Volunteers who work in the morning should have breakfast before going, or should take with them something to eat during the morning because they will be very hungry after a couple of hours walking energetic dogs in the marine fresh air! Most volunteers like to have something ready from the previous day for lunch so that they can eat as soon as they arrive home, and then they have still time to rest and go for some free time activity on the beach or in town or visit another village on the island. Public buses go back and forth from town to the 4 villages on the coast during the whole day, with the last ones coming back from the villages at about 5pm. Volunteers can organize shifts in the kitchen and prepare food for themselves and other volunteers.
In winter, volunteers working in the afternoon must be ready to go at 11, so they have free in the morning. In Summer they go from the hostel at 3,45, but they will have some other activities before, to complete their working time.
For people that don't like to cook or don't want to spend their time cooking, meals can be bought for little money in a lot of local small restaurants. You can stop at the market place when you come back from the shelter at 1PM and have lunch there, before going straight to the beach for a nap. Everything is so close and easy to reach that there is almost no need to "organize" free time.
Free time activities can vary according with the time of the year: in winter it is not so hot, so you can go round during the whole day. In Summer it will be difficult to do anything else than rest or being at the beach from 12 to 5PM.
Shifts are allocated according to the needs at the shelter and to the desires of the volunteers. Some people like better to work in the morning because it is cooler, but of course night life suffers from this schedule. Other people prefer to go to bed later, rest in the morning and work in the afternoon. In general volunteers are working one per shift or more only if available.
Examples of working shifts
Morning shift:
7,45 am: starting from the hostel with our car
8,00 am: starting work (helping feeding the animals)
9,00 am: starting walking the dogs
12 am: finishing work, going home with local transport/bicycle/walking
12,30: arriving at the hostel. Alternatively you can stop in town and have lunch there or go directly to the beach.
Afternoon shift - Winter
11,30 am: starting from the hostel by public transport/bicycle/walking
12 am: starting work at the shelter, walking dogs
4 pm: finishing work at the shelter, going home with our car
4,30 pm: arriving at the hostel
Afternoon shift - Summer
2pm: starting work with various activities at the hostel
3,45 pm: going to the shelter with our car from the hostel
4 pm: starting walking the dogs
6 pm: finishing work at the shelter, going home with local transport/bicycle/walking
6,30 pm: arriving at the hostel
NOTES:
Information given in the Time Commitment session of this program are only orientative and they are not binding: the free day is normally on the arrival's day and therefore can be on any day of the week (may be on the weekend, maybe not) and the working time is per shift.
- changes in shifts must be communicated with due notice and be authorized
- changes in shifts can't leave shifts uncovered.
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