Cultural experience staying on the small island of Leros, Greece 2024

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  • Activité récente: 25 mars 2024

Disponibilité

  2024 

 Séjour min. souhaité : Au moins deux semaines

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Infos

  • Description

    Description

    Please note: we are set with exchanges until next Autumn, (September and October still a possibility) but please take a look if you are interested for the future. We do not do exchanges in any other period of the year nor do we accept single applicants.

    Workaway exchange available in 2024 for possibly April, May, September and October; the time "slots" are mainly due to weather restrictions, it is too hot in the summer months and we don't require help during the winter also sometimes we travel in the winter at varied times. We do sometimes require "house carers" with pet sitting but only with mature couples who can manage solar power systems and use a wood burning stove for heating. We live very simply; our off the grid home covers the basics, such as charging a computer or phone and lighting the house, but nothing more, we prefer to live this way.

    We both embrace sustainable living as lifelong sailors and designed our own sustainable home and built it here on Leros. A lot of the work of building our home, probably 65% we have done, hands on, we are practical and inventive people who know how to live well on little. We created a garden the size of a football field, with lots of trees and shrubs, it is well established now and requires a lot of work.
    We come from varied backgrounds having learned different ways of surviving creatively and enjoying life in all its shapes and forms; we love animals and nature, and life on the land and on the sea; we have lived in various cultures and traveled extensively. We lead a life very much outdoors, and simple, uncomplicated. We are still active -although not young anymore.

  • Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

    Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

    Jardinage
    Bricolage et construction
    S’occuper des animaux
    Aide à la maison
    Entretien général
  • Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

    Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

    This is a small Greek island still unaffected by tourism although we do have tourism. I can't say enough about what a special place this is. Leros is a great place for experiencing small island culture with strong ties to its past; a slower pace simpler way of life which we love; for us, this is a very big and important aspect of living here; there are many fishermen and farmers still on the island, at least 60% of the island does one or the other; 100s of goats still being raised here. Leros is unique, we have absolutely everything we need in a radius of about 6k or less.
    We have traveled extensively for life/work and enjoyment and have lived in a number of other cultures. My husband is English, I am of American origin having spent a good part of my life in Italy, and over 25 years here in the Greek islands. We are people who keep to ourselves, not overly "sociable" but we will be at the house of course when you are and expect to have exchange with you; we see this stay as an opportunity for you to experience LIFE and the Greek culture to explore and discover for yourselves; you will have plenty of free time to do so, basically, a week of work in exchange for a week of free time. We live comfortably and well among the Greek islanders with great respect for their spirit and individuality, they are a unique people. You will be working in a beautiful natural environment and the island people are friendly, easy going and very self-reliant. We are friendly and easygoing as well, but very individualistic with our own ideas about existence and life.
    We see this as an opportunity for you to see how foreigners can live in harmony with the local culture, to see how two adventuresome people live life- after a long life of ... adventure. Come and embrace our way of life but please don't expect us to bend to your way of life or way of thinking especially if you go with the current trends. We are past that age of finding it worthwhile to keep up with a world that is not as good as it was 40 years ago and we are not interested in how the western world now expects people to all become of one boring mind in a totalitarian restrictive and constrictive society, a big reason why we are, where we are, islanders are a people unto themselves. Globalization is a detriment to cultures surviving and cultures being preserved and "lived" is what makes life - life. So if you are adventuresome, individualistic and strong, do get in touch, see what life can be.
    Note, we are still in touch with one couple who came to help out, after 6 years, and another who came 8 years ago who has become our honorary "grandson". When things "click" it is quite rewarding. We had 2 young women here in May and we clicked really well, a great exchange for all of us.

  • Aide

    Aide

    We require a couple who speaks English fairly well, is used to working together and can work on their own, doing pretty physical work.
    We have a sustainable home, which is pretty big, lots and lots of windows that require cleaning (some on a ladder second story, if you can't just tell us) ; a gigantic, landscaped area surrounding our home which always needs clean up, raking leaves and leveling gravel and pruning; trees with long pruners, carting away debris. Some general cleaning inside and out - these are the main jobs.
    The work is physical, and it is still pretty hot here (but better than Greek summer heat), even in May or September.
    Depending on your capabilities, we need help with some house painting and indoor cleaning, the house is big, I can't keep up. If you don't like working with cleaning materials or paint, have issues with this sort of thing, this is not a job for you; we are hard, HARD working people (especially compared to today's norm) with a strong work ethic, BUT we know how to live and relax; we are professional sailors. We have lived a rough life at times and enjoyed it; we really do not have time for "fluffy" people.
    We have our way of seeing life and are more than tolerant of other people's way of life and existence; seeing how the world has mutated, especially in the USA and England in the past few years, I must add, less so of radical viewpoints. Having lived in 10 countries between the two of us, we know how to live among other peoples. We are not young but young at heart, forever. We could live on our own and survive on a remote island without any help, (well maybe from God........) that is the kind of people we are and we spend a lot of time alone- as a couple and as individuals being ALIVE.
    The work requires a couple, we need 2 people working together. Your accommodations as of this spring will be a separate efficiency apartment, very stylish (we built if for ourselves and guests) but for now, the basics: running water a solar shower (works during daylight hours) a gas cooktop- you are in nature, a place of solitude, great sea views and only goats as neighbors. 10 min. walk to the sea. (longer coming back up!) The unit is ... almost finished, we had some setbacks (the windows were delayed 6 months) so it is still a rough diamond, think of it like ...glamping! We are still missing a window, you will have the basics and be in a beautiful place on a really wonderful island. There is enough for us to be quite comfortable, we think that you will be too, you don't need much during Greek spring/summer.
    Be prepared for physical work, if you have not done this kind of work before, think twice, please.
    Thank you.

  • Langues parlées

    Anglais: Courant
    Espagnol: Courant
    Italien: Courant
    Greek: Débutant

  • Hébergement

    Hébergement

    Your accommodations will be a separate one room with bath, efficiency apartment, very stylish modern design (we designed it and built if for ourselves and guests) with everything you need, in nature, sea views and only goats as neighbors.

    We do not provide food, but you have all the facilities to do your own cooking. I can teach you some interesting cooking skills if you are interested. Your exchange allows you half of the time that you stay completely free to do as you like, this is what we offer; your work time in exchange for "holiday time" to explore and discover and relax. We ask that two people do a week's work more or less, hours and days flexible, you can stay a bit longer if you like (and works with our schedule), beyond the first period of exchange of one week work stay for one week of work. Mornings are best to beat the heat. When you work is up to you.

  • Autres infos...

    Autres infos...

    The island has more WWII history than ancient; it is living history, the people are very tied to their roots and great to live among. Leros was actually part of Italy from 1921 to 1949, so there is a smattering of Italian culture woven in to the local culture. The island was controlled by the Ottoman Turks for 500 years before that, so there are also touches of a more Eastern culture.
    These are strong resilient people that you can learn a lot about life from, we are very grateful for our existence here, the modern world and ridiculous "new norms" has not ruined this place. If we could live in the past, we would, this is the closest thing to the 60s and 70s without going to the "third world".
    There is bus which circles the island probably 5 times a day, closest shopping is a half hour's walk away, in Kamara or Lakki. Motorbikes can be rented for 10-15 euro a day through people that we know. We are happy to make a grocery run with you a couple times. I go to town rarely, I just love being... here.
    The only thing you have to watch out for is a very anarchistic way of driving if you rent a bike!! We call it "island law".
    We have a hospital and other medical services on Leros, should there be need. There is just about everything that you could want or need right here on Leros.

  • Informations complémentaires

    Informations complémentaires

    • Accès Internet

    • Accès Internet limité

      Accès Internet limité

    • Nous avons des animaux

    • Nous sommes fumeurs

    • Familles bienvenues

  • Espace pour garer des vans

    Espace pour garer des vans

    You can park where we live.

  • Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

    Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

    Deux

  • ...

    Nombre d'heures attendues

    4 hours a day, 6 days a week - very flexible

N° de référence hôte : 986828142157

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