In 2020, we made the decision to step away from the traditional school system and start rethinking what childhood, education, and family life could look like. Since then, our journey has taken us far from the UK — all the way to rural Bulgaria.
The bike was sponsored by RCB If you would like to check out more details about the e-bike click here
00:00 Why we left the UK 01:58 Taking our kids out of the school system 02:43 Life in rural Bulgaria 03:28 Boredom, creativity, life outdoors 06:10 Visiting a Ex-pat Bulgarian Home 07:22 The kids talk honestly about homeschooling and living abroad 11:00 Are there benefits of being homeschooled 15:00 The future plans
📍 Bulgaria 👨👩👧👦 Family life abroad 🌍 Slow living | Parenting | Travel | Homeschooling
--- ☉ WELCOME TO FRESH START STICKS ☀︎ We’re a family of five who left the UK to start a new life in rural Bulgaria. After the events of 2020, life in the UK changed dramatically. Attitudes shifted, businesses struggled under constant regulation changes, and with three young children, we began questioning whether the traditional path still offered the future we wanted for them.
We didn’t feel that the school system could provide the structure, freedom, and real-life skills our children need as they grow into young adults — so we chose to homeschool.
After researching several European countries, we chose Bulgaria. It’s still organic, the people are welcoming, and the nature is truly beautiful. After months of searching — and almost giving up — we finally found an old farmhouse in the countryside that had been empty for over a year. We decided to buy it and renovate it, learning as we go.
OUR GOAL IS SIMPLE: Renovate our Bulgarian farmhouse More freedom. More family time. Growing our own food. And travelling together as a family in the Balkan countries
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🎥 WHAT WE SHARE HERE
This channel documents real family life after moving abroad — the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Real-time relocation & rural living Honest DIY & renovation (no experts — just learning as we go) No crew. No big budgets. Just us. New videos every Sunday.
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When we first thought about leaving the UK,
the first thing that came to our mind was our kids.
Their time, their stress levels and their freedom.
And asking ourselves a question most parents quietly think about.
Is life abroad really the best thing for our kids?
Whilst we travelled with our kids,
all we saw was negative press about the school system in the UK.
We introduced them to a life where they could learn physical skills,
be creative in a free space,
and a life where they could learn new things and new cultures.
What's your best thing about being homeschooled?
Learning new things, travelling, not stuck in school.
Out of being homeschooled and being classroom schooled,
what do you like the most?
Freedom to learn whatever I want.
Say nay, that's it, don't smile.
Nay, don't say nay, put your hands out, don't say nay, we're forced out.
Do you guys get in the car, have you turned it on?
Yeah, never up the door, you're going to trip over it.
Max, Maxie, Max, Max.
Most days they're outside, but there are still days they get bored.
But honestly, through that boredom is where creativity and breakthroughs come from.
Every kid gets an iPad for the school year.
A lot of these kids don't know how to read because they have had things read to them
or they can click a button and have something read out loud to them.
To be honest, the school system was sounding a bit unstable
and not a safe place for our kids.
That night I fixed up the bike for the kids.
It also reminded me what my dad used to do for me when I was younger.
So, come with me.
Got a little surprise behind your legs, please.
Is that an electric?
Is that an electric bike?
Yeah.
What do you think, David and Sash?
I want to ride it.
Go on then.
Wait, hang on.
Right, Dad can show you how to actually use it.
You press that to turn it on.
Does it work?
Yeah, and it makes a really loud...
So, it makes, actually, motorbike sounds.
And then, yeah, but obviously, that's your brake.
It's really fast.
It's quite fast.
It's really realistic.
It feels almost like a real bike.
And how heavy it is.
It's actually all right.
Right, Mum's having a go on the RCBR9.
The bike was quite good for the kids.
Right, Mum's riding the bike.
The frame was very strong and actually resembled a real motorbike.
The bike has three programmable speeds.
One, two and three.
One for a beginner and one for a more advanced child
or even an adult like me.
By the way, I shouldn't have been on it.
The bike also produces an engine sound and it sounds realistic.
When you rev the bike, it also revs.
A whole feeling of being on a real motorbike.
The off-road tyres gives the bike stability on the road
and on the grass and, as you can see in the video,
a little bit in the snow.
Got metal tied to it.
It's got a cool design.
It's ready for an adventure.
And if you want to check out the information,
check out the link in the description below.
Right, Mum's having a go on the RCBR9.
After surprising the kids and having a full on family fun day,
it was time to chill with some cheesecake.
In 2020, we decided to take the kids out of the school system
because socially they're becoming more isolated,
even though they're in a place
that was supposed to feel more familiar.
But that familiar place was becoming more unsafe and uncertain.
You take kids into a classroom from around 9 o'clock in the morning
to 4 o'clock in the afternoon.
On average, classroom size is about 28 kids.
Plus, the other problem with the school system is they're all the same age
because, again, this isn't natural.
The 14-year-old regulates the 7-year-old.
The 7-year-old looks after the 3-year-old.
The 3-year-old looks after the 7-year-old.
The 7-year-old looks after the 14-year-old.
It's made to do it by age, the way they do it now.
So homeschooling is the beautiful solution to it.
Now, I'll caveat.
We were invited to a British expat's house and I offered to cook.
This turned into a great cooking experience for the kids too.
I have been invited to cook.
That's it.
Yeah, that's it.
That's all right.
Do you remember going to school?
Yeah, yeah.
And what can you remember about school?
Do you remember having friends there?
Only one, actually.
Only one.
Only one friend?
Who was that friend?
Yeah, Pippa.
Oh, yeah, I remember Pippa.
What did you do at school?
I remember it was playtime, we mostly played tag.
Do you miss school?
No, no.
Yeah, after we've done playtime,
you come back and it's one, two,
oh, it's like one, two, three,
and then you get a red card.
So why did you get the red card?
Because you weren't allowed to drink.
For three seconds.
And you had to try and get it out of your bag,
Are you serious?
And then you both got a red card.
And then Pippa copied her.
So what did a red card mean?
Doing something very bad.
OK, so when you got a red card, though,
was that the worst you could get?
And what does that mean?
Time out.
What would happen?
Sometimes time out, but I didn't.
I didn't get time out, you normally sit out there.
The teacher keeps slapping kids.
Sit out there.
In my class, the teacher keeps slapping kids.
No.
My mum didn't.
I don't seem to go out outside.
I thought I was teaching.
I'm missing out on teaching.
My mum didn't.
No, are you sure?
My mum didn't slap kids.
That's a bit strange.
OK, so do you miss friends, though?
Honestly, do you miss having friends
or do you enjoy each other's company?
So what is it?
Do you miss friends as well?
I don't mind having friends.
Once we had a bag when it was our birthday at school
and that person took our chocolate thing
and the teacher was watching and didn't say nothing.
And when we said about that, I was asked if the mum was watching
and he said, that's mine now.
You guys have got an older brother.
Do you talk, communicate, play together sometimes?
Yeah.
You're twins.
Let me ask you a few questions about that.
Which one of you two is the bossiest?
I don't know.
I think none of us.
OK.
I think if one does be boss, you'll quit arguing.
Really?
OK.
OK, so which one of you two is the happiest?
The, I don't know.
I'm pretty sure both of us.
Whatever.
You're both quite happy.
I don't know.
OK.
Which one of you two would be the likeliest to say,
come, let's go do this?
I'm pretty sure it depends what it is, though.
One could be happy to do it, but one won't.
So would the other person come and do it
if one of you said, come on, let's try it?
Not all the time.
Which one of you talks the most?
I think we both talk quite a lot, actually.
OK.
Which one of you eats the most?
Remember when she didn't like gherkin
and she still didn't like egg?
OK, I want you to be relaxed.
Answer best you can.
Do not, don't like, I don't need you to like answer it
according to what you think I want to hear.
I just want you to answer according to what you feel.
Say you're not bad, though.
I haven't heard any of that stuff.
So I want to kick my dad.
Well, you can say that.
No kicking, right?
I'll wait until it's in.
My old age.
You are now homeschooled.
Do you remember when you used to go to school?
Yeah.
And what were your memories of school?
The classroom, doing maths, English, history,
and lunch and playtime.
Did you have many friends at school?
Yeah, basically the whole class.
The whole class.
What's your happiest memory of being in school?
Racing with the other classmates.
Racing?
Oh, during sports day?
No, every day in the playground.
I used to run around.
And you had lunch at school?
Did you like the lunch?
Anything I liked was the pizza.
I hated the rice.
What was your favourite topic in school?
Maths and English.
What was it about maths and English that you liked the most?
Well, I just like numbers.
Now you're homeschooled.
Out of being homeschooled and being classroom schooled,
what do you like the most?
Freedom to learn whatever I want.
So would you have that freedom in school
as you would do being homeschooled?
Maybe in some schools, but not all of them.
The one that you went to?
Did you have that freedom?
No, I don't think so.
With being homeschooled, what do you enjoy the most?
Just the freedom to learn anything I want.
So the flexibility.
Okay.
So now that you are homeschooled, what do you focus on?
Maths and English still.
In terms of your time structure,
do you find that you're able to manage that quite well
with and without an adult's assistance?
Mm-hmm.
I know that you're into coding.
Yeah.
What do you like the most about that?
I just like seeing progress.
Okay, and what do you code?
Lua and Python.
And you enjoy doing that?
Mm-hmm.
How often do you do that a week?
Yes.
Or should I rephrase that as how often do you do that a day?
Bringing me on to village life,
because that's actually something that
you guys have now just recently been exposed to.
How are you finding village life in Bulgaria?
Honestly?
Just, there isn't really anything to do.
When you go for walks, when you guys go for walks,
do you see other kids?
No.
Only rarely.
You spoke with, I think, a child
just up the road from home, right?
We did?
I think it was...
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
They took us into their house.
With the chickens.
With the chickens?
Mm-hmm.
But they were from?
I think she was 12.
Sofia.
They were from?
Sofia.
Okay.
And so it was an old lady,
and she had a grandchild there visiting?
Yeah.
Okay.
And you guys spoke with her,
and she could speak basic English.
You have two sisters, twins?
Mm-hmm.
I'm gonna ask you a couple questions about them.
Who talks the most?
We'll talk the same.
Who eats the most?
They will eat the same too.
Who do you think would be more likely
to say, come on, let's do this?
Both of them.
Okay.
They both keep on saying it equally.
Okay, so it's pretty balanced.
How do you find having twin sisters?
Juice finishes quicker.
Food finishes quicker.
Gosh, it had to be you that comes up with food, Mai.
In fact, I should have asked Ebenezer out of all of you
who eats the most,
because I know what the answer's gonna be, Mai.
What's it gonna be?
Oh, yeah, right, Mai.
It's gonna be you, Mai.
No!
You definitely eat the most.
Generally then, with the experience that you've had
over the years that you've been homeschooled
and had the flexibility to do pretty much, you know,
within reason what you want to do,
overall, how would you sum it up, your experience?
I definitely learnt a lot more
than what I'd learnt in school.
Do you like travelling and meeting new people
and seeing new things and cultures?
Only some places.
Place I liked the most was Serbia.
So going forward, what do you want to do more of?
Learn.
Okay, learn what?
Maths, coding, English.
