Help in an eco-building project in Lleida, Spain (140 Km away from Barcelona). Learning how to build the house and garden.

Spain

updated

Favourited 56 times

Host rating
Feedback
4
Last activity
18/10/2019
Reply rate
100.0 %
Average reply time:
within 6 days

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Availability

2019

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What's this?

Details

Description
We are a family of four members (father, aged 51, teacher and mother, aged 51, doctor) with two kids of 10 and 14 years old, living in Lleida (Spain) . We are close to finish our project of our new bioclimatic house in the countryside, 3 Km away from the city center and we need some help with the finishing works in this eco-building project.
We are member of the Lleida time bank and we are involved in some volunteering tasks in our town.
We offer accomodation in a caravan, next to the ose or in a room inside the house, with all the kitchen and toilet falicilies, including all the food and also the vegetables from our big vegetable garden, bicicles to move around. You can help us for about 4 hours a day and have your free weekends for excursions, either in our area or to Barcelona (accessible easily by bus or train at very reduced prices for about 8 euros). Help with teaching english to our two kids is welcomed also. We still are not living there because we are now finishing the last works but we are planning to move there very soon when i will be finished.
Type of help
Gardening
Building
General Maintenance
Help with Eco project
Language practice
Teaching
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We offer accomodation and food, including the vegetables from our organic vegetable garden, bicicles, and as well as letting you learn about how we have been building the whole thing, mainly in self-construction, reusing as much as possible recycled materials. We would also offer you help in spanish or catalan language learning if you wish to learn it. We like quite a lot the oudoor activities and we can share with you some of them.
Help
We need help with the finishing works of our new house in the countryside, quite close to the city center (just 15 minutes ciclyng) and we also offer to participate there taking care of the animals that we have there (2 cats), helping in the vegetable garden and in the final works in the garden of the house are also welcome, as well as some help in english teaching to our kids (aged 10 an 14 years old).
Languages spoken
English, Frebch, Catalan and Spanish
Accommodation
Accomodation is offered in a big caravan or in a room of the house with all the required facilities, such as kitchen, toilet, and so on.
What else ...
We will take special care to let you enjoy the lively cultural life in Lleida a city of 150.000 inhabitants, just 140 km away from Barcelona (very frequently connected by buses, trains and shared bla bla cars, with ticket prices from just 8 euros to go to Barcelona from our area). We will offer you a bicicle to go and return from the city center of Lleida (just 3 Km away).
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
4 hours a day, 5 days a week

Photos

Feedback left by and about host (4)

30/01/2019

Left by Workawayer (Emília) for host

We stayed two weeks with Josep Maria in January. He's an active, hard-working man, quite open-minded and kind, who does a lot for his family and community. Our experience working at his place wasn't the best though. Most of the time we felt left alone there, as he was teaching at the school on weekdays, so he just came by to give us instructions… read more and then left again. We also had to work on Saturdays (which was not in the agreement, but we didn't wanted to be rude and go away on the only day we could work together and spend time with him). There were also some things he forgot to mention about the place beforehand, like there's a motorway literally next to the house (it was loud 24/7 and not a romantic rural landscape) or that despite he wrote we'll be mainly asked to help out in the garden, it was mostly construction work (despite the fact that we asked to help in the garden, as he listed some tasks when we first met like olive pruning, which we were really interested in, but we always had to do something with the house instead). But what really made us feel disappointed and sad was that he kept promising things like a dinner with his family to get to know them (we only met once for 2 minutes) or to join them on a hike in the Pyrenees (which we were really looking forward to, we brought our hiking boots and everything, but then he cancelled it twice(!) the nights before). He made these promises and then didn't keep them, and that wasn't easy to tolerate, and also it wasn't easy to plan even for the day ahead, because he always came at a different time then he said he will (we were waiting for him a lot in vain). Of course we understood that he was really occupied with everything and that he has lots of responsibilites, and we were really thankful that we could go to the cinema once together. But maybe if he has so few free time it's might not be a good idea to host volunteers next time, or at least honestly tell them not to expect hikes and other activities, because making them believe that it's gonna happen and then canceling it is not nice at all.
Despite the negative things we had some fun too, like visited the park next to Lleida with the bikes and it was beautiful. After all, Josep Maria is a kind man with lots of ideas, we're glad to meet him and get a glance into his world. We wish him and his family all the best and if you're a workawayer planning to visit his place, feel free to ask us anything.

(Neutral )

06/01/2019

Left by Workawayer (Richard & Tom ) for host

We stayed about one week with Josep Maria and it was a great time! Helping in the garden and pick some olives and almonts were easy and funny tasks. Josep Maria always took care of us and he is very creative and positive. We really enjoyed the stay and wish just the best for Josep and his project.

(Excellent )

13/12/2018

Left by Workawayer (Gideon & Irma) for host

We stayed for 4 days in the caravan, to design the garden around the house. Josep Maria, although he was very busy, always made some time for us. On the last day he also took us to an old olive garden, where we helped pruning the trees. He is a very inspirational man, and it was a pleasure to meet him.

(Very good )

15/11/2018

Left by Workawayer (Diego) for host

I stayed one week with Josep Maria and I had such a great time there. I was mostly on my own doing some weeding and pallets works, and it was great fun. I enjoyed a lot beeing on the country side, in a caravan just for myself. It helps a lot if you want some time for your self.
Josep Maria was always taking care of me, buying food for me,… read more

(Excellent )

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Host ref number: 969683797435

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