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20 Apr 2024
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Description
Hi! We are Diddi (Icelandic) and Editka (Slovak).
We discovered workaway as volunteers when we travelled together for about half a year... we loved it and are loving the hosting side of it just as much!
Since 2021 we've been living in a modest house on a 1.5 ha land just outside Hella, in the south of Iceland, with our two boys.
We just wanted to move out here to get away from the trappings of urban living. It just wasn't doing anything for us!
But, Let me just be straight with you guys:
We aren't your quintessential A-type family, with 4 kinds of sporty outdoor hobbies and a full calendar of social events throughout the year.
One might even say... that we vibrate at a significantly lower frequency than that! 😅
The following is more... us:
-digging around in the dirt
-permaculture (wanna do more) 😁
-relaxing in a hot tub!
-pallet projects
-DIY solutions.
-second hand shopping
-coffee
-our trash cans are all zip-tied!
-Diddi's shoes and clothes are mostly glued and repaired 😝
-our favorite furniture is our living room swing chairs
-more coffee
-Oh... and our whole family sleeps on a giant mattress on the floor of one bedroom!
...So, if this hasn't painted a picture, I don't know what will. 😆
BASICALLY it comes down to this: we have plenty of house projects, outdoor building projects (largely involving reclaimed materials and budget solutions!) and gardening projects. We have about a 1000 ideas for things we want to do and on average, about half a day a week (if lucky) to dedicate any real time to doing them.
We will feed you.
We will caffeinate you (with quality, single source, micro-roastery coffee!).
We will show you the sights.
We'll give you all the juicy details of the local area for maximum enjoyment at the lowest budget!
We'll lend you a bicycle and even a car (if it's not at the mechanic's!).
The primary SKILLSET we need... is having hands. We then figure out together what is the best use for your hands while you are with us ;)
Having said that... SOME experience with forestry, gardening, carpentry, masonry, electrical wiring, plumbing, painting, cooking, cleaning or childminding is best!
Also, a driver's license is REALLY useful 😁
We like volunteers to be involved in our family life, spending time with us and our kids, but we also are very respectful of personal space and very flexible with work hours.
Do not expect to find a city with electrifying nightlife - we live just outside a fairly small town.
Coming here is more about appreciating the slower pace of life and genuinely interacting with another people, country and nature.Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practiceHelp with Eco ProjectsTeachingGardeningDIY and building projectsBabysitting and creative playCreating/ Cooking family mealsHelp around the houseGeneral MaintenanceCultural exchange and learning opportunities
We speak Icelandic, English, Slovak and some Spanish. We are both quite interested in learning more Italian and are more than happy to practice with you if you are interested in learning any of the languages we speak!
We know the local area and it's attractions quite well and will mark for you any places of interest that you would like to see. If you are willing to come pick one of us up from work (usually around 5 on weekdays) you could take one of our cars to sightsee.
We'd love to talk about your travels and tell you about ours. Editka will certainly be able to tell you a lot about the part of Europe she's from and Diddi can tell you of Iceland and other places he's spent some time at.
There is a great deal of topics that tickle our interest and we'd love to get into the gritty details! As has already been hinted at, we are interested in eco-projects, sustainable living, minimalism, good coffee, enjoying our family time and much more. Life is for learning and expanding on your knowledge and experiences. To us, this is true value and real wealth!Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
##THE PROJECTS##
{ The type of help we need depends largely on time of year! }
** Outdoor construction stuff **
{ We focus especially on these in June, July and September }
-Pallet projects! Build benches, little toolsheds, shelters, garden houses and much more!! 👍
-Build a shed and attach our 4x2m lean-to greenhouse to it.
-Build a shelter around the main entrance (north side of house)
-Connect circulation pump and heat exchanger to hot tub
-Build a terrace and frame that connects to the hot tub.
-Build our Dream-sunroom over aforementioned terrace 😁
We'll probably require official drawings and permits, so this is a long term goal.
** Other outdoor, gardening and landscaping projects **
{ Gardening and forestry get special attention in April, May and June }
-Make proper walking paths around the house and land, using local material / cost-effective solutions.
-Propagate trees (we have birch, spruce, pine and poplar), relocate/plant some trees into a shelter belt around the house. This place is windy!
-Bring in manure, compost and organic material, to improve soil condition and reduce erosion.
-Set up compost stations for kitchen scrap and garden waste. We still haven't gotten to that!
-Build some raised garden beds for veggies w/grid for a tarp
-Identify/create microclimates suitable for fruit- and berry trees/bushes. We want as much low-maintenance food producing plants as possible!
-We have a massive 45ft container that we intend to partially berm into the earth next to our house.
-Organizing and retrofitting inside the container is an ongoing project!
-Wild harvesting herbs and berries! Mainly we collect the arctic thyme during summer and blueberries/crowberries in the fall.
-All kinds of Earthworks!
** Some of the indoor projects **
{ We focus on these in colder months; March, April, September, October and November }
-We only have about 70m2 on the base floor plus some 30m2 sleeping loft. Basically: do what the tiny-house community does, but to a small-house!
-Second hand furniture repurposing, build wall shelves from reclaimed wood; you know, that sorta thing!
-The technical room houses the central heating, plumbing etc. Needs to be "Tiny-Housed" ;)
-During construction, we painted the walls quite hastily. So... gotta do it again, but properly!
-We want to apply floor coating to our floor material, it scratches to easily.
-Furniture, counter tops and more surfaces need sanding/oiling/varnishing/deep cleaning etc
-Need to apply sealant in wall/ceiling gaps and other places.
-More house plants! We're talking trellises, hanging plants, wall mounted plants, kitchen herbs... the works!
-Continue building the room in the sleeping loft to make the most of the space; for the convenience of workawayers and other guests ;)
**Childminding, cleaning and help around the house**
{ This is stuff that always needs doing! }
-Helping us with the kids!
If you speak czech or slovak the boys will understand you perfectly. They understand some English by now, since they hear it on a daily basis! They've even learned to speak some, thanks to practicing with workawayers!
Anton is whirlwind of energy (but a big lover of books) while Emil is a careful and sometimes sneaky (yet adorable) little guy.
If one were to assign them each a spirit animal, Anton's would be some sort of chimp-labrador hybrid, whereas Emil's would probably be a cross between a housecat and a koala!
-We really like the notions of Montessori and have tried to apply some of that, but not very diligently! We have simply not had the time or presence of mind, but anyone familiar with it, or other methodologies of homeschooling, unschooling etc. would be a great boon to us!
-Other than entertaining the boys there is the usual household business... laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning; you'll find that mess and kids go hand in hand ;)
-Helping us with kids in the pool... so we can swim and attend our [mental] health. We pretty much go to the pool ALL the time... so an extra set of eyes and ears would be appreciated!
-Grocery shopping; Especially convenient for workawayers with particular dietary requirements or preferences... or if you simply wanna cook a particular meal!
**Other random stuff**
-Going to pick up stuff while we're at work! We found that going to Reykjavìk on errands is something we'd just as well avoid. But perhaps you wanna go see the sights and don't mind e.g. picking up a piece of secondhand furniture along the way!
-Last but certainly not least on this LOOONG list:
Material scavenging! We're talking pallets and reclaimable wood, logs, stone, gravel, concrete tiles, grassturf, manure and organic materials, trees and plants, furniture and other second hand stuff (often free)...
...yeah, you get the picture 😅Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Icelandic: Fluent
Slovak: Fluent
Spanish: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
Italian Spanish Slovak EnglishAccommodation
At present, we have a small room with a bunk bed, and we're constructing a room upstairs in the sleeping loft.
The usual system with food is that we try to have a proper lunch but a light dinner. However, during working days we aren't at home for lunch, so this is mainly applicable on weekends and holidays I suppose!
But the fridge will be kept well stocked and any food is fair game. You could cook yourself lunch, even cook enough for everyone to have, either for dinner same day or for next day. We don't mind eating something two days in a row!
We don't have any particular food restrictions or preferences and we eat basically anything... although we can't guarantee that the kids will! Usually they have some yoghurt or something for dinner, so no biggie.
In any case, some arrangement can be arrived at that works for everybody ;)What else ...
We are near the UNESCO designated area of "Katla Geopark", near Mt. Hekla and the infamous Eyjafjallajökull. Several waterfalls, glaciers, glacial lagoons, the so-called "black beach" and more are all within an hour's drive from here. "The Golden Circle" is also just over an hour's drive from here as well, not to mention our personal favorite; the Reykjadalur valley's warm river... an actual natural hot spring that feeds into a river, creating one of the larger and more unique natural bathing spots in South-Iceland... possibly even all of Iceland!
In the area where we live, we're a stone's throw away from a waterfall and a our land is adjacent to a forestry project that has yielded a few modest groves of trees and meadows, with crisscrossing streams and such. In the summer time we have a veritable orchestra of birdsong!
In short, if natural wonders are your thing, we got plenty of nature to be explored around here! We'll provide you with map locations, details, tips and tricks to your heart's content. On weekends we might want to forego doing home projects and instead go for a drive to see the sights. Or perhaps one of us would go with you and kids while the other stays home to roll up the sleeves!
We have two cars and a couple of bicycles (with plans for acquiring more bikes). We are slightly outside of town, about 3 km. There are some backroads that are quite enjoyable to walk which will take you to town without having to walk alongside the main road traffic. You can also go that way via mountain-bike, although parts of the path are rather sandy and not so compressed.A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
The house is usually empty (except for workawayers) between 9 and 16 on working days. While boys are home, and awake, there is not so much peace in the house though!
Space for parking camper vans
We have plenty of space for a campervan of any size!
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (8)
In this month and a half we have helped him to do various kinds of chores, always stimulating, from ordinary… read more
We shared many good times, good food and even a trip to a volcano 😁
They helped with a multitude of tasks, such as bringing in horse manure by the trailor load, spreading mulch over sandy soil,… read more
By far the best volunteering I've had.
Rebeca stayed with us from early November until the end of the month. She is a kind, polite and comfortable person to be around. She helped us with so many things, from painting walls to cleaning house, or anything else we needed.
We wish you the absolute best on your continuing journey, all the way to India… read more
Chris stayed with us for most of November. He's a well informed guy, with a well rounded skillset and a very nice attitude towards life. It was a pleasure to host him, as much for the company as for the help, in which he went above and beyond.
Chris, wish you the absolute best of success with your goals for… read more
Takk! to you for these 4 perfect weeks!
Couldn't have asked for anything to be better, especially the famous movie on the last night;)
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(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
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(5.0)
In this month and a half we have helped him to do various kinds of chores, always stimulating, from ordinary… read more
We shared many good times, good food and even a trip to a volcano 😁
They helped with a multitude of tasks, such as bringing in horse manure by the trailor load, spreading mulch over sandy soil,… read more
By far the best volunteering I've had.
Rebeca stayed with us from early November until the end of the month. She is a kind, polite and comfortable person to be around. She helped us with so many things, from painting walls to cleaning house, or anything else we needed.
We wish you the absolute best on your continuing journey, all the way to India… read more
Chris stayed with us for most of November. He's a well informed guy, with a well rounded skillset and a very nice attitude towards life. It was a pleasure to host him, as much for the company as for the help, in which he went above and beyond.
Chris, wish you the absolute best of success with your goals for… read more
Takk! to you for these 4 perfect weeks!
Couldn't have asked for anything to be better, especially the famous movie on the last night;)
Diddi and Editka are very open and easy going people and their… read more
She was such an ideal companion to share space with, anticipating every need without ever having to be asked! She helped keep things tidy, she cooked, baked and entertained the kids.
She likewise rolled up her sleeves and took on some outdoor tasks; she… read more
The first thing we did was hike to the active volcanic eruption site that had recently started up... appropriate first step for a geology student 😆
These two friends were great to host! They provided good, easy going company and were very helpful! We did some earthworks (lots of fully… read more
An earnest, diligent and cheerful person; she gets up with the sunrise and gets busy ;)
She helped us with several outdoor projects and with two other workawayers, they watered our garden and continued with many projects while we were away on vacation for a… read more
I spent almost 2 months with them, and it was such a great time in their nice house. Diddi and Editka are very friendly and I am very thankful for everything that they shared with me. They know many insights about places to visit, and are very happy to share it with you. They are also always up… read more
It was a pleasure to host this considerate, helpful and overall pleasant person at our home!
He helped us with several outdoor projects, building raised garden beds, collecting a ton of mulch, earthworks and more.
The kids loved him, especially our older son. He effectively learned to speak basic English from… read more
Having Diddi and Editka as my Hosts was one of the best experiences that I've had on my trip, my only regret is that it was already the end, so I couldn’t stay longer with them!
They understand Workaway, they have a very good knowledge of the true concept of being a Host. We… read more
What can we say... Mariana is great :)
Our second ever workawayer and a very helpful person. She did several things in the garden, such as building raised gardens, collecting mulch, doing eartworks, planting potatoes, sowing grass-seed and more.
She helped us with cooking, cleaning, entertaining kids and… read more