Experience the great outdoors in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada

Details

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  Description

  I believe that experiencing the outdoors can be transformative. When you are exposed to the beauty of nature, you begin to love it, then to cherish it. It is then that you begin to want to protect it. I believe that people who love the outdoors are our greatest environmental asset.
  
  My project is bringing as many people with me outside as I can, so we can all get the most out of life as possible. I founded a hiking club to provide new Canadians and visitors to BC the opportunity to experience the outdoors in a safe, supportive environment. (If you find yourself in the Kamloops area —whether you stay/workaway with me or not— you are welcome to come on my hikes. Just contact me through this site and I will keep you informed of what is coming up.)
  
  Volunteering is a big part of my life, from working with organizations that help the disabled, to food security, to helping new Canadians get adjusted. I have been involved in Big Brothers, Kamloops Food Policy Council, People in Motion, Kamloops Immigrant Services, Repair Cafe, and other non-profit organizations.
  
  Over the years, I have spoken extensively with Workawayers and this year I travelled extensively, sometimes staying with Workaway hosts under the same conditions as their Workawayers. I learned a lot about what it is like to be on the guest side! Let me say this: I would not ask you to sleep, eat, live, or work under conditions that I would not myself. Here are some things that I want to assure you:
  
  At *no charge*, you will be provided with:
  
  1. A proper shelter, in my own house, with heating, a roof that doesn't leak, etc. You will eat the same food as myself, and cook in my own kitchen. You will use the same bathroom that I use. I will not ask you to live in a tent or a shack.
  
  2. Clean bedding and linens:
  ° bedsheets, towels, etc
  ° mattresses and pillows
  ° blankets
  
  3. For physical work, you will be provided with:
  ° gloves
  ° safety glasses
  ° hearing protection
  ° masks
  
  4. Laundry as needed, and detergent
  
  What this means is that I will not treat your needs any differently than my own.
  
  I do not see you first as a worker but as a human being. I believe that the difference between me as host/property owner and you as a Workawayer/traveller is only a coincidence of time and circumstance. In all relationships, it is important to be aware of imbalances of power.
  
  I encourage you be aware of these details of attitude, and to ask other hosts about living conditions and terms before you agree to stay with them.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Language practice

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You will probably NOT get a better chance to hike in the interior of BC than here. Having spoken to many travellers, their hosts do not generally hike a lot and transportation to the trailheads, etc is always an issue if you don't have a car and/or don't know exactly where to go...
  
  The house is 15 minutes from downtown, 15 minutes from canoeing, and hiking starts just outside the front door! The area boasts great outdoor adventures and I take full advantage of this. I am a hike leader for a hiking club and I also lead hikes in the area through a group that I created eight years ago, the a hiking club.
  
  I also go on longer camping trips and mountain bike in the area. Other things like canoeing, rock climbing, downhill skiing, and snowshoeing may also be on the agenda, and you can participate.
  
  In the winter hiking sometimes turns into snowshoeing, but I do take on more indoor activities too: I am a documentary film enthusiast, and I also make my own soap, lip balm, yogurt and beeswax food wraps. I own several sewing machines, which I salvage from second-hand stores, refurbish, and donate to whoever needs them. I volunteer as a fixer for Repair Cafe, I teach knife sharpening at the local community kitchen, and garden tool maintenance from the workshop on my property.
  
  I am handy around tools, and have a fairly well equipped workshop, so I do a lot of projects around the house and if you know tools, or are willing to learn or teach, then there is a lot to do here.
  
  I love a multicultural environment, and as a world traveller I understand what it is like to be a visitor in foreign country.
  
  I expect you to be able to communicate in English, but of course we will all be working together to improve communication skills all-around.
  
  If you want to learn more about any of these things, participate, teach, or contribute in any way, then you are welcome to join in!

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  Help

  First of all, let me suggest that you read this whole profile carefully and understand it before applying to come here. There are some important details further down.
  
  I maintain a four-bedroom house and surrounding lot. This includes everything indoors and out that needs to be done, from organic gardening and lawn care to building maintenance, cooking, cleaning and organizing. Besides the usual, I have some special projects like beekeeping, painting, installing lighting, xeriscaping, and other things. I also do volunteer work which I hope a workaway would be interested in participating in, though this is not a requirement.
  
  I am looking for a mature workawayer, probably, but not necessarily, over 25 years old, with some experience in life. One of the important things about being here is that I do not often have the time for a lot of supervision, so being a self-starter is helpful. While I do not mind questions and ideas, what I mean is that in my absence you can see what needs to be done and work effectively without regularly needing to be told what to do. It is not hard to see when laundry or dishes need to be done or something needs to be cleaned, put away, or tidied.
  
  Helping with meal planning, shopping and cooking will be some of your routine, so it would be better if you are not timid in the kitchen, and are familiar with (mostly) vegetarian, low-carb cooking. I prefer someone who is comfortable communicating--talking will be one of our activities, too--especially over dinner, after a stimulating documentary, or, in the winter, in front of the fire. Unfortunately, this means that your English must be at least functional. I will be patient, but we do need to get things done, so I hope that your level of English will not be a barrier.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate
  French: Beginner

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  Accommodation

  HOUSE:
  The house is on a cul-de-sac in the Brocklehurst area of Kamloops, a short walk from two bus lines and there is parking on the street in front of the house if you drive. The house is fully equipped, especially the kitchen. It includes a family room with a wood burning fireplace, shared bathroom and laundry, and a large yard with beehives, a deck, gardens, and apple and cherry trees.
  
  YOUR ROOM:
  Your room is big and bright on the main floor of our 4 bedroom house. The room is off the kitchen, on the other side of the house from the other bedrooms, so it is quite private at night. There are two queen beds, which means at least two people can stay--and as many as four people as two couples. The photographs show a new full-length separation screen between the two beds so that there is some privacy. It is fully furnished with a bookshelf, chest of drawers and side tables. It has large windows with blinds. The room is quite quiet and you can just hear the train passing in the distance. While it is cool in the winter, but there is plenty of bedding to keep you warm. Linens and towels are provided.
  
  
  OTHER:
  
  *️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️ This is a non-smoking house, and please do not apply if you are a smoker.
  
  *️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️ We keep a low-scent house in our choice of detergents, cleaners, toothpaste, shampoos, soaps, deodorants, etc, and do not allow incense or aromatherapy oils (essential oils).
  
  We keep a reasonably quiet house. If you play an instrument, live music in moderation may be appreciated, but I don't want to listen to your life's soundtrack on your devices, so please use earbuds.
  
  There is fast, reliable wifi for your use.
  
  There will only be 2 to 4 people living here, and not often children, so it is not often a chaotic, busy environment.
  
  I do host gatherings at home, sometimes with as many as 20-40 people, but this is only about 5 or 10 times a year.

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  What else ...

  I hike several times a week in the area, summer and winter (winter sometimes with snowshoes), also travelling into the Rockies and the coast mountains and in between for great outdoor experiences. The local beaches, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, and mountains make a fantastic combination! There is so much to do around Kamloops that it is hard to list it all, from hang-gliding and paragliding to skiing, kayaking, camping--you name it! The area boasts some of the best mountain biking in North America, and there is also great wineries, parks, theatre, music, the Kamloopa Powwow (one of the largest celebrations of First Nations’ culture and heritage in Western Canada). The city park has free music every night in July and August drawing both locals and visitors. There is also fishing, equestrian activities, rodeos, and car shows. We have it all, from paintball to rollerblading!
  
  FOOD: I try to keep my diet low-carb, and for both environmental and health reasons, mostly vegetarian. I do eat some meat, just not often. Vegetarians and vegans are welcome, and I appreciate the opportunity to learn more.
  
  The property has fruit trees from which we can all eat, in season. I also volunteer for a programme connected to the food bank, which allows me to bring home fresh produce for free, which greatly lowers food costs. With my workaways so far, the expense of food that needs to be bought from the store has been shared, and in exchange I offer a reduced work schedule. This means that while there is no fee for the accommodation, the workaways have shared the cost of food and in exchange have more time to explore the area and engage in the local culture. When you contact me please let me know what you think about this.
  
  LOCATION: Kamloops is 4 hours east of Vancouver and 7 hours west of Calgary, Alberta.
  
  OTHER: I am LGBTQ2S+ and sex positive.
  
  Finally, about applying here:
  
  It is not always like this, but there have been times when I have had more than 15 Workaway applicants all wanting to come in the same month! Thank you so much for your enthusiasm!
  
  :-)
  
  Please give me some time to respond to you. I can tell you that I have responded and will respond to *️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️every*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️ email that comes to me, but it may take some time--like up to a week if I am very busy. I know from talking to my visitors that many hosts do not respond at all and applicants get frustrated or look elsewhere. Please know that I am not one of those.
  
  If you want to draw my attention to your offer to come here, here are some hints:
  
  1. I think you should have read all of this profile at least once. To reassure me that you have read all this, please include "Hello Lawrence" somewhere in the subject of your first message to me.
  
  2. Scheduling:
  
  > If you are willing to commit to a longer stay--of 1 month or more--this would be an advantage in being invited to come.
  
  > Although I do sometimes take last-minute Workaways, if you give me more notice--that is, apply more in advance of your arrival date--this would also be an advantage.
  
  > If, in time, you can be a bit firmer on your arrival and departure dates, say within a few days rather than a few weeks, this would also help.

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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

  My wifi is excellent and the living space has lots of areas that could be used. I can equip the workaway bedroom with a desk, if necesary.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have street parking and there is lots of room for mobile accommodation.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  I am not totally opposed, but this will depend on a lot of things.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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