ESPAÑOL |
The Farm |
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So, what´s it like on the farm?Our lifestyle is simple but comfortable - and depending on your way of life, it may take a little getting used to! At the moment, we live without most "modern comforts" like electricity, central heating, etc. We use a composting toilet, take bucket showers (with fresh spring water heated on our gas stove) and pass the evenings playing cards, reading or chatting by candelight.
We like to enjoy life and especially our food - so we don´t rush mealtimes. At the same time, we have a LOT to do, so when we work, we work hard - until the job is finished. Sometimes we finish in just a few hours, and occasionally we work until after dark. We have an incredible range of projects to work on, so we may change tasks every couple days.
Our farm is fairly new (just a year old!), so we are working very hard to make it everything we imagine it can be. We are always planting, designing and constructing; we´re building our own house, clearing and paving the entrance road, building lakes and other earthworks, and of course new gardens. And we are doing it all WITHOUT any machines or power tools - that means a lot of heavy physical labor for ourselves and for our volunteers!
Some things you should know:
* We´re located at fairly high altitude in a mountainous area - makes for impressive landscape and lots of exercise walking up and down the hills.
* We don´t have road access for most of the year (only when it´s completely dry!), which means you can expect about a 10 minute hike, mostly uphill, to get from the village to the farm.
* As mentioned in many other parts of the website, the weather is unpredictable. I am making a point of mentioning it again because, despite all the information on this website, we continue getting visitors who come unprepared for cold weather and/or rain. I know it´s Mexico, but it doesn´t matter if you´re from the north pole - if you don´t bring a sleeping bag that will keep you warm when it´s below freezing outside, you will be cold, especially at night - even if you are coming in the summer!
* The village is about a 40 minute bus ride from Xalapa - buses run many times daily. There is no internet access in the village, but there is a phone available for public use.
And... here we are!
