Help with DIY, wood construction, painting and more and explore Utrechtse, Heuvelrug, Netherlands

Details

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  Description

  This is us:
  Hi there, herewith you make a connection with Bien who is used to travelling, camping and international cultural exchange. I'm used to interact and connect with all kinds of peoples with an open respectful honest mind.
  I'm a sportive active person, used to be a gymteacher and hosted children and people from over the world for CISV.
  I have 3 wonderfull adult children who you probably will meet. They have been travelling for cultural exchange several times already. My daughter is traveling in Oceanië right now.
  Our household consists of; humans + 3 BIG GERMAN SHEPHERD DOGS + an older Maincoon CAT who respectfully live together under one roof. We love our animals and we expect you to treat them with dignity. They're honest animals who will respect people with a good sincere hart and love for animals and nature.
  
  In our simple modest home I can offer you a bed in a private bedroom and a shared bathroom.
  We cook healthy tastefull meals to share if you like and take the time to exchange with you. I love cooking with good food, reduce my meatconsumption, lower my plastic-use and koolhydrate/sugar-use, but I'm not vegetarian/vegan.
  If you like to cook and share it feel welcome to prepare typical meals from your background .
  There is a BBQ ready to be used and we love to put on the fireplace and talk together or stare in it with our own thoughts. We live in a typicall dutch neighbourhood on walking distance from the stores and terraces or nature to relax or be on yourself. If you want to hire a car to explore the Netherlands, there is more then enough free parking available next to the house.
  We live in a modest connected house in a small city with a nextdoor bus-connection (1 min. walk) to the trainstation; every half-hour schedule.
  
  
  PLEASE READ CAREFULLY; For the help I hope to get ....
  1) You need to have DIY-hands and DIY-pleasure!
  There is not a lot of work, but I hope to find some help from workawayers who really have experience with tools, knowledge of construction + wood connections and most of all pleasure in what they do. I really can feel happy and appreciative for some craftmanship. Simply becaurse I love to work like that myself and it gives me pleasure.
  2) It's important that you are able to CONNECT with animals/dogs to feel at ease here (don't under-estimate) We live in the same space.
  If you want to walk with the dogs, you have to be physically and mentally strong for coping with A PACK OF 3 BIG STRONG GERMAN SHEPHERDS on a leach.
  I'm used to manage the care of my dogs myself, but if it gives you pleasure, you are welcome to help with the daily animal-care. They are well trained and love good peoples.
  
  For exploring:
  Amsterdam is within 30 min. with the bus-connection next to the house, aswell as other interesting historic towns/places like Utrecht.
  Lots to discover here.
  We have bikes available for you.
  Bikingtrails and walkingtrails are starting next to our house.
  Biking is easy to learn if you haven't done it before...we can help you.
  You can also enjoy the lakes close to us; with rental kayaks, sailingboats or subs.
  Going there on biketakes appr. 30-40 min. from our house: there are many cyclingpaths.
  
  There is an interesting typical dutch grainmill that you can visit on walking disctance from us and close to the mill you can enjoy the cosmopolitan old towncentre with beautiful terraces for seeing interesting peoples, enjoy a good beer, coffee or eat the wellknown typical dutch poffertjes in summer.
  
  The Utrechtse Heuvelrug is an old historic forest-area with rolling hills that started in the glaciertime; It offers many beautiful trails to explore. Also the sanddunes and blooming purple heather nearby in August are a treat to stroll through.
  
  I'd rather not have to mention the 2 following issues, but it's IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO KNOW and hopefully a now-brainer;
  We do not use drugs.; iIf you're used to that and wish to, it would be better to look for another host. The dogs will sense it and it will be a reason to stop hosting you. Smoking can be accepted outside the house keeping distance to us.
  
  COVID; this host requests Workawayers to take the Dutch rules for Corona serious for our healthsystem and out of respect to peoples who are vulnerable when they get infected.
  For our hostingoffer is based on a mutual exchange in contacts, we are gladly hosting people who limmit their use of social media to when they are on there own and after workinghours and social meals. We are aware of the necessary use of mobile phones, I-pads etc... as we use them ourselves too. We are looking for WW-ers who are seriously looking for exchanging cultural backgrounds, foods, etc... by being in contact and having meaninful conversations. If you're just looking for a cheap place to stay, I suggest you look for another host.
  
  If you have any questions for a possible stay; feel free to ask :)

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Your possible benefit from our cultural exchange can be, that you have a typical dutch experience in a typical dutch neighbourhood with very good connections to explore the wellknown dutch thing to visit, like f.i. the City of Amsterdam /Rijksmuseum and other museums in Amsterdam, the mills, the typical landscapes to bike through on yourself or together with us, and a place to stay with people who can speak several languages and can tell you about and help you with exploring The Netherlands.
  Being in touch with house-animals (3 big dogs and a cat) and having some time in your travel to meet, exchange cultures and practise/learn languages. We can teach you about dogbehaviour, but it will suit you if you have dogexperience.
  
  In exchange for your help with DIY/construction and dogs-care, we can offer you free lodging and provide meals on the workingdays plus help in exploring / tell you more about NL and discover/taste our foodspecialties.
  I can teach you about gardening, soils, planting, herbs, plants, pruning, wild eatable plants and mushrooms, etc...
  I can help you learn dutch language and dog-bodylanguage
  Further If you like it, we can show you around, let you meet friends and family, visit cultural heritage, visit University-area's to meet students, help you plan or find information on what you look for or want to visit, aswell as learn you what eatable plants you can find in nature and how you can use them.
  We can make a trip to the beaches of the westcoast or make a canal-tour in the Amsterdam Canals.
  These are suggestions to concider when you are looking for a host in the Netherlands. It will be very inspiring to learn from your background and travel experiences and I will be thankful and thrilled for your honest help in accomplishing some cores that will remind me daily on our positive exchange in our contacts!

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  Help

  Love to be a host for (sportive/active) people who like to share working physically in the outside together and enjoying the good fibes of getting things done while sharing good meals and story-exchanges.
  
  PLEASE READ CAREFULLY TO SEE IF THERE REALLY IS A MATCH:
  Looking for WORKAWAY-ers WHO REALLY ENJOY + HAVE EXPERIENCE with WOODWORKING + HANDLING TOOLS for;
  1) DIY/construction outside;
  - putting a roof on a small greenhouse
  - help to create a cosy wooden cottage for workawayers to stay in
  - placing glass in 4 windows/doors
  2) if you like: walk a pack of German Shepherds
  4) excercising together outside
  5) I like to cook myself and treat you well and I also like it if you sometimes prepare a meal/dish typical from your country
  6) little sewing- and cleaningjobs
  
  I'm an experienced "handywoman" with an eye and joy for detail / good constructions: look for WW-ers to work together with and who enjoy the kick of a good result. Solo-workers are welcome to....:) If I see you know what you're doing I can let you do the things yourself if you prefere that. I can always help when needed. I'm strong and handy to assist.
  
  I used to do heavy work/constructing/DIY myself. Now I'm a heartpatient and need help for the heavy arrangements.
  I would very much appreciate it to get some help to finish it before the winter kicks in.
  It's not big buildingwork, but things that can be done in a short period of time. In 1, 5 -2 weeks it can be done.
  However it needs the understanding of how to construct with hands that are used to do it.
  
  The results of the workaway-help combined with the memories to it of all the workawayers who have been here to help and exchange surround me on a daily basis. It gives me warm memories/feelings during many years after:)
  So we can contribute to eachother and a sustainable world around us.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Dutch: Fluent
  German: Intermediate
  French: Intermediate
  Spanish: Beginner
  Italian: Beginner

  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

  You will have a bed to sleep in with fresh bedware in your own room.
  There will be a healthy breakfast with typical dutch and fresh ingredients starting the morning.
  We always have Greek Youghurt, fresh cheese, very tasty dutch bio-farmer cheese, fruits, nuts, peanutbutter, chocolate hail, homemade bio- jams, bio-honey. Everyday there will be a coffee-break / lunch.
  After the workinghours/cores, you will ofcourse have your own free time to explore The Netherlands and the area. Bikes are available aswell as a busconnection 1 minute walk from our house (every half hour)
  You can use our shared bathroom considering, that you allign your time of use with the schedule of the peoples living in the house, and leave it as clean as it was when you started using it.
  Washing-machine+soap, kitchen are available and we assume that you consult the owners for the time of use so that is fits in the daily routines. Naturally you leave them clean and in the same shape after use and you are careful with the things in the house.
  
  For other wishes....we will try to make things right for you so you will have a positive memorable stay with us:)!
  We are looking forward to meeting peoples who are used to work / create with their hands, have a feeling with wood and/or paintbrush, who have a creative spirit to add in solutions.
  
  It's important you can really connect with the animals in the house.
  
  In return for your serious help, I'm gladly willing to show you around and take you to special places so you will have a good idea of the Netherlands and our culture.
  In our W-away-hosting-contact we are looking for considerate, honest people who like to connect and contribute to eachother.
  You will find a warm welcome here with interest in who you are and for your travellingplans.
  We're used to work hard and joyfully share the thrill of the accomplishment with shared meals of good food/drinks/ candles and a burning fireplace or a picknick near the waterfront or in the woods telling eachother stories of our lifes with the animals near to us, play ball, swim in the lake, etc...
  If you'd like to help us out for some hours and stay with us, feel welcome to just get in touch by telling who you are, what you can do to help us, what experience you have to offer and what you're looking for.
  We will respond shortly ;).

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  What else ...

  Covid-19 ; as our government requests it's citizens and travelers, I expect visitings WW'ers to respect the requested precautions to contribute to the solution of reducing the virus in our country in respect of our healthcareworkers and economic health in the Netherlands so that healthcareworkers are capable to keep doing there jobs and other people can keep up with the trouble caused by the virus for there jobs and income.
  
  Furthermore;
  Distances are small here and the local busses/trains are good and frequent. Our country is very safe to travel on your own and most people speak excellent English to help you on the way when you need some help. Travelschedules are pretty accurate and on time. You can hire bikes, canoes, waterbikes easily on many locations.
  Our house has very good connections for bus-, train-, cycling and hikingroutes. We live within 30 min. car-distance from the airport Schiphol and with the train you can travel straight to Schiphol (main airport near Amsterdam).
  Our small town is situated in the middle of varied different kind of landscapes; forests, heather, meadows, lakes are all close by (biking-distance within an hour). The shops (grossery, medical, bakery, market, etc...are close-by within 15 min. walkingdistance. There are lots of interesting things to explore nearby and when you want to vitit the bigger cities we have good connections to do that on daytrips. If we're on the road and can take you somewhere on the way, you're welcome to come with us so we can drop you at some point or pick you up later. If you're interested, you're welcome to make trips/walks together with the dogs.
  Did you know the Netherlands has an very intreaging system of ancient waterworks, fortifications and tunnels to protect our country? It just is declared as a historical cultural Unesc heritage. And you probably would love the cultural heritage nature-area of de Waddenzee, where you can walk over from the main land to some islands when the tide is low....very special experience :) Or join a sailingtrip on a botter?
  See you!

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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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  Space for parking camper vans

  I have a parkingplace near my house where a small campervan can be parked.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  20-25 hours per week; we can plan a schedule: 4-5 hours a day or some full day's and some day's of.

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