Quit the job. Sold the stuff. Traveling the world.
Got a job. Bought some stuff. Teaching the future.
My world alternates between the two extremes.
View all posts by Cori
Hello! I just got accepted into this farm through volunteer network so I’m trying to look for as much info as possible. The thing is I can’t find any review on the internet except yours. Can you give me a quick picture of what it is like? In what way is the owner awful? Is the work too hard? I’d really appreciate if you can help me with that :).
Hello, I’m so glad that you were able find me. When I was at El Pardal you worked about 5 hours. A bell would ring, aka the owner would beat a pot, in the volunteer cabin and you would get up, pick any fruit that was available and then make and eat breakfast. Afterwards the women went down to the garden and the men did any of the hard labor work there was to be done. ( at that time it was building a horse stable). As a woman, even though I expressed multiple times that I wanted to work with my hands and help moved heavy things, I was told I needed to work in the garden. The women were also expected to make the meals and clean up from the meals even when everyone else had gone down for the mid day nap before work started again. Thankfully, I met some really great people and enjoyed my time in the gardens. The owner was very creepy and rude. I was in the kitchen one day and he came up to me, pinched my arm and said “You need to work out” On multiple occasions he would say that there was a massage session, however if any of the boys asked he would either tell them the wrong time or say it was canceled altogether; leaving just the women at his “sessions” After I left some of the women who remained said he tried to convince them to take their shirts of during the massage and then let him take pictures to “track the progress” As horrible as this all was, I was able to enjoy my time by avoiding him. There are 18 other volunteers at the time I was there so avoiding him wasn’t too hard. Out of everything the worst was actually his mood swings. One minute he would be in a great mood talking and having a good time and the next moment he would have a total meltdown, taken out on someone else, about minor things (ie using small plates instead of big ones). He would call us, the women, stupid, ugly, and good for nothing. The work it’s self was actually pretty easy. He was really unorganized and would give us new jobs everyday, typically weeding. In all I ended up leaving 3 days early ( I had planned on being there for 2 weeks). I hope this helps answer your questions. Anything else I can help you with?
Hello! I did. I was not the only person who left the campo early. A lot of the people on the farm with me during that time were friends of the owners son. Of the 18 people, 11 left with his son. He wasn’t as bad when his son was there (largely because the son would often be the one to communicate between him and the others). We were not as over worked as I have been when going to other farms, but the sexism and subtle harassment ultimately did me in. Like I said, I really liked the people I worked with, but I couldn’t stand the owner. Any thing else I can help you with?
Hey, 🙂 I also was accepted to volunteer to this place El Pardal. This really is only review in the internet about this, so it is very interesting indeed. Can you tell me littlebit more about the experience, did you talk about the owners rude behaviour with others? What did they think?
Good that i found this because i was planning to attend blind, but now i must reconsider truly..
Don't Worry Madre 
Hello! I just got accepted into this farm through volunteer network so I’m trying to look for as much info as possible. The thing is I can’t find any review on the internet except yours. Can you give me a quick picture of what it is like? In what way is the owner awful? Is the work too hard? I’d really appreciate if you can help me with that :).
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Hello, I’m so glad that you were able find me. When I was at El Pardal you worked about 5 hours. A bell would ring, aka the owner would beat a pot, in the volunteer cabin and you would get up, pick any fruit that was available and then make and eat breakfast. Afterwards the women went down to the garden and the men did any of the hard labor work there was to be done. ( at that time it was building a horse stable). As a woman, even though I expressed multiple times that I wanted to work with my hands and help moved heavy things, I was told I needed to work in the garden. The women were also expected to make the meals and clean up from the meals even when everyone else had gone down for the mid day nap before work started again. Thankfully, I met some really great people and enjoyed my time in the gardens. The owner was very creepy and rude. I was in the kitchen one day and he came up to me, pinched my arm and said “You need to work out” On multiple occasions he would say that there was a massage session, however if any of the boys asked he would either tell them the wrong time or say it was canceled altogether; leaving just the women at his “sessions” After I left some of the women who remained said he tried to convince them to take their shirts of during the massage and then let him take pictures to “track the progress” As horrible as this all was, I was able to enjoy my time by avoiding him. There are 18 other volunteers at the time I was there so avoiding him wasn’t too hard. Out of everything the worst was actually his mood swings. One minute he would be in a great mood talking and having a good time and the next moment he would have a total meltdown, taken out on someone else, about minor things (ie using small plates instead of big ones). He would call us, the women, stupid, ugly, and good for nothing. The work it’s self was actually pretty easy. He was really unorganized and would give us new jobs everyday, typically weeding. In all I ended up leaving 3 days early ( I had planned on being there for 2 weeks). I hope this helps answer your questions. Anything else I can help you with?
LikeLike
Hello! I did. I was not the only person who left the campo early. A lot of the people on the farm with me during that time were friends of the owners son. Of the 18 people, 11 left with his son. He wasn’t as bad when his son was there (largely because the son would often be the one to communicate between him and the others). We were not as over worked as I have been when going to other farms, but the sexism and subtle harassment ultimately did me in. Like I said, I really liked the people I worked with, but I couldn’t stand the owner. Any thing else I can help you with?
LikeLike
Hey, 🙂 I also was accepted to volunteer to this place El Pardal. This really is only review in the internet about this, so it is very interesting indeed. Can you tell me littlebit more about the experience, did you talk about the owners rude behaviour with others? What did they think?
Good that i found this because i was planning to attend blind, but now i must reconsider truly..
LikeLike