Tend permaculture gardens, make natural art and carpentry creations for a new eco-retreat in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Details

• 

  Description

  I'm Mackenzie, originally from Chicago, USA and now living in the beautiful land of Tzununa, Guatemala. I'm in the process of building a Nature-based Retreat Center / Education Space.
  
  This space will serve as a guest house, retreat center and education space, to invite people into a simple way of living, teach skills that empower holistic well-being, creating a space for cultural connection and collaboration, and inspire creative expression.
  
  It's built on the foundation of:
  
  Ecological & Personal Health: Use permaculture principles and practices as a foundation to teach people of the connection between personal and planetary well-being.
  
  Intercultural Exchange: Foster meaningful relationships between people of different cultures to learn from each other and weave a resilient and connected community.
  
  Handmade Goods, Art, & Creativity: Offer a creative space to preserve and reignite the original tradition of unique handmade goods.
  
  We have space for up to 3 volunteers and are looking for the following:
  -- 1 experienced gardener and permaculturist to tend to and improve the food production, herb gardens and fruit trees on the land. Please only reach out if you have experience. (April is a very exciting time because the rains come, so we will be doing lots of planting!)
  -- 1 carpenter who can held with some upcoming carpentry projects (building a deck, basic furniture for an outdoor kitchen, etc.)
  -- 1 artist who can make cool art and decorations for the rooms using natural materials (think sticks, stones, dried algae, shells, twine, we do have paints too)
  
  Thanks!

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Help around the house
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Tzununa is a beautiful location in the highlands of Guatemala, along the volcanic Lake Atitlan. The weather is perfect all of the time -- sunny and warm during the day with some rain showers into the evening (until November). This is a small community of a few thousand people made up of local Mayans and international travelers. You will get to work alongside locals and will likely meet people from all over the world during your time here.
  
  This is a relatively small property so although we live in our own places, we share space and will feel like family. Expect communal sauna time, family dinners, and chatting about life in the gardens together. My wish for people coming here is that they get a taste of the beauty of simple living and how rewarding it is to do humble work outdoors, enjoying the fresh air, sunshine and birdsongs throughout the day. Workawayers will learn how to build and maintain gardens, create systems of fertility and soil-amending, and experience the fun of bringing chickens and ducks into an ecosystem. I hope that people build lifelong relationships here and deepen their connection to the Earth.

• 

  Help

  I am looking for volunteers with extensive permaculture knowledge and gardening experience to join me in building new garden spaces. Responsibilities will include helping me design and plan for the garden spaces, source plants through local nurseries, plant, maintain, and harvest existing gardens, plant trees, and more. We have a ton of stones on the land so we'll be moving stones to create the gardens. The goal is to grow as much food and beauty as we can. There's also lots of weeding to be done! So the right applicants will enjoy weeding as a calming and therapeutic task.
  
  We will also have other projects like a new communal kitchen area, so I am also looking for someone with building and carpentry skills to join too.
  
  I am looking for people that are self-starters, who can work both independently and with a team. Ideal Workawayers are positive, hard-working, excellent communicators, creative, and passionate, and not afraid to roll their sleeves up to get done what needs to get done. Ideal candidates can speak some Spanish because you might be working alongside a team of local workers who also speak Spanish.
  
  My space is a beacon for healthy, natural living, so we prefer not to have so much use of alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes on the property. We respect the rhythm of the local community, starting our days around 8am and quieting down when it gets dark. It's really nice to be on the sun's cycle and engage with a slower pace of living.

• 

  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent

• 

  Accommodation

  You will be staying in a shared or private room. There is a bathroom, shower, and a shared kitchen about 30 seconds walk away. You'll have access to the whole property which has gardens, lawns, a sauna and cold plunge, and a yoga deck.

• 

  What else ...

  Tzununa has lots of beautiful waterfall hikes through the valley. You can swim in the lake at the local nature reserve. On Sundays there is a market in the center of town, and a kirtan and ecstatic dance just down the street. There are many other towns you can visit around the lake by taking a quick boat ride to explore restaurants, shops, and events. People spend most of their days outdoors, living a simple and enjoyable life.

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

• 

  Hours expected

  25 hours per week

Feedback (3)