Be part of an intentional community project near Gorbeia Natural Park, Spain

Details

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  Description

  This place is a paradise for many eco-minded visitors: a farmhouse, 8 hectares of gentle meadows and a clean river. Behind the house, you'll find natural forests and the mountains of Gorbeia Natural Park. About 3kms away, water sports can be practised in Urrunaga reservoir. Vitoria-Gasteiz is also easy to reach: a bus stops near this place and takes about 25mins to reach the city centre.
  
  We are Mikel, Ane and Lur (born in 2025): workawayers working for an intentional community based on permaculture, sociocracy and nonviolent communication. We are looking for volunteers that can help turn our house into a home.
  
  About us
  Mikel - I love optimizing towards sustainability and health: minimizing non-renewable resource consumption, eating healthy food, practising varied exercise and minimizing injury risks. I like reading about science, and to critically discuss about what I read with others. I can teach plumbing, electricity and general maintenance skills. I would like to improve my wood working and stone building skills. Gardening and animal breeding are topics I can teach, but also learn about indefinitely. I have a special interested in syntropic agriculture for maximum solar energy conversion and in pasturing rabbits for their kind behavior (and grass to meat conversion efficiency). I used to go on long multiday hikes and still love to sleep outdoors.
  
  Ane - I like dancing, talking about life and taking care of how human relationships develop. I studied environmental engineering and love to engage in open and respectful conversations in different languages. I have recently started practising Iyengar yoga and l lead a mothers' group in my hometown. I'm also participating in various training courses on conscious parenting. That's why currently my most frecuent talked-about topic is motherhood.
  
  Lur - born in 2025, he explores the world with curiosity.
  
  We are a private homestead, not a business and we are only producing for our own consumption.
  
  You will be treated like another family member. We will share meals, leisure (if you want) and work. What other volunteers have said about us:
  
  ''Ane and Mikel are some of the most generous and open-minded people that I have ever met. They do everything they can to make you feel at home, and they are very easy to talk to.''
  - Laura (34, Belgium)
  
  ''I love that Ane and Mikel are so clear on what they stand for. They follow a certain ecologic lifestyle and really want to better the world. I also loved taking care of little Lur, he is such a joy!"
  - María (62, Spain)

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Team sports

  

  Fitness

  

  Carpentry

  

  Books

  

  Plant care

  

  Gardening

  

  Music

  

  Languages

  

  Events & social

  

  Self development

  

  Sustainability

  

  Farming

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Dancing

  

  Hiking

  

  Nature

  

  Water sports

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Mountain

  

  Cycling

  

  Camping
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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

  You will be treated like another family member. We will share meals, leisure (if you want) and work.
  
  Skills
  You'll have the opportunity to learn - practise Nonviolent Communication, sociocracy, self-care (diet, exercise, ergonomics), environmental-care (minimal nanoplastic gardening...), sintropic-ish agriculture and bio construction (solar hypocaust, sheep wool insulation...), electricity, plumbing, general maintenance skills...
  
  Languages
  We speak Spanish, Basque, English, and German, although we've somewhat forgotten the latter :) . We enjoy languages, so we're open to hosting people who want to learn or improve any of them.
  
  Local community
  About a 10-minute drive from this place - you'll find a pottery museum, a honey museum, and an ethnography museum. Furthermore, Vitoria, a city with a wide range of cultural offerings, is just a 30-minute drive away. During the summer months, numerous fiestas or village fair take place in the surrounding towns, providing opportunities to experience and participate in the local culture (dance, music, gastronomy, rural sports, etc.).
  
  We are interested in learning
  About the topics mentioned above, as well as these others: learning Arabic, group facilitation, interior design (decorating, painting, etc.), playing guitar, cooking, singing, games, yoga; and in general, we are open to any passion our visitors bring.

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  Au Pair Help

  Further details can be found here

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  Help

  Depending on your interests and skills, you'll choose between:
  -Garden care.
  -Rabbit care and rabbit tractor improvement.
  -Child care, born in 2025.
  -Cooking.
  -House cleaning.
  -Stone solar hypocaust creation.
  -Wood: creating a structure and covering interior walls and ceiling.
  -Sheep wool insulation.
  -Chopping firewood.
  -Harvesting from the garden and fruit trees.
  
  Some tasks are done together, such as building projects; others are done individually, such as chopping firewood.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  Basque: Fluent
  German: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  Ane would like to refresh her german and love to learn arabic.
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  Accommodation

  Rooms or camping
  We have three rooms available. Two have two single beds each, and the other has a double bed. They are simple rooms, with minimal decoration, and have natural light, although the windows are not big. Rooms are not soundproofed, so you may hear neighbour's dogs barking or noise from our kitchen. We try to be respectful with sleep time silence. Thick exterior walls keep the house fresh even in the hottest days of the summer.
  
  You can sleep in a camping tent or campervan if you prefer (bring your own).
  
  Diet
  We eat an omnivorous diet. Vegetables and legumes are a staple in our diet. Vegetarians and vegans are also welcome.
  
  Ingredients
  We use organic and locally sourced food whenever possible, and we like to cook simple dishes, although we are very open to try new recipes.
  
  Meals
  3 meals a day will be provided with a omnivorous communal diet providing all nutrients. Foods out of this diet will not be provided.

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  What else ...

  Transport
  There are 7 daily buses to the city of Vitoria (40 minutes), which pass through several villages in the area. We may bring you by car to any other location you need. Bikes will be available if you ask for them.
  
  Leisure time
  The house is next to Gorbeia Natural Park, with countless hiking and mountain trails. There is a water reservoir 3km away, where you can rent kayaks. There are also many paths for cycling. During August and September, there are fiestas or town fairs in the surrounding villages, offering the opportunity to enjoy music, dancing, traditional rural sports, and local cuisine. If you have any preferences regarding your leisure time, please don't hesitate to ask us.
  
  House rules
  - Relational sustainability: openness to the use of Nonviolent Communication for conflict resolution. A designated time for discussion to talk about how we are feeling, what we need, make requests, and resolve conflicts.
  
  - Environmental sustainability practices according to the criteria of "Planetary Boundaries".
  
  - Safety and hygiene: minimize petroleum derivatives in clothing and other items.
  
  - Perfumes and cosmetics: minimal use of non-edible cosmetics (sunscreen, moisturizer, makeup, perfume, etc.). We prefer to use sun-protective clothing and edible oils to moisturize the skin. The objectives are to avoid contaminating the body and the environment, and to not impair olfactory communication between people and with the environment. Plant essences are acceptable, without additives, in moderate intensity and not for extended periods.
  
  - Mindful smartphone use: keep it to a minimum while sharing conversation, work, food, etc.
  
  - Balance between scientific evidence, experience, intuition, and spirituality. Reach minimum agreements (good enough and safe enough) and evaluate the consequences of the agreement within a timeframe, frequency, and criteria agreed upon from the outset. Consider modifying and reassessing the agreement.

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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

  Internet data inside the house is poor. Around the house it's better. You may be disappointed if you have a high internet demand. Public wifi available 6km away (bus available).

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have an 8-hectare field for camping, with a stream running through it and next to a forest. We have space to park a campervan, but it's not shaded. 500 meters away from our house, there is a nice shaded parking in the forest.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  Rabbit

  We are growing rabbits in a rabbit tractor for improved animal welfare. We practise rotational grazing to optimize pasture, minimize disease and eat top quality grass feed meat.

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