few weeks later the builders would return and start laying them, using a mud mortar, over a foundation of dressed stone. They would then use a slightly different mud to cover the bricks for weather protection. This would have straw, hay or sawdust mixed in to add strength. Two or three thin coats of this plaster would be applied to the internal as well as external walls. They could then be painted as required.

The idea of a mud hut seems very primitive to anyone from the more developed parts of the world. However, from my recent experience I think modern building methods may be a step backwards. The mud bricks themselves are very strong and hard. The plaster is very easy to apply and transport costs are minimal as materials are sourced on site.

One of the big advantages of mud plaster is that it can be removed and reapplied as often as you like. Simply scrape it from the wall, dump it in a bath of some description, add water, wait and stir occasionally. When it’s evenly mixed you can decide whether or not to add more straw etc. then just spread it on the wall. This means that novice plasterers such as myself can easily learn the skills needed. If its going badly, just scrape it back and try again. Also, when using cement or concrete, if you drop some it needs cleaning up straight away, tools need cleaning regularly, and any excess needs disposing of properly. With mud, just leave it. Let it dry on the ground, pick it up when it’s dry, dump it in the bath and re-wet it for using again.

For a poor community this way of building is perfect. Material costs are virtually zero. Repairs are easily carried out by anyone with minimal skills, which keeps labour costs down. And in 20 years time strip and reapply it for a nice neat looking house.

Also, don’t worry if your wall isn’t perfectly flat and smooth. Straight timber seems to be impossible to buy in Bulgaria, so your roof won’t be!

J.

New places & people

As I write this I’m sat in our new home for a month. The view over northern Bulgaria is the perfect backdrop for writing. We are now in Lomtsi, a small village close to Popovo. Our hosts have previously volunteered in the same way we are now. They learned a lot and decided to take the plunge and bought a small holding. Tracy and Paul now have sheep (including a newborn lamb), chickens, rabbits and cats (plus 5 kittens). There is also an extensive vegetable garden so food is not a problem here! Tracey likes to experiment in the kitchen so meals are great but probably not what we have eaten before. It all tastes good and there’s plenty of it, which is ideal because there’s lots of work to do.

Life has changed quite a lot from last month. Living on a campsite meant meeting different people on a daily basis. While working on a job someone would need help with something, so off you go. It was very easy to forget what you were doing and leave things unfinished. We did have lots of animals and fruit picking in common with here though.

In the summer months most Bulgarians will cook outside where possible. This is mainly to reduce the heat build up in the house. So with this in mind we moved one of the ovens out from the kitchen. The downside of an outdoor kitchen is the fact that I spent more time carrying pots and pans in and out than I did cooking with them.

As we had been at the campsite for a while we’d made friends with a couple of the longer term campers. This resulted in us being asked to babysit a dog and parrot for a weekend. Both were very easy to look after and gave us an ideal excuse to sit around ‘supervising’ them.

We now have more animals to look after. They require a lot less input though. Open the barn doors in the morning, feed and close the doors at night and that’s about it. We do keep an ear open for unusual calls from Shaun the lamb, just in case. Tracey and Paul run things in a very laid back way. Learning as they go and letting nature take its course where possible. Most animals and plants know what’s best regardless of how intelligent we may think we are.

We’ve been stripping and prepping an external wall ready to replaster with mud plaster. For a break from plastering Paul and I chopped and stacked some logs while Tracey made jam. Thirzah was also working in the kitchen and when she called out that bread and soup was ready it didn’t take long for us all to down tools and head for the table.

We caused quite a stir among the villagers when stripping the mud plaster from the walls. The local ‘Babba’ (lit. grandmother) spent most of the afternoon watching from the safety of her bench.

These benches are everywhere, and I love seeing people sat outside shops and homes chatting and enjoying some shade.

As we began to pack our tools away for the day we received the seal of approval from the Babba. It was duly inspected, we were asked why we hadn’t used that new invention, concrete, and then given an enthusiastic ‘Dobre’ which can mean anything from ‘OK’ to ‘fine’ to ‘think nothing of it’. It’s quite a handy word to know. The whole village should now know who we are and what we are doing.

Yesterday afternoon one of the older neighbours had a delivery of firewood. This needed stacking in the cellar to dry ready for winter. At first he didn’t want any help as he had no money to pay us. When we convinced him we didn’t want paying he relented. It took four of us about two hours to move and stack the wood. We were then invited into his house. This is a great honour in Bulgaria. Some people never make it past the garden, the next step is the hallway. We were taken straight to the kitchen!

No-one has money in Bulgaria but everyone has Rakia. Every country has a version of it, a homemade drink, usually fruit based, that could be used to power rockets or strip paint. So after a few of those, and another refusal of money, we headed back to the house.

So we are now fitting into village life quite well and picking up a little more of the language. We do need to remember that some words we are learning are ‘village’ words and might not be recognised in other parts of Bulgaria.

Who knows what tomorrow brings.

J.

Food during June 2013

Common foods this month have been;

My Favourite Cliff’s
Raw cabbage and carrot salad with Sunflower seeds, olive oil and white balsamic vinegar.

My other Favourite Havla ( sunflower cake)

Snickers ( when rock climbing)

Various Ice cream from the shops.

Bananas
Cherries
Plums
Watermelon with or without traditional white cheese ( similar to Feta)

Yellow cheese similar to Cheddar cheese

Shopska salad
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Onion
Salad peppers
White cheese.

Potatoes as Chips ( done in a chip pan)
Or as mash including the skin.

Liver/ heart ( fried or curried) from various animals.

Fresh free range farm Eggs

Chicken
Pasta with pesto
Rice
Cornflakes ( with Almond milk especially for me)
Natural Bulgarian Yogurt ( has unique bacteria).

Local Honey and Home made jam.

Wholemeal bread / seeded batch.

Various types of sausage (Bulgarian, Romanian,Turkish etc)

Chilli flavoured baked beans ( in a tin from Kaufland) (German version of Tesco)

James has tried and liked fish egg salad and the fish caught from the river. But I’m allergic so no fish gets near me. We have eaten out with our host and his friends. We have tried some traditional food like tripe soup, Bulgarian pizza and other Bulgarian traditionally cooked meals.

We loved how people would leave food behind for us, at the campsite, like fruit and veg. cheese, bread, black olives, and in one instance, ice cream and porridge oats. They often left beer and wine but James doesn’t drink and I only indulge in a little red wine sometimes.

We have drunk a lot of
Tea
Coffee
Sugar free juice (made with tap water mixed with special powders).

I have put on weight lol.