Beschreibung
Olá, buongiorno, good day, & 你好, we are a couple of simple folks living on the outskirts of Caldas da Rainha near the Portuguese coastal town of Foz do Arelho. We have a small 1200m micro-farm - or simply, large garden - with chickens, ducks, and a cat ~ with likely more on the way. Over the last three years, my partner, Lu (Taiwanese, graphic designer, illustrator, animator, lover of all things cute and queen of the birds), and myself, Francesco (Italian-Unitedstatesian, chef, gardener, aspiring-tinkerer maker), have resuscitated the soil of this once highly degraded sandlot which now abounds with life. In addition to our regular work, the objective of nurturing life on this little piece of the planet keeps us pleasantly busy.
For however long we are here, we want to feed this place that feeds us so well. The abundance is such that there is plenty to share. This experience is a reminder of the great generosity of Terra Madre or Pachamama or whatever you want to call this home planet from which we all come from to which we all belong.
FYI - We speak English, Italian, Mandarin, Portuguese, and a workable bit of Spanish.
Arten von Hilfe und Lernmöglichkeiten
Kunstprojekte
Sprachpraxis
Hilfe bei Ökoprojekten
Gartenarbeiten
Heimwerker- und Bauarbeiten
Mithilfe auf einem Bauernhof
Handwerkliche Arbeiten
Kultureller Austausch und Lernmöglichkeiten
We hope to share work as well as stories. We hope to make new memories with new friends, both in the garden, while working on building jobs, and especially at the table when we share food together. It's kind of a prerequisite for anyone who comes to join us - they must want to be involved. Seriously. Although, this does not mean all work is always done together. Most will be.
As for what you can learn, well, in addition to being an active regenerative agrarian working on a few different projects, before moving here for many years I cooked in professional environments ranging from warm and soulful osterias and bakeries to pretentious over the top places largely devoted to serving the over-served. It was all great experience. I even grew up in a mom and pop restaurant. I loved it. And I still seek that connection via food. Food is one of my primary languages.
Lu, well, what can I say - she's brilliant! Her design prowess is like no one else I know, and her sensibility and general way of being in the world is so very kind and gentle, but I assure you that she is also tough and goes straight to the point.
There's so much creative goings on that can happen there. It all depends on the dispositions and talents that volunteers bring to meet and mix with what we bring to the table too. Chemistry is key!

I have volunteered all over the world in so many different kinds of spaces. Among the primary complaints that I received from hosts was that volunteers often simply want to vacation and do as little as possible and take as much as possible. Well, again as someone who was a volunteer too, I remember hosts who exploited the arrangement and overly depended on volunteer hands to survive. That's an unfortunate co-dependence. I remember many for-profit operations who depended on volunteers to help keep afloat businesses that are seriously challenged in the prevailing marketplace of labor.
But this is not a marketplace arrangement. At Lu's and my house, we are simply looking for some help with what's going on, whether in the garden, or working on a fence, or finishing the new outdoor kitchen, we simply aim to open our home to folks who want to work a bit and share a bit, in the evenings occasionally make a fire after dinner, or better yet, if we are organized and can achieve daily goals, cook together around the fire. In any case, in a world increasingly afflicted with alienation and so many forms of fragmentation, tuning together via cooking and eating together is a very important daily ritual of ours.
Arbeit
For your time here, we ask for only four or five hours per day, four or five days a week with a stay of a week. We might be able to do The actual amount will vary on the person.
Some people don't know how to focus well and something that could take 20mins might take hours. We don't have a rigid set of expectations other than that people are honest and more thoughtful than the average of society, meaning - that you are here to meaningfully collaborate.
Most daily tasks this season will involve gardening and building. Although, one may come stay with us during a time without any super fun activities. In addition to carpenters and green thumbs, we have room for creatives in general - i.g. painters, musicians, tinkerers, deep thinkers, dancers, tree-climbers, and in general there is space for people who still believe the world can be a more nurturing, more beautiful, and just place, but no that they have to get involved to make it happen.
Please Note - If by chance one is looking to always be entertained, please, this place is not for you, nor do I think it's fair to expect to be entertained by any host. This is a dynamic exchange; sometimes more fun, sometimes less, but the exchange should always be fair and thoughtful.
On Thursdays - and sometimes other days too - I volunteer at a nearby school where with a group of friends, together we are realizing a community garden project that not only aims to build soil and grow food, but also - and perhaps most fundamental - nurture expressions of greater community solidarity. It's absolutely nourishing to see children play work in the garden in that brilliant way that reminds that the youth are among the most precious of resources that deserve to be nurtured and supported, not exploited as this capitalist worlds prepares them to be as individuated consumers in competition with each other and the planet. They are amazing!
So, in short, we might be weeding, planting, working on the new greenhouse, finishing the new outdoor kitchen, at the school, or who knows what among the long list of to-dos. We will do our best to ensure that the experience is not one of drudgery and toil, but rather a balance of work and play. We also ask that guest volunteers be able to work by themselves, if needed. But, of course, we will strive to do meaningful work together.
Sprachen
Gesprochene Sprachen
Englisch: Fließend
Italienisch: Fließend
Portugiesisch: Fließend
Chinesisch (Mandarin): Fließend
Spanisch: Gute Kenntnisse
Dieser Gastgeber bietet Sprachaustausch an
Dieser Gastgeber gibt an, dass er dir gern seine Muttersprache beibringt oder selbst eine Sprache lernen möchte.
Bitte wende dich direkt an ihn, um weitere Auskünfte zu erhalten.
Unterkunft
While staying with us, you will enjoy a rather nice little hobbit house cabin of sorts that sits at the north edge of our garden. There is electricity, but no running water. Personally, I find it very comfortable. Lu and I happily stayed there during parts of the extensive renovations that we did to the house last year. The bathroom, which includes a shower, is near the South side of the garden, connected to our house.
If you are a night owl who stays up late or simply someone who has trouble sleeping and needs to have total silence until whatever time of the day, again, our place may not be for you. We live next to a train line that sadly doesn't stop in our village just outside of Caldas da Rainha. Somewhere between 6 and 10 trains pass by per day. They move by fast and are short trains. Lu and I don't even notice them. Neoliberal economic policies and the related depopulation of the countryside have resulted in tremendous cuts to the Portuguese rail networks over the last few decades.
Was noch ...
My grandmother had a plethora of sayings and proverbs to seemingly fit every kind of occasion. One that comes to mind now is that "the guest is a gift" to serve and celebrate. She spoke of hospitality being a dialogue, one in which both sides become enriched by meeting and sharing. So, in order to make it easier, we ask for no rigid dietary restrictions. Vegan, raw food, or paleo diets will likely not be happy here. We eat veggies and fruits from our own home and neighbors. We enjoy an abundance of eggs from our generous chickens, and occasionally eat chicken or duck that we harvest and process. Or, occasionally, we get meat from the best local sources. Overall, we are mainly vegetarian that tend mostly towards a Mediterranean and Southeast Asian flavor palette.

We live a 30min bike ride from the coastal town of Foz do Arelho and 15min bike ride from the center of Caldas da Rainha. We would like folks to visit who are also independent and who like to wander on their own. In town, there's decent public transportation. We have a bike here for you to use while here, of course. Again, we want visitors to feel free to wander and on occasion we will even happily bring you around to experience some of our preferred local spots, or join us for meals with our friends.

If you're into wild foraging, assuming time allows, we can help with that too. Nature is infinitely more generous than the prevailing economic order that dictates the way civilization exploits instead of nurtures landscapes. It's absolutely wonderful to find out that wild foods abound :)
Etwas mehr Information
- Internet Zugang
- Eingeschränkter Internet Zugang
- Wir besitzen Tiere
- Wir sind Raucher
- Familien möglich
Kann Digital Nomads unterbringen
For truly active and motivated persons, we will go the extra distance to either put wifi in the Hobbit House - again, where visitors stay while visiting and working with us - or allow regular access to the wifi in our in-home lounge space. However, we do not want to succumb to an inordinate amount of screen time when in fact the main objectives of this relationship should be creative and collaborative mutualism. Of course, if you have a specific perspicacity for being digitally creative and you absolutely prefer contributing that way, we may very well be able to accommodate you. We must see on a person-by-person basis.
Platz zum Abstellen von Camper Vans
There is street parking space in front of the of the house.
Kapazität - wie viele Workawayer maximal
zwei
Arbeitszeiten
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week