Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
12 Jan 2024
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 13 days
Feedback
4
Email verified
Badges (2)
Details
Description
We are a young family of 4 living in Michigan, working on building our homestead. Come learn about solar powered living while helping us to build our straw bale house.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We are an international couple, from America and Slovakia, speaking dual language in and around the household and neighboring areas. We also speak spanish and have a small spanish speaking community around.
We live on 25 acres just 5 miles from our nearby city Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo has a good amount of diversity, and offers various cultural activities and we are connected with social justice groups within the city.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We are looking for one couple or individual interested in learning and helping with our natural built straw bale home. Other opportunities include gardening, goat milking and cheese making, reforestation and forest management (including timber harvest ,round wood joinery and saw milling)
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Slovak: Fluent
Accommodation
As being a start up homestead, our current housing is in RV's (caravan, mobile home) We have a good size mobile home that would suite a couple, or one individual. It is rustic, with an outdoor composting toilet, No wifi on the property, and no running water inside. We have solar panels for lights and charging cell phones. There is a gas powered stove that can be used for making tea and such small things.We have a solar powered washing machine, and a refrigerator for use in the outdoor kitchen. Hot water is created via solar showers, and we have a gas powered outdoor shower for use.
All of our produce and some fruit come from the farm here, and we purchase staple foods such as rice, beans, grains, condiments, and various other things weekly. We are primarily vegetarian, with some local meat and fish eaten quite rarely. We will have many shared meals (every evening and some days mid day)
This opportunity would be good for a couple or individual who is up for some adventure, and would really like to learn about off grid solar systems and natural building.
What else ...
We live in a beautiful area with lots of forests and lakes around us. We are on 25 acres of newly planted oak and pines, with open spaces for gardens and pasture. We are about 45 minutes from the lovely Lake Michigan, and about 5 minutes from the city of Kalamazoo (a town of about 80,000 people)
Kalamazoo has lots of free music in the parks seasonally.
We enjoying taking trips to the lake, camping, making music, having bonfires and general merry making.
We are big bikers, and have various bikes for offer with carts to haul kids and goods.
We also have 2 cars, a farm truck and a small honda fit. A vehicle is not mandatory to live here, although convenient (especially if you would like to explore the surrounding areas)
We would love to meet and connect with you!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (3)
Very thoughtful, kind and hard working people.
Susan and David brought so much joy to our experience together. I only wish they could have been around longer.
They were very polite and easy to accommodate.
I would host them again anytime and believe they would be a good fit at just about any place they travel.
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
Very thoughtful, kind and hard working people.
Susan and David brought so much joy to our experience together. I only wish they could have been around longer.
They were very polite and easy to accommodate.
I would host them again anytime and believe they would be a good fit at just about any place they travel.
