I grew up on a WWOOF farm in the sunny town of Nelson in New Zealand. Ever since I can remember there were always different characters coming and going on our farm. To me it was a constant supply of older brothers and sisters to play with and follow around on the farm. As I grew older I learnt more and more about WWOOF and how it connects people from different cultures. For my parents the WWOOFers were a huge help on the farm and we really felt like they were part of the family. For the Volunteers that stayed with us they gained hands on experience on an organic farm and learnt new skills they could take away with them and help with a sustainable future. We learnt so much about different cultures and this is how I fell in love with culture.
I studied Anthropology and Cultural Studies at Canterbury University. My love for culture flourished as I studied cultures from all around the world, from tribal communities to western societies. After my studies I met and married a man from India and we ended up moving back to my home town.
Knowing that there was a huge community of creatives, musicians, language teachers and learners, farmers and gardeners, restoration projects and small entrepreneurs that were not strictly organic but would really benefit from a site similar to WWOOF we wanted to set-up something for them. WWOOF groups have agreed that they don’t list non-organic properties or Hosts who ask for a donation, so we developed a new site Cultural Exchange. We are now in partnership with WWOOF NZ, giving everyone out there the opportunity to connect with cultures, learn new skills and get that extra help people may need either through WWOOF or Cultural Exchange.
Enjoy your exchange
Alannah James