Volunteering at the chateaux
Many chateaunauts enjoy welcoming volunteers.
The volunteers bring the world to us. It was a benefit James and I had not anticipated when we embarked on our castle rescue dream. We moved from Elephant and Castle in London to a tiny village South of Carcassonne, in the Aude, one of the least densely populated departments of France.
We were soon informed by an encouraging neighbour and fellow chateaunaut about sites like https://www.workaway.info/en/hostlist/europe/gb
https://wwoof.org.uk/how-it-works/be-wwoofer and https://www.helpx.net/ .
These are sites where volunteers can post their interests, skills, dreams and availability and hosts can explain their projects, accommodation standard, work routine and expectations.
The volunteers get themselves to you and you organise the work and everything else.
Some stay for months, some pass through. Over 22 years several settled permanently in the Aude. We as hosts learn to roll with their talents and interests and cajole them with food and excursions. Amazing things are accomplished, food cultures shared and friendships made.
We met young and old from all corners of the earth. The cosmopolitan conversation and company made a ‘Leaving London Paradox’. We had rarely mixed with and heard about such a cosmopolitan and diverse collection of lives and experiences in our London bubble.
Volunteers come from Japan, Korea, Germany, Poland, Israel, Czecholslovakia, Russia, USA, Bosnia, Italy, Australia, Canada and more. We also welcomed volunteers from many regions of our own country. An opportunity not always available in the daily grind of Brit life.
The great geographical sweep of folk was true also of the expat community in the Aude. Many only swanning in like swallows. Literally fair weather friends. But when we hunker down for the winter months it is the volunteers who bring the world to our door steps all year around.
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