Please click on the following photos to read the blogs kept by these past interns:

Josh Yeroshefsky

James

Kaat

Thank you for your interest in an internship on our farm! The work itself was explained in the internship summaries.  This page will give you a feel for the living situation.  The application questions are at the end of the narrative.  Please click on the thumbnail photos of three past interns (above) to read the blog postings they wrote during their time here.  You can also check out our Intern Blogs page to find links to other past interns’ blogs.

We farm in three areas: by the sea and on three 20 acre fruit tree farms in the hills.  The hill farms are mostly fruit trees, a real tropical jungle, and we go up regularly to reap truckloads of fruit and to plant fields of plantain and banana. We have an apiary of bee hives on each farm.  The seaside farm (around 4 acres) has been our family’s home for three generations now, and is covered with mature fruit trees of all types, but mostly mango varieties, with open areas for banana, plantain, cassava, yam, root crops and vegetables and herbs.

We are a family of 8, with 6 young boys ranging in age from 23 to 8 years old.  We are a vegan home schooling family; we love the Earth and are deeply into connecting with nature.  We welcome interns of all faiths or none  

Some of our interests include: natural building with wood, rock and bamboo harvested and collected from our area, growing oyster mushrooms, top bar beekeeping, daily sourdough bread baking with our own natural yeast, distilling essential oils, soap making and tropical herbal medicine.

All interns will have the full use of our yard and little private beach, and will stay in one of our guest cabins.  We have a washing machine and water tanks, cold water showers and flush toilets. Beware!  Things are not as luxurious as they sound!  This being Jamaica, and our yard consisting of 98% nature and 2% human made comfort, there are bugs of all description, mongoose, a million birds – basically, lots of life. When it rains, you can’t ignore it, and it is hot!  We do, however, have bed nets and we have a few fans. 

Please visit our facebook page to see pictures of our farm and cabins and our Trip Advisor site to read what some guests have posted in their reviews. On our facebook page, you can look in this photo album to see pictures taken by past interns.  Our Internships page here on our website features a slideshow of pictures that show more of life here as an intern.

There are no poisonous snakes in Jamaica, and no dangerous mammals.

Our town has had two murders in the last 50 years. We only recently have had lockable doors, more for our guests’ sense of safety than for real necessity.

Jamaican culture is full of vibes, and the people are open.  Everyone will speak English to you and patios with each other.  As the patois has a beautiful and logical African grammar, and a mostly English vocabulary, it is easy to learn.  We have a book, ‘Understanding Jamaican Patois’, available for study. Our family will speak patois with each other and English with you.  We’ve had one intern who could basically understand patois by the time she left, after six months, and another gifted and perceptive intern who could fully understand our family’s conversations after two.

I hope you like reggae, because music is everywhere and it is loud.

We work hard every day, but there is a method for success.  We don’t work in the rain, and we don’t work in the hottest part of the day.  That’s it!  Bring some books.  We do not expect you to cook, but please keep your living area neat, and your grass raked in your yard.  You will get breakfast, lunch and dinner, plenty of snacks, all the fruit you can eat and all the fruit you can pick from the trees around you. 

You are responsible for the cost of your room and board – $1,500 USD per month.  Airport transfers cost around $100 each way if you fly into Kingston, and $150 for Montego Bay.  And, of course, your airplane ticket: as ticket prices change all the time, you’ll have to search online for what’s current.  If these costs are more than you can afford, you should talk to your advisor about ways to access funding for your internship. .

One of our interns, who was very frugal, came with $200 for 6 months, and I think she left our yard with that nearly intact. We will take you on hikes and introduce you to other good beaches.  You are welcome to go with us to the market, go fruit hunting with us on our farms, catch wild bee hives, and play with the local kids – all free activities that give you a nice glimpse of the culture and the island. 

 As soon as you arrive, after you see the place and settle in, we will sit in the kitchen and talk about your project.   The scope of your project will depend on the length of your stay.  We will set goals for the project, and be clear about exactly what you need to get out of your internship, and from us.  And then we will start to plan.  Our work week is 40 hours total, so there is plenty of free time.  We do ask that all interns write some blog entries per week. This will be helpful to you as you move on, as a record of what you’ve done with us, and will be interesting to future potential interns, as they consider whether this opportunity is right for them.

Please answer the following questions on a new document.  If there is anything else you would like us to know about you, please include that.  Please email the application to Agape Adams at yerbabuenaja@aol.com.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or WhatsApp us at 1 (876) 343-1121.

If you are an axe murderer or child molester, please find a different internship!

Name, Address, Phone, Email, Age

What is the best way to contact you?

School and Major

Are you currently a student? If no, when did you graduate?

Time available for internship 

Internship interested in

Where are you from?  Please give us an idea of your background.

Please summarize your work experience.

What are your strengths and weaknesses? Please be honest, as if we are clear about your weaknesses, we can work around them!

What draws you to this internship?  What are your interests?  How does this internship fit into your goals for your education, career and life?

What skills and experience do you bring?  What particular skills and experiences would you like to gain?

Would you need credit from this internship? 

What would you need from us?  How would you need us to support you?

Please give the name and contact information of someone who can provide a reference for you.

Thank you!  We look forward to hearing from you.