Help us develop our property and care for animals while having wondrous cultural experience in Swan's Island, USA

Details

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  Description

  We are an active married couple in our early 50's. Having raised 4 fantastic humans, we now spend most of our days at our lovely island home on 4 acres in Maine. Here we tackle various projects in all seasons and would love to have your help! Hosting friends, new and old, is one of our great pleasures. We love sharing stories around our table while enjoying good food together after the day's work is done. We are interested in hosting trusted travelers in our island home for help with projects on the property as well as animal care. If this sounds appealing, we'd love to have a conversation with you about a workaway stay!

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  The coast of Maine is a unique and wondrous cultural experience. With a year round population just under 400 people, Swan's Island is far removed from the conveniences and busyness of modern urban life. It's a place where generations of families have survived together by fishing the wild coastal waters in the Gulf of Maine. You will be living 6 miles offshore among this hard working, small island community of mostly lobstermen and women. With no restaurants or shops, you will have a truly local travel experience. Discover for yourself how the Maine island communities have developed and survived throughout the centuries, from indigenous peoples to French Acadian settlers to modern families. Take in the majestic beauty of the rugged coastland. Step back in time.

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  Help

  ** ATTN: SPRING TRAVELERS Workawayer needed April-June. Jobs inside and out: planting, spring cleaning, fence construction, spring kids. ** Looking for motivated, able bodied single traveler or married couple who works well alongside us and is teachable. Experience with power tools and basic carpentry skills preferred but not required. Good with animals and gardens. Must be trusted to care for house and animals. Tasks may entail cutting and limbing of trees, clearing brush, chopping and stacking wood, help with carpentry projects and repairs to buildings, building and repairing fences and animal shelters as needed. Daily feeding and caring of animals (4 Angora goats, 12 chickens, 1 cat), gardening and general property maintenance. Cooking help appreciated.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate
  Greek: Beginner
  French: Beginner
  Italian: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  Primarily English speaking but understand and speak Spanish fairly well, along with some Italian and minimal French. My husband knows some Greek as well. We are happy to learn ourselves and help others with their English.
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  Accommodation

  Private bedroom on second floor in our home with your own closet and storage space. Choice of either full or king sized bed with good quality bedding and warm blankets. Bathroom and living spaces are all shared. House is older but has been tastefully updated and is fully winterized. Wood stove is our primary heat source in winter months. Meals are included, with most dinners enjoyed together.

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  What else ...

  Explore miles of trails by foot. Launch a kayak from our shore and paddle around the harbor or venture out to one of the nearby uninhabited islands. Bike to the beach. Climb the lighthouse. Go for a swim in the nearby freshwater quarry. Work a part time stint on a lobster boat to earn extra cash. Absorb the stillness of island living and breathe in the fresh sea air. Only a 40 minute ferry ride away is the "mainland" where you'll find Acadia National Park and the bustling coastal village of Bar Harbor. Our vehicle is available for shared use on the island and for running occasional errands to the mainland but is not available for personal travel use.

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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

  Reliable high speed wireless internet. Common area workspace in house. Town library also has public work space with wifi including access to computers and printer.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4 hours a day, 5 days a week

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