I’m currently living on a farm called Finca Bonafide on the island of Ometepe called in Nicaragua and I’ve got a pretty sweet deal going. I’ve got a great setup and am loving it and this is really the first place in my travels where everything has fallen into place. I could certainly see myself staying here for awhile.
Here’s why:
- Food – I had fears that the mostly beans and rice diet of Nicaragua would be too much to bear after 4.5 months of it in Haiti but it turns out that the food here is amazing. Because the farm grows a lot of its own food, it means that meals are diverse and we can even make our own peanut butter, pesto and chocolate which is great.
- Work – I like having something to do each day beyond a bit of internet work and a bit of reading. The day here means getting up at 7am to do an hour of work, having breakfast, and continuing with work until noon when lunch is served. The work is really diverse but mostly physical which gets the heart pumping and it’s a great way to start each day.
- Education – I have wanted to learn about sustainable living/permaculture/farmy type stuff for awhile and this place is very conducive to learning. The people who run the place and the staff are all very patient and totally willing to answer questions about the work which means I can really get whatever out of this experience that I want to.
- People – I was worried that the farm would be full of hippy do-gooder types but, as it turns out, everyone here is really down to earth, laid back and fun. It’s an interesting dynamic because you have interns and long term volunteers who stay several months mixed in with people or groups on shorter stints of a week or two which keeps things exciting.
- Location – The farm is located on Ometepe which feels remote but is only a half day’s worth of travel from Granada which is a major tourist hub and a place where I can escape to if I need a break or need to buy things.
- Scenery – Ometepe has to be seen to be believed. It’s an island formed of two volcanoes, one dormant and one active, and attached by a small piece of land between the two. It’s located on the bottom part of the smaller volcano and has a great view of the larger one and Lake Nicaragua. The sunsets are unreal and it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to in my travels.
- Cost – I am a volunteer but because the farm is a non-profit they have us cover our living costs. This means $10 per day for short term volunteers (under a month) and $200 per month for long termers. So for me it means food and accommodation for $200 per month plus $6 for internet. Bargain.
- Flexibility – They are used to having volunteers come and go and I don’t really need to have my plans set in stone. Obviously it’s better for everyone if I keep them informed of my plans, but if something came up and I had to leave giving short notice, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.
- Language – I want to learn Spanish and this is a great place to do it. Most of the employees are locals and they’re used to hearing terrible Spanish as volunteers attempt to communicate. So far the people I’ve spoken to have been very willing to help me learn new things and also correct me when I attempt to cobble together some random phrase. Plus one of the interns here is fluent and is giving Spanish courses to a group of Canadian students and I’ve been sitting in on them which has helped.
- Community – The farm is very involved in the community and run a lot of programs from women’s groups to seed exchanges to library hours to child nutrition programs. They actually founded the community centre and fund it as well which means there are a lot of opportunities for me to help out and get involved in a lot of interesting ways.
- Good cause – The farm is a non-profit and have lots of great programs on the go (see above). I enjoy doing this sort of work but it’s even better knowing I am supporting something that has long term goals that will benefit the community as a while.
- Time to myself – After finishing work at noon each weekday I can pretty much do what I want. I also have weekends off which means I get a lot of time to myself to read, paint, work on web stuff, swim, bike, hike, cook, chat or whatever. I love my ‘me’ time so this suits me.
- Nature – The island is peaceful and full of nature and it’s just a great feling to be amongst it and away from the hustle bustle of a city. I like cities and tend to spend most of my time in them but I love nature too and I appreciate the time spent in places like this.
- Opportunity to take on responsibility – The farm is a bit strapped for longer term volunteers at the moment with only two interns (staying around 6 months each) and two long term vounteers leaving on Saturday. This means that if I want to, I am able to take on a bit more responsibility to help take the burden off of the interns.
So I think I’ve got a pretty good setup and at the moment I plan on sticking around for a couple of months at least. After only a week I feel really comfortable here not only with the work and day to day activites but I also feel like I’ve clicked with the people here pretty quickly. So far I’m really loving it but rainy season will be upon us in a couple weeks so I might have changed my tune by then. But as of right now, for all of the reasons above, I think I will be here for the long haul and I’m looking forward to the next few months soaking up some farm life.
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Hey girl looks like you found paradise I’m so tempted to take the plunge this sounds like the exact type of thing I’m looking for. If I get out of bed the wrong side in the next few days I might just pack it all in and join you.
Sounds cool. Opportunities to pick up Spanish?
Sounds like a nice lifestyle. No pictures though?
“I was worried that the farm would be full of hippy do-gooder types”
I was under the impression that’s what you were. Just kidding… sort of.
Anyway, sounds like a really cool place. In fact, a very cool place that a lot of people would be interested in. The only problem I see is the lack of exposure. Seems like if you could get your fellow nomads to give them some blog buzz, that would work wonders in building the backlinks to their site. But maybe this post has already kick started it. I notice you’ve really grown your readership. A place like that needs some good exposure on the web. People would flock there. Just my 2 cents.
This sounds fantastic, and you’ve detailed your experience in a way that tempts me to go down there as soon as possible! I’ve been working on different ideas for a place to live and work for a while, where I can be a part of something great while also working on my own initiatives like writing and web work. Are you experiencing any difficulties with your internet connection and updating your blog often?
Thanks for this article. I’ve now got Finca Bonafide on my list.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful place. I just put it on my list of future travel destinations. I have known I wanted to do some kind of volunteer farming sometime and that looks like just the right place for me.
Neale it’s pretty cool but the net connection seems to be crapping a bit more often out lately which sucks. It would be an awesome place though for anyone into art, writing or other stuff that doesn’t rely on power or internet.
Loads of chances to pick up Spanish. The locals who work here are super nice and also eager to learn English so we swap mini lessons at lunch.
Mike it took me two days just to get this post online and I couldn’t get photos to go. Plus one camera is broken and the other is missing the cord. But I will add photos when I can.
LD I’m definitely not a hippy and not much of a do-gooder either really except I guess for recently.
I wonder if a place like this really wants massive amounts of exposure. They do need a steady stream of volunteers but they only have space for so many so loads of people knowing about it would just mean huge amounts of emails turning people away, I would guess.
But for sure add it to your ‘to visit’ lists. It’s an awesome place.
I have added Bonafide to my favorites
Today was better I have to just do certain things for a short while more then I can have my cake and eat it also a true dream, why don’t you get one of those roll up solar things that would give you the power to work 4 hrs a day or so, internet & uploading to the web take a trip in to town once a week/month sounds like a perfect place to work with a little planning.
I’ll admit I bookmarked it too.
It’s funny that your blog and Almost Fearless visited this place at once: http://almostfearless.com/2009/05/04/isla-ometepe-and-monkey-island/.
This place sounds really good for $200 a month. Have you found other places to do work on the Internet, say on Granada?
wow. sounds like you’re seriously enjoying yourself there *envy*
some pictures of the accommodation would be awesome. call me a panzy, but i would like to see the rooms, kitchen and toilets first before i decide to stay somewhere for some months. you know, to get an idea how adventurous my stay might get
Sounds like you have found paradise! Wouldn’t mind sampling a bit of that type of volunteering too.
What’s the working language of the farm? Do most folks speak Spanish, will be great for your learning if that’s the case.
Food is something that we get use to, and it is very comforting to us. So I can understand why you would be worried about the different types of food. I am glad that you are enjoying the type of work you are doing. Sometimes physical work can be pretty fun, especially if you are person who enjoys the outdoors and keeping in shape. Its great that you pare finding great people. Its also an added benefit that you are enjoying yourself and the cost is quite cheap. You are also helping out .. can’t go wrong with that.
-Randy
Would you say that the social life is pretty good? I don’t like being too lonely when I travel, so I’m all about getting involved in a good community. This place sounds great, since it is cheap, allows me to learn Spanish, and gives me some physical to keep me sharp but not so much that I couldn’t do anything else. Was the internet good enough to get serious web work done? For me, that would be a priority. Looks like an awesome place, though.
Very thorough article, good reading!
Loads of chances to pick up Spanish. The locals who work here are super nice and also eager to learn English so we swap mini lessons at lunch.