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71-year-old Spanish retiree builds mountain cabin to escape rent
🇦🇷 Argentina /Culture & Society

71-year-old Spanish retiree builds mountain cabin to escape rent

From Clarín · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • A 71-year-old Spanish retiree is building her own cabin in the mountains to live independently and avoid rent payments.
  • She learned construction skills online through trial and error, having previously built three other cabins.
  • The decision stems from a lifelong desire to live outside conventional norms and avoid the perceived drudgery of stable jobs and mortgages.

At 71, Spanish retiree Yaya Bushcraft is trading conventional living for a self-built mountain cabin, a decision rooted in a lifelong pursuit of independence. She is currently constructing her fourth cabin, a testament to her determination to live and die on her own terms, free from rent and societal expectations.

People are bitter from working 8 hours a day for a salary, buying a flat they will pay for their whole lives, because they think that if you have a career you will be able to earn a better living, all those things were sold in the 70s and 80s and many have believed it, I never believed it.

— Yaya BushcraftExplaining her rejection of conventional life and employment.

Bushcraft's journey away from convention began at 17 when she left her parents' home. The idea of a stable job and a lifelong mortgage never appealed to her. "People are bitter from working 8 hours a day for a salary, buying a flat they will pay for their whole lives," she explained, rejecting the conventional path sold in the 70s and 80s.

I don't like cement houses, I don't like flats, I don't like village centers, I don't like any of that.

— Yaya BushcraftDescribing her aversion to traditional housing and urban environments.

Her relationship with housing has been unconventional, having been evicted three times for not paying rent or conforming to societal norms. "I don't like cement houses, I don't like flats, I don't like village centers, I don't like any of that," she stated. Her current project is a self-built cabin, a skill she acquired online after turning 68, learning through YouTube videos and a process of trial and error.

I like to be on my own and in a cabin made by me, I want to live and die in a cabin made by me and not pay rent.

— Yaya BushcraftStating her ultimate goal of living and dying in her self-built cabin without paying rent.

"When you have a dream that surpasses everything like I do... when you have that element of passion, the rest is a piece of cake," she said about her motivation. Despite past attempts, she is committed to her current cabin, viewing each construction as a learning experience. Her story, shared through a YouTube interview, highlights a radical commitment to self-sufficiency and a rejection of traditional life structures.

When you have a dream that surpasses everything like I do, when you have that element of passion, the rest is a piece of cake.

— Yaya BushcraftOn her motivation and the ease with which she pursues her dream despite challenges.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Clarín in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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