Volunteer Experience Report at Finca Noah (Nathalie)

My stay at Finca Noah!

With a mix of excitement and nerves, I drove up to Finca Noah. I dragged my suitcase up the beautifully maintained driveway to the Finca. I must admit, once I arrived at the top, I thought to myself for the first time:

Wow! I think I need an oxygen tent! 😊 Of course, I didn't want to show it and tried to appear as "cool" as possible. 😊

I was greeted very warmly by many dogs and the entire team!

Farah explained the whole routine to me and we took a tour where I got to meet all the animals. In the evening, I was already allowed to "get to the sacks" for the first time! As a "desk jockey", I must say, this is really hard, precise, and physically demanding work that is done here. After two hours of wiping and cleaning, I already had two blisters on my hands! 😊 I thought to myself, just don't stand out with my bandaged hands!

Afterward, I was able to rest in Casa Jeannine, which is lovingly and stylishly furnished and located right on the Finca among the animals. The accommodation has everything you need. The toilet, however, is about 50 meters away. For "homesick" people, this might be a problem.

The workday begins at 08:00 in the morning with tasks like feeding the animals, cleaning the enclosures, cleaning, scrubbing, wiping, etc. Time flies and you're really exhausted afterward. But it's always enriching to feel the joy and gratitude of the animals. You're also proud when everything looks clean again afterward! In the afternoon you have time for yourself and can relax or cuddle with the animals. In the evening from 18:00 – approximately 20:00 there's the evening round, where you feed the animals again and clean the enclosures.

I do want to make one thing very clear here: if you think you're just going to come here, pet some cute animals, cuddle with them a bit, and occasionally swing a cleaning cloth around, you're completely in the wrong place.

Farah cares about precise work and she takes everything very seriously here. If you can't handle this approach, then you're in the wrong place!

With approximately 200 animals, if there were no organization or a precise workflow plan, the Finca would never look the way it does. I'm talking about a level of cleanliness where you could eat off the floor without any problem, and this with 200 animals.

You have to imagine how much work goes into that! I have the utmost respect for the entire team and I deeply admire their work. I would also wish that there were many more people who care as much about the wellbeing of animals as they do about their own.

So if YOU are motivated and aren't afraid to get your hands dirty, then you're the right person to help out here.

The animals will thank you with their joy and love.

All my love to the entire team and thank you for allowing me to be part of you for a short time.

Nathalie