Learn about natural building in Ourense, Galicia Spain

Details

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  Description

  Hi, I'm Johnny originally from Northern Ireland and I've been living in Galicia for 2 years now after buying a small piece of land with some old stone ruins.
  I live about 25 minutes drive from Ourense, deep in the forested countryside of this beautiful and rainy region.
  This is a place to disconnect from modern life, my village is small but with very friendly and helpful people.
  I live alone with my cat and dog surrounded by forest with a small stream running along the bottom of my land, the area is perfect for cycling, walking and exploring. With abandoned villages and old water mills scattered amongst the forest that has reclaimed what was once agricultural land. If you love nature and waking up to bird song, then here is a perfect place to spend some time.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Gardening

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  So one important thing to tell you is that I only have limited WiFi, it's good enough to stream (on a good day) do video calls and basic things. My place is in a bit of a dark spot for mobile coverage so if this is important for you, then it's something to consider..
  I have been travelling for many years and have been volunteering a lot so I'm excited to be on the other side of the experience. I've been putting off hosting volunteers until I felt my place was at a reasonable level of comfort.
  If your interested in learning new skills I can teach you about many things, I'm an electrician but can pretty much do any manual labour task that's required but my real passion is carpentry.
  Socially it's very isolated here but I'm part of a group that meets every 2 to 3 weeks to help on each other's projects and in the summer there are plenty of fiestas, any excuse for a party in spain!

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  After almost 2 years living on the land I have finally achieved a comfortable level of living (comfortable for me).. This year I'm hoping to upgrade my solar system, build a shower and finish my compost toilet. These are my priorities but I have an extensive list of things to be done.
  I work during the week so I won't be here everyday so I'm looking for people that can work alone or a couple? Someone that depending on their experience and skills can take initiative and be happy to spend time here alone.
  My interests are in natural building and Sustainability, so everything I do I try to use what I can find or have available. So working with wood, clay and any recycled stuff is what you can expect.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  I can comunicate in basic spanish but if you speak a little English we could hopefully learn from each other.
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  Accommodation

  Your accommodation will be a tent, if you are travelling in a camper van there is also space. Something you should be aware of is that this is a very basic level of living. The toilet is a dry compost system and at the moment the shower is a solar shower under a grand old oak tree, i live off grid and have my own water source but i get my drinking water from a local spring. so I'm appealing for adventurous people! :)
  If anything you'll leave my home with a greater appreciation for all the modern convenience that we take for granted!!
  Food will be provided, I eat everything and anything so if you are vegetarian or vegan I'm okay with it, I would love it if we share cooking duties.. I love to try new things and learn new tricks!

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  What else ...

  I have some bicycles for you to use, there isn't any public transport in my village but a 15 minute bike ride gets you to a small town with shops and a bus stop. If you want to cycle 10 minutes more there is an even bigger town with more shops and even a train station..
  There is endless paths to explore here, beautiful rivers and waterfalls. This is an area for exploring.
  I don't have any rules or expectations, I like to respect people's differences and I hope you can be the same.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Space for parking camper vans

  I have a space for a camper van just outside my land, if its a small van it's possible to enter but it's a small access. At the moment I can't provide electric but plenty of water for you!

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  Can possibly accept pets

  All pets are welcome, as long as they are cat friendly.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  4/5 hours a day 5 days a week, it's possible to choose your own days off as I will be at home mostly on the weekends but I'm flexible so we can decide on this together.