Learn about mosaic art and help out at our guest house in Jaibalito, Guatemala

Informationen

• 

  Beschreibung

  I have a property in Jaibalito; a tiny village at the north shore of the Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. There are 6 guest rooms, bookable online. The house and rooms are at a high standard for Guatemala. You'll find mosaics around the property that were made by me and by Alejandro, my caretaker. I am a tidy person with an eye for color and design and the house is maintained impeccably. Not everyone will fit in at my house and that's OK. We can talk and find out what realistic expectations are from both sides. I have a house manual for guests that I can email once we reach an agreement and I'd need you to adhere to the same rules as other guests.

• 

  Arten von Hilfe und Lernmöglichkeiten

  Kunstprojekte

  Heimwerker- und Bauarbeiten
• 

  Interessengebiete

  

  Farmarbeit

  

  Events & Sozialleben

  

  Nachhaltigkeit

  

  Kultur

  

  Karitative Arbeiten

  

  Bücher

  

  Heimwerken & DIY

  

  Gärtnern

  

  Architektur

  

  Fotografie

  

  Sprachen

  

  Gartenarbeiten

  

  Zeichnen & Malen

  

  Wassersport

  

  Outdoor-Aktivitäten

  

  Natur

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Kunst & Design
• 

  Kultureller Austausch und Lernmöglichkeiten

  You will be at the house with the caretaker and possible guests. The caretaker is a very kind, humble Kaqchikel man who speaks Spanish fluently. He is at home in his culture and will share what he is comfortable with. While staying at my house, you have access to anything that can be harvested from the vegetable and herb garden. Eighty percent of the plants in the garden are edible or medicinal. If anyone can offer suggestions to make the garden more productive, that would be awesome, but not at all required.

• 

  Arbeit

  We have a mosaic on the balcony edge (see photos) that needs to be completed. My caretaker will train you and we will continue to evaluate the progress (via WhatsApp messages and videos for me) to help you learn and improve. We have both taught mosaic techniques for years. The work so far on the balcony edge was done by students of our mosaic classes. Unfortunatley we are no longer offering the classes and this balcony edge has remained unfinished. You will be able to sit in front of the mosaic and even though the work is outside, it is under cover.
  I do not offer meals, only accommodations. However, the standard of my accommodations is much higher than any other Workaways I have seen on the lake. The room is very comfortable with feather comforter and pillows, cotton bedding, a great shower and a stylish and very clean environment. Theoretically, the work can be done anytime, but realistically it's best to work before or after the rain (early morning to mid-afternoon or evenings). Since cutting (nipping) tiles may be taxing on your hands, we recommend not working more than 3 hours per day.
  Making mosaics requires strong hands and a understanding of negative and positive spaces in a composition. Basically, you'll need a pretty good insight into 2-dimensional shapes, while working with a 3-dimensional material and the vision of what its will look like once it's grouted. Not to worry, there are several parts finished that serve as an example. When working on the background (green around the squares with flower shapes) you need to work mainly with triangular pieces, laying them to have straight lines at the balcony's edge and for the square space you're leaving open for the design. But inside those borders, the idea is to avoid making lines or shapes that would show up once the mosaic is grouted. Inside the squares, you would do precision cuts to lay flower petals and create leaf shapes that do need to stand out after grouting. Alejandro teaches in Spanish, I teach in English. We are counting on having to train you for about two days, but then we do expect you to work with minimal supervision.
  If for any reason it is not possible to work on the mosaics, we can find you other tasks to improve and maintain the house: possibly cleaning, gardening, trimming plants, sanding or painting (to name a few). All require you to be active and handy.

• 

  Sprachen

  Gesprochene Sprachen
  Spanisch: Fließend

  Dieser Gastgeber bietet Sprachaustausch an
  My caretaker speaks Spanish and Kaqchikel and he's very patient when talking to guests and workawayers.
• 

  Unterkunft

  You will stay in the upstairs small bedroom room (two single beds) and you will have access to the shared guest kitchen and upstairs bathroom. All spaces need to be kept in excellent condition at all times, since the house is for sale and out of respect for the host and other guests. We recycle and compost to keep trash to a minimum. We have designated spaces in the fridge and shelves for our guests and we ask to keep personal items out of bathrooms and common spaces, when you're not actively using them. We do have a co-working space, designated for online work, but we also observe quiet hours in the garden and common spaces. I will send you a house manual, which every guest gets. It explains about the house, composting, recycling an so on, but also includes many things to do around the lake: where to find groceries, boat hours, what to visit. I apologize, but I cannot accommodate, children or pets.

• 

  Was noch ...

  Jaibalito is located at Lake Atitlan and the only access to the village is by boat from the surrounding villages. We are 4-6 hours away from Guatemala City and 3-4 hours from Antigua. Hiking trails are going out of the village in two directions. There is a Posada (Inn) where locals and visitors meet for drinks or a meal. The posada and the Mercado Jaibalito sell local coffee, granola, honey, kombucha, beer, and cider in season, as well as produce, groceries, and dairy (anything but meat). You can visit the whole lake from Jaibalito by lancha (boat). I don't mind when people smoke outside, as long as it does not bother other guests, but I am not 420 (or any drug) friendly, and alcohol needs to be limited . You would need to maintain your space at all times as stated above. You will need to assume responsibility for the safety of the property. As a general rule, you cannot drink at the local cantina and become a target for burglars while carrying the keys to my house. Unfortunately I have to insist that no one but you enter the property, so that means NO visitors of any kind.

• 

  Etwas mehr Information

  • 

    Internet Zugang

  • 

    Eingeschränkter Internet Zugang

  • 

    Wir besitzen Tiere

  • 

    Wir sind Raucher

  • 

    Familien möglich

• 

  Kann Digital Nomads unterbringen

  Digital nomads are welcome. We upgraded to Starlink in 2024.

• 

  Kapazität - wie viele Workawayer maximal

  zwei

• 

  Meine Tiere/Haustiere

Website-Sicherheit