Reindeerherding family needs help in Jokkmokk, northern Sweden

Details

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  Description

  We are a family of five living in Jokkmokk, a small town (3000 citizens) in the North of Sweden, just above the Arctic Circle. We have three children that are between 2-12 years old. We have a small cat, chicken, rabbits, reindeers and a few horses by the house.
  
  Jomi (the dad) works as a reindeerherder, an old traditional Saami way of living, and Sara (the mom) is currently employed as a teacher, working from home. The older kids go to school during weekdays and the toddler goes to kindergarten.
  
  We are very easy going and we love to share our culture, and take a part of your culture in different ways. By food, music, dance, instrument, drum journeys, explaining about the Saami people, clothings, reindeers - you are in for a treat! And we love for you to do the same. We often say that hosting workawayers is like travelling in our own home. Please feel free to share your culture and language and all there is, with us.
  
  We as a family are spontaneous, flexible and adjustable, and if you are very fixed with how things are going to be, then we are not the right family for you. We enjoy to go with the flow and not plan ahead more than necessary.
  
  We host workawayers to get help with cleaning, laundry, general maintenance, smaller building projects, animals and also to extend our perspectives and to get to know new cultures and people. If you feel like you could be the perfect fit in our family, do not hesitate to apply. We warmly welcome you who is responsible, hardworking, kind and respectful against all people and animals. A big plus is if you feel like you want to stay a longer time.
  
  We provide you with accommodation and food, and you will be expected to work 5h/day, five days a week. On your free days you can plan for exactly what you like.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We are Saamis and our main language at home is Northern Saami. We are all fluent in Swedish as well. We are also fluent in English. Our big kids speaks quite good English.
  
  When you stay with us you will get to experience a lot of the Saami culture. We have basically free access to 100% ecological meat (they roam free all year around) from reindeer and moose. We also eat fish that we catch ourselves. Traditional Saami food cooked in various ways.
  
  We love to try new foods and we love to eat vegetarian and vegan as well.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  As a workawayer at our place you will have plenty of time for yourself. You will be able to sleep in during mornings and you will have all the evenings for yourself. We need help from 11.00-16.00. No meals during that time. So you eat before your shift starts, and after your shift ends.
  
  We eat a proper dinner together every day. The dinner is between 18-19, but you can also just drop-by and fetch food or eat earlier or later, depending on your plans for the evening. You are free to set your own times and plan for your own activities of choice on your free time.
  
  We have bikes you can borrow, rowing boats, sauna, fishing equipment, outdoor equipment, a beautiful lake to swim in, hiking trails just around the corner, snow shoes and we love to enjoy life with good food, laughs, sharing stories, talking about the meaning of life and everything else. Our animals are considered as family members and we want you to cherish animals just as much as we do. If you are not found of animals and children then we are not the family for you.
  
  We provide you with housing and food, and you are expected to help five hours a day, five days a week.
  
  As a workawayer in our family you will have to help us mainly out with cleaning, general maintenance, smaller renovation projects, animals and laundry.
  
  There might also be cooking if you are in to that and some simple gardening and smaller projects related to our animals, like building fences and so on. Together we decide how the work should be organized and to what extent.
  
  The details of your workaway stay, housing and travel is more easily described via WhatsApp where we can provide more information and have a video chat with you. We require to have a video chat with you before we can decide anything.
  
  If you can speak Swedish it would be great, but it is not required.
  
  We can guarantee that you'll most certainly be in for a real Arctic adventure, that's for sure!
  
  Warm greetings from Sara, Jomi, the kids and our animals! :)

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Sami: Fluent
  Swedish: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  We have plenty of space for your campervan, caravan or tent.
  
  We also have a caravan that is properly winter insulated. Contact us for more information.
  
  Free internet access.

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  What else ...

  Jokkmokk is a small town, there are a few shops that cover basic needs, like outdoor clothes, groceries, petrol stations etc. But there are also quite a few stores that offer a great deal of Saami handicraft, souvenirs and fancy interior details and jewellery. They are well worth a visit.
  
  Jokkmokk does also offer alot of outdoor life if you're into that. We live a few meters from the forest and by a bigger lake.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Space for parking camper vans

  There is plenty of room for cars and caravans, campervans and tents by the house.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  Average 5 hours each day. Two days off every week.

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