WWOOF Life in Alaska

I have been raving about my job a lot and I am so focused on it that recently I felt the need to take a step back for a moment and look at the bigger picture.  It made me realize that although I am busy right now, once this seasonal position is up I will be right back where I was a month ago... probably with even less money.  In an effort to avoid a predicament like that I have been asking around about jobs and generally keeping my ears open in case of a possible opportunity.  I have actually just applied for a couple positions but I don't think that is exactly what I would like to do just yet.  I want to move about more and try different things.  I want to learn more about myself and the world.

I think I have written about WWOOFing before but as a quick refresher it is essentially a way to travel, live and learn about organic farming anywhere in the world for cheap. It stands for World Wide Oppertunities on Organic Farms.  Most often the host will offer room and board for your assistance on whatever they deem necessary. This can be anything from a small garden, to a vineyard, to a full scale ecolodge.  You can get connected online by joining a WWOOF group, most often divided by continent or country.  Then you have access to a directory of all of the participating farms in the area of your choosing.  There are more hosts for any given place then you would believe.

I just joined the WWOOF USA group to find a host in Alaska, preferably in Homer.  Honestly I chose the area mostly on a whim and also after hearing the opinions of people who's judgement I trust.  So, I wrote to a place called A Seaside Adventure because it looked pretty amazing and the hosts seem incredible.  It is an ecolodge run by a amateur lifetime naturalist and his wife on Little Kayak Island.  This really seemed perfect, but of course, they were all set for the summer so I had to move my sights elsewhere.

I moved down the list of hosts in Homer and sent out emails to about nine other places that all sounded great in their own ways.  One woman called me back within hours of my email and offered me a spot with them for up to a year. They live on a small off-the-grid farm called "Small Wonder Farm". It is powered by solar, wind and hydraulic power during the summer and mostly a generator during the winter.  They are just about as self-sufficient as a person can be and just want to teach others the same practice.  Lucky for them and me, I want to learn that practice and to live that life... at least for a while.

I haven't committed to this project just yet but I am very serious about doing something like this and I don't see any better time to do it than right now.  I am here... I am ready... I am excited... I am able and I am poor going on broke.  This particular host encourages their volunteers to try and get a job and to meet people in town also.  The whole set up sounds just about right... They even have a hot tub.  Who can argue with that?