Help out on our 19th century forest family homestead while getting to know Lithuanian forests in Inkunai village

Details

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  Description

  We are a family of three living on a 19th century homestead in a small forest village in Lithuania. Simona and Joel are both writers and educators, and our teenage son Oskar is a filmmaker. As of now, we do not have any animals and we have not yet reached self-sufficiency in gardening, though we aim to get there over time. In the summer, we organize and host an artist-residency for adults and film and writing camps for teenagers.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Our little village is way off the beaten path for travelers visiting Lithuania, which itself is a unique, out of the way place. In the forest, we can teach you how to forage for mushrooms, berries and herbs in season. We are also experienced cooks and enjoy passing our culinary skills onto others.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  Our needs at the homestead are always evolving and shifting. We often need help with yard clean-up or maintenance, and at other times we can use extra hands and / or expertise on building projects. We plan to add a greenhouse onto our house, and we're currently coming to the end of a hempcrete house building project in our barn. Other challenges we face include making improvements on our outside kitchen, garden maintenance,

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Lithuanian: Fluent
  Russian: Intermediate
  Spanish: Beginner
  Indonesian: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  We are interested in improving our Spanish language skills and can offer English and Lithuanian in exchange.
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  Accommodation

  Accommodation is flexible. In spring and summer months, we can accommodate two people in a cabin room with single beds or a couple in a private room in the main house. Living conditions can best be described as "glamping". We have running water, electricity, outhouses, an outdoor shower, and a sauna which we run regularly - once or twice a week. We are working on building an indoor bathroom. The house is heated in colder months by woodstove.
  
  We have no diet restrictions and prepare most of our meals from fresh local ingredients as much as we can, sourced from our own garden, forest, and neighboring homesteads.

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  What else ...

  There is lots to do with your time off in the forest - camping, foraging, swimming in the river, and hiking. Our community is small and very welcoming to guests, so if you stay a while, you will likely get to know and befriend some of our neighbors. While our village is not directly connected to public transportation, we are a 25-minute drive / 1 hour bike ride to the town of Anyksciai, which is a great place to explore. From Anyksciai, you can take a bus or ride share to Vilnius, about 2 hours away, or go two hours in another direction to explore Kaunas. We often go to Vilnius as we live there part time, so if we are going that way you are welcome for the ride.
  
  While we are new to workaway, we have had guests come to stay for weeks and months to be part of the family and help us with various projects. We enjoy socializing with our guests, and at the same time we respect their need for private time and space.

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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

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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