I finished my European Voluntary Service with WWOOF Bulgaria on the 1st June, also my 25th birthday, which I spent in Sofia with the beautiful Bill, Ina, Elena and Ronan; a very good friend from Ireland who recently came to visit and adventure around Bulgaria. 
The day marked exactly a year since I left Ireland and started my journey in Bulgaria. A year I’ve documented on the little laptop I’m writing from now, while enjoying a melon, eating with a little wooden spoon, in need of a shower while I take a break from the delicate task of avoiding a potential massacre of snails, frogs and other wildlife that happen to be very sensitive to the destructive machines I’m using, with a little guilt, to carry out some weed and grass management at Trinity Rocks Farm.
During the year I undertook the EVS project with WWOOF Bulgaria, mentioned above, to help and learn on organic farms around the country. I spent incredible times at CROP, The Happy Hippy Hostel and Tree Pigs Farm, and learned and experienced more than could possibly be included in the ‘intended learning outcomes’ section of the project outline. I feel my physical, mental, and spiritual growth has been more in the last twelve months than any year previous, and I would say I have developed more than changed.
A little about what European Voluntary Service, EVS, is…
The European Voluntary Service provides young Europeans with the unique chance to express their personal commitment through unpaid and full-time voluntary activities in a foreign country within or outside the EU. In this way, it seeks to develop solidarity, mutual understanding and tolerance among young people, thus contributing to reinforcing social cohesion in the European Union and to promoting young people’s active citizenship.
Open to all young people aged 18 to 30, EVS is a true ‘learning service’. Beyond benefiting the local communities, by participating in voluntary activities, young volunteers can develop new skills and, therefore, improve their personal, educational and professional development. Their learning experience is formally recognised through a Youthpass. Participation is free for the volunteers who also get board and lodging, insurance cover and an allowance for the duration of the project.
Really it’s difficult to overstate how much I recommend the EVS experience. If anyone wants some information on how to find a project and apply, send me a mail (paddy@paddyohanlon.ie).
I’ve spent time reflecting and digesting the recent past, using my thoughts, my own diary, a brochure, created for dissemination of project outcomes, and the project evaluation reports as my tools for assimilation. The brochure I created is below, although it looks a little unusual in this format; imagine a 3 page folded flyer.
I don’t feel like going into my EVS self evaluation any more here though. Instead I want to recount where my body and mind has been since then, in the last month, and where I’m directing my thoughts and energy now.
Before parting company at the farm, CROP, Zhelen, I was very fortunate to spend time with Signe and Radu, from Denmark and Romania. It was thoroughly my pleasure, they shine constantly and you notice a unique magic about both of them very quickly. We travelled to Veliko Tarnovo together and visited some beautiful nearby places, with beautiful weather and equally beautiful cherry and mulberry trees. In the two weeks or so that we shared much of it was happily spent in trees. I discovered eating mulberries straight from the branch, without using your hands, offers a very satisfying and different fruit eating sensation, especially after rain, it seems like the most fresh and natural activity. The photos below show some of our adventures.
From the left: Radu, Signe, Me and Lidiya
Picking the Bulgaria's most perfect cherries
Emen Gorge
Trinity Rocks
I’ve taken up residence at Trinity Rocks over the last three weeks, giving myself some time to remain stationary, and have been helping Cliff with general upkeep of the place, some preparation for a festival happening here in September and a new web site (www.velikotarnovocamping.com). The climbing has been very very nice and I’m happily progressing and enjoying more and more. I’ve dedicated other time to developing a logo and web site for the newly founded non-profit organisation United Rights, which I’m very glad to be part of.
My Mother came to visit recently for a week. It had been over a year since we had seen each other, the longest time that’s passed with such a distance between us. We visited Hotnitsa Waterfall and Dryanovo Monastery, took a walk to Trinity Rocks to see the cliffs and cave and generally we relaxed, talked about life, coffee and health and enjoyed each others company.
I’ve taken an unexpected interest in memory lately, researching basics on different models for perceiving how the memory works in an effort to better understand the more unconscious processes taking place when I remember things. My idea is that these processes are like techniques, and as with any techniques, as you increase understanding of the system for which they’re applied you can also increase effectiveness of the techniques. So for memory, my quest is to discover, learn about and create and customise methods for remembering this and in doing so improve memory; for remembering day to day things, tasks, long term ideas and goals, words and grammar for language, everything. Also I noticed that when reading recalling the information was crucially linked to how well I store the information I’ve just exposed myself to and tried to take in. So a simple game or exercise I try it to recount a paragraph or chapter in my own words, in my head, to myself, or out loud to a fortunate person nearby, or in writing. The idea is not to reproduce the words and construction of words the author has used, but to assimilate what I have interpreted as that which she or he tried to express and to store and digest the information by converting it into my own personal language; a form I can re-express using combinations of words and a thought process more typical of me. I find I need to be well rested to do this, it requires a considerable amount more energy than my usual not so engaged reading and it takes a lot more time, but my idea is that with practice I will develop this technique and it will become easier and easier, until it becomes my reading norm. At that time information I take in, which I’ve chosen as valuable enough to acquire in the first place, will be of much greater value. From there I’m imaging another level which will present itself, where again methods can be improved.
I’m constantly trying things with the food I eat also, in a combined effort to explore myself in a holistic way. I think my idea of holistic, or my whole picture of myself will also develop with thought and development. I’ve eaten a vegetarian diet, although not strictly, for some time now, over a year and at the start of this year I began experimenting with food combining; highlighting the importance of not only eating ‘healthly’ things, but the importance of the combinations, the quantities and, to a lesser extent, the times they’re eaten at. For almost two months now I’m experimenting with a raw food vegan diet, eating what most consider a ridiculous amount of fruit, with quite a lot of vegetables, and so far, it’s quite amazing. A lot are skeptical of different things concerning the diet, if I’m getting sufficient amounts of protein, B12, the omega fatty acids, and I’m very receptive to these questions, I think they’re necessary. My attitude is not to think I’ve chosen the right way of eating and to build a wall around me while I have fruit helicoptered in from above, rather I see all comments as healthy criticism; the questions are invaluable and have highlighted huge gaps in my knowledge about the body’s requirements in certain areas. In fact, the more I research, converse and learn, it seems the less and less I realise I know about my body. Particularly about the idea of listening to what your body wants. I know very well when I’m empty and full, but as far as requirements for more subtle things I’m yet to reach the most basic level in understanding my bodies messages, like a language I haven’t taken the time to learn, I understand quite well when it shouts at me and slaps me in the face, but the more subtle mid tones are still lost on me. For any interested the diet I’m most inspired by at the moment is the 801010 diet, advocated and imagined by Dr. Doug Graham.
This post is long and is a little patchwork, but I will persist. I’ve reevaluated and reminded myself of the reasons why my writing is important and see it as necessary to persist with this cleansing post; clearing and piecing together recent life. I’ll finish on my ideas for directions from now. I’ve not long returned from a short and beautiful trip to Romania with Elena. I have to make special note of the incredible and beautiful Gabi and Nicol who we contacted through couchsurfing and invited us into their beautiful home for some nights. Now I’m in Sozopol (I’ve written the post in several pieces), on the Black Sea in Bulgaria, travelling with some very interesting and happy newly found friends, Andrei and Boba. And after this I will go climbing with Tisho in Croatia before returning to Bulgaria to start a long hitchhike to France to pick grapes in September and October, and to do some climbing in France before starting another journey north to an eco village which I have been very impressed by, Svanholm. I feel I will learn a lot, particularly about there self government, their community model seems the most successful I’ve come across to date. After Denmark we’ll see. Lidiya and myself are searching for a long term opportunity further abroad; volunteering or working in South America, The Far East, Australia or New Zealand… to narrow it down a bit.
Now is very exciting, but I found I had not asked myself some very important questions recently, particularly regarding travelling. My idea for the next few years is to live and in several countries, to acquire the language and experiences and for this to be a foundation in life education, to broaden my whole self, to be constantly stimulated and to continuously learn and be happy. How I’ve arranged my travelling and moving and working, the occupation of my time and energy, is such as to fulfill those requirements and criteria as best I’ve concluded for now. Where a small gap started to develop started to develop was in the infrequency of asking, ‘why am I doing what I’m doing now’. For example, something as simple as, why am I travelling along the Black Sea now. I like to answer as simply as possible first before exploring deeper and I returned with, because it’s very enjoyable to go to the sea, to swim, enjoy the sun, the landscape, the company of the people I will travel with and those I will meet; even more simply the answer is enjoyment. And something rang a little hollow there. I made a further reevaluation of what I’ve been doing with my time, and then what I’m doing today, yesterday, really what did I do and why, each day should be full and directed, to have a purpose, but not to be so fixed in that purpose as to close from opportunities and enjoyment. So of late, I have been climbing, reading about Taoist meditation, spending an awful lot of time thinking about food in life, stretching and practicing yoga, I’ve been doing some design work, for Veliko Tarnovo Camping (Trinity Rocks) and for United Rights. I’ve explored happily the reasons for each of these activities, but the overall result is that there is some imbalance. I’ve concluded roughly two things; something I’ve identified as creative/expressive/imaginative power, something like a muscle that should be exercised regularly to stimulate and improve it. I see it as the creation and realisation of ideas and dreams, when you have an idea to create something, a new recipe, to paint a picture, to arrange to meet friends and do something different, this spontaneous imagination, the ability we have to take existing things and to make something new and beautiful from them, to dream and create; I will avoid any further attempts at philosophical digging and make a comparison to Robert M. Pirsig’s idea of Quality for those who’ve, I’m sure, very pleasantly read his book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Not that this is very relevant, but I really recommend this book for anyone looking for something to think about.
Coming back to the imaginative power, I’m thinking of activities to incorporate into daily life to exercise this. One of the most promising is that of directing the imagination and creative thinking to others, to simply making others happy; a simple idea and activity I’ve written something about before, but which I’ve yet to develop as a habit. I’ve almost mentioned before investing energy positively in others, as I see it now, is like planting the best seeds in the best conditions with the hope of growing positive and happy energy in the world; and positive and energetic people. The practical application of this idea is crucial though, I’m realising better and better that all the good intents and ideas in the world are fantastic but not realised, not made real, until they’re being used and applied in life. So I will do some thinking, set some goals and let you know what my results are. I’d love to hear some suggestions too.
Love, smiles and much happiness today!
