6. Wwoof with the Christmas family in Levin (December 14, 2016 - January 09, 2017)

Our sixth Wwoof with the Schellke family was all about cleaning, cleaning, cleaning - and that's an understatement.

We were warmly welcomed by Michael and his son Joshua, who looks like sixteen but is actually thirteen, shortly afterwards we got to know the rest of the family. Although Tanja and Michael are German, their children Angelina and Joshua can only speak limited German.

We were shown our accommodation, which turned out to be a small holiday home, and in the evening we went to the children's graduation ceremony, where we got some insights into Maori culture. Afterwards, we were invited to an Indian dinner and had the opportunity to get to know the family better and introduce ourselves properly.

The next day we found out that the Schellkes owned a second house, which was to be prepared for sale. So we spent the whole day cleaning the house and for the first time in our lives cleaning walls and ceilings - and that wouldn't be the only time. The next few weeks we spent cleaning the entire eighteen-room house, twelve of which were completely cleaned, as were two long corridors. And because that wasn't enough, we also cleaned all the windows in the sheds, the sports room, and the office. To break the routine, we were allowed to work in the garden in good weather, where we basically took care of the beds.

In our free time, we relaxed by the pool, went to the beach and to Levin, where we bought Christmas presents, and otherwise spent the afternoons doing nothing.

In the evenings, we caught on to Tanja and Mike's addiction to series and enthusiastically watched Black Mirror, Westworld, Vikings, and numerous good films.

Our everyday life was brightened up by too many sweets (we gained weight), homemade treats, wave hopping with Angelina, playing quartet and Uno, and funny and interesting conversations at the dinner table.

A special event for us was Christmas. We were fully involved in Tanja's preparations and diligently made Pavlova, Trifle, and salads.

On Christmas Eve, Mike's daughters came with their partners and children, bringing some life to the house. Presents were celebrated quite early and we were not only given presents but also had a small gift prepared for the family.

Because we had told them about our first road trip, we were given a camping stove as a gift, as well as chocolate and a beauty package. Of course, we also gave each other presents, Jasmin gave Jana a hat, hair ties, earrings, a homemade cookbook, and chocolate, and Jana gave Jasmin a homemade calendar and chocolate.

For food, there were numerous salads and different types of meat, as well as the trifle, Pavlova, fruits, and ice cream for dessert. (So we got full).

To our delight, the next day there was a proper German breakfast, which we enjoyed very much.

We had to work again on the second day of Christmas, but this time in the garden, and in the afternoon we went to the beach together with our friends Luca and Philip. In the evening, Jasmin skyped with her family, Jana did so the next morning.

The next event was supposed to be New Year's Eve, but we found out that our hosts didn't celebrate it. Nevertheless, we wanted to make the evening a little special and stocked up on chips and cider. We wrote down our resolutions for the new year, read our horoscopes, and otherwise spent the evening quite unspectacularly in bed.

All in all, we felt very comfortable with the Schellke family and really enjoyed our time there. However, we were glad afterwards not to have to touch a cleaning cloth for a while.

Jana and Jasmin