Stay in the beautiful countryside and help with the garden and house in Ørbæk, Denmark

Details

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  Description

  A few helping hands are always needed as we have a huge garden to maintain. So come with lots of good energy to the countryside of Fynen and help us with different types of gardening work, building projects, housekeeping, and even cooking if you like preparing dinners. We also have a lot of hens, some ducks, and a couple cats that need attention. Carpenters, electricians, cooks, taylors, computer experts, artists, creative people, animal and nature lovers, are welcome here, so long as you are reliable and trustworthy. Note that we are a nonsmoking household.
  
  For four generations our family has been living at this beautiful spot in Denmark. The ones living here now are Ole (husband and father) and Merlên (wife) , with occasional visits from Jonathan, Clara Devika and Katinka (the "kids").
  
  Ole ("the man of the house") is 56 years old, was educated in agruiculture and owned his own farms for over a decade. He now works as a landscaper and in bioenergy and is all crazy about playing as well as watching football (soccer). Merlên (his wife) is a polyglot voiceactor/world traveller, language teacher, and tour director who has lived and worked in over 30 cities across the globe, spanning 4 continents and both hemispheres. She likes to learn the local folklore, dance, cuisine, music, etc. There is a piano in the house which you are welcome to use. And if you have a guitar, bring it! If you like to sing and/or dance, even better! Like to exercise? You'll fit right in. Jonathan is a runner who loves to ski, to travel, is studying for his Masters in Journalism, and works in Copenhagen. Clara is studying to be a physical therapist, and enjoys travelling, practising yoga and dancing in her spare time. She spent a year living in South America and enjoys speaking Spanish, and is now in Brazil for a few months more. Katinka is 22 years old and studies theatre (acting). She also enjoys travelling, be it alone or with a friend or two. She is currently travelling in South America but will be returning home next month. The kids each have their own flats in Copenhagen, but they come home often to spend a day or two with us.
  
  We are a family who has a lot of fun together and enjoys each other's company.. Hopefully you will take part in some of this! :-) We laugh a lot and find the humour in pretty much anything, and we enjoy playing games.
  
  However, we are all busy studying and working during the daytime so you also have to be prepared to stay alone in the house. Therefore, it might be a good idea to participate here as a couple/friends sharing a room. You would have to enjoy the solitude of your own company during the day, and be a self-starter, or else come here as a couple so you do not get lonely or bored.
  
  IMPORTANT NOTICE: We are NOT micro-managers and we do NOT keep tabs on you; we simply observe the results. We are out working until 4 or 5pm. If you see something that needs doing, simply do it. If you see things are getting dusty, then do some cleaning. See a spill? Wipe it up! We are all kind people in this household, and we are thoughtful and help each other. The house is an old house and needs a lot of attention and repairs, but it is clean, cozy, and has its own charm and character. If you like interior decorating, we welcome your ideas! Also for exterior spaces too.
  
  We are looking for 25 hours per week, and you would manage your own time and adjust your own schedules according to weather conditions and so on. We will show and teach you all that needs to be done, and what the priorities are. If you have an idea for a project or on how to improve something, then tell us about it. If you are hungry and we are at work, simply fix yourself a meal. If thirsty, get yourself a drink. We have things in the pantry and in the fridge... you are welcome to cook if you like cooking. :-) Remember that most of us are vegetarians, so do not expect us to have a ton of meat in the freezer (though there is some). During the season, a lot of the fruits and vegetables will be from our garden.
  
  We would prefer to host couples, and non-smokers. Solo travellers are also welcome, as long as you are an independent, motivated, self-starter who is ok with spending weekdays on your own. We would be able to do work together with you on weekends and after coming home from work, so your "weekends" would be during the week. The sun sets very late in Denmark during the summer months, which is nice.
  That all said, we wish for everyone to enjoy their stay in Denmark and experience "hygge," to explore the region, to laugh with us, and to have fun.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  If you need some time off from the big cities and want to experience the calmness and quietness of the countryside of Denmark, this is the place to come visit.
  Here you will be able to have a relaxed time and enjoy the nature and surroundings. You will most likely also get a wider knowledge of gardening work and the different plants.
  In addition, we will gladly tell and show you some of the Danish culture and history. As Denmark is quite small it will be easy for you to go off and experience some of the beautiful castles, cities or maybe even dip into the sea. We are close to a bus stop, so you are able to visit other nearby areas.

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  Help

  The help needed will mainly be in the garden and outside but also be some cleaning inside.
  - maintaining the vegetable garden
  - carpentry and building (building fences, shelves, making repairs...)
  - cutting and pruning the plants
  - mowing the lawns
  - Taking care of the animals and the barn (2 cats, some ducks, some hens)
  - painting the house (outside and/or inside)
  - cooking, sewing, ironing, cleaning, organising

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  Languages spoken

  Danish: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Japanese: Fluent
  Russian: Fluent
  Tagalog: Fluent
  Italian: Intermediate

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  Accommodation

  You will have a room for yourself with everything you need, including high-speed internet connection. The bathroom/shower is shared. In the daytime, except weekends, normally most of us will be out of the house. In the early evenings we will be home and you can eat dinner with us. Note that the sun stays up late during the summer months, so it is still light out past 10pm. Most meals will be vegetarian as Clara, Katinka, and Merlên do not eat meat.

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  What else ...

  From Ørbæk town you can take the bus to some of the bigger cities around Fyn. If you want to go visit Jutland or Sjælland you can either go by bus or train, but then you would most likely need a few more days. It is quite easy to get around Denmark - but also a bit expensive in the long run.
  If you would like to go somewhere near Ørbæk it is also possible that you could borrow a bicycle from us.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We usually have excellent WiFi...

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  Space for parking camper vans

  There is plenty of parking space, but NOT to hook up with electricity. However, you are of course welcome to sleep in the house during your stay.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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