Acasa la Gugu
Contact person:
Sabin Muresan
Languages spoken on the farm:
Romanian, English, French, Spanish - fluent; German and Hungarian - a little bit
Description of the area:
Hilly area at 630m altitude.
What do you grow on the farm:
We grow fruits and vegetables according to permaculture and forest gardening. We don't have livestock (yet).
Farm size:
3 hectars for hay and grazing and trees. "Home at Gugu" is the place where we experiment with natural buildings and permaculture. We started our permaculture garden in 2011 and in 2013 we started building our cob cottage. Our project helps us reconnect with nature, re-learn how to build with natural materials (cob, straw bales, green roofs) and makes us enjoy in harmony what teh land gives us. It is a healing space which brings us daily learning and happiness. Until we'll finish building the cob cottage (2014) it is a seasonal project (May - October).
Months when they accept voulteers:
May, June, July, August, September, October.
Volunteer activities:
Volunteers can contribute with: expanding the permaculture garden, building raised beds and hugelkultur, tree planting, cleaning the little forrest, forest gardening design, mulching and composting, building solar oven / dryer / glass house; building with cob, straw bales, earth bags, green roofs, tree houses; building rocket stove and ovens.
Accommodation:
Accomodation in tents, camping style. Facilities: solar shower, dry composting toilet, phone / laptop charging. Compulsory: basic notions in relaxation and using a hammoc (we offer introductory crash courses any way :)
Diet:
We eat mainly vegetarian meals, including a lot of raw food, using recipes from four continents. All the milk, cheese and eggs come from organic farmers in the village. Drinking water comes from a spring. We eat many seasonal fruits from the area.
A few words about the family:
We are the parents of a two years old and expecting another baby. We are often supported / visited by friends and in the summer of 2013 we constantly have four adults and one child on our land. We don't encourage eating meat and the consumption of alcohol, drugs and tobacco. We can accept volunteers who moderately eat meat and in case they would cook it for themselves.
Pets:
No. We are frequently visited by rabbits, wild pigs, deers and many birds from the surrounding forests. We often visit our neighbors livestock. Pets are welcome (if they will get along with the local fauna).
Other comments:
Being in Gugu can be a complex experience. The area where we are is excelent for hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing and caving. We practice all that with joy in our free time or whenever we feel like it. We play guitar and percussion instruments, we love drawing and dancing. We practice several methods of nonviolent communication, conflict transformation, community building and group processes. meditation and therapy. We play with friends and visitors. Often working in the garden, in the orchard or building goes by together with the happiness of being together and connecting with each other on many levels.