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Description
Hi! We are Daniel and Amy, a Swiss / American team who have collectively been living in Mexico for a really long time. For years we have worked in the silver jewelry business in Taxco Guerrero- both in design and production. Our work has brought us all over the world, which we have loved, but these days we are thinking more and more about projects we can do close to home here in Mexico. We want to start sharing all we know about jewelry, mexico and creative employment with people through experiences and retreats in a few of our favorite spots around Mexico. Recently we bought a piece of jungle-y hillside just minutes from Zipolite beach in Oaxaca, one of our favorite spots. Our idea is to build a seasonal camp here on the coast which we will eventually turn into a creative arts destination. Think semi permanent coastal living meets natural building meets making art.
For the moment we are still in the building phase so are looking for people who are excited to learn about building using natural materials and sustainable techniques. Daniel is leading the build and has a lot of innovative ideas, you can learn a lot from doing tasks with him- rammed earth technique, building a thatched palm roof, building furniture with palettes, building with bamboo, making a living roof. We can hire local guys for the heavy lifting of course, but most people here build with concrete and metal, we are trying to do things the natural way and looking to involve others who are interested in learning this kind of stuff and promoting the permaculture way.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
General Maintenance
Interests
Culture
Self development
Fashion or beauty
Events & social
Sustainability
Pets
Music
Plant care
DIY & crafts
Art & design
Cooking & food
Gardening
Languages
Photography
Carpentry
Animals
Camping
Yoga / Wellness
Nature
Mountain
Dancing
Beach
Hiking
Cycling
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
There is much to learn and exchange! From sustainable building techniques and permaculture land management, to yoga & meditation, to jewelry making and small business, to all things Mexico- between Dany & Amy we know a lot and are happy to share what we know!
Zipolite is Mexico's only official clothing optional beach. It is also very gay friendly. You do not need to take your clothes off (many do not) nor do you need to be gay (many aren't) but you do need to know these things before you come. Its an alternative place for sure with everything from beach life to night life to wellness to traditional healing. Very alternative, very fun. The whole coast down here has a lot to offer and explore- Puerto Escondido is a little more than an hour away which is famous for its surfing, Mazunte is about 15 min up the coast has a lot of yoga and wellness activities and a pretty good night life (straighter than Zipolite). San Agostinillo (10 min up the coast) has a great beach for swimming and another for surfing, as well as some fantastic beach front spots for a drink or a meal. There are many other beaches within an hour for exploring, each with its distinct character.
Help
We're looking for strong people prepared to build in a rustic environment. No experience required but a willingness to be part of a team learning about ecological building techniques using materials from the region. We have lots of projects on the land, depending on the interest of the workawayer we can decide what to do on together.
Languages
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Portuguese: Intermediate
French: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
Dany, the Swiss, speaks all the languages. Amy, the American, speaks English, Spanish, and is trying to learn French. We are more than happy to help anyone with their Spanish ! Amy would love to practice her French too.
Accommodation
This is definitely a glamping experience, but a comfortable one! At the top of the hill we have a small circus tent with two beds in it. Two people can easily fit in there, which I think is the maximum amount of workawayers we could host. There is private, outdoor shower and a composting toilet. The kitchen is of course available for you to use, it is currently being built out, at the moment is a highly functional camp kitchen. We have a small refrigerator and filtered water. As for food- we can offer a light breakfast (think fruit, granola, bread and honey) and a hearty lunch, probably heavy on beans, rice and fresh fish. We are not vegans, we dont really drink much, and we dont smoke. For dinner there are heaps of restaurants in town, quite a few less than 10 min walking from the land, and of course you can always prepare your own food on the land.
What else ...
The weather here is very hot, and for this reason we like to do tasks early in the mornings usually, so you would have most of the day and afternoon free. We will only ask for you to do tasks 4 days a week so you'll have three days to do small trips up to the mountains to cool off, or up to Puerto to take a surf class!
Public transportation is available for getting to most of these spots.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can possibly accept pets
We have two rather lovely, social dogs. So as long as your dog(s) are pretty much the same, we say welcome! Maybe not super huge dogs like Rottweilers ? We have one small (Lady) and one midsize (Coco), and yes, we are super in to them.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
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