Descripción
Hello travelers! We are a couple in our 30´s with a young baby. Nate is an American expat who fell in love with Europe and has decided to stay in Spain for the long haul. Aleksandra is originally from Poland but has been living in Spain for almost 8 years. Our project is in its infancy. We have bought a small property in Asturias that is near a larger town but still feels very private. There are some small stone buildings that need some renovation and lots of cleaning up to do around the place to make it more child friendly. The property is located 30 minutes by car from both Oviedo and Gijon, which means we are also about 30 minutes from the beach. Although at the moment we are renting a place further away until the house is more ready to be lived in. So you are welcome to rough it at the property (there is running water but no heat or electricity at the moment), or you can stay with us in an extra room at our rental house and just come along on the days to work on the property. Our rental is more in the mountains and is surrounded by beautiful hikes. Our property to help on is closer to town but also has some nature and hikes around. There is also a long bike trail between the bigger towns and we have a bike that you can borrow.
I (Nate) have actually travelled for years around the world through Workaway and had many amazing adventures and helped on many projects, now it is time to manifest some helpers of our own and pass on some of the skills that I have learned. Besides volunteering on farms and building projects, I have worked full time on several different types of farms and for the last few years I have been working as a professional carpenter. I have also studied natural building techniques and will be trying to incorporate these into our project as much as possible. The type of help we are looking for is mainly in the beautifying of the old buildings. There will be some carpentry, some natural building, and plenty of lime/cob plastering and repointing. It would be nice to host volunteers with some experience in these things but if you have the right attitude and the desire to learn it could also be possible for folks that don´t have so much experience. There is some work to do with the gardens and landscaping but at the moment that is not the main priority. We could also maybe use some help in caring for the baby if the fit is right.
You can expect to WORK hard, and PLAY hard! We will be doing very hard physical tasks but we also make sure to take time to appreciate the little things like going for hikes, trips to the beach, and eating delicious food. We are happy to eat meals together if a volunteer doesn´t mind being added to the cooking schedule. If you would like to just make your own meals that is also fine and we will provide the standard things you need for that. We eat mostly vegetarian but we enjoy some fish or meat once or twice a week. We live a pretty healthy lifestyle and we prefer to host people with similar values- meaning preferably non-smoking, and drinking only on occasion and in moderation.
Things that are important for us and hopefully for you as well: Cleanliness (it can get messy sometimes with a baby but we try to make sure we are all cleaning up after ourselves)... Clear communication- We will try to be clear about what are expectations are from you and first reach an understanding of what you want to gain from your experience here. From my own Workaway experiences I found that this was usually the key thing that could make or break the experience. I have been on projects where I knew what was expected from me and I could learn a lot, and I have also been on projects where the hosts didn´t really know what they actually needed or had expectations that weren´t communicated from the beginning and ended up creating frustration. Understanding- that we are social and will try to include you in what we do, but also understanding that we are a family with a baby and sometimes we all need a bit of our own space. Lastly... we expect that you come with the desire to work hard and learn some new skills.
If you think this could be a good fit for you than let´s have a chat and see how it feels.
Tipos de ayuda y oportunidades de aprendizaje
Ayuda en proyectos ecológicos
Jardinería
Construcción y bricolaje
Cuidado de niños y juegos creativos
Ayuda doméstica
Intercambio cultural y oportunidades de aprendizaje
We are happy to exchange languages. Nate is a native English speaker but also peaks some German and Spanish. Aleksandra is a native Polish speaker but fluent in English and Spanish. Nate loves to cook and is happy to share cooking responsibilities and teach what he knows in the kitchen. There is a lot to learn about carpentry and building skills! Our place is in an authentic Asturian town, our neighbors are the real ¨Paisanos¨, and you can learn about the history of this place and enjoy the local cuisine and culture.
Proyectos con niños
En este proyecto podría haber niños. Para obtener más información, consulta nuestras directrices y consejos aquí.
Ayuda
Mainly physical help with carpentry, natural building, maybe some landscaping, maybe some babysitting for the right person. We can accommodate 1 person or a couple.
Idiomas hablados
Inglés: Fluido
Polaco: Fluido
Alemán: Intermedio
Español: Intermedio
Alojamiento
Room in a house shared with us, two bathrooms and one of them can be used as your own. Or possibility of camping at our property even if we are not there, if you want to be more independent and have more of your own space.
Algo más...
In your time off you can enjoy the many hiking trails that are around. We don´t drive everyday but if we are going somewhere and you would like a ride we are happy to take you with. There are buses from our rental place and from our project property there is a train line connecting to the cities if you want to go sightseeing.
Un poco más de información
- Acceso a Internet
- Acceso a Internet limitado
- Tenemos animales
- Somos fumadores
- Puede alojar familias
Puede acoger a nómadas digitales
We have a strong internet connection from our rental house.
¿Cuántos voluntarios puedes hospedar?
Más de dos
Horas esperadas
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week