We had worked for ourselves several times and had also worked the 9-5 jobs (and the 1AM to 8 AM or 9 PM to 2 AM jobs). But WWOOFing was a whole new concept. Rather than getting paid to do a job for a company, you get “paid” in food and a place to stay. The work varies from farm to farm, but most farms expect 20-30 hours a week in exchange for meals and a bed.

We helped on an organic apple farm on an island in Canada for a year. We learned a lot about apples, the ocean, and life. I have also WWOOFed on a chicken farm (not pleasant) and as a helper for a raw vegan retreat (learned a lot there, too).

Now we are in France, and we used the WWOOFing system to find an alternative arrangement. We’re fixing up an old house (gite) in exchange for free rent.

Overall it’s been an amazing experience, and I wish we had found out about WWOOFing years ago.
.-= Leighann Garber´s last blog ..How do I use this toilet? Where’s the peanut butter? And what the heck are they saying about me? =-.

Things finally came to the crunch when one day I found myself thinking seriously about jumping out of my 8th floor window. I was drained from teaching so much, writing and doing research. But instead of jumping I quit my job and started working for myself, working with communications, new media and blogging.

I haven’t regretted changing track for 1 minute.
.-= Jon Buscall´s last blog ..Why Use Social Media? =-.