A syntropic garden, good food and comfortable living in Tomar, Portugal

Infos

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  Description

  I am in my early sixties, widowed, and live alone on this homestead in the Ribatejo area of Portugal. I have lived in many parts of the world and welcome knowing about and interacting with other cultures. I used to be an entrepreneur building companies and running in the fast lane. I decided to slow down some years ago, to move back from Uruguay (where I was living for 5 years) to Portugal where I have roots going back several generations. Today, I focus more on how I can be of service to humanity and to mother nature.
  
  Here in central Portugal, near Tomar, between Santarem and Coimbra, on the river Zezere, I (together with my companions Sasha, Louis, and Lua, a dog and two cats) am guardian of small plot of land with a 150 year old home that I restored in 2000. I have 700M2 of vegetable garden, a nursery, and about 1400 m2 of garden where I am planting fruit trees, bushes, evergreens, succulents and wild grasses. The house is very comfortable and has 3 separate living areas spread over 2 floors and 220 square meters. There is my part of the house with a communal living room, and kitchen; an upstairs loft , completely independent and separate with its own kitchen, living area and bathroom; and there is an a reserved for volunteers, also independent and seperate, with its own entrance, kitchenette, bedroom, living area, and bathroom. All living areas of the house are well lit, have heating, and are connected to high-speed wifi.
  
  As I slowed my life down and moved to the countryside, part of my personal transformation, involved going deeper inside myself; so for more than 14 years I have been a Vipassana meditator (along with many other techniques of inner development) and regularly welcome understanding my consciousness in deeper and more connected ways. I like to discuss life, politics, spirituality, the world; but always from a perspective of humility and of openness. I value honesty, kindness, compassion, and caring. More recently I have been practising PM.
  
  I decided to spend as much time as possible, as the guardian of my property, caring for the land and improving the health of the soil, the biodiversity and the presence of insects and birds. Someday, I hope to pass this guardianship on to others so that they may become the next guardians of this ecosystem. I work hard to understand how my actions and attitudes can be regenerative and contribute to building connections with my community (ies) around me.
  
  I love to cook and to share meals. I eat most everything but I try to eat less meat and to focus on what is coming from the garden. Meals are an important part of our communal life here and I am keen to learn from others and to share what I know. We also look at ways to conserve food so as to use it the rest of the year, and I produce olive oil. Surpluses are shared with restaurants, friends, neighbours and those in need. Vegan and vegetarian eaters are welcome and will be catered for. I do not provide alcohol and you will have to provide your own.
  
  I usually work in the garden every day unless I am involved in work I have related to land conservation and regeneration (I am on the boards of several institutions active in this area) and other activities I am involved in that require time on the phone or the computer. At night I might read, write, or watch a movie or listen to music. I like to get to bed by around midnight and wake usually at 7 or earlier to meditate. When it is very hot, we work early in the morning and late afternoon and stay in doors during the hottest hours.
  
  I am involved in land conservation, organic and syntropic farming, restoration of forest land, regeneration, and community building projects in Portugal and locally and can help people who want to connect with these areas.
  
  My preference is to take volunteers for 3- 4 weeks or longer as it takes 2 weeks just to get really up to speed in the garden and I invest a lot of time in training and accompanying each volunteer. I also prefer a maximum of 2 people staying at at time as more does not give me the ability to share what i know and teaching is important for me. If you are alone and are open to sharing a room please let me know when applying in case there is another person that wants to share the living quarters with you (each person has their own room; the bathroom is shared). I do not normally take volunteers under 30 years of age, but if you have good farming skills I will make an exception. I prefer volunteers with previous gardening/farming experience, who are serious about wanting to learn and to work hard so please state on your application what experience you have and do not apply if you just want a cheap way to avoid paying rent.
  
  We work intensely here with the idea to learn, which includes making mistakes. Please do not come here if you just want a holiday or are not serious about learning about agroecology. We work based on trust and openness with an effort made to communicate whatever discomfort we feel and to heal any messes we create. It helps to have a car here but is not essential. I speak Portuguese fluently and believe very much in respecting and preserving local cultures, codes, and values. I also speak French, Spanish, and some German.
  
  If you have building skills like carpentry, painting, plumbing or electrical, please let me know as there are always projects we can do here. We use the Berkeley hot composting method so you can learn this. We use no dig techniques. We cut out own firewood and we have our own nursery for seedlings.
  
  If you are interested to stay for long term periods of up to a year we are very open to discussing this.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Projets artistiques

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Enseignement

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  S’occuper des animaux

  Aide dans une ferme

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  I live in the countryside in a small village about 7 km from a bigger town called Tomar. There is bus/bike/car for going into town (bus only on weekdays and not good times) and a small cafe/market shop 300 meters away. I speak Portuguese fluently but also English, Spanish, French and some German. I associate mainly with Portuguese people but many of them also speak English. I have good relations with my neighbours in the village who often pass by and some work in the garden as well. I am connected to a network of organic farmers in my area that might also be interested to use your help or to show you their farms. We have a great lake for swimming and water sports 10km away and another smaller one for swimming 3 km away. I have a huge collection of spiritual literature and on mindfulness in education and education in general, subjects that interest me. I meditate and would be happy to share this practice with anyone. I love to do yoga (but do not practise often) and would also welcome a chance to practise with anyone that visits. I have good internet, access to netflix and other film channels, and to spotify and my own collection of digital music. I like to play chess and backgammon, cards, and board games. I am useless at singing and playing musical instruments but love to listen to people talented in these areas. At night there's a fireplace in the main living area that is always on in the winter. Outside there is barbecue and several outdoor areas for eating.
  
  Having your own car is ideal if you want to go into town/lake often and not have to depend on me. I have a bicycle, but it is a longish ride into town that is not suitable in winter.

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  Projets impliquant des enfants

  Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.

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  Aide

  Looking for persons with skills/passion/interest in the garden (and also in building). Most of the time you will be working with me so I can give guidance. I follow syntropic (agro-forestry) methods and other organic (agro-ecology) farming techniques. Depending on the season we can be harvesting, planting, pruning, composting, fertilizing, collecting seeds, planting in the nursery, or conserving, There is ALWAYS something to do. I also have some basic building projects that require skills in reinforced cement and basic carpentry. Looking for 25 hours a week spent during daylight hours but no fixed schedule necessary. We focus not on time spent but on getting what needs to get done, done as we are guardians of this land. If you are older do not worry, the task will adapt itself to you (I am 60).
  
  I prefer non-smokers, people that take care of their hygiene, people that can practise empathy and compassion, and those that are able to express their emotions in a non-violent manner.
  
  I normally don’t take people under 30 years of age, but if you have good farming skills I will make an exception. Come here only if you are serious about working and learning.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Espagnol: Courant
  Français: Courant
  Portugais: Courant
  Allemand: Intermédiaire

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  I prefer certain languages (Portuguese, English, French, Spanish) and do the best I can in German.
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  Hébergement

  I have an upstairs loft apartment with its own bathroom and kitchenette, a double bed, desk/dining table, and a single bed with a pull-out mattress so you can sleep two more people or kids , one above, one below. The loft apartment is quiet and completely separate and self-sufficient (own entrance and garden). Recently restored and quite luxurious so requires some care and cleanliness (you are responsible for keeping it clean). All together about 50 m2. Outside terrace. High ceilings and wooden rafters. Antique furniture mixed with more contemporary. This is often rented out so volunteers live in a shared quarter in a separate part of the house.
  
  The windows are triple glazed but one can sometimes hear dogs barking in the neighborhood, the sound of the fridge of the kitchenette, or sounds in the rest of the house. Most people are not bothered (as they are minimal in volume) but if you are very sensitive to noise would be good to bring ear-plugs. Windows have black out light drapes, but some light still gets in. Mattresses (medium hard) and bedding provided and very comfortable.
  
  There is a laundry area that is shared and an area to hang clothes to dry outside (as well as inside).
  
  The volunteer quarters consists of two interconnecting rooms one with two single beds and one with a sofa that can be used as bed. When hosting 2 or more volunteers that are not together each volunteer sleeps in a separate room and there is a shared bathroom. I will anyway let you know when we speak what is available and we will agree on any sleeping configurations before hand.

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  Autres infos...

  There are two lakes nearby, one that is 70 km long. One can be reached by foot. Great for summer swimming or fishing. Good biking and hiking trails nearby. Tomar is famous for its history and castle but is also a very authentic town that has not yet changed that much with tourism. I am linked to a network of organic farmers and gardeners in my area. 1 hour to the coast. 45 minutes to Coimbra, 1 hour to Lisbon. There is a train and bus station in Tomar (and also in Entroncamento and Fatima nearby) that connects you to the rest of Portugal and to Spain.
  
  I provide healthy meals (the same as those I myself eat) ; I do eat meat, chicken and fish but tend to prefer vegetables . If you are vegetarian or vegan we will eat according to your requirements. I do not provide alcohol for Workaways.
  
  In winter it is best to bring waterproof jacket and trouser or poncho. We have one pair of women's rubber boots size 40 and another 37 and plenty of gloves, hats, and tools. We have a washing machine but good to bring a few T-shirts or turtlenecks to be able to change often.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  Unlimited internet with good fibre connection that is consistent and fast all day along. Have an ergonomic chair if needed. Work area very quiet. Not so strong a signal outside on the veranda but router can be extended there if necessary

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  I have 2 parking spots that have a connection for electricity and water

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  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  Not so keen on dogs in the house. Can make exceptions but prefer if they sleep outdoors (where we have a kennel). This is mainly to avoid ticks and fleas indoors, any damage to furniture, and bringing dirt or hair indoors that needs to be cleaned. Obviously if you take good care then these are no longer issues and I become more open to an animal indoors. So the onus is on you to make me feel comfortable. Cats and other animals welcome.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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  Nombre d'heures attendues

  25 hours a week

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