Help us reviving an abandoned little farm in Sastamala, Finland

Details

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  Description

  -- We still have availability for summer 2024 --
  
  We are a biochemist and engineer couple in their 40s, who after having traveled and volunteered a lot, found a new path in life to follow.
  We learned plenty during our volunteering tours, and we would like to give something back.
  We would love to host people with open minds and souls, willing to help in the first steps into our new lifestyle. Who knows, maybe it turns out to be also your path!
  
  We want to live surrounded by forest, a slow life, tending to self-sufficiency and deep respect, especially for nature and the environment.
  So we got an antique abandoned wooden house, and we have been fixing it to make it more comfortable to live in, without disturbing the nature around. There is 1,5ha of land in which we set up self-made greenhouses and we are experimenting with growing our food using ideas of permaculture/ companion planting. We are also setting up an off-grid camper park (mini) so we welcome also volunteers traveling in their vans!
  
  We use mostly recycled materials and do most things with our hands, improvising, solving, and learning on the way.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You can learn farm skills & creativity when more or less everything is done with recycled material and we invent a lot. You can also learn about Finnish countryside life & culture as well as our way of living.
  You can train your Spanish, Finnish, or Labrador skills :)
  You can enjoy nature at its best, super good quality Nordic air, and maybe find the inspiration for your projects or future life.

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  Help

  There are lots of projects always going on!
  
  This 2024 we would like to fix a small natural swimming pool/ pond, clean and restore the old barn, insulate some walls (eco insulation materials and wood), and gardening, lots of gardening. The green around looks still abandoned, so we would like to have some landscaping here. As side tasks we always have cooking, tidying around, small DIY projects, and walking the dog, among others. Some tasks might be physically demanding, but we won't ask you to do anything we won't do.
  Let's see what is going on and what interests you!
  
  We ask for 5hs help, 5 days/week in exchange for accommodation and food. Flexible.
  On your days off we can offer you a ride to the bus or train stop, so you can visit the beautiful city of Tampere or Pori (with the nicest beach in Finland). There are also national parks around, and you can borrow bikes from us to go to the village 2km from us. In the village, you will find a supermarket, pharmacy and all services, plus the swimming beach (lake) and nice picnic area.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  Finnish: Fluent

  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.
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  Accommodation

  We can offer accommodation in a modest room outside of the house, we also have a caravan parked in the patio or a parking spot for your campervan. We have electricity, water from the well (biological way of wastewater handling.), and compost toilets. We have a shower and traditional sauna, to experience in a very Finnish way!
  Please note the location is remote. This is not for you if you like to party.
  
  We try to eat healthy and ethically, but we don't have enough time or money to cook specific diets differently. Basically "we eat what we have'' and we are on the vegetarian side.
  Please note, we are really happy to provide you with fresh, healthy, but basic food, as we eat ourselves. If you require an expensive/specific diet, or special foods, or wish to eat abnormal quantities of anything then we kindly ask that you buy these yourself.
  Cooking & washing dishes are shared equally among everyone - we expect you to participate.
  
  We enjoy a good balance between the shared time and the time by ourselves:
  this means we like having lunch and dinner together on working days. Meal time is a great time to share thoughts, organize the day, plan the working day, laugh, and enjoy the company, so please join us :)
  But we also need time on our own, so we hope you enjoy hanging out on your own in your free time :)

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  What else ...

  We use the internet from our mobile phones, but we will be able to figure out how to share the connection with you. We have only 4G.
  
  When you write us the first time, you MUST answer these questions:
  1. Do you already have a fixed travel itinerary?
  2. How long would you ideally want to stay?
  3. Which came first the hen or the egg?
  
  We generally don’t take long-term volunteers unless we share the hosting time with our neighbours (who are on the same path we are). So let us know how long you would like to volunteer, and we can discuss how.

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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 only have 4G internet connection.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  Plenty of space!

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Our dog has to approve the visitors :)

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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