Help with gardening to create our family home while exploring Panama City

Details

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  Description

  Hello friends! Welcome to Casa Byrne. We are an Irish-Panamanian tribe consisting of three kiddos, 2 adultos and 3 doggies. We left the city to pursue our dream of living closure to nature and to grow our own food on the side of the mountain. We are located on the edge of the Panamanian jungle 1 hr east of Panama City, in a lovely area called Cerro Azul.
  
  Despite being so close to the City, once you are here under the trees & stars, you feel a million miles away, its the best of both worlds and we love it! Accessing the city is convenient: a bus service that runs right by the gate and takes you 10mins to the bottom of the hill for $0.75, where you can continue by bus or Metro which will take you all the way into the city for just $0.35.
  
  We are also close to Tocumen International Airport, about 25 mins or so.
  
  There is a nice little swimming spot at the nearest river which can be reached on foot but its about a 30 min walk. From the house, there is a hiking trail up the Cabra Valley, but its a more adventureous trail through the jungle. Further up the hill brings you to the Chagres National Park. There are rivers, hiking trails, MTB Trails, and ATV Rentals.
  
  Our long term plan is to develop a permaculture homestead. Our immediate goals are to complete the cottage renovations and establish permaculture systems. Between us both working day jobs, managing the kids, school, etc it leaves us with limited time to progress these goals, but we love it, so somehow it happens :) and having your help would mean the world to us. We arent the best cooks in the world, but we arent the worst either and we love learning new recipies and preparing meals with friends so we will do our best to have the kitchen well stocked with as much as fresh food as we can. Drop us a note and ask us a question. We look forward to hearing from you.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Our family culture is open and welcoming. We have Irish and Panamanian cultural backgrounds, we have travelled to over 40 countries and we look forward to welcoming you into our homestead, sharing with you and listening to your stories and getting to know you. Our home is a safe and free space.
  
  I look forward to introducing you to our friends and neighbors and showing you around the area. Hopefully you are here when some of the tropical fruit trees are in season (mabolo, mamey, ackee, mangosteen, naranjilla, mandarin).
  
  We feel it is also important to note that we share the land with many wonderful forest spirits, the vast majority being astonishinly beautiful and completely non-threatening, however, a small few of the snake & spider species can be extremely dangerous (Bothrops asper, Coral, . We perform a modest amount of fumigation in the immediate vicinity surrounding the living areas, however, it is good practice to check check inside shoes in the mornings, regularly sweep floors and check under the bed.

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  Help

  We will need help with a bunch of stuff, so depending on what suits you, we have the following to chose from:
  Meal prep
  Gardening
  Planting
  Woodwork
  Fencing
  Painting
  Plastering
  Workshop build
  Chicken coop build.
  
  We are over a year on site now and have managed to re-establish water and electricity, relocate the septic tank system, build an extension, replace the roof, however, we still have lots to complete. What you will ultimately end up helping out with depends on what you are comfortable doing. We are relaxed and fun loving family.We welcome your creativity, positive energy and input and we would love you to leave your mark on the farm. So if any of this sounds like fun, get in touch!

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  We are open to learning a new language! You can practice your English and Spanish with all 5 of us.
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  Accommodation

  You will have your own little on-site cottage. It has a double room, bathroom (no hot water), a basic kitchen, living room. It is basic enough but it is safe and in a quiet/private part of the garden.
  
  We like to prepare home-cooked meals as often as possible. We generally eat twice per day with a late breakfast and then dinner in the early evenings. Breakfast may include coffee, eggs, bread, fruit, oats, patacones, empanadas, tortillas, avocados, eggs. Dinner time may consist of rice, chicken, lentils, arvejas, black beans, vegetables, soup, pasta. We pump our magnificent water from an underground aquafer 120 feet deep. It has rich mineral content and is totally delicious.

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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

  We have PaNetMa's satilite internet. Its the most reliable internet in the country.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have limited space for a campervan, but we could definitely make it happen depending on the size of camper. At the time of writing, the last 50mts to the house is steep and bumpy which may pose a challenge in wet weather. however, I have a nice spot in mind for where it could potentially go, just reach out and let me know what you need and we can work it out.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Sure. We love all animals. We have 3 dogs all rescued from the local area. We do have 1 particular dog who can be problematic with other dogs, and he can be a source of anxiety for other dogs.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours, 5 days a week (2 days off)