Keep us company while helping in the garden, renovating our farmhouse and support the household

Details

• 

  Description

  I am Jan, originally from Hamburg. I always liked the countryside better since my childhood memories in a small village in Steiermark, Austria. I used to rather hang out in the nearby park then going to school and spent my life mostly on organic farms and in Community where I learned several skills as vegetable gardening, baking and construction.
  
  Now I live together with my aunt and her pug in Bavaria (Oberpfalz) close to Czechia and It's super peaceful here! Our house is at around 600 m elevation and 300 m from the border and surrounded by hills and forest. We have a middle size garden with some potential veggie beds and a small fish pond. There are already berry bushes and fruit trees but we would like to grow tomatoes again, pumpkins and others.
  
  The house and barn needs a lot of cleaning, reorganizing and renovation so you can't be afraid of a little dirt sometimes! I would like to build a small wood-shop and work on the interior of my 1980 Mercedes camper van. But it first needs to be fixed, so if you like repairing old vehicles you're very welcome!
  
  I appreciate having a good time while working together and talking about things in life that really matter. My goal is to create some synergy effect with you so I believe it's important that we fit to each other and that there is a good balance of giving and taking!

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Elderly Companionship

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  If you are interested we could visit places around here and discover the architecture, history and culture of the area also in Bohemia / Sudetenland where there used to be a rich German rooted culture before the war. We are happy that both countries can grow together again!
  
  I like doing sports but I'm not in such a good shape right now. You could coach me in Volleyball, Badminton, Tennis, Running, Hiking, Swimming, Biking, Rowing (machine) etc. We also have our own sauna.
  Walmünchen has a pretty nice little bath with indoor pools, a tennis hall and outside courts.
  
  I like baking, Yerba Mate, healthy and tasty foods, movies and documentaries, playing some guitar and mandolin and listening to music (Bluegrass, Old Time, Appalachian and Irish Folk mostly).

• 

  Help

  I would like some company taking care of the property and garden. The house has a lot of potential as it was formally used as a holiday place but now is full of furniture and other stuff which needs to be sorted and put in place so we can use all the rooms once they are nicely redone. We don't know what will be the future for this house yet but it has many rooms. So the work will be in the house and the barn: Separating the precious from the vile, taking care of the trash, cleaning, sorting and selling stuff, renovating, installing, painting, repairing, building, furnishing, decorating, enjoying!
  
  It would be also nice to do activities together and prepare meals. Probably I will work in the afternoon in a hardware store town for a couple hours, so we would rather be working before noon, eat and then maybe you can continue a bit while I'm gone. That's kind of the plan for now... Sometimes you may have to watch the dog.

• 

  Languages

  Languages spoken
  German: Fluent
  English: Intermediate
  Czech: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  I started to learn Czech a bit, could teach German or improve your English if possible..
• 

  Accommodation

  We have some guestroom which you can see in the photos and your own bathroom with shower.
  We have a small kitchen but it has anything you would need and a comfortable Bavarian style living room with a traditional tiled stove in the center of it. If you read German you can use our library with hundreds of books and pictorials. We might provide you with an office space you could do some computer work from if necessary.

• 

  What else ...

  This area is very beautiful for hikes and bike tours. There are lakes and mountains close by and the region is very interesting historically and geologically. Three nature reservoirs, the Bavarian-, the Oberpfälzer- and the Bohemian-Forest meet here. Next town with a train station is Waldmünchen, seven kilometers away. I can pick you up.
  
  It used to be quite the end of the world here for it was where the Iron Curtain began and there are mountain ranges like a natural border.
  So if you are more the city type you would be clearly disappointed! The next bigger town is Cham about 40 minutes by car and if you want to visit a more attractive city I recommend Regensburg (a good hour by car and 2 to 3 hours by train).
  
  Since it's my aunt's house and she's a lawyer she would like to have a copy of your ID for safety's sake (possibly before your arrival.) We are not suspicious, just careful.
  
  Some of the feedback below is for a different place. I'm still the same host though.
  The rules in our house here are less strict and easier to follow :-)

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  Space for parking camper vans

  We have to look at it together and find a suiting spot...

• 

  Can possibly accept pets

  We have a middle aged pug (Mops) who can be quite charming with mostly female dogs or non dominant males.

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

• 

  Hours expected

  Maximum four to five hours a day, five days a week

Feedback (3)