Hola hola,
In this post we have the opportunity to find out more about two very interesting newcomers to Dolen. Well, relatively new since they have known the place since a long time ago and they are restoring their house from 2017 in the village. They are Iva and Alberto and, while they still keep their job in the city and are able to work from home, they spend most of the time in Dolen, enjoying the peace, the tranquility, the beautiful view and the local company. We discussed about their experience in the village, the transition from the city to a smaller place, all the effort that it takes to renovate their house, the relationship with the local people, Alberto’s adventure learning Bulgarian and moving from Spain to another country, their current projects like the vegetable garden and how they see themselves in a near future.
One of the interesting things about their house is that it is being renovated and restored by Vesko, as you might have heard about in previous posts. They have kept parts of the original structure of the house that was built around 300 years ago but they have also incorporated some new techniques and designs that go well together with the essence of the place.
As they were working, I could discuss with them in separate moments, so you can listen to the interviews separately in the podcast episodes. First I talked with Iva, she told me that she knows Vesko from childhood and that it was thanks to him that she heard about the town about 20 years ago and she has always liked it as well as the idea of villages and a life outside of the city. They were coming often and getting close to the local community, and then someone told them that they were already part of the town, so why did they not buy a house there. They found the house but it needed to be repaired and reconstructed since it was in a not so good state. It was 2017 and since then it has been a long effort, dedication, perseverance and, thanks to the help and support of friends and local people. Now they are getting closer to the end and soon it will be ready so they can spend all the seasons there.
Regarding their relationship with the local people, she told me that it has also been a long process to adapt, to tolerate and understand the cultural differences and to get to know each other, especially as they came with Alberto as a foreigner. Local people feel happy that they have come to install themselves in Dolen and even now, that winter is coming and most of the people go back to the city, they say that the village will become sad. Finally, they are accepting them. Hopefully, next year, when the house is finished, they can stay for the winter.
Iva has lots of ideas about what can be done in the town for the upcoming season, like gathering people to rebuild and reinforce the stage of the Amphitheater since the structure is damaged, probably organizing a crowdfunding and some charity concerts. They plan as well to work together and support the new purpose of Portite as an educational center that would include workshops on different topics, the organization of a library and probably some film projections for the locals connected to an activity for collecting garbage in the village.
The good thing is that they are all a good group of friends who want to work together and make this place more attractive for people who want to connect to nature and the arts. They love Dolen, so they are happy to share all this beauty of the town with more people in a creative way all year long. If you want to listen to the conversation and more details, please click below:
Now it was the turn of Alberto. I started asking him about his experience as a foreigner here in Dolen.They came with Iva some years ago to visit and since then he felt that this was a magical place. He fell in love with the village. Every time he came to Bulgaria to visit Iva, they tried to come and visit friends, until they decided to get a house in the village. After visiting many houses and kind of giving up on the idea of finding the right one, they found this one and immediately felt that there was something special about it, and here they are.
Coming as a foreigner to a Bulgarian village, his experience is a bit different from that of Bulgarians, but he felt in love with the place and being far from big cities was something he had always wanted to try and for the moment it is going quite well. Of course he misses Spain but he is able to go from time to time to visit family and friends.
At the beginning when he arrived, he did not speak any Bulgarian, so for him it was a new experience for him and a moment of discovering new ways to communicate with people by trying to get the meaning of some words and reading the emotions of the person and the vibe of the conversation. Now he speaks the language very well and although he told me that he gets lost with some words, he manages to communicate in a very good Bulgarian.
He studied Agronomy at the university and for some time ago he wanted to have a garden. Now they have started one near their house and\ for him it has been a challenge to grow plants and vegetables in this climate and meteorological conditions because all the knowledge he had was applicable to Mediterranean weather, basically warmer and less humid. Alberto keeps track of the dates when he plants lettuce, tomatoes and other vegetables. He also documents the changes and the effects of the weather, as well as the changes he observes. It has been also a good opportunity for him to get closer to the locals by asking them about when is the best time to plant or to harvest and which species grow better in Dolen, since some seeds that he has brought from Spain did not survive the conditions here. Hopefully, he will be able to also contribute to the community and have an exchange by sharing his knowledge about permaculture and how to maintain a garden by using the organic waste and the nutrients that the earth itself provides instead of fertilizing their gardens with chemical products. This would be a nice way to give back to the community all the help they have received during all this time with the construction of the house.
Here you can find the whole conversation with Alberto:
It was very inspiring to discuss with them and to get to know their background and experience here in Dolen. Hopefully, they will continue their projects with lots of success and they will keep contributing to the construction of this great community.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed these conversations as I did and talk to you soon !
Hasta pronto,
Juliana
