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Host rating
80 %
Last replied
6 May 2024
Reply rate
66.7 %
Usually responds within 20 days
Feedback
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Description
Our place is very quiet and focuses on offering a space of silence, organic food, art, music, piano in the different workshops, yoga retreats, meditation retreats in which not only our guests but also our volunteers and staff can learn and connect with a level of tranquility and beauty due to our facilities and gardens.
All the help is in the private section of the monastery, not with our business.
If you come here, it is not only to make you part of our family (most of the volunteers who have passed through our place have become a solid network of friends and family). also so that you participate in the transformation that everyone who comes can experience. We have a beautiful chapel with a piano where we have concerts and events that will invite you to connect with our locals, friends and other volunteers.
We also focus on offering very healthy and delicious food. We primarily cook vegetarian dishes. However, at times we prepare meat-dishes. In our private ecological garden, we grow several herbs, spices and berries. So if you come to help us, you can benefit from the cultural change with all the participants, space to meditate (which you can use), high quality food and artistic and philosophical conversations about culture, life in Belgium, etc.
If you want to come, we hope you will stay for a period of at least 5 weeks, because there is much to learn in the first weeks :).
At the moment we are adjusting due to the situation with COVID, so we have not activated our retreat season due to regulations.
Unfortunately last year, a section of our modernized monastery burned down, the place where we live.
The private part is separate from the other part of the monastery.
And so we have to rebuild the interior. For this we genuinely ask for your help.
We welcome the energy and support that motivated workawayers can give us.
If you have the applicable talents and necessary know-how to help us rebuild
our house and our garden, we would be grateful to welcome you with open arms, you can help and learn from professional helpers.
Additionally, there are so many other ways that you can help us, and so we would love
to adapt the projects to what you are capable and comfortable in doing.
Please feel free to email us with any additional inquiries.
We ask for respect and awareness during your stay.
Location:
Bever is a small town situated on the borders of the Flemish-Brabant and Henegouwen
counties. It consists of a mere 2,000 inhabitants, which allows for an incredibly peaceful
atmosphere in this cozy rural town that overlooks large fields and endearing hills.Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco ProjectsGardeningDIY and building projectsCreating/ Cooking family mealsHelp around the houseGeneral MaintenanceCultural exchange and learning opportunities
We invite you to connect with us in activities such as walks in our town, stay active and positive. Our community is positive, very active. So if they are elements with which you feel connected, you are more than welcome.
Our place is a community of people (Belgium and international) who are interested in meditation, yoga, classical music, languages, culture, etc. That is why we offer seminars (individual and group) in which everyone as a community benefits.Help
All the help is in the private section of the monastery not with our business.
Gardening:
We welcome help in the continual refurbishment of our private ecological garden. If you have landscape construction, or maintenance experience, we would much appreciate the help you could offer us.
DIY help:
There is a professional man working for us with a lot of experience, he can learn you the way that we do things here;-.
The house is still a little black after special cleaning, it has to be cleaned again
We need to build new interior walls.
Someone who has experience in carpentry so they can decorate new rooms with wood,
and build wooden furniture.
Help for painting the house with organic products
Help with everyday life:
We are quite busy with rebuilding our house, and so we would welcome individuals who can help with some household activities. This would include, preparing meals, setting the table,doing the dishes - though we have a dish-washer -, keeping everything tidy and clean.
(Note: cooking your own meals is not considered part of the help.)
-Other chores: Feeding our domestic chickens, picking fruit, etc,...(there are plenty more tasks that
we can find for you to do, to fit your experience. Hence, feel free to email us with some
ideas, or additional inquiries.)
- Sewing: We need new curtains. Please let me know if you have experience sewing!
Volunteers benefit from all the facilities and events we launch (currently on pause due to COVID). So in free time volunteers are welcome to use the gardens, interact with other members of our community, use our facilities, play the piano, do yoga! We will be more than happy if you know how to play an instrument or you know about yoga and meditation.
Our volunteers work help maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week.
and food and accommodation are included.
We share meals and do our best to keep our family environment positive, friendly, and calm.
We will compensate our helpers if they used some of their own expenses to purchase
certain items. Feel free to ask more questions in regards to this through email.Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Dutch: FluentAccommodation
We ask Workawayers to stay a minimum of two weeks
You will either stay in a other part of the house,
max 3 persons duplex
in a shared room, with a shared bathroom in the main building or in a two-story
shared studio with private bathroom (shared with max 2 other roommates), 2 tables.
Your type of accommodation depends on the occupancy, the number of
volunteers on site, and how early you notify us of your intended arrival.
We provide organic breakfast, lunch and dinner for our workersWhat else ...
You will be in a rural town surrounded by fields, a river, a forest and plenty of nature.
There are some delightful nature walks you can do, or easily take a bike
and explore the area. If you want to challenge yourself, you can bike up to the Wall. (famous cycling area).
Cultural sites: Beloeil Castle, Gaasbeek Castle, Notre Dame à la Rose museum (former hospital)
Exotic bird park “Pairi Daiza” is only 20km away and Brussels can be reached easily by train.A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have a good internet in different rooms. Normaly you can work in a special room
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
Can possibly accept pets
the dog should not bark, we have a female golden retriever and the chickens are free in the garden.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (11)
What I remember is that I was hoping to find Workaway-hosts at biking distance from home. Bringing 'away' closer to home and making it aviable in the weekends. Compensating the loss of cultural experiences, caused by the virus.
Meanwhile Sofie's retreat is well known to me.
Two weekends of quiteness,… read more
Always welcome.
Feedback
What I remember is that I was hoping to find Workaway-hosts at biking distance from home. Bringing 'away' closer to home and making it aviable in the weekends. Compensating the loss of cultural experiences, caused by the virus.
Meanwhile Sofie's retreat is well known to me.
Two weekends of quiteness,… read more
Always welcome.
You are open to new discoveries, easily adapt, you did your job with full responsibility. Thank you and always welcome
We always will remember you ;)
If you like to come back, welcome...
Sofie.
Erika is a quiet sweet lady. she goes for her purpose, with a sense of responsibility and curiosity.
Thanks that we could be your host, it will be nice to see you here again.
We had the change to meet very nice people and to play superb musical… read more
Thanks a lot for the possibility to be your host, you are a nice couple,
too bad I discovered your fantastic design talent so late, Paulina.
Thanks for the excels, Sebastian.
Always welcome back.
The only thing that I had to learn was the meaning of the word 'sorry' , but that's a different of culture ;)
she is very curious and enthusiastic about life,she go for it. Leonie made nice and good drawings for us. She helps me with translations and listings.
Thanks and hope to see you back here, Leonie.
Sofie was nice to me and even took me to a cultural night (and beer :P), and I will never forget that she saved me the last day when I had to… read more
unfortunately you left after 2 weeks.
All the best and I hope you can come back to Belguim.
Sophie is a very empathy and friendly person who is genuinely interested in her guests, volunteers and all new ideas around.… read more
You was the first WAW, and it was great to have you in our home, you are so natural and open mind to help and always have a smile. Thanks, we hope you come back. All the best, Sofie.
An agreement is not free of charge, we expected you here, your room is ready. Another person could not take the place because we had entrusted it to you. We both have a responsibility, It would be the same if you are here and we did not have room for you.
The least thing you could do is let us know that your not comming, especially if… read more
We are just the peace and quiet, he loves challenges and seeks what life can offer. He stood open to the silence. He's just a fantastic, dynamic young man, open minded and curious about what life has to offer.
We wish you all the best in your life.
Always in for a joke or a serious conversation, I like the way that you think about life and work.
I hope we meet again. All the best
The place is really wonderful! I still think back with a warm feeling in my heart. The surrounding is beautiful, the building is inspiring - I especially loved the library and the chapel - and Sofie and Johan… read more