Help with garden and around the house in Milan, Italy

Details

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  Description

  We are cheerful a family of four: me (Deborah, 49), my husband (Stefano, 54 and our 2 children, a 17 years old boy and a 13 years old girl.
  
  We believe that sharing a few weeks with people from another country can help kids to grow with a better awareness of the different people and cultures that surround them.
  
  We love music: I play a little bit the piano, our son plays the violin and the girl plays the flute, while my husband runs a web radio broadcast with a couple of friends. We also like to be outside, biking, hiking and visiting museums.
  
  Something about the kids:
  - The boy likes dancing, plays the violin and likes fashion, video editing and drawing (especially portraits ). He is now attending an Art high school (Liceo Artistico in Italian) and dreams of becoming a video editor, a movie director or an actor and he's learning use video editing softwares such as after effect. He also likes sewing, so it would be great if you could help with some of these activities!
  He also recently developed an interest for artistic make-up and cosplay.
  
  - The little girl has a passion for Maths, Science, Coding, Lego, Darth Vader and puppies. She likes cooking, crafting and building things. She plays the flute, likes to ride the bike, climb and swim and she recently joined a softball team and a scout group. She dreams to become an engineer or a Lego designer.
  So people fond of sports, crafts and cooking are very welcomed to share their passion with her.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Teaching

  Gardening

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We will share with you our love for cooking (we can cook together and teach you Italian recipes) and help you with your Italian if you are a learner.
  You will also be free to join us in our weekend activities such as visiting museums, hiking and day trips.
  
  Here is what Tessa (from Holland), said about her experience with our family:
  «It was the summer after I graduated from high school and it was the longest that I had ever been from home. But they made me feel very welcome and at home. They taught me everything I wanted to know about Italian traditions and even Japanese traditions (Deborah studied Japanese). And sometimes I still miss their delicious Italian dishes. I also did a language course in the city and I could always ask them about words or grammar. The boy was a great teacher!».

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  We are mainly looking for energetic and positive people with some experience with teenagers that can converse in English (native speaker or at least C1 level) to our children.
  
  Now that children have grown up we also welcome volunteers who can:
  - help us with our garden (gather leaves in Autumn or mowing the lawn in Spring/Summer)
  - Help in the kitchen (either by cooking or by cleaning the kitchen after dinner). We are looking forward to learn your country typical recipes and teach you some Italian dishes.
  
  - Teach the boy to use a sewing machine (he likes cosplay costumes and would like to sew his own)
  - Teach coding and basic Spanish to the girl
  - Help with some French practice (the girl and the boy)
  - Converse in English with the kids
  
  It is very important that volunteers keep their room clean and tidy and clean and put away things that you use (kitchen, bathroom etc). Volunteers will also be in charge of cleaning the shared bathroom (mainly used by them) once a week.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Italian: Fluent
  Spanish: Beginner
  French: Beginner
  Japanese: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  In our family we all speak Italian (mother tongue) and English. I also speak French. My daughter and son als speak basic French. I understand Spanish and my daughter would like to learn some. We can offer Italian conversation in exchange of English conversation for all the family, French conversation and some basic Spanish conversation for our daughter.
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  Accommodation

  You will have your own room and a shared bathroom.
  We would like you to feel like a member of the family, having dinners together sharing if you wish some family activities. We expect that you treat and respect our family and house like your own.

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  What else ...

  We live in a small town close to Milan (one of the major cities in Italy), in a terraced house surrounded by a small garden.
  If you like hiking and cycling, around our home there are large woods with paths and cycling lanes in the Parco delle Groane.
  
  The train station is right across the street and just in half an hour, you can reach the centre of Milan (trains leave every 15 minutes) where you can find Italian language schools, museums, etc. You can even reach Lake Como on a 1h trip by train.
  
  Some tips by Ryan (from Florida) who stayed with us during summer 2016:
  «Within the surrounding Milan area, I’m sure you may have been told about the Duomo in Milan or the Castle and surely Lake Como. All of these sites are amazing and I highly recommend giving them a visit which I did myself several times. What you may not have been told is that it’s quite nice to just walk the streets and stumble upon sites or find a nice coffee shop in town and sit to watch the hustle and bustle of the people. I’m not sure where you will be coming from but for me I found all of this to be new and exciting».

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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 have a good wifi connection if you need to work from here on remote / digital projects.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4 hours a day, 5 days a week

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