Art and life in the jungle near Iquitos, Peru

Details

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  Description

  Hello! I am Ruairi, I came to the Peruvian Amazon in 2016 and something has kept me here ever since. Now I have a place I call home and more space than I need for myself, and more than can manage on my own, so I invite people to share in the joys and hardships of life in the jungle.
  
  When I can, I prefer to spend my time creatively; painting, drawing, sculpting, writing and making music, and I am happy for all who stay here to fulfil their creative desires, whatever they may be. It is great when we can make music together and support one another to be creative and expressive. We can learn and share our skills and be creative together and have beautiful times, and we need a beautiful space to do it in, and keeping a beautiful space can be a lot of work. Work that teaches us new skills and shows us our strengths. Sometimes hard, uncomfortable work. Sometimes mundane, unexciting work. Without it the jungle will bring down the roof above our heads and eat the floor from under our feet. The bugs and the fungi will work together to reclaim the space we have worked to create, so I invite you to create, and also to work, as we all learn the freedoms and responsibilities of jungle life. When we get the balance right we all have a lot of fun together!
  
  So I can invite you to share this home for a time, and just like any home, as well as benefits and blessings, there are also jobs and costs.
  Jobs: up to 15 hours per week: most of the time it works like this: you can get up early and work with me, or start later and do some work without me.
  Costs: everyone puts money in a collective pot for food and other basics. This is flexible to a degree, so as not to be exclusive on the basis of money, but things get difficult when offerings are less than 100 soles per week (less than 5 USD per day). 150 is also a nice number of soles, if you are willing to support the space/other guests in need/the future etc.
  
  It is best if at times we sit together and talk so that we share what needs to be heard.
  There is a strong plant medicine tradition in this area, and at times people here are engaged in sensitive healing processes, which deserve consideration. Some people are not here for physical, but inner work, and we can support them by being careful with our words, loud noises and substances.
  There are no real rules here, but consideration and respect for others is necessary. Adaptability and common sense are tools for daily use. Please don't get lost in the jungle!

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Teaching

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Hospitality/Tourism

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet

  House and pet sitting
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  There is a lot to learn about life off grid in the jungle. You can develop your construction, gardening and foraging skills, as well as connecting with your creative potential. There may be opportunities to learn about the local plants and plant medicine tradition.

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  Help

  Things that need doing often include: construction and repairs to houses, gardening and harvesting foods, keeping a fire wood pile stocked(we also often cook on gas), making meals, general cleaning, supplies shopping in the city, etc.
  Work and working hours are generally flexible/not very structured. I have opted to ask for only 15 hours work per week because I cannot afford to feed you. Please be prepared to support the basic costs of your stay.
  At least once a month, sometimes more often, there is a -community work session) in or around Santa Maria village. It is best if someone goes along to support the village. It's usually fun, and a good way to experience life in an Amazon village.
  We value your bringing good vibes to the space! :)

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  German: Beginner

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  Accommodation

  Here, there is a main house where we make and share food and life in general. There is space for art and music and so many things. There are a few cabins to stay in, and a maloca for medicine and music and all other kinds of sharing.
  There is a village about twenty minutes walk away. Sometimes there are things we can help with there.

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  What else ...

  To get here, you need to get a boat from Iquitos to the village of Santa Maria del Ojeal and then take a 20 min walk. There is no timetable but boats are fairly frequent until the afternoon.
  
  On their time off, volunteers can take walks and explore nature - there are so many things to see and be amazed by! (No getting lost ok! Arranging search parties is exhausting for everyone involved).
  There are communal and private spaces that you can use to do your hobbies, passions or practices.
  There should be time for your own projects.
  The maloca can be used to host ceremonies with one of the local curanderos. There is a profound tradition of local plant medicine in the surrounding area. (Plant medicine is a different kind of stay than volunteering and should be discussed beforehand).

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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

  The internet is available through mobile phone networks, but is variable. For anyone reliant on video calls or suchlike, feel free to bring and share your own starlink;)

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Extra points for anyone who brings a monkey

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  Bran (3 years)

  Most people are much hairier than this dog. People say he looks like a hound from Hades, but he's as cute as hell.

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