Favourited 85 times
Welcome to the beautiful Swedish countryside, a welcoming family and a creative permaculture mini community. The household consists of my kids (Liam age 11 and Talila age 13), my fiancée Egemen and me, Mariel. We also have two cats, lots of chickens and hens and two delightful dogs. Right next door we have my brother and his wife on their permaculture homestead where a lot of creative, inspiring things are happening all the time. My brother and his wife usually have a volunteer or two staying with them, as well as animals: a dog, a cat, and chickens. They host tiny-house building workshops and other sustainable-living related workshops.
The house we live in is an old train station house, built in the early 1900's. As we moved in July 2021 and it had been left untended for a long time, it is in need of a lot of work. It has a lot of potential to be very charming and unique, with a lot of love, hard work and paint.
We have a no-dig vegetable garden that needs some tending to. We want to get some sheep in the near future. We also have bees, berry bushes and hazelnut trees.
As a family we like to go on outdoor adventures: swimming, hiking, canoeing, camping, skiing, skating, etc. On rainy days we like to sauna, play cards and board games, or just enjoy a good movie or TV show together.
I work part time as a mental health counsellor where I combine solution-oriented talks with breath- and body work and meditation. I am also a textile artist and teach felting classes. I enjoy dancing, hiking, running, meditating, and other creative activities.
Egemen is from Turkey and has been in Sweden for 4 years now. He is interested in permaculture, building, gardening, animals of all kinds, cooking and baking.
I have a lot of previous experience as a volunteer host together with my ex-husband, with many positive reviews.
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
My boyfriend Egemen is from Turkey and passionate about Turkish cuisine. He is happy to share his skills and share stories from his homeland. We speak English at home, as I have partially grown up in the US and my kids' father is from the US. My kids are used to having volunteers in the house as we hosted together for many years, with very positive reviews.
The closeness to my brother's perma-culture farm is also a great social and experiential opportunity! In the summer, there will be lots of swimming in nearby lakes and nature experiences in general. You will also learn a lot about fixing up old wooden houses in an eco-friendly and economic manner.
Our newly purchased station house needs a lot of love. Most of the volunteer hours will involve home improvement tasks as well as outdoor jobs, gardening and household work. It is good if you already have some basic experience of manual labor. It will be both inside and outside work.
English: Fluent
Swedish: Fluent
Turkish: Fluent
Spanish: Beginner
We have a camper on the property where we normally house volunteers. This gives volunteers some privacy.
We all help out with cooking, washing up and keeping the house tidy. The cooking and washing up is not included in the help hours. Vegetarians can easily be accommodated. Vegans may need to cook a bit of their own food on the side.
On your time off you are welcome to explore the area on your own, or perhaps with another volunteer from my brother's farm. You are welcome to borrow the car when it is available, or a bike. There is plenty to explore in the area, like 4 nature preservation areas just minutes away, different nature trails, historical sites, small towns and cities, etc. Previous volunteers have enjoyed biking to lakes in the area and watching the sunrise or sunset, hiking. Or of course hang out with us.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
We have broadband with unlimited surf.
Our house is in a very nice setting with nature all around. We can easily find a nice spot for a van or camper.
Always check with me before bringing a pet and we will see if it seems like it will work out with the pets that are already here.
Two
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)