Bay Area Beauty

Short answer:

Awesome house and astounding views.
Clear communication.
Amazing, fun and loving dogs.
Flexible Scheule.

You: You have agency, speak English, and know how to 'adult.'


Details and TLTR:

My location has easy access to everything awesome about the Bay Area while also being right next to a ginormous regional park for hiking. I'm near to San Francisco, Sonoma,Napa, Berkely and Oakland. And if you have a car, Yosemite and Mt. Shasta are a trip but very doable.

My house is quiet (when not too many dogs are here) and peaceful. It's a good place to write, do work or crafts and has epic inspiring views of the entire Bay Area.

It's also likely an innovative place for a short while where you can make a difference for the work we do here, have fun, and potentially even build your resume!

In Brief: I'm an entrepreneur, running a holistic and mindful education company and ed tech product. I'm very active in Animal Rescue, volunteer as a municipal advisory council person, and am social. To see all our businesses and projects, go to: https://citytestprep.com/gateway/. I'm from NYC–a Bay Area transplant living in a dream home. Generally speaking: we decide before arrival what you'll be able to work on. No doubt it will include help with my dogs and around the house, but might also include one of the initiatives listed here. If you're staying a short time, you likely will not be able to take on a longer-term project, but maybe be able to start something. The Fine Print: The following is a write-up based on the dozens of volunteers and other travelers who have stayed with me and what works best for everyone to have a fruitful, easeful, and successful time. I've been told it's detailed and even intimidating, but the intention is to manage expectations and find the right fit. The Benefits: Volunteers reap the benefit of a beautiful place to chill. My space is serene with off-the-hook views. Sometimes it is a social hub, as friends come by and visitors can get a full taste of the Bay Area culture that you don't typically get as a tourist or traveler. I can point to off-the-beaten-path places to visit and eat as well as have different experiences, not typically found in a travel book or on a website. I am near San Francisco, Napa, Sonoma, Oakland, and Berkeley, which you can easily get to, at your leisure, to discover the area and all the beauty it beholds. Ideal Fit: Volunteers who have been an ideal fit are curious, kind, proactive, responsible adults. I rarely accept volunteers who are US citizens, live locally, are younger than 24 years old and/or have never lived out on their own. You must speak English and have a SIM card so we can communicate through normal channels, not only when you have WIFI access. Schedule: The work schedule is about 5.5 hours a day or 25 - 30 hours a week. You can make your own work schedule, but if you fall behind, you'll need to make them up another day. We keep the schedule (particularly if it's not a defined schedule) through a shared spread sheet. You have the freedom to work each day or take a couple of days off. We'll discuss this when you get here so we are on the page. Things can change, but having a baseline is best way to begin. Dog Care: Unless we discuss otherwise, that dog walking will happen most to all days. Daily, dog walking is morning and evenings (between 7 am - 10/11 am ), then later at night - 7 - 9 pm). They might also need a mid-day walk (4 - 5, but can also go outside in the backyard). I'm extremely flexible about the time and days you want to work and even if you only walk animals one time a day on days off that can be worked out. CoHabitation Since we're cohabitating, visitors share in the overall functioning of the household which includes keeping common spaces clean (ie. sweeping, keeping kitchen counters, the stovetop/exhaust, and microwave clean, taking out garbage/compost/recycling, cleaning dishes in sink or putting in the dishwasher, bathroom upkeep, sweeping and mopping floors, dusting- - most is common sense and things you'd ordinarily do if you were living in your own home and which I do as well. Adulting means that you'll re-stock toilet paper and paper towels (which are in the garage), let me know if we've run out of things, put things away that you use, let me know if something is broken or used up, or if you don't know where something goes, or if you start a project and hit a snag or haven't finished it. etc. If you see something - say something. If things are lying on the floor, or there is a mess of some kind, you're the type of person who would pick it up, not notice it andignore it. We are not an Airbnb, hostel, hotel, your own apartment and I'm not your parent. Full stop. As an example of how the cohabitation/timing works: - if I ask you to clean my bedroom or bathroom this counts towards the WORK hours, NOT contributing to communal cohabitating household hours. If, however, I ask you to clean the bathroom we all use, sweep the den and kitchen which are shared spaces, then it's 'communal' time. While here you are in charge of your own space. Typically you'd arrive at a clean room, and you leave it that way as well: clean sheets, a cleaned room and a bathroom - fully ready for the next guest. SO all bedding needs to be washed and dried (Yes, I have a laundry area). Guests clean up after themselves and at no point, do I expect to clean up after volunteers. If I wind up reminding you of this, you might eventually be asked to leave. Also, your guests are NOT to come to the house - all socialization happens away from here. Type of Work: As far as the 'work', it varies. Some people do handyman work, and help with things I just don't get to, like spray painting metal chairs, treating wood on the cabin, changing fuses in my car, defrosting the freezer, organizing, gardening, changing batteries, cleaning things up...etc.. Others help with their own skill sets, like revamping my website, marketing, social media, writing/editing, and video work or helping me get the house together for an event - or help during an event. The rule of thumb is if you're here a week or two, you might not do tasks that are dependent on 'time' such as social media campaigns. There is simply not enough time to organize a robust program so it will be a waste of time. PLEASE NOTE: I sometimes need event support. We're not a hostel nor are there children around, so I don't need 'desk help, all day cleaning, or child care." I do have 2 - 4 dogs here at any one time, often multiple foster dogs, so this is a responsibility. Must love and feel comfortable with dogs. That said - - the dogs are big and wonderful. Also, the space sometimes changes. I rent out the cabin and guest room to visitors, so if that happens you may need to change rooms or stay somewhere in the big house on a futon and a screen. The house is big and you'd have privacy, even if youo're in a 'common' room. Transportation: Please note: There 'is' public transportation but it's not convenient or super close- - the bus is a good walk away (about a 20-minute walk downhill/uphill) which can take you to the BART. An uber/lyft to the BART is about $8 USD. If I'm headed out I typically let people know so i can give them a lift to where I'm going or somewhere on the way to get bus or BART. I've been taking the Ferry to San Francisco which is my favorite way to get there. That is also an Uber ride away. There might be a bus: I haven't researched this. The Trade: In addition to a place to nice and safe place to stay, I provide the following food for you: I provide the following food, only: fruits, vegetables, pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, eggs, milk (for coffee), coffee, and tea. ALL other food/drink is your responsibility. Plan accordingly. Who is not a good match: First this is a trade - so please plan on helping out. Ask what needs to be done and how you can help. The more proactive you are, the better! Typically I only have non-Americans stay. Also - - no smokers. Communication is KEY. If you aren't comfortable communicating or do not understand English, have trouble following instructions, or aren't detail-oriented my place might not be a good fit. If a job, any job, is not complete (ie. cleaning) tell me that. A pet peeve is discovering that your job is only partially done when you say it was finished or if you do the task (ie. weeding) but leave the compost in the pail for some imaginary helper to finish the job. I don't want to have to remind you of things that need to get done. I also want the status after your shift is over so I know where we are with a project. Rather than a lot of back and forth: share what you're confused about, don't know, etc.. When you finish a job: clean up. This includes putting cleaning supplies and equipment away. As an example of what I mean: I had someone alphabetize several hundred vinyl albums, which took them about 4 hours. I discovered when I checked it, they weren't correctly alphabetized and it took me another 3 hours to fix their work and put them in the correct order. Or someone recently organized part of my garage, and put things way out of my reach in a hidden area - - and didn't tell me. Also, this is NOT a good place if you are local to the Bay Area, and looking for a housing solution, temporary or otherwise. While you can get a part-time job while here, it's not a solution if you are working full-time on your projects or if your only time to work with me is before dawn and after sunset. If you are a massive introvert, a drifter, have a prison record (for something other than civil disobedience/political), a drug user or heavy drinker, a smoker, or are using this to save money b/c you need to get out of debt, work locally but don't have reliable housing, those who have a chip on their shoulders, are self-proclaimed gurus, starting your own religion, are running from the law, or need a place to host romantic meet-ups with the locals, this is not a good place for you. Yes, these are all types that I've hosted before (or have heard about from other hosts) and I will terminate your stay and you will need to leave if any of this becomes apparent. Two People Travelling Together: If it's your account, and you're traveling with someone NOT on the site, know you are responsible for how they show up for the experience. A recent workawayer's guest (male) did not clean up after himself regularly, and the volunteer (female) wound up picking up his slack. As a host, I appreciated she took care of things but it wasn't pleasant to observe this dynamic. As a couple or friends, each person is responsible for the number of hours of labor. So each person is responsible for 5 - 6 hours of work, approx 5 days a week. Dogs Rule. IF you don't like dogs don't apply. There is currently my two dogs and 1 - 2 foster dogs living here full or part time. Also: if politically moderate or to the right, this isn't your jam. Trump supporters, do not even apply. Computers Visitors who come here and plan to do computer work, should have and use their own laptop. Why the Bay Area? In general: if you're still interested please state specifically what you'd like to do while here and if you already have a schedule. Many many nice people apply so please consider what you want to get from the experience and what you'd like to contribute based on the opportunities listed here not just what you want from me/us. Most important are: Dog experience Handyman Carpenter Gardener Personal Assistant/Social Media Gardener Cleaner Organizer Videographer I am open to hosting those who are communicative and enthusiastic about the opportunity to share in cultural exchange. If you do apply for things that could be demonstrated by photographs or videos, writing samples, etc., then please send links. Having hosted quite a few workers, I know what typically works, and communication and listening is key. If this (still) seems like a good fit for you let me know! Each volunteer will typically have a 3 -5 day trial period so if you're looking to stay longer than 2 weeks, plan on my only allowing 2 weeks to see 'how' it will work out. Typically I people stay 3 weeks to a month. Open to questions but this about covers everything.