Unique cultural immersion opportunity to learn new skills on São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal

Infos

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  Description

  My husband and I live in the middle of the Atlantic, on the beautiful island of São Miguel, with our cats, dogs, and chickens at home and cows at the farm. Our ocean view home, in the village of Achadinha, is walking distance to 4 stunning trails - Poço Azul, Lomba D'el Rei, Salto do Cabrito, and Ribeira dos Caldeirões. I'm a holistic health and holistic sexuality coach and my husband is a 3rd generation conscious dairy farmer. Our small dairy farm is about a 3-min. drive away from our home. We work on a rotational pasture grazing system and our cows are pasture-raised and quite happy. Our goal is to continue developing our farm as a holistically managed farm practicing regenerative agriculture and wellness while providing artisanal raw dairy products.
  
  My husband was born and raised in Sao Miguel and I was born in California to Azorean parents. I'm a native English speaker and my family always spoke Portuguese at home. I learned Spanish in school and lived in Chile, but it's gotten rusty. My husband is a native Portuguese speaker and learned English while we lived in California; he picked up Spanish immediately at work. So, we'd be happy to speak in any of these languages during your stay with us.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Pratique d’une langue

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  S’occuper des animaux

  Aide dans une ferme

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général

  Aide informatique/internet

  Home sitting
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Musique

  

  Animaux

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Animaux de compagnie

  

  Culture

  

  Dev. personnel

  

  Ferme

  

  Histoire

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Yoga / bien-être

  

  Nature

  

  Fitness

  

  Danse

  

  Activités en plein air

  

  Randonnée
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  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

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  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  Travelers get the opportunity to experience how most people live here on the island. We are dairy farmers and that is the main industry supporting the livelihoods of most people on the island. It's very common that when time permits we'll take guests to visit a site or join us for a local festival. We want our guests to have an opportunity to help us further our mission while experiencing the island in a genuine way.

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  Aide

  Since our time is limited and we receive many messages, please provide the following information when messaging us, otherwise we may not respond:
  
  1. Review our list of projects and state which project(s) you feel your skills could be of most use and why you're qualified.
  
  2. If applicable, send us a link to any samples of your talent (i.e. your art, a website you built, photos you've taken, etc.) or request our email address and you can send them in that manner.
  
  3. State when and for how long you are interested in volunteering.
  
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  PROJECT LIST:
  
  Note: Volunteers will not be asked to help with any produce which will be sold to the public.
  
  PRIORITY PROJECTS (we give priority to volunteers that have skills to work on any of the following):
  
  A. 3D Home Rendering - We are restoring our 90 year old stone barn and I need help visualizing what our architectural plans (already completed) will look like in real life. If you have the software and skills to do a 3D floor plan / interior render of our architectural plans, it would help us move this project forward.
  
  B. Cooking and Cleaning - Make meals & clean up afterwards. This is for you if you're one of those people that loves cleaning, organizing, and creating meals to share. (Familiarity with the low-FODMAP or GAPS diet protocols, a plus.)
  
  C. Tech Stuff - If you are a tech savvy person, I'm always looking for ways to make my desk space and work flow more efficient. (Familiarity with both Mac and PCs, a plus.)
  
  D. Social Media / Videography /Photography / SEO - We need help getting our marketing plan accomplished. Some things to work on: marketing strategies (concept development, timelines, budgeting, etc.), online marketing (improving our website's position in the search engine results page [SEO], adding content to social media pages, creating videos, etc.).
  
  E. Digitizing - I'm on a minimalism mission. Part of this consists of digitizing all my paper files and photos. It's a simple and straightforward task, but completing this will make our space feel lighter.
  
  F. Fashion/Wardrobe Stylist - Part of my minimalist mission...help me hone in on my "style" and reduce what's in my closet so it's functional and minimal.
  
  G. List Items for Sale - Continuing with the minimalist theme... I have items in great condition that I'd like to pass on to others that can use them, but haven't had time to list them online. That's were you come in ;-)
  
  H. Dairy Farming - Do you know anything about raw dairy farming, beginning a cow share program, biodynamics, silvopasture, agroforestry, holistic land management, regenerative agriculture, creating fly barrels, wind power, or anything else related to sustainable farming? If you have an idea as to how to make our dairy farm more sustainable, non-toxic, organic, etc....we'd love to hear.
  
  I. Carpentry - Help bring our vintage furniture back to life (sanding, oiling, etc.).
  
  J. Skin & Body Care - Interested in all holistic services in this area (i.e. Facial and/or body massage; lymphatic drainage; face yoga; facial reflexology; guasha; acupressure; etc.)
  
  K. Chickens - Our chickens are free roaming right now, but we need to put a system in place so they regenerate the land. If you know about chickens, let's talk about our concept and anything you'd like to share!
  
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  SECONDARY PROJECTS (in case you are traveling with someone who does not have skills to execute any of the primary projects above)
  
  1. Fitness - Train me in either of these 2 physical activities: calisthenics or primal/natural movement.
  
  2. Raw Milk Products - If you know how to make products from raw milk (i.e. butter, ghee, buttermilk, curd, yogurt, etc.), come share your knowledge with us!
  
  3. Teacher of European Portuguese - I was raised speaking Portuguese, but never learned the written rules and need to expand my abilities when it comes to speaking and writing in a formal or business setting.
  
  4. Bike Repair - We have 2 bikes that were stored for years and need some attention as our humid climate has rusted up some parts.
  
  5. Sewing - Mend/hem/alter some of our items and/or teach me sewing basics. I have a sewing machine.
  
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  We ask volunteers to commit 5 days a week/5 hours per day. In return, we can offer you a private bedroom and 3 meals a day/ 5 days a week (we do not provide food on your days off and you are responsible to buy your own snacks and alcoholic drinks). The meals can be anything from soup with bread and artisanal cheese to a hearty Azorean dish with all the raw milk your heart could desire.
  
  We may or may not be able to pick volunteers up from the airport. The options are taxi (~50€), bus (best not to come too late or on a Sunday if you choose this option), car rental (3€ - 70€ p/day depending on the time of year) or hitchhiking (best if you're traveling light). It is about a 35 minute drive from the airport to our home.

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  Langues parlées

  Anglais: Courant
  Portugais: Courant
  Espagnol: Intermédiaire

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  Hébergement

  Our volunteers can stay in their own bedroom in our house which has a double bed. Our home has one bathroom that we will share. Please note that the Azores are very humid islands, so if you are highly sensitive to mold you might find it a challenging place to visit; most people are not highly sensitive, but it's something to consider.

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  Autres infos...

  You can soak some rays or stargaze on our rooftop, explore the nearby Poço Azul, or climb to the highest point on the island (Pico da Vara). There's also two restaurants and one café walking distance from our house where you can mingle with locals and have a drink.
  
  If you want to immerse yourself in peace and be removed from the confusion of city life, our home is suitable for you. We live like most people here on the island, meaning our home and lifestyle is simple, minimalistic and uncomplicated.
  
  Here, you'll likely see cows walking the streets, listen to birds sing from an open window, and watch as time moves slowly. We have 4 indoor/outdoor cats, 2 mostly outdoor dogs (we foster pets at times, so these numbers can fluctuate), and free-range chickens at our home. We own a dairy farm with grass-fed/pasture-raised cows about 3 minutes away from our house. We'd be happy to show you our farm and give you a taste of our healthy raw milk.
  
  The city of Ponta Delgada is about a 35 minute drive away and the city of Ribeira Grande is approx. 25 minutes away.
  
  The access road to hot springs (Caldeira Velha), a hike down to a gorgeous lake (Lagoa do Fogo) and one of the highest view points on the island (Pico da Barrosa - 947 meters / 3106 feet) is about a 30 minute drive from our home (then you have to drive up to each of the locations).
  
  The two tea plantations (Cha Porto Formoso and Cha Gorreana) are a short 15 minute drive away and are worth a visit to try the local organic teas and learn how tea is grown and harvested using methods that have changed very little in the past 130 years. In the beginning of May each year Cha Porto Formoso celebrates the beginning of harvest season. The highest point of the celebration is a re-enactment of a 19th century tea harvest in which dozens of people in regional costumes take part.
  
  Other things to do for fun: scuba dive, visit the fumarols, various hot spring pools, many breathtaking lakes and hikes/trails, whale watching, swim with dolphins in the ocean, visit one of the other islands, cultural festivals, eat a traditional dish cooked beneath ground, surf, free dive and the list goes on...
  
  GUEST ACCESS:
  - FREE Wireless internet
  - We do not own a microwave.
  
  The bus stop is about a 5 minute walk away and we've had many of our guests get around hitchhiking as it's commonplace here. But, the easiest way is with a vehicle.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  We have 5G and you can work on the kitchen table or living room couch.

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  You can park in the nearby open air village park. From there you walk for 2 minutes to our house.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Deux

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