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Host rating
85 %
Last replied
17 Apr 2024
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 4 days
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Details
Description
For the past 15 years I have been earning a living as a Conflict Resolution Coach, working with schools all over Switzerland. Last year I bought a small, old farmhouse and a small patch of land in a beautiful little Swiss town called Guggisberg. We are in the wonderful Swiss mountains at 950 meters above sea level: winters are cold and beautiful and in the summer you will hear nothing but cowbells. We are located in the "Naturpark Gantrisch", one of several regional nature parks in Switzerland. I am getting ready to start a small community here: the goal is to grow some of our own food, produce our own energy and become as independent and self-sufficient as possible. Right now I am still living here by myself, but as soon as I finish renovating two of the rooms the first additional people can come and then the planned community will start for real. At the moment I have 8 sheep, some chickens, a cat and several beehives. And in March two yaks will join us here.
About our farm and community project:
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- My little farm is not a professional farming business. Rather, everything we produce is for our own consumption.
- Last summer I built a Willow-Cathedral (see foto), together with friends. Over the years, it will grow into a wonderful living structure, hopefully with a waterproof roof.
- We regularly invite people to celebrate life, love and nature with us in seasonal celebrations in our Cathedral.
- I have built a Sh(l)eeping Wagon: underneath the sheep can get some shade, up top our visitors can sleep in a semi-open wagon, protected from the weather (see foto).
- Our two buildings are old and not in very good shape. So I have started renovating the smaller one of them.
- I am planning to build and plant a new herb garden at some point.
- All of our land is very steep: in order to be able to set up large tents I have built three terraces.
- Also, we need to construct a compost toilet, for the guests in our celebrations.
- In the fall we will plant a new hedge using local bushes and trees: as a living fence for the sheep pasture and to improve biodiversity.
- In the not too distant future I want to build a small biodigester, to produce biogas for cooking and other stuff.
About myself:
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- In the past 15 years I have earned a living as a Conflict Resolution Coach. My favourite are interventions with school classes having severe and acute problems.
- Before I moved here I also used to be an Aikido teacher and I had my own Aikido Dojo.
- For several years I organised a Japanese Cultural Festival.
- Originally, I went to art school (the Massachusetts College of Art) in Boston / USA, where I studied photography. I studied and lived in the US for four years.
- I spent two years in Japan, studying Japanese and teaching English and German.
- I have two children, aged 28 and 11.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Live in one of the most wonderful corners of an already beautiful country. Enjoy the peace and quiet of a small, rather secluded farm. The Bärenbach is a wonderful place to get some rest, have time for yourself to think about the meaning of life and what is really important to you, if you need it. Learn about Switzerland, its culture and its languages. Learn what it means to start a large project and invest every last dime you own. Get some hints, tips, advice and many valuable strategies for realising the project of your own dreams in the future.
And if that is not enough: we can talk about our experiences living and working in different countries and cultures. And I am curious to learn about you, where you come from and what your language and your culture is like!
Help
Your help as a WorkAwayer will not involve the farm. But of course, if you want to learn about farming I will happily teach you everything I can. Instead, you will help with a variety of our private and community projects. Depending on your interests and your skills, and of course the season of the year, you are invited to help us with some of the following:
- Help renovating our "Stöckli", the smaller one of our two buildings.
- Help fixing our leaking roofs.
- Help build our new spice and herb garden.
- Plant berries, bushes, fruit trees to become more self-sufficient.
- Planting, nurturing and harvesting vegetables in our garden.
- Processing garden vegetables and fruit into a variety of things for our own consumption, such as: jellies, sauces, juices, chutneys, dried fruit, sirups, tee and so on.
- Cutting, splitting, stacking fire wood.
- Help renovating a tiny house to be used as living space for future members of our community.
- Build a compost toilet.
- Help with the construction of a bio digester to produce biogas (in the future).
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Italian: Intermediate
Japanese: Beginner
Accommodation
Your room is in the main farmhouse and has its own wood stove. It has two windows and a nice view over the sheep pasture behind our house, with the "Jura" mountains in the background. We share the kitchen and the bathroom/toilet. I usually share meals with the WorkAwayers staying here and we take turns cooking.
What else ...
Our farm is some distance away from the village and VERY quiet. Our parking lot is a 20 minute walk from here. There is also a public bus stop within 15 minutes walking distance. We have a good public transportation system in Switzerland that will get you just about everywhere.
Take day trips into the Swiss Alps to go hiking, skiing, sledding or swimming. Visit the beautiful Interlaken area and its lakes. Take a hike through the wonderful gorge of the river "Sense", one of the wildest rivers in Switzerland, just a short distance from here. Or take a short trip to the cities of Berne, Fribourg or Thun, all within about 45 minutes (by car).
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Cell phone service is not too good in the house (too far from the nearest antenna). But I have a landline for my computer and you can hook up through WLAN.
How many Workawayers can stay?
One
Hours expected
Maximum 4 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (1)
Thanks for your help with building the wooden platform and setting up our very large yurt on top of it, I appreciated your help. You came at a time that was very busy for me and I was glad that you were able to integrate into our team very well. I appreciated your softspoken manner and the interesting conversations we had. You are… read more
Feedback
Thanks for your help with building the wooden platform and setting up our very large yurt on top of it, I appreciated your help. You came at a time that was very busy for me and I was glad that you were able to integrate into our team very well. I appreciated your softspoken manner and the interesting conversations we had. You are… read more
