Jason & Maureen

United States
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We are currently
Travelling
Description
Hello friends! After 4+ years away from Workaway, we are so excited to be BACK! In 2017 we had a truly life-changing five-month Workaway along with our three kids through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and New Zealand that gave us some beautiful family memories and really re-calibrated what we thought was possible for us. Now with the kids grown the two of us are looking forward to more awesome Workaway experiences as just the two of us!

Home is the Pacific Northwest—but currently we’re enjoying an amazing nine-month “empty nest” cross-country campervan adventure! Our youngest child left for college in August, and we pulled out of the driveway a week later on what we tongue-in-cheek call “The Becker Victory Lap.” It’s been wonderful and we are so, so fortunate to be able to have this incredible experience.

We've pieced together this campervan adventure with stays at national parks, Harvest Hosts, family & friends, housesitting and a few good ol' fashioned campgrounds. We really want to be sure to make Workaway a part of the story we're living as well. We know just how wonderful and fulfilling a Workaway experience can be!

We have a strong desire for our next home to be on some land with some animals and a more rural, self-sustaining lifestyle—"Becker Ranch," we call it :). We are seeking Workaway opportunities where we can be sponges and learn about small-scale farming, animal care and welfare, logistics, and everything else that will be helpful to us as we seek to start our own modest "farmstead" in the coming years.

To get to know us as travelers and as Workawayers we would be so pleased for you to visit our trip Instagrams. Our 2017 family trip is at thebeckerworkaway and our current campervan adventure is at thebeckervictorylap. Thanks for considering us!
Interests
Writing
Music
History
Cooking & food
Beach
Team sports
Photography
Movies & TV
Hiking
Charity work
Gardening
Art & design
LGBTQ
Yoga / Wellness
Van life
Books
Animals
Languages
Self development
Performing arts

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Languages spoken
German: Beginner
Spanish: Beginner
Skills and knowledge we'd like to share or learn
We're interested in:
Life at a Farmstay
Animal Care
Some knowledge of:
Gardening
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Helping around the house
Helping with Computers/ Internet
Able to teach about:
Teaching
More details about your skills
I'm Jason, a self-employed graphic designer specializing in magazine layout and production. I launched out on my own 9+ years ago and happily have not looked back once. Being self-employed has created for me a priceless work-life balance that has been so, so worth it—especially the opportunity to be home during my kids' teenage years, able to arrange my work schedule such that I can go coach a team, chaperone a school trip, or create some travel memories. When I'm not working or scheming our next travel plans, I can usually be found on a baseball field somewhere—I'm a high school baseball & softball umpire, a Little League volunteer umpire, and in fact I still play ball in Seattle's adult league!

Dear Wife Maureen is a STELLAR high school math teacher who chooses to spend her workdays with crazy teenagers for all the right reasons :) She's a green thumb who has kept our backyard veggies prolific for many years, always trying new techniques and varieties. And she has kept our whole family eating happy and healthy for many years, giving our kids some great tools and habits as they start their own young adult lives. She's just as fully infected by the Travel Bug as Jason is and is looking forward in this next chapter of life to many scenic and challenging hikes, delicious glasses of local red wine, and opportunities to help and serve wherever we are and whoever we are with!
Age
51 & 53
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
- Special dietary requirements

Friends

Photos

Jason in his happy place—as a volunteer Little League umpire.

Maureen made a friend on Sheep Moving Day at our Workaway in Thailand.

Jason helping in the never-ending battle to keep the fast-growing tall grass at bay at our Workaway in Thailand.

This is the 21' Winnebago Travato we're traveling in from Fall 2022 to Spring 2023 on our great campervan adventure!

Jason made fast friends with Snowball, a livestock guardian dog on a farm where we learned about raising alpacas.

At our Workaway in Thailand, Maureen was part of the crew that built some new vegetable planter beds.

Jason is a Little League volunteer umpire. He recently had the great opportunity to work a regional tournament in California—on TV, even!

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Probably Maureen's favorite activity here: hot coffee in hand, tending the garden on a beautiful early morning at our Workaway in New Zealand.

Maureen teaching English classes at our Workaway in Cambodia.

Chipping branches and clearing the grounds at our Workaway in New Zealand.

On our current campervan adventure we have found many great hikes, but this one at Grand Teton National Park might top the list so far!

The first snowfall of the season required Jason to get out and clear some walkways for our Vermont housesitting hosts before they returned home!

With our three grown kids (now 23, 21 and 19) at our daughter's final high school Show Band performance.

Feedback

19 Dec 2017

Left by Workawayer (Jason & Maureen) for host (Help around my farm and ...)

This is a very special place. Dawn and Tosh and the boys have created a special atmosphere simply by being who they are—welcoming, warm, generous, servant-hearted people who look after their guests like members of their own family. I can speak to this point more than most—when I had a serious medical issue while on the farm (not work-related,… read more don’t worry), Dawn and Tosh dropped everything for a few days to help me get through to the other side of it. I am very grateful—and was very lucky—to have been with FAMILY while going through this tough time.

One thing our family hugely appreciated about working at the farm was the well-considered schedule and excellent organization of the daily routine. Jobs are ready, meals planned, fun extra trips and events worked out. In this respect they are a model Workaway host that others should emulate. We’ve worked at far less “put-together” Workaways and understand how important it is to have a host who is invested in their workers, and what a huge positive difference it makes to the experience of the volunteers.

You’ve read in other reviews how great the food is, and YES it’s all true. ‘Nuff said :)

The work is varied—and there is a lot of it to do! Dawn and Tosh have a good thing going at the farm and a lot of help is needed. During our three weeks we planted and caged mango trees, whacked down all kinds of weeds and trees and and tall grass, restored and created some new vegetable beds, cleaned and refreshed the volunteer quarters and other buildings on-site, worked with the animals (the sheep mostly), even created some new informational posters. Everyone has their turn at dishes duty to lighten the load, and cooking help is always appreciated and welcomed! It all makes for a really active and healthy-feeling atmosphere.

After work and lunch, as you’ve read elsewhere, the time is yours. Our family filled our time relaxing, reading, enjoying the pond and the animals on the farm, taking short trips around the village & community, playing games, singing songs around the fire, oh can’t forget Friday movie night, and enjoying the company of our hosts and all the rest of the Workawayers. Lots of fun, in other words!
This Farm can accommodate lots of volunteers, and if you’re lucky enough like we were to come at a time with other Workawayers, it will enrich your experience so much! We met some really wonderful people and made some good friends.

For many reasons, we will never forget our time here. These were three great weeks that have become a part of our family's story forever. If you’re considering visiting Thailand and working at this place (which you definitely SHOULD), we’d be very happy to share more details with you! Give us a shout on Workaway and we’ll answer any questions you might have as best we can.

(Excellent )

25 Oct 2017

Left by Workawayer (Jason & Maureen) for host (We are knocking on your door! ...)

Our experience with The Center is a unique one, we think. We are an American family of FIVE—parents and three teenage (18, 15, 13) children—that came to help English learners in Hanoi for a few weeks.

The VERY BEST THING about our experience with the awesome people at The Center? Ah, that’s easy. I’ll tell you.

Was it the sense the moment we… read more walked in the door (literally, the whole staff was there waiting for us), that we were now FAMILY—and immediately treated as such? Shopping together, arranging visits up to the Old Quarter, joining one another on weekend excursions. Going to grab tea or coffee or hoisting a pint or two. The rental of a karaoke room just to celebrate our daughter’s 18th birthday. The day we attended Peter’s nephew’s baptism—foreigners, welcomed with the most open of arms to that very special family event. This was all a wonderful gift and such an inspiration to our family to continue with that spirit when we return home from our travels.

Was it the truly life-changing FRIENDSHIPS we made with other volunteers from around the world? Estonia, the Philippines, Germany, Hungary, Great Britain, Spain…shall I go on? The United States, Ireland…especially Vietnam…it was a very special, honestly kind of unexpected joy to spend our few weeks with so many great young people—most crucially for my three teenage kids, who have learned without any doubt that people all around the world are good folks, and that anyone can relate & communicate—and have a ton of fun!—as long as they have the same spirit and welcoming attitude.

Was it the FOOD? In the volunteer apartment where we stayed, we were generously provided two authentic Vietnamese meals per day, prepared by volunteers who know their stuff! And this is not to mention the amazing meals we found elsewhere in the city and on our adventures—dining was definitely a highlight of our time in Vietnam.

Was it the tremendous GRATITUDE and good nature of the university-age Vietnamese students we taught? Almost without fail, these students were so eager to learn, so forgiving when we (untrained teachers) made mistakes in our efforts to explain something, so generous and accepting of us. We’ll never forget the evenings out with students for beers, the small gifts we’d receive from time to time, the celebration dinners & parties upon our departure. We will never forget these young people and happily we are now keeping in touch via social media.

Was it the CLASSES themselves? Through other recent volunteer opportunities, we now realize how fortunate we were with The Center to have a program already generally in place, one in which we could simply step in and help our students using our own best strengths. We had curriculum to guide us and from which to teach. We had awesome, awesome teaching assistants who made all the difference in the success of our classes (and became good friends).

Yes, these things and so many more made up the tapestry of our wonderful and unforgettable adventure. But the best thing about our experience in Hanoi, the VERY BEST THING, was that we were GUIDED and CONNECTED every step of the way by the awesome staff and volunteers at The Center. Please imagine: an American family of five, visiting Southeast Asia for the very first time (and not just any sleepy village but the beautiful chaos of Hanoi), volunteering in this fashion for the very first time, needing LOTS and LOTS of help. We had no other choice but to place our complete trust in their hands…and they were absolutely worthy of that trust. A seasoned traveler or a younger backpacker, sure, they might not need this type of assistance—but our family, in our situation, we absolutely did. Whenever we needed guidance on how to get somewhere, or how things work, or what to eat (or not eat), any needs we had, on and on and on, we could count on them to help us. In most ways they were the “watchful parents” helping us navigate not only our teaching assignments, but the whole of Hanoi and Vietnam. Not just reacting to our needs but seeking out experiences that would make our time richer, more memorable, more special. Our experience would have been greatly diminished—to be truthful, we simply would not have made it at all—without the guidance and help of everyone on the team.

Peter, Gam, James, Zung, Mechele, Ryan, Lucky, Hien, Luke, Rosie, Julia, Alejandro, Jonathan, Fadad, Juan, Manh, Sara, Trang, Thao, Francine, Patricia…and many others…THANK YOU!!!

If you’re considering visiting Hanoi and teaching with The Center, we’d be very happy to share more details with you! Give us a shout on Workaway and we’ll answer any questions you might have as best we can.

(Excellent )

20 Oct 2017

Left by Workawayer (Jason & Maureen) for host (Teach English in Kracheh ...)

Our experience with this School is a unique one, we think. We are an American family of FIVE that came to help the young English learners for a few weeks. Two adults and three teenage children, what a mob of invaders! But we were welcomed both by the students and by Mr. Yuth with open arms from the very beginning.

The kids who come to this school… read more are great. You connect with some more than others of course. But we all made some nice memories and had some fun wth the kids, there were mornings of playing Uno, flying kites, drawing superheroes, or just visiting. There was a fun day when all of us headed over to the community pool for much splashing and laughing.

We chose this place over other opportunities in Cambodia largely based on what previous volunteers reported about the living accommodations. Mr. Yuth has built a house for volunteers that is very nice. After some getting-used-to-it time, we were able to make ourselves very much at home and we enjoyed being there very much.

A huge bonus was having the volunteer motorbike available for use anytime we needed it, as well as the school’s bicycles. That made it very easy to get around for trips to the market, the ATM, dropping off the laundry, running into town for supplies, etc. Even riding the bikes all the way to the riverfront for lunch wasn’t too far of a trip, and it was no trouble navigating the streets of Kratie which were pretty low-key. Mr. Yuth kindly helped us by recommending a tuk-tuk driver who quickly became our “go-to guy” for when we went out to dinner. He also helped arrange our transportation to and from Siem Reap which was certainly appreciated.

Now, what about the classes? We taught three classes: Levels 1, 2/3, and 4. Classes are one hour long. As with any school environment, the more prepared and engaging the teacher is, the better the class will go! Also as with any school, some kids are more invested and eager to learn than others. Some days, honestly, were tough in regards to the attentiveness of the kids and what we could accomplish during a class hour. And some days were great and full of fun and learning! To help, there are lots of materials in the volunteer house available for you to adapt for your own curriculum—and this, in fact, is an important point to understand. At least at the time we were teaching, there was no set curriculum for the classes, only what previous teachers have done (and written down for you in a journal). We therefore needed to invent every lesson from scratch, assess every student’s ability “on the fly,” and somehow keep everyone engaged and at the end of it all feel like we helped in some way.

The most ideal volunteer here, we feel, will be someone who has teaching experience and an educational “bag of tricks” that he/she can deploy in a classroom hour. It will also be someone who can stay for a little while, who can provide some continuity for the kids in regards to behavior and academic learning. Don’t get me wrong—even a volunteer who can only stay for a short time is an important link in the very long chain of these kids’ lives and can make a very positive impact! But these students see teachers come and go so often, and we think if and when they have a teacher that sticks with them for a while, they’d be all the better for it. Mr. Yuth has a good thing going, but he needs a lot of dedicated help to keep things moving in a positive direction for the kids.

If you’re considering visiting Kratie and teaching at the school, we’d be very happy to share more details with you! Give us a shout on Workaway and we’ll answer any questions you might have as best we can.

(Very good )

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