Come help in my home in Wallonie, Hainaut, Belgium

Details

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  Description

  Hello,
  
  I am François, a 52 years old artist living in the charming village of Feluy. I live one week on my own, one week with my daughter (aged 17). On weekends and holidays my son (aged 18) is likely to be home too.
  
  I live in an old house in the center of the village.
  I often work at home, mostly on my computer (communication, administration and production of my artistic projects). During the weekends I am often working on events.
  
  Feluy is 40 km south from Brussels. It takes a 25 min bus to Nivelles and then a 30 min train to get to the capital.
  It is an old village with a medieval castle and an ancient canal, with rambling and cycling tracks all around. You can check "Feluy" on Google Maps to have an idea. There isn't pretty much to visit, but the countryside is beautiful. There is a bus stop near the house. I can give a ride to Nivelles station when needed.
  
  What I expect from workawayers:
  - Open communication. Tell me about any problem without delay.
  - Basic cleanliness. The house is quite chaotic/dirty sometimes, so please don't add more chaos ;-)
  - Environmental concern (recycling, energy saving, etc.)
  
  What I can offer to workawayers:
  - Good food, respectful of any diet.
  - Helping to schedule your city trips around.
  - Nice chats, playing boardgames, etc.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  I don't consider Workaway as a supplier of free taskforce, but as a way to meet people and get some help at the same time. I don't always have the courage to work on my own in refurbishing the house (or the money to have it done), whereas it is not a problem to start if I'm not alone. I am definitively looking forward to get to know my workawayers and have fun together, just as I would with travellers from other social networks. For instance, I like to hear (and tell) travel experiences.
  However, I also need time on my own, I am not always available to chat with my guests. I am often busy on the computer.
  
  On the other hand I can give tips in many fields: cooking, loading vehicles, languages, makeup, art, do-it-yourself and talk about different topics: Belgian politics & culture, history, etc.
  
  Anyway I try to make sure my guests feel like at home. The philosophy of the house is to communicate in order to keep everyone satisfied.

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  Help

  There are plenty of things to do... It all depends on your expectations and your skills. I am flexible about what to do and when to do it, except when there are technical priorities - in which case we would most probably work together.
  
  There is definitively a whole bunch of house-related tasks:
  - painting window frames
  - refurbishing rooms / walls
  - helping with wood or plumbering
  - gardening (I have a small garden but it needs maintenance though)
  
  I like learning from my guests (musical instruments, languages, cooking, gardening, etc.)
  
  Sometimes you will be working on your own, sometimes we will be working together. Anyway we will make a planning on your arrival. It is quite flexible, as my job makes it difficult to plan everything in advance.
  
  On particular days I can drive you to Nivelles or Brussels so that you can enjoy a city trip in Belgium. I count 3 ½ hours x total number of days, it gives a total amount of hours of work during your stay. It is a maximum!
  I prefer to host for about 2 weeks.
  
  Please refer to something specific to my profile when you apply to work here. I don't mind people copy/pasting their requests, but I will consider personalized requests much more seriously! ;-)

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  Languages

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

  This host offers a language exchange
  日本への旅行を計画しています。 日本語を上達させたいです。 あなたが日本人なら、我が家へようこそ !
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  Accommodation

  The house has 4 rooms on ground floor (office, living, dining, kitchen), 4 rooms on 1st floor (bathroom + 3 sleeping rooms), a small attic, a small basement + a laundry room at the back.
  
  The guests can use my son's room during the week as he lives in Brussels. When he's back home, guests can use the folding bed in the living room, which is very comfortable. We share the bathroom, where there is a drawer for you. You don't need to bring your own towels (or at least make sure yours are dry before leaving...)
  
  I cook. I like cooking for my guests. We are neither vegetarians nor vegans but I can (try to) cook according to my guests' food requirements (whether heath-related or philosophical/cultural/religious).
  I have a dishwasher :-)

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  What else ...

  I am looking for friendly people, any gender, from any country, any age, willing to be part of the family during their stay. Proselytism, integrism, racism, sexism etc. have no place here though.
  
  I can give tips for guests who want to visit Belgian cities (Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels...) and/or other places of interest in the area (Old abbeys, canals, castles), and sometimes drive them on their days off, sometimes visit with them.
  Bicycles are available.
  
  Smoking is OK outside the house.
  
  Don't hesitate to contact me to have more information. I'll be happy to reply to all your questions before any commitment is taken. :-) I prefer we have a video chat first.

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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 connexion is good enough for all of the family to watch different things at the same time ;-)

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  25h/week maximum

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