Come and help out around our non-commercial family olive farm near Limassol, Cyprus

Details

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  Description

  Our main aims are to keep our off grid, eco, olive farm (non commercial) and grounds maintained, and restore and renovate old farm buildings, to add to our rental accommodation availability of unique, tranquil, personal holidays at an extremely affordable cost. Promoting our rural location as 'the real/true/traditional Cyprus', and meeting new friends from all round the world, sharing skills, experiences, stories and giving them and others the chance to experience, at a realistic price, to escape the pressures of modern day life, by working, staying or holidaying at our our dream location.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Teaching

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  There are a huge variety of diversity of cultural opportunities here, with Cyprus having one of the oldest historys of the world - so our working hours have been created to give you plenty of free time to discover the island, with our property being located an easy drive to many areas of cultural importance.
  At the Olive Farm Retreat, we are happy to teach you English, Cypriot and Greek languages. Free English novels are available for you to keep, so you can practice reading in English. During our conversations with you we can talk about the traditions, holiday dates and customs of Cyprus and point you in the right direction of what to see why you are here. We can also put you in contact with a nearby horse stable where you can (fee payable) go horse riding/hacking with a guide to see more of this rural area and local goat farm and donkeys - the true traditional Cyprus landscape. You can learn how we pick our olives by hand and the full processing of the olives into our organic olive oil.
  I am Dawn. I teach dance in many subjects, so if there is something you would like to learn - let me know! I have trained professional dancers and am also a choreographer and dance judge and have trained all ages for their professional dance teachers exams. My hobbys are cross stitch, crafts, editing my YouTube videos and filming and photographing the local area and wildlife.
  My husband Mike has rebuilt vintage planes and has built kit cars and is great at engineering and ideas, having built
  and re purposed lots of our garden furniture! He also is making plans to build, from scratch, a traditional Gypsy caravan to add to our accommodation.
  I also will talk about and show you all types of nature (plants, animals, birds, insects etc) that are in Cyprus and explain my different growing methods in Cyprus. We also can teach you setting up off grid/solar power living if that is of interest to you.
  If you are interested in running your own rental in your home, whilst you travel, or to share your home, I can help you with this too. I will show you how I intend to run a community project involving anyone interested from all around the world..... I will also give you plenty of content for your YouTube/social media!

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  Help

  Incredible views of sea and landscape, set in a 6355m2 plot, up the side of a mountain in a tranquil location.
  Olive Farm Retreat, Cyprus is a rural, eco, off grid, personal use produce farm, mostly requiring land work and general seasonal gardening work such as olive picking - 86 trees to hand pick! (for personal use, friends, guests etc only. The olives and all of our crops are non commercial/nor run as a business). Also we require help land clearing, planting of trees and crops, seed collecting, watering, weeding, making raised growing beds, walks for collecting and the chopping of wood, fence maintenance, tree grafting, Hugelkultur, etc.
  We also currently require some specialist help such as making removable sofa covers, (an electric sewing machine is available), repairing and recycling old garden furniture, creating garden furniture and features from pallet wood,
  Also we are especially seeking those able to do building, finishing off our second on site accommodation in a renovated stable: digging a water waste pit and setting up of an eco waste system (knowledge of this is a bonus), tiling, painting etc. Also those can promote our way of life and our GoGetFunding project on social media/YouTube etc would be an additional bonus.
  Let us know the skills you have if not listed, if you feel they would be of use to us or if you just have a good work ethic, with a keen interest in learning skills and about our way of life.
  It is essential that you enter into communication with us prior to booking, so as both parties can be sure of getting the best experience from your time with us.
  Please note that by booking you agree to be filmed and photographed for our YouTube and other related promotions by both ourselves and other guests social media and film projects.
  It is agreed that by booking, if any policies, agreements, hours, or if it is felt that advantage of hospitality verses help hours/jobs completed, or whereby any conflicts of interest of the experience are not forth coming - the owners will be sadly compelled to immediately terminate the stay, with no discussion or compensation given on any account.
  On a positive note - stays can be extended for like minded people, by mutual agreement, for those with valuable skills or keen contributions to our goals.
  Come as strangers - leave as friends.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  Greek: Fluent
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  I can tech or improve your English and can teach you basic Cypriot and Greek too.
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  Accommodation

  It is important to note we do not supply any foods, due to the (3) short helping hours a day, as assigned by Workaway policy. A car/own transport is therefore essential, as you will need to buy food and supplies and no shops/restaurants are in walking distance, and in order to see the island on your weekends off.
  
  Confirming the current situation of your stay:
  One private double bedroom in separate building. (Proper) toilet in outside utility block. Solar shower - in utility block (therefore it may not be hot/warm early in the day or during colder months or bad weather days. Use of fridge or cool box and free drinking water. You will need to buy and cook your own food - cooking for yourselves on double gas rings situated outside your accommodation in the adjoined cookout covered area. Currently there is no heating in the accommodation and any hot water is solar based (not guaranteed in cold/bad weather, nor winter months).
  
  Be sure to acknowledge that there is nothing in walkable distance, so you will need to make your own arrangements for hiring a car, as we are unable to collect you or provide transportation.
  
  The kitchen in our house/all appliances are NOT included in the accommodation option. BarBQues and outside fires ARE NOT permitted as we are in a high risk fire zone, hence why we only ask for guests that are NONSMOKERS nor users of e-cigarettes due to health problems of hosts (not even in the grounds!)
  There is a large butler style deep outside sink situated outside the utility block and a washing line if you wish to wash any items.
  
  (The swimming pool is not included in this accommodation).
  
  You may bring your own tents if you prefer to live in the great outdoors, both of these options will use the separate utility block for toilet, solar shower and washing.
  
  
  If unclear about any of the above, I can clarify any accommodation of your stay dates.

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  What else ...

  Other things to do:
  
  *A dance studio is available to use on site BY ARRANGEMENT (private dance lesson or for your yoga etc.)
  *Horse riding lessons/Hacking and Horse riding can be booked through us at a nearby stable. (Payable activity)
  * Many rural villages, historical sites and quiet beaches nearby.
  *Great hiking in the area, ideal for walkers, digital nomads, photographers, artists, stargazers, mediators, bird watchers, nature lovers or those who want to escape from the hussle and bussle of todays world and re connect with nature.
  * Nearby goat farms and donkey sanctuary, see our abandoned village - now only six residents live here!
  I can take you on walks to see the abandoned stone house in our village.
  * For those who want to meet people embracing all the traditional Cyprus has to offer - culturally and visually. Absorb our panoramic sea views - You'll be glad you came!
  
  On booking, we will send you pictorial directions to our farm. Note the unmade road (currently being asphalted) is not suitable for low cars such as sport cars, but is fine for other normal cars. You will require a car here, as previously noted.
  We supply:
  *all towels and bedding (but please don't take our towels to the beach or use outside).
  *work gloves
  *unlimited drinking water
  *European electric adaptor (please return before you leave!)
  
  You need to bring:
  *good full foot soled shoes or working boots/trousers if using tools/strimmer etc.
  *long sleeved shirt/sun hat/sunscreen
  *your own toiletries and clothes washing powder if required
  * beach towel/sunglasses /sunshade/bug replant/own medication, insurance,medical documents if required.
  *camera/video camera/film/recharger/batteries, own spending money - ESSENTIAL!
  
  Please help us recycle items you used during your stay and before you leave.

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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

  Rural, Eco, Organic, Permaculture, traditional Cypriot olive farm, growing our own veg, olives and fruit. Renovating and building/recycling from items found - including a Nomadas Rest - walls from recycled wine bottles - a project you can help with! Currently building a kitchen and cook out area from pallet wood and other 'finds'! The future includes our own design build of a 'traditional gypsy' caravan for additional accommodation! Be at one away from life's hustle and bustle - staying off-grid and back to nature at Olive Farm Retreat, Cyprus.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  You can use our outbuildings where available. Plenty of parking. Limited persons at any one time - so please state the number of persons in your campervan. Tents can be pitched on our grounds (by previous booking/arrangement via the Workaway site/our page/bookings.)

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Currently - 3 hours per day = 15 hours per week with weekends free.

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