Help us build a sustainable community in Couloumé-Mondebat, France

Availability

  2025 

 Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks

Jan
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Details

  • Description

    Description

    We met 10 years ago in Boston, where Carol-Ann was a university professor and Peter was a wood worker. We were both ready to make some big changes, and decided we wanted to settle somewhere new where we could learn about a new culture and language, while creating a welcoming, artistic, sustainable community. Between 2019 and 2022 (with a break for covid), we spent several months volunteering as Workaways with several families in different parts of France, looking for just the right place to make our home. We found this beautiful, peaceful spot in the Gers last year, a 200-year old farmhouse on 21 hectares. And now we need talented, like-minded people to help us with our many projects!

    What we love about our home: it's huge (7 bedrooms plus several barns to eventually renovate)! We're going for a mix of deliberate planting (including a "potager", flowers, and lots of trees) plus letting much of it re-wild - we already have wonderful biodiversity, with all kinds of birds and other wildlife. The house is comfortable and quirky, and needs all kinds of work, which is exactly the kind of challenge we wanted.

    We're not a business - our goal is to make our property a home and community for our friends and family.

    What we love about this part of France: we're really off the beaten track. Here, we do "slow tourism" - it's all about experiencing the relaxed pace of life, the wonderful natural setting and charming villages, kind people, and the fantastic local food and wine. People here are very involved in village life, and there's always some market, or concert, or local fête to try. Though I'll say it again - we're definitely remote here! The nearest small city (Auch) is about 45 minutes away, and Toulouse, Bordeaux, or Pau are 1.5-2.5 hours. There are busses and Blah-Blah cars, and we can pick you up from a local bus stop, but having your own car will really make things easier for you!

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Art Projects
    Language practice
    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Animal Care
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • Interests

    Interests

    Politics / Social justice
    LGBTQ
    Events & social
    Sustainability
    Pets
    Culture
    Farming
    Books
    Plant care
    Music
    History
    DIY & crafts
    Art & design
    Languages
    Gardening
    Blogging
    Cooking & food
    Writing
    Performing arts
    Drawing & painting
    Carpentry
    Animals
    Yoga / Wellness
    Nature
    Fitness
    Dancing
    Outdoor activities
    Hiking
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Carol-Ann is an English teacher! Peter is fluent in both Dutch and English - we can help you with those languages. We'd love to practice our French more. And as part of staying with us, we'll include you in local social events with our neighbours (a mix of French, Dutch, and English), and can help you find fun cultural activities in the Gers, including performing arts, history, and gastronomy.

  • Help

    Help

    Maybe you already have some skills, and/or you're keen to learn something new. You want to know more about permaculture and community building. You crave peace and quiet and a slower pace of life, but also enjoy a bit of more challenging tasks, meeting new people, and practicing new languages. We'd love it if you speak French already, because we need practice! Or you'd like to practice French, English, or Dutch while you're here.

    Particular skills to bring or practice: permaculture/sustainable gardening, sewing, cooking, general handyperson skills. If someone could teach us to sew or make sourdough, that would be amazing!

    This fall, we'll have tradespeople on site to do a couple of big things (solar panels!?!). "Smaller" projects for this fall: setting up our polytunnel and starting on winter planting; planting trees; clearing brush; expanding our worm composting; building a composting toilet; repurpose-ing a metal corn drying rack; decorating a couple of rooms; painting and decorating. The choice of project will depend on your interests and skills as well as how long you can stay!

    From our own Workaway experiences, we really value getting to know our volunteers and make you feel a part of the household while you're here. We feel it's especially important for hosts and volunteers to work on projects together - that's not just efficient, it's also a nice way to get to know one another, share experiences, and trade stories. And of course, it's essential to have good, clear communication about needs and expectations, and well-defined goals for each day and week. We'd want to have a zoom chat with prospective Workaways so we can be sure we're a good fit from the get-go!

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent
    Dutch: Fluent
    French: Intermediate

    This host offers a language exchange
    This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
    You can contact them directly for more information.

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    You'll have your own large room; depending on who's here, you might have your own bathroom. We have good wifi, but no cable tv! Breakfasts are pretty informal, but we generally have lunch and dinner "en famille" and we welcome your help in cooking and cleanup! If you love to cook and want to create an entire meal, that can be one of your projects and can count toward your hours.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Things to do - explore the little villages and small cities in this area, especially the markets and restaurants. Good side trips from here would include Bordeaux, Toulouse, Pau, the Pyrenees (hiking! winter sports!), and Spain in one direction and the Cote D'Azur and Provence in the other. We're near the towns of Plaisance and Marciac, where there are bus and Blah-Blah connections. The nearest rail station is Auch. We're happy to have you along if we're going to town for errands or social events, but if you want to really be able to explore this area, you'll want to have your own car.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    We have good internet! Not good enough to support elaborate gaming, but very good for working online, zoom calls, etc.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    We have plenty of room for a campervan, but we don't have any water or sanitary hookups available yet.

  • Can possibly accept pets

    Can possibly accept pets

    We'll be starting a chicken coop this fall and also plan to get one or more dogs, in which case we'll be in training mode. It's probably fine if you're travelling with a dog who's pretty calm and well-trained, who can be a good role model and not a bad influence!

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

Host ref number: 319862376443

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