Lithuania
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About The Land:
This land is wild. It is not for everyone There's no electricity except for a battery to charge devices. There's no running water, only a well with a hand pump. The closest village with a small store is almost 4km away. As of yet, the only building is a small greenhouse, and the only place to chill is in the outdoor kitchen or wherever it is you'll be sleeping. Depending on how hot it is, there may be lots of mosquitoes, and because sustainability is so important to me, I'm against any chemicals. This land to me is sacred, and I demand anyone who comes to visit treats it, and the neighbours with respect. I ask you try to avoid bringing any single-use disposables as I do not have a trash can around (it's a forest). There is no shower, however, there's a clean river ~400 meters away where I jump in several times a day and sometimes wash my clothes in it. There is absolutely no tobacco smoking on the land. If you are a smoker, I ask you walk two minutes off of the property to do so, and aside from a little bit of wine for health, there is to be no consumption of alcohol on the land.
Furthermore, this land for me is a school where I've returned to my childhood to build a closer connection with nature and to disconnect from the chaos of society a little. If you're curious, creative, respectful, and open-minded then this might be a good fit for you. As I live without a car, the closest village, Musninkai is accessible from Vilnius by bus. Depending if my neighbour is around, he could likely pick you up from there, otherwise by bike it's an enjoyable several hour ride.
About Me:
I'm Marius, a 30's something gringo with Lithuanian roots. I moved here several years ago to start a permaculture food forest and to live more in tune with nature. After a few more years of building, planting, and tending, I hope to extensively travel once again and volunteer myself. For now I'm building myself a house with my own hands, so I can better tend to the land. I've traveled and volunteered a bit myself and I enjoyed the exchange so much that I'd like to vicariously travel through you while I'm grounded. I'm into everything nature, arts, survival, community, and spirituality/religions.
About the Accomodation:
In exchange for 2-3 hours of solid work, I can promise you at least 2 meals a day. The food is almost vegan (I could make it vegan for you) and healthy. If you have any special requests, let me know ahead of time. The tent I have is a small 2-person tent (1 person comfortably) with a mattress, please let me know ahead of time if you intend to use it.
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
General Maintenance
People staying here will get an authentic experience in nature, cooking meals in an outdoor kitchen over a fire, swimming in the nearby river, meeting interesting neighbors. I can teach what I know about roundwood timber construction, permaculture
Construction:
Depending on the stage I'm at, I may need help with building. Unless you're specialized in working with chisels crafting tenons & mortises, I may put you to work debarking and schlepping wood, possibly digging, covering the roof or later on mixing clay over the straw bale walls (in 2022 I'm guessing). It's a roundwood timber frame house with clay/straw walls.
Living & Maintenance:
I could use a hand preparing meals, keeping the place tidy or making it more beautiful with art projects, pumping water, cutting paths with a scythe, planting fruit tree seeds, weeding, and depending on what's in season, harvesting things like tea, berries, and going mushroom foraging.
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Lithuanian: Fluent
French: Intermediate
Polish: Intermediate
Russian: Intermediate
This host offers a language exchange
Interested in improving my French, Russian, Polish, and bits and pieces of your language
I have a small tent with a cot that can fit one person, and lots of room should you decide to come with your own camper van, tent, or whatever.
My land is a 2.5Ha plot of woodland 50km from Vilnius. There's a nearby river, a castle hill (no castle though), and Kernavė, Lithuania's first capital is just 10 km away. Depending on the season there's various things going on, summer is berry season, fall is mushroom foraging season and there are cultural events in Kernavė. I may have my bike with me, if so one could borrow it for short trips. If needed, and the room is free, I can offer a place to stay in Vilnius on your way to or from here. Otherwise, the internet signal may be poor depending on the weather, operator, and other variables so you must be able to find a way to busy yourself without technology. My top priority now is the house, so I may be too busy to entertain you on your time off.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
We can find a place for the camper van, just let me know of your requirements
If the pet is not one to wander all over the garden beds, I'd be open to try
More than two
Maximum 2-3 hours a day, 5 days a week
