Sustainable off-grid living in nature with purpose and love in southern Catalunya, Spain

Detalles

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  Descripción

  UPDATE 2024: This year I mostly want to proceed with building a new workshop for my solar system (already half way done) and the guesthouse for future YOU. I love to offer a diversity of opportunities regardless, like pruning olive trees (March/April), clearing overgrown terraces, preparing my future food forrest, but certainly I need help with brick-layering and smaller construction tasks. And when I say help, I will be there too.. this site is not called slave away 😂 The jobs in mind are really not that hard, so hit me up if you're interested 🤗
  
  Also, please note: my response time is usually not that long. I've been back in Switzerland over winter and marked the corresponding months as unavailable and didn't check in on messages but I've received some which screwed up my response time rating. I'll usually answer within 1-2 days.
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  Hey you! I warmly invite you to join me on my homestead in Catalunya where I live alone on 5 hectares previously abandoned land. I dedicated myself to tame the wilderness, restore the terraces and dry walls, regenerate the soil and create a more biodiverse, resilient and healthy ecosystem.
  
  👋 Hola and Welcome! My name is Tim, the wannabe Catalan made in Switzerland 😅
  I speak English, German, French, Spanish... i estic aprenent català!
  
  Call me stupid or a dreamer but I have a vision: to turn this mostly overgrown land into a lush, abundant food forrest. Right now you can find in the sea of spiky bushes and thorny vines many neglected olive trees, almonds, figs, a small pine forest and loads of wild rosemary and thyme - do you want to help me free them?
  
  I live in a small finca with only rainwater collection and 1 solar panel (currently), completely off-grid and try to grow my veggies. The climate is rather arid, sometimes almost unbearably hot, and sometimes extremely windy, but there's an energy up this mountain which is magic and pure. I fell in love with it despite the difficulties, and - aren't hurdles and struggles what make us stronger and inventing creative solutions?
  
  Anyway, here's the situation: The finca has 2 parts. One as a shared living room/kitchen space (I’m an avid cook) with a separate bathroom, and the other part is where I sleep and keep my personal stuff. I currently don’t have a guest house or accommodation for Work Aways. However, I welcome Work Aways who are fine with sleeping in a tent or have their own caravan/camper to sleep in.
  
  My vision comes with a plan: I have an old stable building next to the main finca which I want to transform for this exact reason. To accommodate the future YOU! It needs some work which I mostly want to do myself (and with your help of course 🤗). If a particular task requires a builder I'm going to source it otherwise. Other than that I want to create more shaded outdoor areas to cook and chill and enjoy the siestas and evenings after a hard day of work.
  
  These are the kind of projects I’d love you to be involved in: Tame nature, plant trees, dig swales, restore dry walls, building the future guest house, create more inviting spaces for you and future volunteers, sweat, laugh, chat, exchange knowledge, learn from each other, inspire and be inspired and create a little paradise for future generations. Maybe together we can do our small part of living a more sustainable and even regenerative life and hopefully have an impact on the (micro-)climate! - Are you up for that?
  
  
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  I’m looking for self motivated people with positive energy and enthusiasm who are keen to do something and contribute/add to what I’m already doing. I love to share what I have learnt over the past 3 years, and also keep learning from others. If you have any experience or skills to share great, and if you're like me a learning by doing type of human, awesome. We are all equal beings here, working together, helping and supporting each other. It’s a simple life but not an easy one, haha. Yet it comes with a plenitude of life quality. The secret is: most people don’t want to leave (but don't tell anyone 🤫).
  
  The finca is situated 20 minutes from Tortosa (nearest city), 45 minutes from the beaches and the 'Els Ports' national park (great for hiking, canyoning, natural swimming pools, etc.), 1 hour from Tarragona and about 2 hours from Barcelona and Valencia.
  
  What you get:
  > A place in nature to park your camper/van, or to sleep in one of my two spacious canvas bell-tents provided with mattress, pillow, bedsheet and everything needed: it’s glamping vibes up here 👌
  > 3 healthy meals a day - Please tell me about your dietary needs and preferences. I’m happy if we can share cooking, cleaning the dishes and the shared living space :)
  > Loads of opportunities to exchange, learn, and collaborate. I believe in "each one teach one" and that "everyone has a gift to offer". What is yours?
  > A magical place in wilderness up a small mountain with an amazing view over the Ebro delta with its rice fields and beaches. And one of the best starry night skies to gaze at.
  > If you love to, I'd be happy to show you around on the weekends, go hiking, or to the beaches or visit a medieval town nearby for the cultural enrichment. But I also need my own free time ;)
  > Interested in meditation, yoga or home workouts? Join me, or teach me 🤗
  > Do you want to play my guitar? Or unleash your inner creative artsy child? Or enjoy to have deep conversations and share life stories? Or relax in your own space? Let's create the life we want!
  > I'm all about: Gratitude, Respect, Love and Wonder
  
  Limitations:

  > It’s not a luxurious resort (although my food sometimes is better lol)
  > I’m not your boss. I’m looking for self motivated people, who are keen to add/contribute.
  > I don’t have a guesthouse yet (that’s why I'd love your help). I have two canvas bell-tents with mattresses, bedsheets and pillows or you bring your caravan/camper and I’ll provide the space. There’s a shared kitchen/living room and separate shared bathroom.
  > There is no shower. But something like an improvised Hammam. Go in the separate bathroom (or outside, great in summer), use a tub with water, a washcloth or sponge and biodegradable soap and wash yourself, easy. Want warm water? Heat it on the stove, no problem, really!
  > I have a flush toilet but at some
  point want to change to a compost toilet to save on scarce water. Maybe you can help me build one? N°1 is preferably done in the wild, exceptions allowed :)
  > I don’t have wifi yet. But there’s good phone reception (4G) for internet: good enough for streaming movies or having zoom calls and I'm happy to share my hotspot to download mails or to upload your #awesome #fincalife insta stories and reels 😎🤳. Only if you need loads of data I recommend getting a Spanish prepaid card for like 10€
  > I currently only have a 12V solar system with one panel. You can easily charge your phones or other USB connected devices. But if you expect to daily charge your laptop for several hours this might not work. I do have a generator though for this reason and I also use it to run the laundry machine for example; so you can charge your laptop of course. We just have to be aware of limited resources: in my case electricity and water.
  > This is not a place to get wasted or consume drugs. I’m happy to cool your self-bought beers in my fridge though.
  
  Alright. If all this didn’t scare you away and you’re eager to get in touch - do it! ✊ Questions? Ask! I’m usually a very friendly and kind person 😊

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  Tipos de ayuda y oportunidades de aprendizaje

  Práctica de idiomas

  Ayuda en proyectos ecológicos

  Jardinería

  Construcción y bricolaje

  Ayuda en una granja

  Ayuda doméstica

  Mantenimiento general
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  Objetivos de sostenibilidad de las NU que intenta conseguir este anfitrión

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  ¿Que es esto?
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  Intercambio cultural y oportunidades de aprendizaje

  I love to share my ever growing knowledge of a sustainable and regenerative lifestyle, about edible and medicinal wild plants, the wildlife, permaculture practices, growing your own food (with little water), olive harvest and oil production, cooking and preservation, eco building, etc.. I love to have deep conversations about literally anything, from neuroscience to stoicism and beyond.
  
  Then there’s much to see and show in the surrounding area. The roman and medieval old towns of Tortosa, Tarragona, Miravet offer rich culture and history. The 'Els Ports' national park offers his natural swimming pools, caves and great hiking trails, and you might spot a mediterranean ibex. Let’s go to the Ebro Delta which is well known amongst ornithologist and find flamingos or to the beaches for some kite surfing.

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  Ayuda

  There’s always some small maintenance tasks to do, like watering the veggies, maybe help me cooking or doing dishes or cleaning. But mainly I’d like to have help and/or learn from you about following activities (but even if you don't have experience in these but lots of enthusiasm and energy, sign up.):
  
  > ON THE LAND: clearing overgrown terraces, making paths and stairs, restore dry walls, digging swales, mulching, improving the soil, transplanting trees, …
  
  > DIY: I have an old staple building which I want to transform to a guest house to accommodate future volunteers! I'll be doing most myself and would love your help with it. Other than that I want to create more shaded outdoor areas, sitting areas, benches and couches made from pallet wood, maybe a swing. I want to build a compost toilet, an outdoor shower, treehouses, etc...
  
  > GARDENING: Any knowledge of growing food in a rather arid climate is welcome. I’m learning and experimenting all the time. Optimise water collection and usage, plan and plant drought and wind-resistant plants, companion planting, composting, seed collecting, growing from cuttings, improve soil microbiology, syntropic gardening, installing a drip irrigation system, etc..
  
  > LEARNING: I want to start mapping the terraces and trees, identifying plants and build a database, taking soil samples and testing them, maybe installing meteorolocical sample sites to start collecting data about own micro climate, etc.. also, If you can help me improve my Spanish or Catalan, excellent!

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  Idiomas hablados

  Alemán: Fluido
  Inglés: Fluido
  Español: Intermedio
  Francés: Intermedio
  Catalan: Principiante

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  Alojamiento

  I have a place for your Camper/Caravan and two spacious fabric bell-tents. Each next to a tree providing some well needed afternoon shade (for the siesta hours). And there's a shared kitchen and bathroom/toilet. The tents come with mattresses, pillows, bedsheets and everything you need for a comfy night.

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  Algo más...

  If you come by plane I suggest Barcelona Airport, I have special price conditions for the bus from there to Tortosa (2h) and can book it for you.
  
  If you come by bus or train to Tortosa I can pick you up.
  
  If you come by car/camper, no problem but you should be aware that the last 5 minutes are quite bumpy, with lots of holes in the road. So unless it's a super low sports vehicle this should work. You don't need a 4x4 but better drive slow the last bit.

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  Un poco más de información

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    Acceso a Internet

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    Acceso a Internet limitado

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    Tenemos animales

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    Somos fumadores

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    Puede alojar familias

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  Espacio para aparcar autocaravanas

  Spacious parking under an old pine tree for ample shade. But the road up here has some narrow turns (and many bumps). If it’s less than 6 meters long and ~2 meters wide, and doesn’t mind the bumpy road, this should work. Let’s talk!

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  ¿Cuántos voluntarios puedes hospedar?

  Más de dos

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  Horas esperadas

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

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