You may ask why Bulgaria? Firstly, let me tell you a bit about me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I came out as a lesbian in 1984 aged just 15, at the same time I left home and struck out in to the world independently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I worked a lot of factory jobs, just to make ends meet and to provide me with enough to begin exploring the “gay scene” I partied regularly had a number of encounters, some more long lasting than others and generally enjoyed myself. I still hadn’t really figured out what to do with myself as my education was cut short by my early exit from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 19 I decided to return to education and embarked on a course for adults, an access course in Humanities and Social Science. I also took a night shift role as a carer with the elderly at my friend’s Mum’s lovely residential home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was at this home that I met Fred, he was an elderly gay man who regularly could not sleep, I sat with him as often as I could and we’d talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He and his life partner had lived a life in secret, none of their family members acknowledged their relationship even if they “knew”. They endured homophobic attacks on their property; local teenagers would throw dog shit at their windows whilst yelling homophobic slurs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Fred’s partner died, he felt as though he could not grieve properly for him, he didn’t get the support or understanding heterosexual spouses would have received, he felt alone, miserable and isolated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When his own health deteriorated, he came to live at Oakdene which is where we met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These late night conversations moved me, they made me think about what the future might be like for other gay men and lesbians and it looked pretty bleak at that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think this is the time that a seed embedded itself into my subconscious mind and now looking back it clearly motivated much of what I have done in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fast forward to my early twenties and my decision to become a vegetarian eco-warrior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This shift in my life largely came about through a dissatisfaction with mainstream politics which I had been involved in whilst a student. Democracy was hard, slow, dull and very male. I was grateful to have cut my political teeth in the Student Union as Lesbian and Gay Officer and loved the campaigns, the direct action and the unrelenting belief that we could work towards a better world for all but it just lacked something that I couldn’t quite explain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was when I met older lesbians; feminists who seemed to have taken matters into their own hands… Lesbian Line, Women’s Aid, Reclaim The Night marches, anti apartheid rallies, I heard of Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp (sadly I never got there) but THIS seemed to me very real. Activism that really changed things. I joined them and my consciousness about inequality, poverty, capitalism, animal and human exploitation exploded and has remained with me ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This too seeded a desire to take matters into my own hands to create a future that suited me, my needs and the needs of others like me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lack of action on The Climate Emergency also spurred me to find a place in the world where I could build a resilient, sustainable lifestyle, in community with other women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I needed land, with or without buildings for next to no money at all. A big ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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I spent many years considering how this could be done in the UK. I found it to be prohibitively expensive and there were so many bureaucratic hoops to jump through and it didn\u2019t seem to fit in with my my vision for such a space. I also tend to be a little allergic to too many rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I spent some time looking at Spain I like lots of things about Spain; the climate, the culture, the food, but again there were some political issues with people losing their life savings having their land and property grabbed back by the government for road building, so that seem to be the end of the road for me and my dream.
I was just carrying on with life when Bulgaria blipped onto my radar, people were talking about what a beautiful country it was, how inexpensive it was to go on holiday there and that land property were incredibly cheap. There was also lots of it going up for sale because young Bulgarians want to live in towns and cities, they want jobs and modern housing and village life wasn’t appealing to them anymore despite their love and pride in their country. Bulgarians all say “we love the nature”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I did some research and booked a 2 week holiday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I fell in love with it almost immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Village life is a self-sufficient lifestyle and life hasn’t changed much in decades. The soil is fertile and uncontaminated. It is a stunningly beautiful country with snow covered mountains, huge dense forests, sandy beaches, rolling hills and rivers and a diverse animal and bird population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I set up a Bulgarian business and named it Cosmic Stardust Enterprises (because why not?) and bought my first house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have since bought 2 further plots and all are in a state of renovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n