Share our knowledge and learn new skills in Brufut, Gambia

Details

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  Description

  I am Nikki, known as Aunty to everyone, I'm from East Anglia in the UK, I am a qualified teacher of adults and have a lot of patience.
  The main tourist season is November- end of April.
  We have 8 en suite guest rooms , help is needed to renovate, set around the pool, in tropical gardens, with an honesty bar, BBQ, bird watching area, fire pit, located in a Gambian village called Brufut, 10 minutes walk to the coastal road and the fishing village.
  I am passionate about recycling, upcycling, and making our own compost. Going green.
  Our bar, BBQ, and other areas are built out of bottles ( I teach to anyone who wants to learn)
  Our place is mostly solar, using as little electricity and gas as possible.
  We grow fruit, herbs, and vegetables,experimenting all the time....
  Trees include Mango, Papaya, Banana, Orange, Lemon, Lime, Avocado, Moringa,and cashew.
  Grow what we eat, eat what we grow or buy locally.
  Bird watchers and photographers paradise, our adults-only, peace, and relaxation experience is ideal for couples or friends, Nature lovers and adventurers. Privacy is most important for our guests, peace and relaxation ,no hassle.
  
  In a private walled courtyard garden, work has commenced on a workaway area, comprising 2 bedrooms with two single beds in each (we need a couple or two people / friends for company in the evenings . The outside kitchen is not yet completed. We do have a wood fired BBQ! The outside shower is fitted and seperate toilet in the courtyard, any volunteers arriving before completion, would be given the studio apartment, or one of our guests rooms that needs renovation, with the promise of helping us to complete the workaway area for volunteers.
  Maintenance is ongoing, DIY, always something to do, anything from gardening, watering, cleaning the pool, getting in is the easiest way to clean the inside walls 😆 painting, building with bottles, cleaning every day. Africa is dusty.
  Helping to pick fruits in season and maybe help with making preserves.
  I am very sad to say that my husband
  Neil has passed away 💔 I am determined to get all our dreams completed, all his projects finished in his memory.
  I've been doing everything myself, but I have employed some help now, to get jobs done before the start of the season. Any serious volunteers eager to work in return for free room and food would be very welcome.
  we've employed so many locals over the years, Sadly for various reasons it's not worked out. So here I am on Workaway, after reading and lots of advice, to hope for a dream team of volunteers to experience my life, with much needed help in my little slice of Africa.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Help around the house

  Hospitality/Tourism

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Sustainability

  

  Pets

  

  Culture

  

  Plant care

  

  Music

  

  Gardening

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Animals

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Nature
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Cultural travellers will learn how to survive in a third world country, see how the locals (and we) live and work, and learn about our hospitality, the way we are passionate and different in the ways we look after our guests, giving them their private space, peace and tranquility.
  DIY, growing and preserving, recycling, in a safe environment. Saving water, how we pump water and avoid waste. Saving electricity and gas! Cooking on wood.
  Learn new skills, share our knowledge, and get stuck in!
  We are unique in our area, and I'm passionate about teaching with our years of experience.
  Due to unforseen circumstances and learning so much along the way, I can not and will not be available 24/7
  I live on site, in my own private house. I value my privacy and yours too! My alarm is set for 07:00 every day.
  
  When we have guests, after dinner service, I retire to my house, leaving our guests to enjoy the peace and tranquility with honesty bar to purchase cold drinks. Lit with solar lights.
  I'm back on duty for guests breakfast service at 08:30 am
  We have 2 well-behaved dogs and 2 cats.
  The main tourist season is November to the end of April when direct flights from the UK cease. Still plenty of indirect flights ✈ Gambia Experience. Brussels Airlines. Turkish Airlines. TAP. Royal Air Maroc. Tui. Veuling.
  The green season, summer time, rains and stunning storms, mostly at night, even rain during the day, is like a warm outside shower, is punctuated with glorious sunshine 🌞 ( no need to water the gardens until November) plenty of fruits to pick.

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  Help

  Any enthusiastic help would be greatly appreciated.must be able to work with own initiative. Sweeping and cleaning,
  DIY, gardening, watering, composting, maintenance, painting, building with bottles and anything else we can recycle.
  Carpentry or Plumbing would be a real bonus! I am trying myself 😆
  I am willing to teach anyone with any area they are not familiar with. (Except IT) Neil and I are technophobes 🤭 any help also appreciated.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  I've been learning Mandinka (tribal language) for many years,still not fluent but I can understand.
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  Accommodation

  All set in a courtyard garden, totally separate from our guests rooms. Workaway rooms are under construction, this is some of the help we need, to finish the project, There will be 2 rooms with 2 single beds in each.
  There will be an outside kitchen with woodfired BBQ. Outside shower and an outside toilet.
  Volunteers breakfast :- Tea or coffee, local bread and homemade preserves, will be on the front terrace at 07:30
  homemade jams, Marmalades, made with homegrown Mango 🥭 avocado 🥑 papaya and bananas when producing.
  You may purchase any cold drinks from the honesty bar, just write it on your pad and pay at the end of each week.
  Mondays - Fridays
  08:00 time to start work,doing all the ongoing jobs,that I need help with, It's cooler to work in the mornings, too.
  Lunch @ 13:00 hrs is a sandwich or wrap or homemade soup. Afternoons off.
  Dinner on workdays prepared by me or DIY outside cooking in the volunteers courtyard garden. Or reheat my meals
  For example. I prepare Chilli, Bolognaise, Italian vegetables, Chicken and vegetable stew, Indian curry, Gambian dishes, Yassa, Domoda, to name but a few.
  Volunteers arriving before completion, depending on occupancy, can stay in our studio apartment or one of our guest rooms that need renovations, whilst helping me to complete the workaway area.

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  What else ...

  Time off can be spent exploring the area, local transport (not for the faint hearted) is a shared minibus with locals along with baskets of fish, goats and chickens are common passengers! Or a Taxi.
  Local shop for bread and cheaper cold drinks etc. Is just a few minutes walk away. A brand new mini market has opened at the end of our road.
  The beach is just 10 minutes walk away.
  In season, If bookings are made, you may be able to jump aboard with the paying guests on our vintage open-top Landrover excursions.
  Crocodiles and monkeys, Snake farm, 4WD adventure and so much more....
  Or relax in our tropical gardens, spotting over 500 species of birds.

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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

  We do our best to have a decent WI FI, for the business, this is not always perfect! Outside of our control. WI FI is not unlimited, not up to European standards. Our own WI FI is powered by Solar. It is not unlimited. Digital nomads, We suggest you borrow our pebble, you add your own data for your own use. Or get your own local sim card for data. I took our first volunteer Aida to the tourist area to get her local sim card yesterday 07/10/24. Safe Solar Charging station provided. Recommended to bring along a power bank. There is no electricity in the rooms. Solar lighting.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

  Wobbles

  Wobbles (4 years)

  Wobbles is the son of Yuna. He is the youngest of our animal family.
  Because Yuna was so tiny, we didn't think she was old enough to be spade 🙈 she had 4 kittens on our bed and I was the midwife!
  Wobbles is much bigger than his mum. They have both been spade now. Wobbles loves the dogs and they love him. Wobbles scratches the top of the bucket that has the cat biscuits in to get my attention ( even when biscuits are in their bowls)

  

  Yuna

  Yuna arrived with Eve, she was found on the side of the road in the village of Yuna. She was so tiny she fitted into a wine glass! She's still a small cat. Yuna thinks she's a dog! She comes when she's called, sits on command, follows me everywhere, even greeting me at the gate when I drive back in.

  

  Eve

  

  Clyde

  Clyde is tall and skinny,but fit and healthy an intelligent african dog. He does not accept other dogs or cats on our property, He is protecting our other dog Eve and our 2 cats. He is a good guard dog too!
  Crazy photo of Clyde and Eve 😆

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