I first arrived at the finca in May 2019. I had no idea the impact that this place and the people who lived there, would have on my life. In addition I had no idea the impact the Workaway experience can have.

In March of that year I was living in London, working a dead-end job. Serving overpriced food to ungrateful people and generally not loving it. And then very suddenly my housemate James died of cancer. It was incredibly shocking. He had been ill for months but always seemed like he was going to get better. I’d seen him improve before my very eyes and then one day he went into hospital and didn’t make it out. I knew I needed to get out of London, to get out of England, but I didn’t know how. I’d never travelled by myself before and I wasn’t even sure if what I was looking for existed. I was devastated by James’ death, and I felt a strong need to do something worthwhile and meaningful… 

So, I started searching Workaway. Emma was the first and only person I contacted and she replied saying that their finca was very basic but as long as I was prepared to rough it, I was more than welcome to come. I believe I booked my flight that night.