Join our multicultural family and pets at our estate in Divulapitiya, Sri Lanka

Detalhes

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  Descrição

  Hi future Workawayer! 😊
  
  Are you looking for a unique Workaway experience that combines tropical estate life, lots of animals, cultural exchange, and meaningful support and learning?
  
  We are an active multicultural family of three (Dutch & Sinhalese) living on a beautiful 13-acre estate, about 30 minutes from Negombo beach. Life isn't boring here, and it comes with a mini “farm family” too! Dogs, cows, goats (we have a little baby one right now!), chickens and fish. If you’re a true animal lover (especially a dog lover 🐶), you’ll feel right at home!
  
  We have a 24-year-old son with autism and an intellectual disability (IDD). He is limited-verbal and he is the heart of our family, but our dogs are too! Much of our day is focused on supporting him, teaching him new life skills, and following an ABA-based approach (Applied Behaviour Analysis).
  
  Food is a big part of life in our home. We enjoy local Sri Lankan meals as well as dishes from other cultures, and we love experimenting in the kitchen and inviting friends over for dinner. Our friendly and talented cook, Priyanthi, will happily share her cooking secrets with you, and you can learn a little Sinhala along the way too!
  
  Our estate is large enough for peaceful walks (or even a mountain bike ride). And if you’d like to cool down, we have a beautiful lap pool available day and night.
  
  We also love growing our own organic vegetables, and planting is part of daily life here. Several people from our neighbourhood work on the estate, so there’s plenty of opportunity to learn, connect, and share.
  
  In addition, we run a registered charity and are currently in the start-up phase of creating the first residential community for young adults with autism in Sri Lanka. If you are interested in this, any help with this project is welcome. It’s a special opportunity to be part of something bigger .
  
  Our estate is just outside a village with local shops, a weekly market, and very friendly people. A Buddhist temple is within walking distance and is a peaceful place to visit. In your free time, it’s easy to travel and explore Sri Lanka , and as a former travel agent, I’m always happy to share tips and help you plan to explore our beautiful island.
  
  If this sounds like your kind of journey, we’d love to hear from you!
  Warm wishes from us!🌺

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  Tipos de ajuda e oportunidades de aprendizado

  Trabalho beneficente

  Projetos artísticos

  Prática de idiomas

  Ajuda em projetos ambientais

  Ensino

  Jardinagem

  Construção/faça você mesmo

  Cuidar de animais

  Ajuda em fazenda

  Criar/cozinhar refeições caseiras

  Ajuda a cuidar da casa
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  Interesses

  

  Criação de vídeos

  

  Eventos e social

  

  Vegetariano/vegano

  

  Sustentabilidade

  

  Mascotes

  

  Autodesenvolvimento

  

  Fazenda

  

  Trabalho beneficente

  

  Animais

  

  Idiomas

  

  Fotografia

  

  Cuidar de plantas

  

  Faça você mesmo

  

  Livros

  

  Arte e design

  

  Jardinagem

  

  Culinária e comida

  

  Arquitetura

  

  Desenho e pintura

  

  Esportes de inverno

  

  Camping

  

  Esportes aquáticos

  

  Atividades ao ar livre

  

  Praia

  

  Naturaleza

  

  Ciclismo

  

  Yoga/bem-estar
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  Oportunidades de intercâmbio cultural e aprendizado

  Life on our estate is a mix of family warmth, Sri Lankan village life, and little daily adventures.
  
  Our home is social, and we often have friends and family over for lunches or relaxed dinners. As a Workawayer you won’t just stay with us , but you’ll be part of our everyday family life. That includes trips into the community: supermarket runs, village outings with our son, a trip to the local ground or to the beach, and peaceful visits to the nearby local Buddhist temple. Once a week we also visit a small school for children with special needs in our area, which is always a meaningful experience.
  
  Food is one of the best ways to connect with Sri Lanka , and in our kitchen you can experience real home-style Sri Lankan cooking. Our cook is very talented and will happily share her cooking secrets with you.
  
  Because we live on a large estate, there’s also a lot to explore. You can work alongside our estate team and learn about the many trees, fruits, and vegetables growing here. If you’re curious, we can also visit some of our workers’ homes, so you can experience authentic Sri Lankan family life.
  
  On the estate you’ll also find a small carpentry workshop where a local carpenter builds furniture, doors, and windows, and even a classic car restoration area where local technicians bring old vehicles back to life.
  
  Sri Lanka is also famous for its beautiful batiks. At walking distance a close family member runs a small batik factory, where you can see how the beautiful batik art is all hand made. This is a lovely place and if you are interested we are more than happy to share this experience with you and even get you some batik classes.
  
  One of the most special corners of our land is our almost 100-year-old ancestral home. Stepping inside feels like stepping into another time, and it comes with many stories we love to share.
  
  And because our family is both Dutch and Sinhalese, you’ll experience two cultures under one roof.
  
  As you can see we have a lot to share, we are curious and would love to learn and hear about your culture too!

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  Projetos que envolvem crianças

  Este projeto pode envolver crianças. Para mais informações, veja aqui nossas diretrizes e dicas.

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  Ajuda

  There are several ways that you can help us out:
  
  Support us with our 24-year-old son with Autism.
  You should be physically fit and comfortable doing a variety of activities with him, depending on his energy and mood. This can include swimming, biking, ball play, teaching life skills, going out into the community, or simply spending relaxed time together.
  A background in Psychology or Social work, experience in supporting people with special needs, would be wonderful. However, experience is not required, we provide free training in ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis), and you will learn many valuable skills in Autism support. A willingness to learn, patience, and a positive attitude are essential.
  
  Help us out with the cooking and tidying of our home.
  Although we have a cook, we also prepare special dishes for our son, so if you are more a person like that, it would be a great help too! We will guide you on his preferences, and we would also love any new ideas (food from your own culture, which of course we also love!), as we are working on expanding his menu.
  
  Help out in our home garden and vegetable garden (and beyond) It is a little big and any help there is greatly appreciated. Planting new trees and expanding our little forest is an other opportunity we have on our estate.
  
  Since we are in the start-up phase of our community project we need a block of our land to be cleaned up. This requires some more heavy work. Support of our own estate workers will be there. If you could drive a tractor it would be a bonus too!
  If you have strong digital content creator skills and like to help us out with our social media for our charity, that would be great as well.
  
  Let us know where you can help us out and we would love to discuss this further.

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  Idiomas

  Idiomas
  Inglês: Fluente
  Holandês: Fluente
  Sinhalese: Fluente

  Este anfitrião oferece intercâmbio de idiomas
  My level of Sinhalese, being dutch is still in the beginner stage, so you can learn with me. My husbands English and Sinhala is fluent, and his Dutch is in the beginner stage.
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  Acomodação

  We have two accommodation options for our Workawayer:
  
  1.⁠ ⁠A small, clean and cosy bedroom with an attached bathroom. Please note that this bathroom may also be used by other family members.
  
  2.⁠ ⁠A lovely garden cabana with a small private balcony. This option is more private, but it does not have its own bathroom (yet). You would need to walk through the garden to the main house and use the bathroom in the other room.
  
  About the meals, we provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.
  
  Breakfast is a mix; sometimes Western-style, and sometimes Sri Lankan favourites such as roti, string hoppers, and milk rice. Sri Lankan breakfasts take a little longer to prepare, so on those days we will take our breakfast maybe little later.
  
  Lunch is usually rice and curries, with a variety of vegetables and often a salad. Vegetarian meals are absolutely no problem.
  
  Dinner is again a mix of Western, Sri Lankan, and sometimes other international dishes. We enjoy experimenting in the kitchen, and you are very welcome to join in, share your ideas, and cook with us if you like!

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  Algo mais...

  We completely understand that as a Workawayer you will need and want your own private time to relax, recharge, and explore Sri Lanka. We’re happy to support that, and we want you to enjoy your stay with us both on and off the estate.
  
  Because we are a busy family, we do ask for flexibility and an open mindset (we’re not a strict “9–5” household). Some days may be more active, while other days will have a lot of breaks in between. If planned in advance, it’s also possible to arrange a free afternoon or even an extra-long weekend from time to time.
  
  Some free time ideas:
  Short breaks: relax in the garden, go for a swim, take a walk around the estate, biking in the neighbourhood, visit the nearby village and temple, try some carpentry work, or visit the batik place.
  
  A free afternoon: head to the beach and enjoy Negombo town, it’s easy to reach from our home, or to explore little more in our area you can easily hire a tuk-tuk.
  
  Weekends / long weekends: Sri Lanka is perfect for sightseeing and travelling. You can visit famous cultural sites, nature and wildlife, and beautiful beaches and you may even meet other volunteers or Workawayers nearby.
  
  
  House rules (important)
  We only have a few simple house rules:
  No smoking inside the house (smoking is fine outside in the garden)
  No alcohol misuse
  No outside visitors without permission
  
  Other than that, we are very relaxed and easy-going. 😊

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  Mais alguns detalhes

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    Acesso à internet

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    Acesso à internet limitado

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    Temos mascotes

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    Somos fumantes

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    Pode hospedar famílias

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  Quantos Workawayers pode acomodar?

  2

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  Meus animais / animais de estimação

  Fish

  various goats

  lots of chicken

  10 cows

  Junior

  Lady

  Tessa

  Grumpy

  Balla

  Poddy

  Winky

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