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24 Nov 2024
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Hello everyone! 🏡
My name is Pablo, a yoga teacher from Spain. Not long ago I bought a beautiful house in the mountains of Asturias and I'm in the process of making it a small retreat/rural tourism center, as well as a permaculture and animal shelter project.
In the country side there is always stuff to do: mostly land management, gardening, taking care of the animals, rearranging structures, cleaning, pruning, and a long etc. Depending on the time of the year and the number of volunteers available the jobs keep changing, so unless there is a big project in the horizon it´s impossible of me to predict what we will be doing.
During cold months we will be staying inside a nice, confortable house, the main house, during the spring and summer we ll be outside, camping (until I can build a cabin for the volunteers).
I guess the most important thing is that this is true country life, which means that there a few important things to mention:
- 💡Energy efficiency: Do not expect a 30 degree home in the middle of winter, nor a 18 degrees one in summer. This is unsustainable. In winter, the temperature drops, and the house is usually warmed with a wooden stove, which takes time and does not warm the whole house. Winter is a time to be inside, to enjoy the cold, the quietness and introspection. There are 3 days a week of hot showers, out of respect for the environment. Most of the work is done outside and the weather is often humid and cold, but not too crazy, so it s good to be mindful of that. As for summer we will also be working outside, so bring a hat and sunglasses.
-🥬 The food: I provide healthy, normally local vegetarian meals. I do not provide sugary, highly processed and carnivore meals. You can get them for yourself or share them with other volunteers, up to you.
- 🛠️ The work: The help is very often quite physical. This means you´ll be using your body digging, pulling roots, moving materials, weeding, installing structures, etc etc etc Keep it mind, specially if you have never done something similar. Commit to your decision, be realistic with yourself and your expectations. This kind of help is also super rewarding, so it s also a good idea to embrace the challenge and enjoy stepping outside our confort zones.
- 🏔️ It´s quiet and peaceful: This is not a place to party or use drugs. There is a place and time for that in life, of course, but the general feeling is that this is a place to chill. Meaning we usually don´t play loud music, we don´t drink alcohol or make crazy parties. We do talk a lot, philosophise, laugh, play instruments, cook nice meals, do yoga, swim in the lake and a long healthy etc. :-)
- 🥰 The attitude: I would take a single volunteer with poor skills but amazing attitude over a thousand amazing helpers with a bad personality. It really does not matter how good you work if you are a difficult person to be around. We are here to have a good time, and working hard does not allow anyone to do whatever they want once the job it s done. This is not a transaction, not a holiday place, this is a COLLABORATION. It means we have to try our best to make it nice for everyone else, to take things easy, to not take things personally, not impose our problems on others. You have the right to suffer, we all do, but not the right to bring the whole energy down. Instead, try to be grateful. Chances are if you can afford to do some volunteering you have an amazing life.
- ✅ The rules: This is not a community. It is by definition an unbalanced power relationship. This means, it is my project, I have the last saying on everything, and ultimately make all the decisions. This does not mean I don´t listen or let volunteers do things their own way. This just means this is not a democracy and I keep the right to do things my way. If you want to have a saying on a project, experience what it is to decide important things, try moving to a community. This is not that kind of place.
This said, obviously, I make a BIG EFFORT to bring this balance to a more fair level. Volunteers can and will do things their own way, previous consultation with me. I was a volunteer for a few years, I know what it is to participate in projects with hosts all the way from super nice to almost absolute dictators, so I am super mindful of the feeling of impotence that can arise as a volunteer working on someone else´s project. The key is communication. Be honest, talk, share, be respectful and empathic.
- 📱Communication pre-arrival: The digitalization of our lives has completely transformed the way we communicate and relate to each other. Most of our communication now is thru screens, via texts and private messages, and this seems to have slowly worsen our sense of respect and responsibility for the things we say/text/post. The problem is that there are consequences to this. On the other side of each of our screens there is usually a person, with his or her own timetable/ worries/ responsibilities etc. Respect this. Send messages you are sure you will be able to answer. Make requests you are serious and genuinely interested in. Answer back in a logical time frame, even if it is to decline a previous request. I try to direct all my communications to whatsapp to facilitate things for me.
As a host, it is already quite hard to organize having 2 or 3 people over, so as you can imagine the lack of seriousness, lack of respect, the last minute change in plans, last minute cancellations and the sudden dissapearing just makes everything much more difficult and degrades this wonderful experience and community.
DO NOT GHOST, DO NOT LIE, COMMUNICATE OFTEN, COMMUNICATE IN TIME.
I follow these rules and try to always do so.
Please do the same.
Thank youTypes of help and learning opportunities
Language practiceHelp with Eco ProjectsGardeningDIY and building projectsAnimal CareFarmstay helpCreating/ Cooking family mealsHelp around the houseGeneral MaintenanceCultural exchange and learning opportunities
This is the typical farmstead project in the mountains of Asturias. There is always stuff to do and you can easily meet the locals, as well as experience first hand what living in a very isolated area feels like (there are 3 neighbours).
Help
Maintenance is the big thing in the country side. Moving materials around, cleaning land, arranging the spaces, managing animals, things breaking down, and a long etc. Workawayers with experience in construction, animals and gardening are specially welcome!
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
French: Fluent
Italian: Intermediate
Japanese: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
It´s always good to practice the languages we know!Accommodation
Depending on the number of volunteers and time of the year you ll get a room or share another confortable room with other helpers. In summer time we will be camping outside. Breakfast and lunch are done together, dinning together is optional, but recommended!
What else ...
Unless you have your own method of transportation, this is a quite isolated area. The nearest "big" village is 30 min away (Boal), but there is plenty of things to do around the area, such as hiking trips, swimming in the cold lake, and the house has some space for yoga or some fitness practice. To arrive to my place we should find a way that suits us both, so that I don’t drive in and out of the mountain everyday, since that is very non efficient and too expensive.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
I have no internet access for the moment. However phone connection is good (4G) and can be used to do videocalls, mails , tv etc
Space for parking camper vans
There a few spots you can park your van around the house and inside the property.
Can possibly accept pets
I have a puppy, Marlon, which is adorable.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, help might be needed for small things on the weekends.
Feedback (37)
Take care man!
Communication was good and uncomplicated, it was just working out great..
His place is really nice, and the Work is fun too, Pablo is good at explaining what he wants from you and also is really understanding.. I was sick for days and he… read more
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Accuracy of profile:
(4.9)
Cultural exchange:
(4.8)
Communication:
(4.9)
Take care man!
Communication was good and uncomplicated, it was just working out great..
His place is really nice, and the Work is fun too, Pablo is good at explaining what he wants from you and also is really understanding.. I was sick for days and he… read more
first of all, the house and surrounding are beautiful and perfect to get some peacefull time in the mountains.
We worked mostly on building a terrace near the lake , which was fascinating, physically a bit challenging, but super satisfying! we also worked in the garden weeding and taking care of the… read more
During the time I was there,… read more
Un placer hospedarla, cuídate!
Take care!
Pablo is an amazing host and an incredible person with lots of things to share. I can only recommend.
Thank you for everything Pablo, I wish you all the best and can’t wait to see your project evolve !!
All in all a mature young men with keen interest in the world and the people around him. A… read more
The work is various and mostly physical, but it's super ok, don't worry.
Pablo is open to everyone and to everything, he's always open to share… read more
La rutina diaria se adapta cada día al trabajo, al clima y a cada uno de los que estábamos alli, haciéndose cada uno responsable de su trabajo y sus tareas.… read more
He took good care of us and treated us fairly, it felt like home.
Absolutely would recommend to come and meet this wonderful project. It really feels good putting work into it!
Thank you so much for everything Pablo!
First of all they are just so sweet, humble and calm, it felt like we were cousins or siblings almost from the start.
Marie: I don't think I ve ever seen her without a big smile on her face, literally. She is sweet, super smart and has such a calming and nurturing energy that it feels like you… read more
Pablo is a very kind, ridiculously funny and super intelligent man who loves to share… read more
Take care man! We have a wrestling session pending. 🤗
Take care !!
Desde el primer momento, Pablo nos hizo sentir como en casa. Él es hospitalario, cercano, honesto y muy divertido. Cada día manteníamos conversaciones muy interesantes con él, sobre espiritualidad, bienestar, crecimiento personal y muchas otras… read more
We stayed here in… read more
me.
Pablo was incredible concise and communicative throughout the whole process. During our stay Pablo was like a mentor, a best friend, and a protective mama bear. It is in a fairly remote location but it is hard to feel as though… read more
It was our first Workaway experience and we could not have asked for better.
The work was purely physical but not strenuous thanks to Pablo's spirit. We built the garden fence to defend it from unwanted animals and made new terraces to expand… read more
Maybe I should start by saying that they came for a few weeks but they ended up staying for more than 2 months. They are the volunteers that have stayed with me the longest and what a gift that was.
Let’s beging by saying this: They work hard. Very hard. They work even when it’s not time to work, they… read more
He adapted pretty well to the changes in work and plans, and he was always talkative and honest.
Hope to see you around in the future!… read more
Pablo is a great dude and is fun to spend time with. We had a lot of great… read more
Ho avuto la possibilità di apprendere davvero moltissime cose sia per quanto riguarda il lavoro di agricoltura e costruzione che quello mentale e introspettivo.
Pablo mi ha dato la possibilità di poter imparare aspetti della vita davvero importanti, sono davvero grata per… read more
When you will first arrive, you will be stunned by the beauty of the landscape, the calm only troubled by the birds singing and the wind blowing softly on the lake.
You will also love Pablo for sure, a kind, attentive, interesting and honest person. We had many great deep… read more
A la prochaine mon ami!
Pablo was kind, respectful and really grateful for everything I helped him with.
I did a lot of clean up in the garden, but I guess in the future it will be more gardening and constructing.
The Area around the house is beautiful and it’s perfect if your looking for a… read more
Es una persona superinteresante, con un montón de conocimientos sobre infinidad de temas. Gracias… read more
It was the perfect… read more