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Host rating
100 %
Last replied
30 May 2024
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Description
We offer an opportunity to experience permaculture life in the rainy tropics. You will leave inspired and energized, knowing that you are not alone in your quest to make a difference.
We, Kristy and David, are couple from the Pacific Northwest, with 70 years of a wide variety of work history and experience, dedicated to healing and evolving consciousness to live in harmony with nature. For the past 13 years, with help of more than 200 work exchange volunteers and locals, we evolved a degraded cow pasture into a permaculture demonstration site.
We are entertained by Pete the Cat, Fin and Yuki the dogs, the guppies, ducks and chickens.
With much to show but the work is never done. In the rainy season we stay flexible to indoor and outdoor projects, still finishing a remodel of the old farmhouse, and 13 hectares of trails, gardens, and forests to maintain.
We have a strong work ethic, feeling the urgency to be part of a planetary shift into regeneration. We are early to bed, and early to rise with mission and passion. This is an environment that can be a cocoon to explore permaculture concepts and consciousness with a library of good books, pure healthy food grown on site, and a feeling of working hard toward something important.
Not a party place. The vibe is serious, with rewarding meaningful fun.
It's rural and rustic. We have no car. Getting to town means catching a bus after hiking 1.6km up the gravel road, or calling a cab.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Every day there is something new to learn. We are organized in planning our projects, but random things come up so we stay flexible. We have been told by visitors that they learned more in an hour here than anywhere else on their whole trip. We're still learning, and expect to learn from you too.
San Vito is a bustling little town close to Panama where most people speak Spanish. There is also a sizable indigenous community and a Saturday Farmer's Market.
For those interested, we offer internship opportunities, and Permaculture Design Certificate course, in addition to various mini courses.
Help
As it begins to rain more and more of the days through November, we shift into maintaining structures, planting, pruning, and food processing. Even in the rainy season,, there are many opportunities to learn from current projects including gardening , greenhouse, soil and plant care. Boots are provided.
Cacao is coming on, so we will be harvesting more of that along with the bananas every week.
We are always open for hosting good cooks and housekeepers.
If you are good at media production, there is editing, video, photography, and music in the cultural promotion of permaculture here at the Studios. You can help on the Farm Youtube series project- ask us for the link
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Accommodation
Rise at dawn to birdsongs, close to nature in a comfortable bed. Live permaculture with solar power, solar kitchen, wood-fire rocket stoves, hu-manure toilets, and a hot shower when the sun shines. It is rustic and open to the elements. Mosquito nets are provided, as are bedding, towels, laundry, boots, and work clothing.
Volunteers working a solid 25 hours a week will not be asked for donations or fees. You will work hard and eat well, with ingredients that may be new to you. Paleo and vegetarian, dairy and gluten-free diets are accommodated.
This is a beautiful spacious setting, with limited privacy. Meals are prepared in a community kitchen. You will have your own space, living with others, in community.
What else ...
Looking forward to meeting new friends who are:
• Are responsible, energetic, have construction, kitchen experience, a positive attitude and have a sense of purpose toward doing your part to save humanity on the planet.
• Are in good physical shape, clean, organized, intelligent, creative, fun, multi-skilled, a problem solver, adaptive, not afraid to get down and dirty, free of addiction and drama, caring, communicative, and able to work independently or on a team.
• We live a distance from town, so everything gets cooked independently or as a group in a well supplied kitchen. We co-create nourishing and delicious slow food in a wood fired rocket kitchen or on parabolic solar cooker, induction stove, and solar dehydrator. Kristy is on a Paleo diet, dairy and gluten free. David tolerates more variety, and is fine with vegetarian. Vegan is more challenging for us to accommodate, unless the avocados are ripe.
Our typical day starts around 6, with coffee, tea, or right now we're really into coconut/cacao/ golden milk. Our banana coffee smoothies have been named "crack" by one of our volunteers.
We usually sit down for a cooked breakfast/lunch around 10am.
We work after breakfast through until 2pm, taking breaks as needed, but from 2 to 4pm is siesta/personal/quiet time.
At 4:30 pm we meet up in the kitchen to share preparations and a community meal. If we're not too tired, we watch documentaries, read, make music, or do art.
We're usually in bed by 8:00 and we like it quiet.
We try not to work on the weekends. You can organize times to take off, we are flexible. We can help you figure out short or longer trips to explore.
Contact us for our volunteer application form through our website with lots more information.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
No more than 25 hours per week
Feedback (23)
Kristy and David are a beautiful couple with a really open-minded spirit. If you want to have the experience of living with… read more
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Kristy and David are a beautiful couple with a really open-minded spirit. If you want to have the experience of living with… read more
Thank you so much for everything!
Janie
Couldn't be a more truthful statement!
I was blessed to be recieved in Kristy and Daves Finca while I was doing a border run to help them with a couple of projects which included helping to setup a booth at local seed exchange, helping set… read more
She's great in the kitchen; managing and instructing others. David says that she's better than most men with a machete. She picks up things super fast, for example… read more
All the best to you, Ruben on your adventures out to make the world a better place.
I really enjoyed my time at finca patos. Kristy and David are amazing! They are easygoing happy and they have a great knowledge about permaculture, construction and the usage of medicinal plants. What they build up there is incredible. The farm is very beautiful, all green and lots of birds flying around including fresh clean air to… read more
The farm is off the beaten path and very picturess. You will eat and sweat… read more
Her sunny positive attitude brightened our days. Her skills working with horses and dog were nothing short of transformative.
She will remain a member… read more
When I arrived one happy sunday at dinnertime I was greeted with such warmth, l immediately felt part of the Finca-Family. That was… read more
Best part of the day? To thank Kristy and David of course! Thanks Marion, Ben and Sandra for sharing this moment together. Nico and Pierre
Thanks for All,
Peter
Super great energy, helpful, hard working, organized, fun, laughing, sharing, great cooking, interesting stories, graceful and loving. They took on any project with interest, skill, and great attitude.
Such a pleasure to host, we give them our highest recommendation. Best wishes in your adventures!
Kristy and David
