Join our eco-projects in Montesquieu-Volvestre, France

Detalhes

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  Descrição

  We are a couple from France (Marie) and Argentina (Antonio), settled in an old countryside house near Ariège and the Pyrénées, a well-renowned alternative and hippy area. We are developing a place that aims to support inner ecology and better relationships with others and nature, based on do-it-yourself, spirituality, and compassion.
  
  Both of us work as freelancers (Marie as a web designer and Antonio as an engineer) and operate from home. We regularly travel worldwide, especially Antonio, for whom traveling is in his DNA, mostly to India, where we lived for some time a few years ago, as well as Argentina and Spain. Since we met in an Ashram in 2014, we have explored various ways of living, practicing yoga and meditation intensively for several years, experimenting with different diets, and discovering a variety of perspectives, beliefs, and values in spiritual, ecological, and alternative paths. We are progressively finding our way, navigating between the 'fully autonomous, zero-waste, super spiritual' and the '100% normal, mainstream' ways of life.
  
  After several years of searching for a place to stay and buy, we finally found our little paradise four years ago. However, at that time, it was a paradise in the making! We worked hard to make it new, nice, and clean, and now, although there is always something to do, we have slowed down a bit, integrating this work into our inner journey. We strive to do our best while respecting our limits, desires, weaknesses, needs, rhythms, and those of others (though we are not perfect, and sometimes we forget, we are on the path!). We explore step by step, consciously, with respect, love, and a sense of humor, how to live happily in this world—with oneself, others, and nature—dealing every day with what life brings us.
  We have about 1.5 hectares of land on which we have already planted around 60 fruit trees. We have also prepared around 500 m2 to grow herbs starting in 2024. Our project with these trees and herbs is to create a small herbal tea production. We may not have much experience in this field, but our hearts encourage us to try, so that's what we will do this year and in the years to come.
  
  Our project for the entire place is to share it with more people and create an eco community with inner growth and spirituality at its core. In 2023, we renovated a small caravan and built the external part of a wooden cabin. We are also working on projects to convert several areas of the main building to create more living spaces. Alongside these building, renovating, and planting projects, we aim to develop the vegetable garden, composting, build dry toilets, and install outdoor solar showers.
  
  We have already hosted many Workawayers since 2022 and are happy to continue offering spots for people willing to participate in this project while learning by doing—working with their hands, building, and working the soil. Having experience with many people at a time and people for short periods, this year, we prefer to have just one or two people at a time and ideally for longer periods. This would allow more time to get to know each other and share more quality experiences, enabling you to settle down and find your place here. However, we may have some particular projects for a week or two that would benefit from a larger team. See the program below.
  
  Everything we experiment, live, and face here is an opportunity to learn about oneself, relationships, and nature. We see this place as both a 'sandbox' and our teacher and shelter. If you want to join us in this internal and external adventure, you are most welcome!
  
  We arrived at this place with almost zero knowledge and experience in renovating a house, and in this short period, we have accomplished so much! We have gained knowledge, especially in insulation with eco-materials and soil or lime plaster, which we would be happy to share with you.
  
  We also have a large covered place outside and a dedicated room inside for practicing yoga, meditation, chanting or other wellness and spiritual activities. We are not always available for sharing these practices together but when we are, we are very happy to do so.
  
  We don't have children but have a cat.
  
  We don't drink alcohol and are non-smokers, and we expect our guests to respect our wish to keep this place conscious and safe. From our side, we respect and tolerate moderate consumption of all these.
  
  We like cooking and sharing good meals, dancing, cycling, meditating in silence, watching good movies, kirtan chanting, spending winter in India, practicing yoga asana, gardening, being outside in nature...

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  Tipos de ajuda e oportunidades de aprendizado

  Ajuda em projetos ambientais

  Jardinagem

  Construção/faça você mesmo

  Ajuda em fazenda

  Criar/cozinhar refeições caseiras

  Ajuda a cuidar da casa
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  Oportunidades de intercâmbio cultural e aprendizado

  We will be happy to share with you our experiences and way of living, make you discover french, indian or argentinian food, go together to the Sunday market where you could immerse in the particular off the grid atmosphere of the area.
  
  Depending of the projects you will be involved and your own interests, you will have the opportunity to experience doing things with your own hand and learn practical competencies such as eco-building, eco-renovation, planting trees or plants, maintenance of the garden and land, cutting woods...
  
  We would be happy to share practices we do such as yoga asana, meditation, chating/kirtan if you like to.

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  Ajuda

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  Our projects in 2024, from April to October:
  - Plant, grow and collect herbs on a 500m2 surface
  - Finish the wooden cabin (project involving lime plastering, wooden furniture making...)
  - Regular garden maintenance
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  People with skills in building or plant growing or gardening are most welcome but anyone motivated to learn and join us on these projects are welcome too!
  
  If you like, you can also participate with the meals cooking (we love discovering new tastes =D).
  
  In exchange for accommodation and food, we ask for 4 to 5h/day of help, 5 days a week.
  
  If you feel appealed by one of these projects, please contact us :)

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  Idiomas

  Idiomas
  Inglês: Fluente
  Espanhol: Fluente
  Francês: Fluente

  Este anfitrião oferece intercâmbio de idiomas
  We both speak English, French and Spanish. Antonio is a native spanish speaker (from Argentina) and Marie a native french speaker. We both have a good level of english and it is often the language we use when several workawayers are here. But Marie likes very much to keep improving her english and spanish. She would also be happy to help improving your french by talking together in French if you already have a minimum level for basic conversation.
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  Acomodação

  In summer, we provide tents along with mattress, blanket and pillow. Tents are placed under a roof so you are not bother with the rain. In spring and fall, we generally accommodate the workawayer(s) in the caravan.
  A shared bathroom dedicated to workawayers and guests is available in the house.
  We provide food and we are happy to share the meals together.
  The food we cook is vegetarian, including milk product, eggs and wheat. We try our best to adapt to the taste of our visitor but we have to say that we struggle a lot with 100% gluten free diets because we really like wheat based product =D So, in case you avoid eating gluten, please, mention it before coming so that we can see if it can works or not :)

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  Algo mais...

  THE AREA AND ACTIVITIES NEARBY
  We are living in Haute-Garonne, one hour from Toulouse and 20 minutes from Ariège, in the middle of countryside, surrounded by meadow. You may enjoy to go with us to the Montbrun-Bocage market, a locally famous "hippy" market were everybody here gather on sunday morning. You may also enjoy walking or cycling nearby our place (it is very quiet). If you come by car or are used to hitchikking, you could go hikking in the Pyrénées (1h from our place), go for a swim in the river or lake nearby (20min from our place) or kayaking (1h15 from our place). There are also many activities such as yoga, qigong, dance (tango, folk, ecstatic...), small concerts, mantra singing... that occurs regularly. There are good opportunities to meet very beautiful people experiencing different kind of living.
  
  TRANSPORTS
  Our place can be reached by plane (till Toulouse Airport) and then by train till Cazères, 15min from our place. We can pick you up at the Cazères Railway Station. There is no transport directly coming and going from our house, as it is in the middle of countryside.
  We have two bicycles that you can use when available.
  The nearest town (with services) is 10min from our house by car. The place is quite hilly so strong legs are a must to enjoy cycling here!
  
  TIME OFF
  Days off are currently set on sunday and monday but it may change in the future :)

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  Mais alguns detalhes

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    Acesso à internet

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    Acesso à internet limitado

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    Temos mascotes

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    Somos fumantes

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    Pode hospedar famílias

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  Quantos Workawayers pode acomodar?

  2

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  Horas previstas

  4 to 5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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