Jumping in With Both FeetIt appears that we might be at the end (almost) of our 10 year saga.  After this year we might actually get to go “home” to the US.  For the whole story, see my husband’s blog
However, the silly thing right now is that the US wants me to prove income high [...]

All I Want for Christmas is a Real Good Tan (And You)
In December of 2003, I was at a crossroads, literally and figuratively. I had been married almost four years. We had been through some good times and some hard things, but we were going through about the hardest thing we’d been through [...]

Making Money While WWOOFing
This is more of an issue for long-term WWOOFers. In most WWOOFing situations, you will have free rent and utitilities, and at least some free food.  Some hosts will even have Internet access, a swimming pool, a vehicle to use, or other extras.  But at most places you’ll just get the [...]

WWOOFing With Kids
The Basics
I get asked all the time if you can WWOOF if you have kids.  The short answer is yes!  Many hosts do allow and even encourage volunteers to bring their children.  But actually doing it can be challenging.
What is WWOOFing, exactly?  Willing Workers On Organic Farms or Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, [...]

Pablo tells of his first experience as a WWOOFer, with all the highlights and disappointments. Do you have a WWOOFing story? Please share!

5 Mistakes WWOOFers MakeI’ve heard WWOOFing horror stories from both hosts and volunteers, and I’ve seen some incredibly bad behavior.  Most of these things (as with all things in life) could be avoided if people would just communicate and do their jobs.  Here are a few pointers:
1. Not communicating – if there’s a problem, most [...]

How to WWOOF Long-TermWWOOFing is a great program, but each person’s experience is a little different because WWOOFing is conducted by individuals who make their own decisions about who they want to work with and what they expect in return.  The organization puts farms and volunteers together.  But it doesn’t decide who does what.
There are [...]

How do I use this toilet? Where’s the peanut butter? And what the heck are they saying about me?A book review of Ni Howdy! by Desi Downey
I think all expats ask these questions in the beginning.  In Belize, I had an outhouse, the worst toilet I’ve ever had. Even European toilets have their [...]

Overlooked Ways to Learn or Practice a Foreign LanguageI’ve always been interested in languages, but in my travels (specifically Belize, France, and Germany) I’ve had to learn some basic Spanish, French, and German to just go to the store and to do the everyday things like take the bus or order a pizza.
I’m not fluent [...]

The Chicken Burrito Incident or Which One Of These Does Not Belong In Canada?I knew better.  I really did.  And I thought he knew better.  So when my husband asked me to put his half-eaten chicken burrito hot pocket thing in my backpack on our Air Canada flight just before we got off, I gave [...]