Volunteers welcome

Help with house, kids and garden in a tiny village near Voss in Norway

We need 1-2 reliable, kind volunteers year-round, preferably for longer stays. You must know the basics of how to create order and clean the house, and you must have enough skills and/or a practical mindset, so that you can do some work in the house independently. I always need help with the housework, which includes being ready to welcome Airbnb guests most days at short notice, even though we only regularly have guests during the summer. Currently, there is more than usual to tidy and clean, as I am still cleaning up, rearranging rooms and furniture and fixing and decorating after this year’s renovations.

We speak English at home, so if you wish to learn Norwegian, our home is not the best place for you. I was born in the UK, but grew up in Belgium and Norway, and our home is multilingual and multicultural, with a strong Norwegian influence. We are all bilingual and speak both English and Norwegian. I also speak French and some Arabic.

I enjoy cooking and housekeeping, and believe that any work is worth doing well and happily. The household is mainly vegetarian plus fish, though the kids eat meat (but not pork). I am generally curious about everything and enjoy learning new skills. We have a piano, guitars and other instruments, and a lot of books. In my spare time I like to read, play games with the kids, walk or work out, sew, play piano, and many other things. I play timpani and viola in the local amateur symphony orchestra, and I am involved in local politics and cultural events. My aim for us as a family is that we should all play an instrument and have one or two other hobbies.

objectives

My main objectives are to create a well-balanced life, a welcoming home, and a beautiful garden. This house has a tiny garden, and I garden organically as far as possible. We have flowers, rhubarb, and any other plants that will thrive. We live just 20 m from a little park by the lakeside, which is where we barbecue and swim in the summer. Harmony and balance in everyday life are very much about practical things – clothes clean and easy to find, good food ready for mealtimes, kids getting to school and to bed on time, the routines of the home running smoothly; when these things are more or less in place, family life is so much more pleasant and calm! The household can be noisy, and this is not a good place for anyone who likes to sleep late in the mornings.

The youngest kids aged 10 – 18 live here, and the others visit and stay often. In addition, there are the volunteers and guests. The kids are active and have many interests, and I do my best to raise them to be well-mannered, thoughtful and independent – though they are often challenging, and they behave very much like kids! They have very different personalities, each with good and not-so-good sides. They are growing and maturing, and family life is much calmer now than it was just a couple of years ago.

The children are independent, but they need some babysitting and supervision when I am not there. Much more, though, they need time and attention – conversation, reading, games, and walks and outdoor activities; like in many homes, it is a challenge to keep them off-screen! In general, it is best if you see your main role as helping with the housework, so I can focus more on the kids; there will still be time for you to interact and hopefully enjoy fun and games with them!

details about the help requested from volunteers

I can host one, two or more volunteers most of the time. The tasks are along the lines of maintaining the daily routines – with kids, activities, pets… In addition to the regular tasks, I am constantly sorting through clothes, toys, and random belongings and tidying the house as much as possible. There may be tasks like painting, decorating, and making changes and repairs. I welcome single, couple or friend volunteers who would like to stay for one month, several months or longer, preferably not less than two weeks. Short stays are possible, but if you are looking for a long stay, I will be especially happy to hear from you.

One of the challenges of housework is that it never ends! It is good if you can work systematically and quickly, or if you are a quick learner. You should do a reasonable amount of work and make good use of your time and effort – and then stop, without feeling bad about the things that are not yet done. Another challenge is that people sometimes think that helping with the kids and household is a “piece of cake”, a free holiday… In a home, there is real work that needs to be done well and at the right time. I try to explain things is a kind way and be supportive, but it can be stressful for you and for us if you really don’t know how to do any everyday practical tasks!

I appreciate any help with the garden, the kids, housekeeping, hospitality and maintenance… All through spring and summer, the garden needs attention. The gardening season lasts from May to September; from October to April I mainly need help in the house, plus clearing snow, babysitting, or just spending time with the kids. There is always plenty to do, depending on the time of year, the weather – and everyone’s level of inspiration and energy!

When we have guests, I appreciate help with the rooms – or you can do other tasks and leave the rooms to me. It is often nice to share meals and interact with guests, though we always let guests decide how much contact they want to have with us; some people just sleep, eat and leave, and others choose to interact with us during their stay.

During your time here, we expect you to be interested in contributing and participating in our day-to-day life, and to observe, learn, and try to fit in; we enjoy meeting and hosting volunteers, need and appreciate the help given, and have every interest in giving you a pleasant stay with us. When we are well organised and the routine works, the kids get to school on time, and the house is in a good state, we are all so much happier. This is my main aim, and I deeply appreciate the help from the volunteers who make this possible; in return, I try to give an enjoyable stay, with enough free time to travel around and have some good experiences.

You will have time to travel to Voss and Bergen, and to take time off many weekends and some weekdays; it is best if we plan together around the family schedule; whenever possible, I am flexible about when tasks should be done. I usually try to have more than one person volunteering, so the house is not empty when I am at work and the kids are at school. Volunteers are welcome visitors and good company, and we all enjoy the positive energy that comes from meeting and hosting people from other parts of the world!

serious points

Please do not arrange to come here and then change your mind at the last minute. Even more important, if you do change your mind, for whatever reason, LET ME KNOW as soon as possible! Before making travel arrangements, please ensure that you have valid travel insurance and that you are permitted to visit Norway.

If you abuse the situation in a serious way, like violence or drug abuse, I will ask you to leave immediately and may even report you. It may seem harsh to say this, but please do not come here if you have big personal or psychological problems; problems have a strange way of following a person, even to a new country and a new place, and it’s important for the kids (and me) that you are a stable and positive person during your time here.

People often stay here longer or shorter than they first planned, which is fine, as long as you give me forewarning and time to adjust. I am very aware that it is difficult to know beforehand if you will enjoy staying with us, and we also don’t really know who you are before you arrive. If you find that you don’t feel ok here, it can be difficult to talk about it, but it is better to talk than to pretend that everything is fine!

My experience is that it is better to “let the cat out of the bag” by saying something. If the exchange is simply not working out well, I will give you time to make plans and leave when you are ready. I will not want to “force” you to stay here if it is not right for you, as you will be sharing our family life and it is essential that you feel ok here and that communication is comfortable and honest.

accommodation

You will sleep in a volunteer bedroom, and have access to the rest of the house including living rooms, kitchen, bathroom, shower, washing machine, etc. I often ask volunteers to share a room, especially when visits overlap. For couples, I provide a separate room, of course. There is Wifi access throughout the house and a TV in the family room.

how will you benefit from a cultural exchange and what could you learn?

Depending on your interests, you can learn about all the ups and downs of family life and the logistics of running a household and guest house; childcare, Down syndrome and special needs; gardening and permaculture; English language, and Norwegian culture and society… You can expect to meet other travellers from around the world. You can hike, explore, ski, play piano or chess, read, garden, sew, play with kids, and do and learn many other things 🙂

anything else relevant

I prefer volunteers who want a long stay, have good contact and experience with kids and, if possible, good housekeeping, gardening and/or maintenance skills. I try to let people do the tasks that they feel most comfortable with, though I believe it’s also good to go out of your comfort zone – but perhaps not too much!

To make arrangements, please contact me on rongahuset@gmail.com with “Volunteer request” as the subject. If you want to stay a long time, it is a good idea if you first stay for a week or two, and then we can make a final decision when we see that both sides are happy and everything is working out well. I don’t like to make definite plans many months or a year in advance, as I find that people’s plans and circumstances often change. I try to be flexible, and you are welcome to contact me for a long or short stay – even at short notice.

Please note that you will be here as a volunteer. I cannot offer employment – unless you are from an EU/EEA country and want to stay long-term on aupair or aupair-like terms. It can be difficult to find work here, unless you have contacts and/or relevant skills. A volunteer exchange will not qualify you for a visa or work permit if you are from a non-EU/EEA country.

motivation

Your main motivation for visiting should be along the lines of volunteering, spending time with a family, contributing valuable and appreciated help, and experiencing the culture, in addition to enjoying nature and hiking/outdoor opportunities. If your motivation is only to find a free place to stay, you may find that volunteering is not ideal for you. During your stay, I will do my best to make your time here a good experience, and make allowance for any other plans you may have – hiking, traveling, skiing, sightseeing, other activities, even online work – but you should also have a genuine interest in volunteering, contributing and learning…

Evanger and Voss

Our village, Evanger, is one hour by car/train from Bergen. Evanger is a tiny, pretty place, with a lake, a river, and mountains on every side. In the village there is a shop and our small café, workshops and businesses, and everyone gets together to organize occasional festival and market days. Voss, just 15-20 minutes away by car/train, is a small town with lot of activity, summer and winter. It is a great place for hiking, skiing, extreme sports, and music. Every year, there is a jazz festival the weekend before Easter, an extreme sports festival in June, and a folk music festival in late October, in addition to regular sports events and concerts throughout the year.

To get here, it is easiest to travel to Bergen or Oslo, and then take the train (5-6 hours from Oslo / one hour from Bergen). It’s also possible to hitch-hike, and from some places in Norway, there are bus or boat services. Please note that “Bergen” in Germany is a completely different place, and that Flixbus will not bring you here.

Workaway

I have more than ten years’ experience hosting volunteers with Workaway.info, until they suspended my profile without warning in 2022, and subsequently refused to reply to any question or possible solution… To me, it is bizarre and unusual that a business like Workaway choose to ghost their hosts – what will be left of their business if they treat their hosts like this? Anyhow, hopefully it is possible to be found by volunteers here, without using a commercial platform!

Here are my newest reviews, including the score summary earned through ten years of mostly happy hosting: