House and garden help needed near Athens, Greece

Details

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  Description

  We are a mother and daughter living in the mountains, one hour away from Athens. We live off-grid, in a newly built, half-finished Mediterranean country house, with our dogs, cat and bees. Surrounded by a beautiful pine forest and some small private vineyards, we try to live as naturally as possible, grow food, forage, bond with old and new friends and create our own happiness.
  
  In the past couple of years, our region has suffered some big wildfires and droughts, which led to problems with the local water supply and the loss of our food garden. Because of that, some of our next goals are to start a new garden from scratch (building the soil, making compost, mulching, planting drought-tolerant plants of the Mediterranean), installing a new drop irrigation system and working on the main house building.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Travellers will have the opportunity to:
  
  - taste and learn to cook with us a lot of traditional Greek dishes
  - join friend and family gatherings and learn more about Greek habits and culture
  - visit Athens and its sights during the day/night the locals' way
  - enjoy our closest beaches and the forest
  - become familiar with beekeeping, foraging and the local botany
  - experience life in a Mediterranean off-grid setting during different seasons

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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

  Workawayers are expected to offer 5 hours of work/day for 5 days/week in exchange for vegetarian meals and accommodation. This work includes helping around the house with cleaning/cooking etc, chopping firewood, assisting with renovations and/or different DIY projects, re-establishing a garden and caring for the animals that keep us company. Specific day-to-day tasks are assigned from a seasonal task list depending on the skills, energy levels, physique and other special traits of each volunteer. No prior knowledge is needed but volunteers with solar energy and plumber knowledge would be highly appreciated and prioritized in the selection process for the next months.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  Greek: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  Interested in practising Spanish and teaching/practising Greek
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  Accommodation

  Our house is powered exclusively by solar energy and warm water needs are covered by solar heater. Winter heating is provided from a central fire stove and a smaller kitchen stove. Visitors can expect to have their own private room or semi-private attic space and share the bathroom, kitchen and living room with the rest of the family. In spring and late autumn, there is also the option to stay in our private trailer camper with bedroom, joined kitchen/living room and toilet room. In the main house WiFi is also available.
  
  Because of our simple solar installation, energy usage is limited and depends a lot on the season and daily sunlight. Typically, this means that during winter we can light our home, charge our phones and laptops and make use of small power tools, while in summer we are also able to cool food in our fridge. No freezer, laundry machine or other energy-draining devices are used. Most laundry is done by hand but there are also laundry services, in the nearest city.
  
  Cooking is done with fire and gas. From May 1st to October 31st, according to our local fire department, all fires are prohibited in open areas, so any cooking is exclusively done indoors. The diet provided is almost exclusively vegetarian, with few exceptions on special occasions.
  
  Warm water during summer is provided freely from the sun, however depending on the number of our guests, some basic planning of showers might be needed, to ensure that everyone has access to it. At winter months, warm water is not always available but if you can handle cold that shouldn't be a big problem. Due to the above-mentioned droughts, municipal water supply can give us brief breaks at the hottest weekends of July and August, when water from our rainwater collection tank may be used as an emergency source for the garden, animals and basic cleaning.
  
  Because we keep honeybees on our property, in order to ensure the safety of everyone visiting us, we ask all travellers to confirm that they ARE NOT ALLERGIC TO BEES! This is very important for us as the closest health center to provide emergency medical care is 20minutes away and only accessed by car.

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  What else ...

  Travelers are asked to put in 5 hours of work per day for 5 days per week and can have the rest of their time free to do personal activities. Some ideas of the things that you can do are:
  
  - take nature walks
  - observe wild animals and plants
  - birdwatch
  - go swimming at the beach
  - forage
  - sunbathe
  - visit the nearby historical cities of Athens, Eleusis and Corinth
  - practice personal hobbies such as reading, doing yoga, jogging, cycling, crocheting etc
  - join us or friends in different outings and activities

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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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  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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