Stay by the fjord and help us re-activate a small maritime research facility close to Bergen, Norway

Infos

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  Description

  Beautiful place by the fjord that belonged to our father. It also doubled as a small marine biology research facility were he worked and had many visiting marine biologists and other scientists. We are trying to secure the longevity and continuance of the place and his research, and develop it further in the future in his spirit. Ultimately we wish to make it available for members of the international community of marine researchers, like he did when he was alive. The place is relatively close to Bergen (around 1 hour by bus) and right in the middle of the famous fjord area of Norway (though the most spectacular "postcard" fjords are not exactly here). It has a moderately large property in the shape of a (very) small peninsula, so it is quite secluded and private, though there are nice neighbours across the water in both directions. There are also boating possibilities, with a variety of 3 different size boats. The inside of the place is like a rustic Norwegian (very) typical cabin. It is not modern looking in any way (lots of wood and rustic fabrics inside). There are options to focus on garden work and DIY like power washing, sanding and painting. Also If you would happen to have some research experience, there are items and chemicals to tidy up and catalog in the labs (this has now mostly been done by the UK's answer to Marie Kondo: The amazing Robyn :) .. but the wetlab still remains). In general we try to continue in our father's spirit, continuing all his little projects (like the nature path revitalised by the wonderful Sarah, Matt, Robyn and Max) and it's really up to you to do whatever you would feel like contributing with.
  
  NB! If you are not an EU citizen (or from the European Economic Area), you have to investigate if you need to apply for a visa to stay in Norway.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Pratique d’une langue

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général

  Aide informatique/internet
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Nature

  

  Jardinage

  

  Musique

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Histoire

  

  Technologie

  

  Dev. personnel

  

  Événements/vie sociale

  

  Culture

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Politique/justice sociale

  

  Bénévolat

  

  Langues

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Animaux
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  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

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  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  We feel the most important thing is that whatever the stay entails beyond the work, fits your sensibilities.
  
  There is the possiblity to use the boats to explore locally, and this is highly recommended. If there is extensive usage, though, you will have to re-supply petrol/gas yourselves.
  
  There are great hikes to be had in the local area and mountains, for which we can provide information and guidance.
  
  If desireable, I'm quite well versed in showing vistors around the historical sights of Bergen, and know quite a lot of history etc. It is totally up to you though, if you want that kind of experience as opposed to going off freely exploring by yourselves.
  
  We will endeavour to have more than one workawayer at any given time, so there is a further social dimension. The place is super ideal for 1 or 2 couples btw.
  
  From you we expect someone with an inquisitive disposition, friendly and willing to share things from your own culture (and put down some work).
  
  We will of course be here when you arrive to show you around and get you settled in. We also would love to make you a welcome dinner :) This depends a little on your arrival time, of course. We also like to organise a rough schedule for your stay so you can plan trips and time/days off as best as possible, and also so we can know when to plan for common meals etc (doesn't make much sense for us to plan meals or other activities if you are off discovering the fjords;)
  
  Everything here is written with an abundance of caution (and, now, based on a little experience) as to not give any false impressions or create false expectations. Our foremost motivator is for you to have an enjoyable and interesting stay with us.
  
  We love meeting new people and spending time together hearing about your culture, your world view, your language and your plans and visions for the future. Hopefully we can also provide some insights into Norwegian and Bergen life and culture :)

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  Aide

  Organising (moving things out or in- this has mostly been done)
  Donated items (from time to time we get donated furniture, equipment etc. Assist with picking up, if needed)
  Maintenance (mainly sanding and painting, inside and outside)
  Gardening (everything under the sun, up to and including if you can/want to help us establish a permaculture area/food forest. There is also a small greenhouse that is now OK thanks to the wonderful Sarah, but it still needs to be put to use)
  Equpiment (an outboard engine and some gardening machines etc could use a clever hand + two bicycles need to get roadworthy again - this has mostly been done by the brilliant Max, except for the bikes).
  Any project our father was engaged in, like the nature path, observation "deck", natural garden and so forth.
  
  In general we appreciate any help you are willing to give us, and we are not strict on times or schedules. Our latest workawayers did miracles for us focusing on the stuff they most wanted to do (though in the end almost everything got done even so:) The most important thing is that you have fun while working with us and have an enjoyable and fruitful stay.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Norwegian bokmål: Courant
  Allemand: Débutant
  Français: Débutant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  We love languages. As long as we can understand each other with some basis in English, we will be fine :)
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  Hébergement

  Accommodation is on the premises. There is a master bedroom with a double bed, an ante room directly outside the master bedroom by the stairs with another double bed, and another bedroom downstairs of the smaller variety that currently holds 2 beds put together as a double. If you don't mind sharing sleeping quarters (same sex obviously), then please indicate so and we can take it into consideration when trying to plan things.
  
  Bathroom is ok, with an eco toilet (absolutely no other items inside other than a minimum of toilet paper!) and a small shower in the corner. Definitely room for one at a time only :D The bathroom has electric ventilation that is important to run when/after taking showers.
  
  Kitchen is medium sized (for a small place like this) and is on the nicer side for the type of place. Oven/hob, airfryer, microwave, fridge/freezer, coffee maker etc. All fairly new and serviceable. And, as of recently, a dishwasher too :)
  
  Meals have been a work in progress, as we host multiple workawayers at any given time that are on different schedules, both daily and in regard to days off and daytrips etc. We don't normally try to force any rigid schedules on our wonderful volunteers here, so theres a bit of communication and planning needed to make it all happen. But together with our latest workawayers we have now landed on a sensible model and have a better idea of how it can work the best. We love to have big common dinners (including always a welcome dinner) and that is something we wish to do more of, including also you cooking things from your home country/culture for us all to enjoy if you are up for it! We have a wonderful outside area with a barbecue grill if weather allows too! We also commonly get some local Norwegian specialities for you to sample (with VERY mixed reviews, I have to say :D )

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  Autres infos...

  There really are no rules, except the following:
  
  - Leave the place as you found it, or better. There is no cleaning service!
  
  - Loud noise is prohibited after 10 PM by law, for which the police might be called out if there is a complaint by a neighbour.
  
  - Be considerate, respectful and friendly with other workawayers who may be there (as I'm sure WorkAway has in its own rules).
  
  Just take care of the work agreed upon, and you will be completely free the rest of the time.
  
  Bergen can be reached by bus that stops really close by (3 min walk), not super frequent but usable. You should expect it to take a little over an hour if you want to reach the city centre, though there are plenty of shops before that (in fact Bergen's biggest shopping area "Åsane" with IKEA etc. is half the distance).
  
  If you have your own car you will be golden, so that is a recommendation for freely exploring the area and enjoying your free time to the max (a lot of workawayers seem to travel by RV/Campervan, for which there is excellent parking btw). We are located in a little sprawling rural community also consisting of many holiday places, but there isn't any shop or other kind of meeting place/services directly here.
  
  Going to Bergen by bike is possible if you want a real workout, but not really practical. Though going to the local shop could be realistic enough (15-20 mins by bike). There are 2 bikes here that don't seem too bad, but could have some minor issues.
  
  You can obviously go for EXCELLENT walks in the nature around, and there is also the possibility of using one of the boats as mentioned. Fishing is obviously a great experience that can be combined with exploring the fjords around (and make for a memorable dinner). I'm uncertain about the status of any fishing equipment presently, but that is also something that you probably can contribute with figuring out if you have some interest or experience with fishing.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  The connection has a speed cap after a certain amount of over usage, at which point the speed is reduced somewhat. Not more than that you can still watch, say, Netflix perfectly fine.

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  There is a perfect place for an RV/campervan on the property by the garage. Water and electricity are both in the garage, which will be fine to use, as long as you don't have a stack of cryptominers in your van :D NB: The entry to the property is on a slope, and the gate is on the narrow side for the largest vans. Having said that, most can navigate it easily enough.

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  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  Any and all pets can come along. Though why you would bring a parakeet, I'm unsure of :) We love animals, and would love to meet your special friends.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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