Canada
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*COVID hosting* Our whole household is vaccinated and we expect our guests to be as well.
We are a family of 4 living on a 5 acre property that backs onto a lake, has a river out front, and is surrounded by proper forest (that basically has no end). There are a lot of really nice hiking trails in the area and we have a canoe to take out on the lake. We built our own house (with some workawayer help!) in 2018, and are continually working to improve our land and construct outbuildings.
We are a very welcoming family who love to travel (in her first two years of life our daughter visited over 14 countries) and genuinely delight in getting to know other people on a deep level. People who live with us learn quickly that we are very hard to offend and extremely easy going. Our house has always been very open and we are known for cramming as many bodies as will fit into our house because we love having a people around.
Our kids, are 9 and 6 years old. They are creative kids who love to play outside, dance and draw. They are each others favourite people and do a good job of looking out for one another. Both kids understand German but always respond in English. Both kids are in French immersion school and are getting to be quite confident speakers. The father of the house speaks German and French fluently and is quite capable in a few other languages as well (if you speak another language he would love to learn it). The mother of the house could teach you about permaculture as well as local edible and medicinal plants if you are interested.
We are currently looking for helpers with some level of experience with manual labour or construction and would prefer to accept two workers at a time. Right now we could use help with cleaning up dead wood in the forest, chopping back blackberry bushes, animal care (chickens, ducks), gardening, finishing mini cabins and building a woodshed.
Guests can stay in one of the small cabins on the property. We have a cute little cabin close to the lake. The cabin does not have any amenities so you will be living with an outhouse, battery powered lights and a camp stove. We also have a shed closer to the house that has electricity and internet and you would be welcome to come use internet, showers, laundry and the kitchen in the main house as well. We typically share lunch and dinner and then workawayers are welcome to prepare their own breakfast in the kitchen.
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
General Maintenance
An opportunity to learn construction, finishing and gardening skills. Learn how to use a chainsaw for milling wood. There is also opportunity to fish and learn about indigenous plants and their uses (I am a bit geeky about it). We have experience living in other countries so we always try and do our best to make others enjoy their travel time with us and can direct you to the best sites to see in the area.
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Need help with: Clearing dead wood from the forest, cutting back blackberries, gardening, fence building, cabin finishing, animal care, cleaning and cooking.
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Mini cabin/tiny home
Vancouver is quite easy to get to by transit (west coast express). We have bikes for our housemates to use as well. If you arrive at the Mission train station, Abbotsford airport or Abbotsford Greyhound bus station we can pick you up.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
We have had a few workawayers bring their travel vans and park them on our land while they worked here and then for a stint when they travelled elsewhere before returning.
Two
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
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(4.3)
Cultural exchange:
(4.5)
Communication:
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