Learn gardening and meditation while exploring Mae Sap, near Chiang Mai, Thailand

Details

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  Description

  For over 20 years, we have been sharing our culture and knowledge with volunteers around the world.
  We are a small Thai family, living among the mountains in a house with a large garden.
  
  Our main activity is taking care of our land, where we grow food for ourselves using permaculture methods, without pesticides or chemical fertilisers. We garden with basic traditional tools. Our life here is quiet and unhurried, in harmony with nature. But the silence is often broken by the sounds of Mr. Yiam’s guitar🤘
  
  We are happy to share our knowledge and experience in different areas.
  
  Jim is the son of the local village medicine man. He left his hometown to study Buddhist Philosophy, and graduated with a Masters degree. He lived as a Buddhist monk for 16 years, until he was promoted to Abbot of several wats (temples).
  
  For those who would like to deepen their meditation practice and learn more about Buddhism, Mr. Yiam, certified Damma teacher, who lived as a Buddhist monk for 16 years, until he was promoted to Abbot of several wats, is always happy to share his knowledge, introduce different meditation techniques and teach the path of the Buddha.
  He is also an experienced guitarist and former guitar teacher, so those who wish to learn to play are welcome to ask him for lessons.
  
  Mrs. Ti is an experienced gardener and wonderful cooker with a huge collection of traditional recipes from Northern and Southern Thailand, as well as old Lanna recipes. She is always happy to share them with anyone interested in Thai and Lanna cuisine. Some volunteers learned how to cook from us and later opened restaurants in their hometowns💔
  
  And for those interested in organic farming, sustainable living and permaculture, even wanted to start their own sustainable agriculture projectc we are both happy to share our experience and show how we put these principles into practice on our farm.
  
  We are also happy to share Thai and Lanna language, Lanna culture, basic construction with bamboo and natural materials.
  
  In return, we ask volunteers to help us on the territory for three hours a day, five days a week, with two days off. Most of the work is in the garden: planting vegetables, sowing seeds, watering, composting, weeding, preparing garden beds.
  We also appreciate help with preparing meals for everyone in the house, both volunteers and hosts.
  
  We have five bamboo huts and provide each volunteer with private accommodation and three home-cooked meals a day, using ingredients from our garden and the local village.
  We have spacious kitchen, two bathroom with a shower and toilet, and meditation/music room.
  
  We welcome volunteers who are genuinely interested in learning, exchanging and taking part fully, and who plan to stay and be part of our family life here.
  
  We hope that our place can be a good exchange of help and experience for everyone involved. We also want our project to support the local village, as we are happy to hire and pay local people for their work to improve the facilities and living conditions for next volunteers.
  
  Join us! This crould be a life-changing experience 💚

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Light gardening

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Sustainability

  

  Farming

  

  Music

  

  History

  

  Cooking & food
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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

  For those who would like to deepen their meditation practice and learn more about Buddhism, Mr. Yiam, certified Damma teacher, who lived as a Buddhist monk for 16 years, until he was promoted to Abbot of several wats, is always happy to share his knowledge, introduce different meditation techniques and teach the path of the Buddha.
  He is also an experienced guitarist and former guitar teacher, so those who wish to learn to play are welcome to ask him for lessons.
  
  Mrs. Ti is an experienced gardener and wonderful cooker with a huge collection of traditional recipes from Northern and Southern Thailand, as well as old Lanna recipes. She is always happy to share them with anyone interested in Thai and Lanna cuisine. Some volunteers learned how to cook from us and later opened restaurants in their hometowns💔
  
  And for those interested in organic farming, sustainable living and permaculture, even wanted to start their own sustainable agriculture projectc we are both happy to share our experience and show how we put these principles into practice on our farm.
  
  We are also happy to share Thai and Lanna language, Lanna culture, basic construction with bamboo and natural materials.

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  Help

  We ask volunteers to help us on the territory for three hours a day, five days a week, with two days off. Most of the help needed in the garden: planting vegetables, sowing seeds, watering, composting, weeding, preparing garden beds.
  We also appreciate help with preparing meals for everyone in the house, both volunteers and hosts.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  Thai: Fluent
  English: Intermediate
  Latin: Intermediate
  Pāli: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  You can learn the basics of the Thai and Lanna languages.
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  Accommodation

  We have five bamboo huts and provide each volunteer with private accommodation.
  We have spacious kitchen, two bathroom with a shower and toilet, and meditation/music room.
  
  Meals are not included in the accommodation, as we are a small family-run project and cannot cover the food expenses for all our volunteers.
  
  However, we would be very happy to share our home cooking with you! For a 9$ per day, you can enjoy three home-cooked meals a day, prepared with fresh ingredients from our garden and the local village.
  
  You are also welcome to prepare your own meals if you prefer.

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  What else ...

  Rules:
   
  - No alcohol and drugs
  - No sexual interaction except for couples.
  - Don’t steal
  - Don’t lie, speak the truth in useful words, don’t take other away from the present moment.
  - Never step over food, plates and people—move around them
  - Put garbage in the appropriate bag not in nature or under the huts.
  - Wake-up early—individual practice is done before 7:00 am.
  - Don’t go to your brother or sister’s house in the night.
  - We don’t speak too much. We have 2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 nostrils, 2 hands, but only 1 mouth. We should use these tools to mimic the proportion of our body.)

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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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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  

  Butter

  Good hunter

  

  Sergeant

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