Permaculture / Whole Food Plant-Based / Natural Building / Experiential Participation

Internship

Join our ever-evolving permaculture farm for a unique eco-experience in an optimal healthy, tropical environment. For the period of your internship, a minimum 30 days, your personal goals are integrated with shared community goals to foster a rewarding,  co-creative, learning experience. We do accept school accreditations.

Imagine going to sleep to the tranquil symphony of crickets, night birds, and mating frogs under a milky way starry night. Wake up naturally to the circadian rhythm of sun and moon with the sound of birds and monkeys.

Getting into nature’s ways is refreshing and great for your body, mind, and spirit. We gather at 6 am a little after sunrise, to prepare breakfast at 6:30. Work starts at 7 am, water breaks as needed, lunch at noon, and work resuming from 1-3 pm. Late afternoons and evenings are for personal activities.  Personal activities can include walks to our waterfalls and pools, rainforest hikes, social gatherings, yoga, exercising, music jamming, or day trips on days off (with gas share) to nearby breathtaking local sites like Nauyaca falls, Diamante falls, or a quiet Pacific beach as time off permits.

For those who want to use their experience for maximum body building and health, work here can be arranged to be more physically challenging. We share the outlook of co-creating, working the land to be self-sufficient as a natural part of a healthy, meaningful life contributing to the betterment of self, humankind, and planet Earth and its creatures.

You may also have the opportunity to work alongside our full-time help, Ramiro and his sons Gregory and Byron, whose strength and knowledge  will make a big impression and a chance to practice Spanish.

Working with inventor and designer Eric Rivkin is a delight as his problem-solving and design skills and creative mind achieve beautiful “Eco-Chic” solutions to anything that needs to be built on the farm.

A Unique Farm-to-Table, Whole Food, Plant-Based (WFPB) Experience

The type of cuisine we prepare is farm-raised here or local, all organic, and whole food plant-based, with a small percentage of what needs to be cooked for necessary nutrients. If you’re on a strictly raw vegan diet, we urge you to try WFPB for a different wholesome food experience, as portrayed in the documentary The Game Changers. Farmers markets in Tinamastes on Tuesday and San Isidro on Thursday provide food  we don’t grow or is off season.  Together we prepare each meal with delicious, whole food, plant-based recipes that inspire you to what is possible for an optimum human diet. There’s no shortage of calories to sustain your energy levels. You can also learn to make sprouts, sun-dried cacao, and process our own spices like cinnamon, vanilla, and herbs. La Joya del Sol’s 100% whole food, plant-based cuisine is internationally recognized and developed by Chef Eric Rivkin as low fat, free of oil, salt, sugar, gluten, vinegar. All drinking and bathing water is from fresh drinkable spring water, which likely has B12 in it naturally.

In 2023, we started raising bee-friendly, wildflower vegan honey that we process only when the bees make a surplus. Our special honey is favored by vegan locals and sold for its high mineral and nutritional content made from pollen we’ll never see in the rainforest canopy and over 1400 fruit trees in our orchard, with changing color and flavor at each gathering.

Minimum stay for Interns is 30 Days at $500 per month. Includes:

• Daily basic whole food, plant-based meals and fresh fruit snacks. Dehydrated snacks are available at a nominal cost. Bring your own nuts and seeds for extra calories, and personal teas and supplements. We have only a healthy whole food plant-based meals, mostly raw. No cheap rice and bean meals here!
• A sheltered and raised bamboo tent platform, glamping style tent, mattress, sheets, blanket, towel. You may bring your own towel or bedding.
  
  
• Learning experiences including making healthy, all plant-based recipes, permaculture/syntropic farm chores, gardening and harvesting, pruning, ecological furniture or shelter building.

 

Interns work a 40 hour week, beginning at 6 am for an 8 hour day, which includes pre-determined farm projects as well as regular household chores. Tuesdays,  Thursdays, Saturdays, are reserved for the bulk of personal time off because they are market days off site. Hours and activity desired need to be agreed on ahead of time so we can coordinate transportation, etc, if needed. As an option you may come to the market and either work (part of your internship hours) or socialize (time off hours).

Mealtime prep and cleanup time is NOT included in the 40 hours because we all eat anyway, even though you will receive hands-on plant-based cuisine education. Late afternoons are open for your personal activities. A light dinner prep starts at 5:30pm.

Interns are responsible for keeping honest track of their hours. Cell phones are not permitted in use during work hours, except  to take personal photos.

Laundry service with bio-degradable soap is available for $5 per load, $3 if the load is shared. The solar clothes dryer is open for everyone to use. Hand washing on personal time can be done in public laundry sink at no cost.

For pre-arranged excursions on personal time, arrange with us for reservations and/or transportation with gas share cost. Connect to local buses, taxis, and neighbors with tours to Diamante Falls, Nauyaca Falls, Manuel Antonio Park, Pacific beaches, and on-going community activities as time allows on days off. We cannot always offer transportation with our farm pickup, but when you do share the ride, there is a nominal gas share charge starting at $2 per person for shorter distances. Longer distances will be discussed as the need arises.

Many come here to cleanse, detox, juice or water fast for extended periods, A minimum of 30 days internship must be completed before scheduling time dedicated to private, focused health protocols. When this begins, your status changes to Guest Rate, which includes your food and lodging. Special food needs must be pre-arranged.

If for good reason an intern needs genuine “healing time” for an injury or serious illness and you’re not able to work, guest rates will apply for the non-work days. Make-up, or trading time is not considered unless you’v been interning here longer than 3 months.

APPLYING FOR INTERNSHIP

Interns are accepted via our application process on the basis of general good health, positive and enthusiastic attitude, willingness to learn and empathize, special skillsets, fitness, and a deep sense of appreciation for life and nature.  Upon inquiry, please email  emrivkin@gmail.com and ask for a current application form. A Zoom, Skype or Whatsapp call is necessary after reviewing the application to touch base and answer questions face to face, as part of the interview process.

TERMS and CONDITIONS

To secure your reservation, send a $100 USD non-refundable deposit via Paypal to emrivkin@gmail.com, using the friends/family option.  A 4% service fee or currency exchange fees may apply.

The balance of the full reservation is due upon arrival either in USD or Colones. Cash is  safe to bring if you come directly to the farm from the airport, or you can get at any bank on the way here. Sorry, we cannot take credit cards but can do Paypal. Extended stays, conversions to  long term residency are to be agreed upon.

There are strictly no refunds after full payment is made, for any reason. If you quit your internship early, you may either donate the unused portion or use it towards future accommodations such as being a guest or participant at a later date, or towards event fees, or products sold by the farm.

There are no “sick” days for the short duration of internship. Days taken as a “sick” day may be made up by trading your personal time from remaining work days, adding longer prepaid stay, or paying guest rates difference of $38 per day ($55 (guest rate) – $17 for internship pro-rated daily fee = $38)

Incidental expenses such as ride sharing, excursions, laundry or product sales are paid the day they are incurred.

In order to reduce electro-pollution, we ask that you d bring a shielded ethernet cable for your computer, with the necessary adapters if you want to connect to our WIFI router. Otherwise you can obtain a SIM card for your smart phone or computer with service at ICE KOLBI (only available service)  to have your own connection. To offer free internet service, we can only permit short internet phone calls, no streaming of movies or books,  We cherish real time doing real personal or  social activities with each other than depend on internet.

LJDS has a policy of “zero tolerance” of no drugs, alcohol, smoking, or any actions that deliberately harm or disrespect personal peace, health, property, or the environment. If violated, it could result in expulsion with no refund.

You’ll need to sign a waiver on arrival, or presign one you can print. For a copy, please email emrivkin@gmail.com or whatsapp message at 506-8886-6802

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