Join our English-speaking family and help with gardening and DIY projects near Tomar, Portugal

Details

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  Description

  The team is led by Penelope, who recently moved to Portugal from Botswana. John is her long-term partner, but he is a pilot so you probably won´t see too much of him! Isabella is her daughter who has been living in Scotland, but hopes to be around full-time from November, and will be workawaying with you. Rafa is Isabella´s boyfriend, who is from Brazil, but based in Scotland (for now). He is a seasoned workawayer (and resident Portuguese speaker), and will also be helping with the projects when he is over.
  
  We have 4 cats and a dog. For now, they mostly stay in the main house and we get them accustomed to the new environment. If you have allergies or are not comfortable around pets, we can try our best to work around it, but we might not be the best fit for you.
  
  We have big dreams for the property, but for now we are in set up/clean mode.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We are new to Portugal, and our Portuguese is not great. We are an English-speaking family, so if you would like to practice your English, we are happy to help.

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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

  Mostly, to start, we need help setting up the garden. This help will be physical, and mostly moving and clearing. It is very important that you are physically able, and, while we are not expecting very long days, able to do tasks for hours at a time outside.
  
  If you have experience in painting or renovating, that would be helpful too!
  
  We are happy to accept digital nomads, as we have a strong wifi connection.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  We are trying to learn Portuguese, so if you speak it, please apply! Otherwise, we are always happy to hear and learn other languages, so please do not be put off if you are not fluent in English.
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  Accommodation

  You will be sleeping in our dorm room, which is attached to the main house, but also has a private entrance and ensuite bathroom. Depending on the situation, we also have a private room attached to the dorm room, with a double bed. We want you to feel like part of the family, but also that you have your own space. While the dorm has bunk beds and sleeps 8, we do not intend to have it full.
  
  We have a large swimming pool just outside the dorm, which you are welcome to make use of. We also have various weights if you would like to get in an extra workout.
  
  Meals will be included. While Penelope and Isabella are both keen cooks who are happy to cook for you and include you in family meals, we would also love to learn about your culture and try some of your food (if you are willing). We would provide ingredients. We are very flexible with the food situation. We do not expect you to dine with us at every meal, as you may want your own space or to eat at different times. In that case, we would provide ingredients and you would be welcome to cook for yourself. While we are all meat eaters, we are not attached to eating meat every day and are happy to have fully vegetarian or plant-based meals if you have any dietary requirements.

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  What else ...

  Access to a vehicle or bicycle would be ideal. Right now, we are not able to offer regular transportation. We are about a 20-minute walk from the town, which is small, but has the basic essentials.
  
  By car, we are 30 minutes from Tomar, a lovely town which was once the seat of the Order of the Knights Templar. Tomar has a number of amazing restaurants, a Catholic convent, and a castle that we spent hours in (only partially because we got lost). We are just under an hour to Fatima, one of the most important religious pilgrimage sites in the world.
  
  In terms of cities, we are 1 hour from Coimbra and Leiria (both beautiful and often overlooked), as well as Nazare and Figueira da Foz on the world-famous Silver Coast!
  
  Further out, we are basically exactly between Lisbon and Porto, just under 3 hours to each of them. You could also drive or taxi to Coimbra, where there are frequent buses to each of the big cities.
  
  Without a vehicle, transport is tricky, however, there is a bus that runs twice a day into Coimbra.

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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

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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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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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week