Help needed with cleaning and maintenance in an old eolian house in Stromboli, Sicily

Details

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  Description

  About me:
  I arrived on the shore of this volcano more than thirty years ago, born under another one.
  This land appeared to me as wild and magic at the same time, at the same time hard and tender. So I decided to stay here for a while…
  I speak English, Spanish and French, and obviously Italian.
  I’ll be happy to practice them with you (English above all) and help you learning or improving your Italian.
  I use to live with my friend Aziz, he’s from Morocco, very open mind person, unfortunately he doesn’t speak English, just Italian and a bit of French, and Arabic of course. Anyway I’m sure it will be very easy to find the way to communicate and share experiences.
  
  About the place:
  Stromboli is a small island with an even smaller village on one of the three active volcanos in Italy! Actually it’s one of the most active volcanos in the world since “He” usually has an explosion each 15/20 minutes that you can clearly hear from everywhere in the village!
  The house is located along the hillside, surrounded  by greenness and pets are always welcome: you may often meet cat or dog-friends coming to visit us, staying a while and sharing a time with us.
  The place is away the confusion of the harbour, but really close to it; in few minutes walking, you can also reach the main street Via Roma and the large black beach of Scari. Actually you can reach walking all the corners of the village in less than an hour.
  I remind you in advance to provide comfortable shoes and light and handy luggage because the footpath access to the house, though not too long, is unpaved and uphill.
  Don’t forget to pack a flashlight in your bag because, luckily, in Stromboli there are no streetlights.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  I’ll be happy to practice help you learning or improving your Italian.
  Cooking together, I would share my knoledge about italian food and, while working, all the stories I knew about this magic island.

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  Help

  I currently need help with daily housekeeping, gardening and general maintenance in my big old eolian house where I live with my friend Aziz.
  About work:
  Working in this house would be:
  1) general and deep cleaning (bedrooms, bathrooms and communal areas as terraces, stairs, etc.), helping to cook for daily meals, helping to prepare homemade jams for breakfast. Would be a great bonus if you have any previous experience with similar jobs.
  2) Painting and other light maintenance: I’m always in the process of restoring my home and improving the environment using upcycled and refurbished materials. People with extra creativity, handwork abilities and comfortable with using tools are very welcome, also to explore their ideas and skills with me.
  3) I may also need your help with gardening.
  Work could entail: tree pruning, grass-cutting, raking, preparing grass lawns for the seeds and general maintenance.
  
  I generally ask you work five hours a day, five days a week. Some days it could be necessary to work longer but finally your help will be never more than 25 hours weekly. I generally communicate with you about work plans of the week.
  Help could be required in the morning or in the afternoon, it depends on needs.
  I have to be honest: I’ve grown up in this rough place with a rough character, very perfectionist and demanding and sometimes it’s not very easy work and share with me: that’s why I always propose short periods of collaboration. We have few days to meet and know each other: if it works well between us, after this first period we could talk about a longer stay.
  I work hard here and I expect who come to be willing to work hard and honestly with me: in turn I aim to reward the hard work with whatever I can, whenever I can!
  I really hope this could be a mutually beneficial experience for all of us.
  I like to give a tip at the end of your time here if you work hard.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Italian: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  I will provide you a room with a shared bathroom; sometimes the room could be shared with other volunteers (depending on the period).
  I will obviously provide you with bed linens, blankets and towels.
  I also will provide you with everything you need to prepare a good breakfast with coffee, milk, tea and homemade jams; easy lunch and dinners are prepared together, teaching you how prepare Italian traditional or fusion style dishes! (Long time ago I used to work as board chef on sailing boat…)
  I usually don’t drink wine but there’s always a couple of beers in the fridge!
  I don’t smoke but I don’t mind you do in your space (better outside).
  I expect people to be friendly and helpful; silence and respect of the neighbors and the house rules are always required.

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  What else ...

  Being an active volcano with a very strong activity, people arrives from all over the world to watch these incredible natural fireworks show. At the moment you can't climb to the top but walk until 400mt joining you the groups leaded by local guides.
  Very nice walking in the mountain are also possible, doing birdwatching and arriving until 290 mt high from where you can enjoy an incredible view.
  In Sicily we have very long summer: usually you can easily swim from may to october.
  The other six Eolian islands are not too far and easily reached with a speed ferry for a day trip or more.

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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

  unfortunately there is no wifi in the house but the hotspot with mobiles works perfectly

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  Can possibly accept pets

  at the moment it's impossible

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

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

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