Imagine a quiet place in the mountains, no cars, no pollution, no screaming nervous people around you. Only trees, pure air, animals and other souls in love with nature. A little community which as a road does no wasting, only recycling and sharing as its cornerstones.
It is appealing, isn’t? Well, this place really exists: its name is Vegetarium and is in Zhelen, near Sofia, Bulgaria.
I arrived at Vegetarium on the 25th of September 2024 and I was warmly welcomed by the other European Solidarity Corps volunteers and the founders of the place. I was showed the place and its eco-rules and tasks and given a room entirely made of wood and clay.
My day starts at 7.00 AM and I have time for my yoga, meditation practice and dreams’ writing. I then have a cold shower and at 8.30 AM a bell rings: it’s the morning circle. So all the members gather, sing a mantra song accompanied by a guitar and read a short text taken by the White Brotherhood’s book (a spiritual movement born in the XIX century in Varna, near Sofia). After everyone shares how he feels (or not), his programs for the day and his questions, if he has ones.
The activities of the day then begin: someone takes care of the fruits and vegetables in the green house, someone else looks after the horses, the chickens, the cats, the dogs and the bees, other volunteers cook vegetarian food only with fresh and biological
products and a wide variety of herbs and spices. The cleaning and the use of natural medicine are also part of life at Vegetarium.
At 6:30 PM another bell rings and another meeting takes place: everyone tells how his day was (if he wants) and planning is made for the next day (even if a daily and weekly activities board are filled every end of the week).
In the evening, people usually eat lunch leftovers (big amounts of food are prepared each day) and can play music, listen to music with speakers, watch a movie at the projector or have a walk in the mountains and enjoy the sunset.
My experience in Zhelen has just started, I am learning something new every day and I’m really grateful to be surrounded by empathic people, animals and Mother Nature all around.
