Job Title:
Village Life
One Sentence To Describe Work Role:
Changing my lifestyle – moving from city living in England to village life in Bulgaria
Number Of Years Dedicated To This Field Of Work or Lifestyle:
1
Category Of Work:
Lifestyle – Other
Country / Area of Work:
Bulgaria
Industry:
Not Applicable
Type:
Lifestyle Choice
Key Skills For The Job:
To change lifestyle moving from a city life to a village life encompasses many elements for consideration. On top of his moving country adds another layer of elements to assess, plan for and work towards.
Analytical skills of self, environment and of possibilities are all needed for such a change and to manage the work involved.
Research, planning where you will live, the costs. Look at the differences this move will entail. Changes that will impact on yourself and your dependents and/or partner.
Vital Key Skill:
I would say planning. There are lots of things to sort out and arrange leading up to a move and as you settle into new life.
There are so many many elements that come together for a family in daily life. Income, expenses, healthcare, owning a vehicle, transporting family pets abroad, paying taxes, understanding you rights as a citizen, paying household bills to schedule, etc. It’s important to be organised and confident that you have all bases covered.
Working out the priorities is key. Know what can or should be sacrificed in order of importance. Being confident in your planning so that you are able to adapt with anything that arises along the way.
Your Personal Experience Of Entering This Role:
Not Relevant
Tips For Undertaking This Work:
Changing where you live (city, town, village, etc) impacts on everything to do with your life. A bit obvious to say, I know. It’s one of those things whereby you can only truly relate to the intensity of it all once you have done it for yourself.
I moved for personal reasons. I wanted more space & nature for my daughter to grow up in. To benefit from a lower cost of living than I was currently paying for. The opportunity to have more flexible working hours. To get more out of my own house by being able to afford a bigger house, space to grow my own vegetables and own a few chickens, etc.
In addition to the changes I could anticipate or guess, it’s hard to predict other changes. An example being the emotions that come with leaving your homeland. Emotions created not just as you leave loved ones but emotions as you leave a place that you are so familiar with, how it all works. Some examples include:
- Knowing how you can attend a doctors surgery
- What medicines you can buy over the counter
- How you obtain and use tickets for public transport
- When public holidays are
- How paid for street parking works (timing, costs, fines, release fee/action)
- An appreciation for how long travel between cities will be or the costs involved
- What A&E departments look like, how you navigate your hospital
- …… etc
The wonder, joy and at times the confusion of experiencing another culture. The mixed reception you receive as a foreigner living in a new country are also examples of this.
Moving from a city life to a village life meant how I brought things changed. The nearest main supermarket is 30 minutes drive (one way). I adapted my method of buying. I planned meals more, managed my cupboards more effectively, stocked up for winter and buy extra supplies for emergencies.
Future Progression Or Developments:
You settle into your life as you go. Building your knowledge of the area geographically, in terms of the services you can utilise. You build on a ever increasing circle of friends. You are free to adapt your home and lifestye as you go, taking better advantage of your new way of life.
When I moved with my family I knew we had a challenging time head of us. We were going to renovate a house in Bulgaria. Our daughter was still very young. We were busy with house renovations, caring for our child and the general grinds of life. Because I was so busy, I found it very difficult to allow myself time for me.
I was always busy, working to plaster walls around my daughters naps, to practice my trade so that I could get back into paid work in the future, looking after my daughter and general household duties. I guess its a mix of what the situation needed and of my own standards of myself that I didn’t allow myself this actually very valuable time to just relax. Who knew being unproductive is actually being productive!
As a mother, wife and for myself, I benefit now from allowing myself time for things I want. I am still working on this. It still feels strange for me to do. But this is the most important bit of advice I would like to give to a younger me undertaking this lifestyle choice.
What Are The ‘tools of the trade’ Used Daily:
Phone calendar and to do list – Invaluable for the planning stages and reminders.
Google translate – In Bulgaria they use the Cyrillic alphabet so Google translate is always to hand.
A good language teacher – It’s very important to find a good teacher. I am very lucky with my tutor. He is someone who has a real passion for languages. I feel he helps us learn in a more quality way because he appreciates how languages differ. Not just Bulgarian and English but other languages too. He can offer tips and insights that other language tutors simply cannot.
The internet – Trying to work out things such as public holidays, when bills are usually paid, where public service buildings are, etc can be a mission. Having mobile data is invaluable. This ‘access on the go’ means you able to figure things out quicker. Work out where your internet cafes or public libraries with internet access are, they will be invaluable.
Language & writing – As I am learning the language I have many a time gotten the help/info I need by just drawing what I mean. You would be surprised at just how often a notepad and pen can save the day!
A Typical Day’s Duties:
An example of a typical day in city life in England would be if compared to my village life in Bulgaria:
England:
- Get up get ready for the day
- Feed the cat
- Kindergarden run
- Drive to work probably spend 5-10 minutes in traffic jams
- 1 hour lunch break (usually spent at my desk or quickly nipping out feeling rushed)
- Collect my daughter
- Nip to the shop on the way home
- Cook dinner
- Play with daughter and then put her to bed
- 20 minutes on chores
- Time time for entertainment
- Bed
Bulgaria:
- Get up get my daughter ready
- Do the kindergarden run, no rush hour only possibility of goats or cows in the road as the herder moves them on the day
- Come back walk the dog, feed the chickens,
- Work until lunch
- Break go for a walk (possibly in the canyon, or by the river or just around the village)
- Do something around the house to break the day up or just to keep on top of chores
- Go to kindergarden again to collect my daughter,
- Come home cook,
- Play with my daughter then put her to bed
- Having the rest of the evening for myself.
Is Travelling A Regularly Part Of This Work:
No
Weekly Working Hours:
Way Of Life – Hours 24/7
Type Of Hours Arrangement:
Flexible Based On Your Own Needs
The Best Thing About The Work You Do:
Seeing my daughter flourish taking advantage of the beauty, education, nature, friendships this country and our village in particular has to offer.
Your Least Favorite Thing About The Work You Do:
The harsh winter. We have seen temp go below -30. Also a whole winter week go by where the daytime temp didn’t go above freezing. Mix this with the fact how you heat your home is different, adds another dimension on this new way of life.
Chopping wood, storing wood, warming your home each morning, being remote- needing to deal with basic plumbing to get by in winter (frozen pipes, burst pipes, etc).
Any Duties You Hadn’t Anticipated Prior To Undertaking The Work:
I think the level of continuous searching for info you find yourself doing. As new things crop up or as you need or experience different situations you find yourself needing to find out information for yourself.
The Top Perks Of The Work:
A personal perk would be the small moments internally you just take a deep breath and say “this is why I did this”.
The first of many such times was when I took my bag of rubbish (trash) to the bin. In England I would have a plastic wheelie bin that sat in my garden. In our village you are free to use any street bin you like. As I chucked my bag of rubbish in the bin, closed the lid and then turned around starting to walk back. My gaze was met with the beautiful view of the canyon rocks in the distance. I couldn’t hear any cars only birds chirping and the sun was shining. A very special, enjoyable, grateful moment.
Other Work In The Same Sector: (Left Blank If Not Applicable)
If you chose to move from your homeland and stay in the same area type (city, village, town) then you may feel less pressure or experience less pressures from such a move.
What Professional Organisations Are Associated With Your Work:
N/A
Additional Info You Wish To Share:
Changing my lifestyle moving from city living in England to a village life in Bulgaria was a big change for me. This is my first time living away from my homeland. Also the first time I really needed to learn a new language.
I achieved a grade E in my GSCE Spanish class at school. I’ve always classed myself as not very good with languages. I think there is a lot to be said for need and skills combining. Combining to help you get yourself to where you need/want to be. I never thought twice about moving to a country that didn’t speak English as a 1st language. I just knew I would make the effort and try my best. In Bulgaria you can travel in many cities and not be able to speak English to anyone you meet as you go about your business. I think regardless of your ability, you need to be fully open minded and resourceful about learning the language.
Where People Can Visit For More Details On Your Work:
