Join our chill, bilingual, friendly home in Andalusia, Spain

Details

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  Description

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  Dates: From the week of 9th March till early June. Mid-September till mid-December.
  
  Please message us for exact dates, as availability varies and some weeks may not work
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  Hola hello!
  
  I’m Julia, English Irish and living in Spain for around 8 years. I work part-time online as an English/Spanish teacher and also volunteer locally with animal charities, and I co-host a monthly online meetup with Action for Happiness. If we're hosting a meetup or I'm involved in anything for the charity during your stay with us, you're more than welcome to join and take part. They do a dog walk on a Monday morning, which I can't help at as I have other commitments, but you're welcome to join the other volunteers there.
  
  My husband Miguel Leandro is Spanish, from a small town in Málaga province, and works as a primary school teacher specialising in English.
  
  We also live with Liath, our calm and affectionate galgo, who we adopted in 2024.
  
  We are a chill quite household, during the week Miguel Leandro works. I have less work and so supplement my time volunteering, but also enjoy the slow Spanish life of having coffee in a local bar once a week, often chatting with locals for hours. I walk Liath once a day, which can be quite social as we often bump into neighbours or other dog owners for a chat. Sometimes I'll take the car out for local walks (and would love your company).
  
  On the weekend, we do a variety of things from joining local cultural events, music events, visiting art galleries, attending local community gatherings, plans with friends, hosting dinner/food parties (Miguel Leandro is an excellent cook), visiting local towns, walking, going to a local city... Sundays we mainly reserve for relaxing at home to read, listen to music,watching films (Miguel Leandro is a film buff), do puzzles, relax in the patio and just generally recharge our batteries for the next week.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  DIY and building projects

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Politics / Social justice

  

  LGBTQ

  

  Events & social

  

  Vegetarian or vegan

  

  Sustainability

  

  Pets

  

  Culture

  

  Self development

  

  Movies & TV

  

  Charity work

  

  Music

  

  Books

  

  Art & design

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Languages

  

  Photography

  

  Writing

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Animals

  

  Nature

  

  Hiking

  

  Beach

  

  Camping
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  I love sharing what I know about where I live, what I've learned about the culture and language of Andalucía.
  
  We live in what is referred to as “el mar de olivos” (the sea of olive trees) as the town is surrounded by olive trees. The region has some of the best olive oil in the world alongside goat and sheep cheese, quince, and wines such as fino, among other Spanish products.
  
  It is a very Spanish town with lots of culture. We've been living in this town since 2019, so we've got lots of recommendations and knowledge to share.
  
  We’re based in a big town (some call it a city), which is excellent to see Andalucían Spanish culture and practice your Spanish. It's big enough to have bars and cafés, shops, a variety of restaurants, museums, art galleries, a small castle, lots of churches, a bodega, even a couple of nightclubs and the Via Verde - an old railway line now excellent for walking or cycling.
  
  Our neighbourhood is quiet and residential, right beside the countryside. I go walking near our house, or take the car out, every day with Liath. You're more than welcome to join!
  
  Miguel Leandro is Spanish, and I'm English Irish, so we're three cultures between us. We've both lived abroad - I've lived in 5 countries in total, and Miguel Leandro has lived in 3. We both love travelling and try to have various trips throughout the year.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  We bought our house over 3 years ago, and when we bought it, it'd been sitting empty for a while and needed some TLC, then since the epic rains this year, there is damage we need to fix. We've been slowly chipping away at the jobs, but I'd love some company and another mind to help me get things done. I'm ADHD, and well, I can sometimes struggle to get started or finish projects, and I'd so appreciate your support!
  
  When I was travelling in Australia, I did various workaway-type exchanges and loved it! I always said I wanted to pay the kindness I received back once I had my own place. I love meeting new people, hearing stories, chatting, sharing my knowledge or travel experience, talking about everything and nothing... Or even just putting on some music and dancing our way through the jobs, whatever works best for you.
  
  Length of stay: 1 week, possibly 2 weeks, depending on skills, availability, interests, and how we get on
  
  Hours: 4 hours per day, Monday–Friday
  
  Preferred helpers: 'Big sister' volunteers or a couple
  
  We're a Spanish-English speaking household, so depending on what language you'd like to speak or practice, we can provide a language exchange. We're both English as a foreign language teachers if English is something you want to improve!
  
  Types of help (not all required but welcome)
  - Painting (walls, railings, small furniture)
  - Basic home projects (fixing tiles, fixing shutters, putting up poles, screwing into walls/tiles)
  - Cleaning & preparation (deep cleaning before painting, de-moulding after recent heavy rain)
  - Fixing cracks and wall damage
  - Measuring, organising, and finishing half-done jobs
  - Practical problem-solving and decision support
  - Workawayers can work independently or alongside me, depending on schedules and the task.
  - If you work online, this setup can fit around your work hours. Some tasks can be done independently if I’m not available.
  
  Skills (not all required but welcome)
  - DIY / home maintenance
  - Painting & surface preparation
  - Basic tiling or re-grouting
  - Fixing shutters

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  We're both English as a second language teachers. Hablamos Español también!
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  Accommodation

  A double room with a desk and a mini balcony in a house with a big patio. Bathroom shared with us (a couple). Excellent WiFi.
  
  - Private double room with desk and a mini balcony
  - Excellent WiFi
  - Food provided Monday–Friday (mainly vegan, sometimes fish or meat. We eat Spanish hours (lunch 2-4 and dinner 8.30-10).
  - Calm, respectful, no-pressure environment
  - If we do something fun locally, you’re very welcome to join us — and when we're free, we’re happy to show you around and share local life! I love having vistors and showing them things I think they'd enjoy to do - so let me know what interests you so I can think of ideas before you come.
  
  We will provide all meals Monday - Friday. Our meal times are Spanish times.
  
  Breakfast: Toast or cereals whenever you like
  Lunch: Around 2-4 pm, depending on when Miguel Leandro finishes work. It's our main meal of the day, and we eat mainly vegetarian (occasionally meat or fish). It's made by Miguel Leandro, who's an excellent cook who enjoys making dishes from around the world (he'll love to hear your recipe recommendations!)
  Merienda: around 6-7 pm. Depending on the day, we'll have a snack of cereals, fruit or toast.
  Dinner: Approximately 8.30-10 pm, depending on our schedules and the heat. Smaller, simple food such as sandwiches.
  
  We have fruit bowls you can help yourself to, often with local seasonal produce.
  
  Weekends you're free, and so food isn't provided, so you can enjoy the excellent food of Andalucía.

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  What else ...

  Getting around:
  There is public transport, especially to cities, and ride-share websites
  A car is helpful for exploring small towns and nature, but not essential
  There are buses especially to cities, and ride-share options are commonly used
  
  LGBTQ+ friendly household

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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 excellent Wi-Fi coverage. The room you'll be staying in is located right above the router, so it has a strong signal. There's a desk in your room ideal for working from. I also work a little online, so I can confirm the internet is fast and steady enough for video calls. We're also in a quiet neighbourhood, so it's a calm working environment.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  At the end of our road are two public car parks where campervans and caravans often park. In the area, there are beautiful free campervan parking spots. If you wanted to explore on the weekend, I can show you where they are on the map.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

  

  Liath

  Meet Liath, an adopted galgo who's been with us since 2024. Galgos are a hunting breed in Spain, used mainly for the hunt of hares or rabbits. Our lady is now retired from cazando (hunting) to casando (housing).
  
  She needs her beauty sleep and snoozes between 18-20 hours a day, either in her rincon (corner) of the sofa or in her bed in the office. She does enjoy her walks every day, well, so long as the weather is good, as she's not a fan of the rain.
  
  Unlike many of her breed, she's very sociable and loves both humans (big and small) and dogs. She knows everyone, furry or not, in our neighbourhood.
  
  As a social butterfly, she's befriended the fishmonger who gives her belly rubs, the bakers in the bread shop across the road who give her bread (she leaps around with joy as it's her favourite) and the hairdresser who was her first friend after coming to us.
  
  The only beings she doesn't get on with are cats and rabbits; her instinct gets the better of her, and when a fluffy thing runs, she can't help but chase them. If a cat is used to dogs, she can be okay with them, though by her face, I can see she's a bit confused. At the dog minder's, she has a cat friend called Manolo!
  
  Overall, she's a very chill and affectionate doggie, she loves meeting new people and getting hugs, rubs or any type of attention. But as is common with rescues and her breed, she suffers from separation anxiety. She's come a long way and can now be left for a few hours on a morning, however, we still have work to do.
  
  Warning, no food is safe around that long snoot and gangly legs! She can reach all the surfaces and wiggle her nose into a variety of bags. That very same lapiznariz (penil nose) can be used as a clamp to disarm you when you've got food in your hand or on your plate, giving her just enough time to figure out if she'll take a bite. She's stealthy like a ninja, mastering the art of silent tiptoing to get into a room without you noticing to nibble on whatever food has been left vunerable. My brujita (little witch) has a magical ability to locate and steal food!

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