My first coliving experience @ Coconat

Also the first blog post on my new site ;)

Hello dear friends, students, future students and language enthusiasts :) As I am writing this post I am enjoying the last days of European autumn. Almost ready to start my adventure in Asia. But first things first. So I have been planning this move for a while now. Going completely remote. Transitioning into teaching entirely online. Not just some classes, but all of them. Without any language school or teaching platform. All on my own. Advertising, doing the marketing, finding students out there in the world and offering them the knowledge they would like to acquire. In a fun and enjoyable setting. Through a screen.

I am currently spending 3 weeks in a coworking-coliving space in Germany. It is located in an amazing old building close to Berlin, surrounded with the most breathtaking forest scenery, especially now with all the colourful leaves falling. I am amazed every time I go jogging or cycling here.

The name of the place, Coconat stands for community and concentrated work in nature. So just to give you an idea: there is a community in a huge building in the middle of nature, and if you really concentrate, you can get some work done. If not, you will just go with the flow and socialize all the time, get inspired by the wonderful people here, share ideas, sit over meals or a tea for hours and discuss your projects, views and ideas. A great way to get away from stressful city life and to experience the beauty of being part of a community of people with a similar vision and values.

The place was founded by a couple of entusiastic people (mostly Germans) who would like to spread the idea of Coliving outside of big cities. The ones that are here running the place, Janosch, Iris and Julianne are great people, all laid-back and beautiful souls with creative ideas. You can check the website here :)

I came here to do a work exchange, which is a truly enriching experience, I recommend it to everyone who is willing to be flexible and would like to come into contact with this kind of atmosphere.

Relaxing autumn atmosphere in the garden

The idea is that you support the organization with 20 hours of work weekly and you get accommodation, food and also get to use the coworking spaces. It is a kind of volunteer work, you basically become part of the team who run the place and create a special environment altogether. You can also meet and have great conversations with the paying guests, however, there is an even closer relationship with the team members. At the moment there is a volunteer team of 10 people, where almost all continents are represented, except for Australia. Many people come and stay for several months, as there is a lot of flexibility from the founders' side too. You can tell them when you need to work on your own projects and schedule your working hours accordingly.

You can also go and explore the area in your free time, spend some days in Berlin, Postdam, Brandenburg or even go for a longer trip and later come back if you like. You just need to agree on any kind of flexible solution with the nice and easy-going people who will be your "bosses" for the time being :)

For example I am now going to a longer trip to Asia but will definitely be back some time next year for a month or two as I really enjoy being here. And I love the surroundings :)

Only the part of concentrated work is missing in my case. I was planning to do more of my own projects, build my website & social media, do some advertising and marketing, etc. But well, procrastinating is so trendy these days and I am just going with the flow, meeting people, socializing, building meaningful relationships and disconnecting every now and then. Too much stress is bad for the health after all ;)

And we all know by now what makes a happy and healthy life, right? Just in case you don't, I recommend you watch the video below:

So come on people, share that love & those good vibes! ;)

Also, come to this magical place called Coconat to get inspired and experience the community feeling in the German countryside if you feel like it.