Four Months at the Farm
I still remember the day I arrived at the farm at the end of October. I had travelled from Spain to Germany alone, with one suitcase, a lot of curiosity, and honestly not a very clear idea of what the next months were going to look like.
When I got there, the farm was surprisingly quiet. My future flatmate hadn’t arrived yet, so for the first days I was basically alone there, except for one of the workers who happened to be working that weekend… and of course all the animals.
After a warm welcome, I got a tour around the whole farm. It was a really beautiful moment to arrive. Even though autumn was already ending and winter was starting to approach, you could still see everything that had grown during the previous season. There were remains of plants, gardens that had clearly been full of life just weeks before, and the whole place had this calm feeling of a season slowly coming to an end.
One of the first things I did was walk around the farm and introduce myself to the animals. I know it might sound a bit funny, but I actually greeted them one by one. I even gave some of them a hug. It felt like the most natural way to start connecting with the place that was going to be my home for the next few months.
And that’s how my volunteering experience began.
The first weeks were a bit of a transition period. I arrived with a lot of energy and motivation, but there were also many new people starting around the same time, so sometimes things felt a little disorganized while everyone was trying to find their rhythm again. But honestly, from the very beginning I felt very lucky with the people around me.
All my coworkers have been incredibly kind and welcoming. The atmosphere in the team is really good, and that makes a huge difference when you’re living and working in the same place every day. I get along very well with everyone, and I feel very comfortable here. The same goes for my flatmate — sharing the apartment has made the experience even nicer.
During the first months, a big part of my work was focused on the animals. Feeding them, cleaning their spaces, and learning how to handle them properly. At first it seems simple, but you quickly realize there’s actually a lot to learn. Every animal has its own personality, and over time you start recognizing their behaviour and their little routines.
Soon after I arrived, winter really started to show up. And coming from Spain, I have to say it was quite an experience. The cold, the snow, the long grey days… it was definitely a big contrast compared to what I was used to.
There were days when working outside felt like a real challenge, especially when everything was covered in snow and the wind was freezing. But at the same time, you get used to it. Life on a farm doesn’t really stop because of the weather, and in a way that teaches you to adapt and just keep going.
Now, after four months, things are finally starting to change again. The winter is slowly fading away and the first signs of spring are appearing. The days are getting longer, the sun is starting to come back, and you can feel that the farm is slowly waking up again.
Our activities are also changing with the season. Recently we’ve started doing more workshops with children again, which is a really nice part of the experience. It’s always fun to see kids interacting with the animals and discovering the farm environment. You can see how excited they get, and it reminds you how important these kinds of places are.
At the same time, we’re preparing the land for the new planting season. We’ve been working the soil, getting things ready, organizing seeds, and preparing everything for the months ahead. After such a long winter, it’s exciting to see the farm slowly coming back to life.
Another part of my work has been helping with repairs and improvements around the farm. In a place like this there is always something that needs fixing — fences, gates, small structures that animals manage to break, or areas that simply need a bit of renovation. I actually enjoy this kind of work because it feels good to help maintain and improve the place little by little.
I also had the chance to contribute in a different way. One small project I helped with was printing the farm’s logo on clothing for the team. Now everyone who works here has clothes with the logo, which helps families and visitors easily recognize the people working on the farm. It was a small thing, but it felt nice to bring a bit of my own skills into the project.
Looking back at these four months, it’s funny to realize how quickly the time has passed. From arriving here alone in autumn, meeting the animals for the first time, adapting to a very cold winter, and slowly finding my place in the daily life of the farm.
And now it feels like a new chapter is starting. Spring is coming, the farm is waking up again, and there are many new activities and projects ahead. I’m really looking forward to the next months — the planting season, the workshops, the longer sunny days, and everything else that life on the farm will bring.
Volunteering here has already taught me a lot: about teamwork, adapting to new environments, and living closer to nature. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be here and to be part of this community.
And I’m excited to see what the next months will bring. 🌱
Daniel
Daniel is hosted by Erlebnisfarm Ohlenhof, part of the AfJ e.V. Kinder- und Jugendhilfe Bremen on our project co-funded by the European Union.
If you want to experience something similar to what Daniel did, check out our open calls here.
