Gompa Apartments

Great location, nice accommodations, fun projects, great opportunity to learn new things. Guest help with projects including learning new skills such as how to build a battery pack for an e-bike or how to cook medicinal food for your body type. Volunteers can enjoy great natural wonders, boating, hiking in the area, local hot springs (very inexpensive and healing). The place is in the middle of town, and one can walk most anywhere, and nearby there are trails and natural spaces. One can also enjoy Elephant Butte lake state park nearby.

We are a sustainable community with a focus on mental well being and mind body awareness. This is a place where people can take time off and go inward.

The town we are in is called Truth or Consequences. There are spiritual places of pilgrimage that are hard to find in most towns and some people say the Turtleback mountain itself has a special spirit. It is also extremely beautiful and unique in its natural features and history. The area has thermal hot springs right under the town and many houses have private hot springs in them. The town used to be called Hot Springs NM and of course there are established hot spring soaking spots for the public including a free hot spring in one of the town parks. The area historically was always a place of peace and restoration. Different Native tribes peacefully shared this area (and still use it to this day). Geronimo is one famous historic patrons of the healing waters here. The Geronimo museum is a few blocks from the Apartments with many artifacts and historic information including one of the largest Native American pottery collections in North America. The Rio Grande River flows through the town and a few miles up there is the historic Elephant Butte Dam built in 1911. The Elephant Butte Lake State Park up river from the dam has boating fishing and hiking and camping and miles of beaches for swimming and water sports making it the playground for New Mexico, yet because of the less dense population of the state and southern location, it is never too crowded and one can really enjoy having finding one's own almost private beach in the park. The town has many art studios and also spiritual centers including a very rare Stupa monument for peace and healing nearby. There is art hop nights where all the art studios open up and offer wine and cheese and sometimes have live music. There are unique shops and cafes in the town as well and a historic theater that also has live music concerts and interesting films. There is always something interesting happening here.

Part of the vision of the Apartments is to provide psychologically nurturing resource for both visitors and the local community. Our mission for helping local people who have had mental challenges is partially based on the work of Shoma Morita, a Japanese psychologist who in the early 1900s developed a four-stage progressive therapeutic method.

The Apartments are a work in progress and we are fixing the place up. We are hoping to transform the landscape and have organic gardens as well. We recycle water and use it for the grounds. We like working with volunteers who share our vision of a sustainability and healing and living fully. We are building a healing center in the large house on the property where we can have visiting natural paths and doctors from around the world give lectures and have clinics. We currently teach classes on mind body synchronization, music and art, Asian Medicine and cooking. (I am a licensed acupuncturist with a degree in Chinese Medicine and also a Degree in Psychology and Music Therapy and also uniquely trained in Tibetan Medicine). We also have shared Theater classes on mind body synchronization.

Worldpackers are either given their own free efficiency (studio) apartment or stay in the dorm room. Each apartment has a kitchen shower and all the basic necessities. The shared dorm room also has kitchen shower and all the same amenities. In addition, unlike the other apartments, the dorm room is directly connected by its own door the gompa meditation room (for meditation and yoga), and also has a door to the community recreation room. So it is easy to people in the dorm room to access other spaces to meditate, watch a movie, or read a book. The "community recreation room" has a library, a large TV, magnetic dart board, some board games, its own kitchen, and other amenities. The "community room" and the Meditation room have some sound insulation, so people can enjoy the different spaces without impeding on each other. There a door from the community room to the back yard. All the doors have code locks and sometimes on both sides of the door, so the dorm room is private and only accessible to the people staying in it. When you are here you get your own private code for access to these spaces.

Volunteers help out about 15 -20 hours a week. We often lunch for everyone staying here (mostly vegetarian) and there is never a lack of healthy meals around here. (As we finished our major construction phases, we have lessened the work hours and do not guarantee lunch every work day but still it often happens. It happens more when we all plan and cocreate lunch together so always bring your ideas and healthy appetite!)

We have done both longer term stays and very short term worldpackers stays. Before applying please read our entire listing details and that will help you know if you will like it here.

I am into so many things and so I do not narrow myself into one profession. I do not like to be called a Title even if I have the required licenses' to practice certain "professions". I took time off in my youth to really go inward and deeply study many subjects some of them were beyond the bounds of what modern society was into at the time, to this day I am also constantly studying, going on spiritual retreats and growing. In my studies and now in this town I have met so many people who also are multifaceted and have diverse interests and talents unique skills, histories and paths so this town attracts people like me. My areas of exploration include delving various sciences and contemplative areas, world cultures areas of mind. I have Bachelors, Masters, Graduate degrees, and clinical and experiential training training under mentors required to hold licenses to practice different things including psychology and Asian medicine. up until my mid 40s I also was a CNA , Music Therapist, Tire Shop Repair service person and worked many jobs. I have been a cook in restaurants and retreat centers and also have volunteered myself at many spiritual organizations in many roles. I am always learning and rather than being an expert it makes life more enjoyable to be a student. I like people who love learning and growing. Volunteers can expect to be treated in a friendly professional manor. We do like mature volunteers. We expect honesty and self awareness from volunteers and volunteers to treat each other all other guests and people on the property here with respect. We expect everyone to have read and abide by the "rules and guidelines" so please read the entire listing before requesting to stay. Depending on projects we are doing, sometimes we might suggest slight changes in start or end dates, for the best overlaps of Worldpacker's schedules and have multiple guests here at once to do team projects and create more community vibe. We try to be flexible and try to keep or listing updated to reflect our needs and what is going on here, but sometimes might fall behind. please know everything in this listing might not be exact. Communications and tech: When interviewing and many other times during a worldpackers stay we use whatsapp messenger for communications. It is useful when volunteers are here and we are discussing projects that sometimes require us to figure out or describe how to do stuff. Whatsapp has voice-clips, and because it allows attachments like video links from other sources we can share advice from youtube videos or other websites on whatever project we are working on. This reduces the need for taking time to type messages and gives a multitude of methods to share ideas. At the same time Initially we do rely upon worldpackers messenger and of course we can schedule regular phone calls as well. Do not worry If you do not have experience with any particular app or the right equipment, its not a deal breaker, but we ask you learn to use it if you can. Sharing meals, exploring the area having fun and being social and getting work done together requires that the people we accept to be on the property are honest, straightforward and positive. A person with negative habits or, overly negative attitude, someone with harmful intentions, or someone too self absorbed, can affect the entire community and all our lives here. The opposite is also true where really great amazing relationships and experiences have formed where guests have really brightened enlivened and had had positive impacts. Each Worldpacker's relationship and stay affects the future of the place. We also know our behaviors also affect the worldpackers life and spirit as well. Everything we do has an effect. Also on a tangible level for example some of the Worldpackers who are currently here are staying in beautiful nice renovated apartments with lots of useful features that other previous Worldpackers helped to create. So when you clean and fix up something it is an offering to future people to enjoy. We strive to have positive impact on each other and also the larger community and environment. We strive to make it a positive experience and bring out our natural goodness from within. _____________________________________________________ HOUSE RULES: Gompa Apartment's house rules for worldpackers are also in the volunteer project listing and also posted below for convenience. It's important for everyone's harmony that we have some rules for conduct especially as the property has at times Airbnbers and other visitors seeking health treatments. We also have a rich tradition and methods of conflict resolution and giving and taking feedback. At any time during your stay if anything arises please be upfront and come to us and ask us to talk about it. We love to host people who took courses in NVC with worldpacker's training video. We are very serious when we say, please do not hesitate to talk to us. Tell us if anything is on your mind and we can schedule a time to talk. Quiet hours 10pm-6am, and at all times keep music / media at levels not disturbing to others. (the apartments built in the 1930s and 40s have very thick brick and concrete walls between them, so it not like one has to be quiet as a mouse or tiptoe when inside. we also have a recreation room with a large TV that is always accessibly to worldpackers for games and recreation) We do not allow intoxication on the property if Alcohol, drugs or other substances are part your lifestyle, please do not apply. We do not allow psychedelics and any similar substances as well. Pets not allowed w/out prior approval from the owner Vehicles in parking lot must have valid registrations and be operational. No weapons, firearms or hazardous materials allowed on the premises. Commercial photography and filming are not allowed without the written permission of the Owner Worldpackers should not associate any mailing address at Gompa Apartments, with banking institutions, federal, state, or local government services, or set up correspondences with any institution government, or any companies or entity in any way that is used to establish residency. World Packers cannot establish id cards with any address at Gompa Apartments, or any web profiles with any address at Gompa Apartments, or do anything to establish any address at Gompa Apartments as their legal residence. The USPS cluster mailbox on the property is not accessible for Worldpackers without permission from owner. (The mailbox keys for most apartments are currently locked in their individual mailboxs. Keys are only distributed by the USPS person to residential tenants approved by the Owner). It is important to not get mail sent here because the mail will be returned to sender by usps. Instead of USPS we suggest you use UPS or FEDEX door to door services that do not involve the cluster mailbox. So most Amazon or other mail orders will work. We have been able to figure out how to get any mail to you without you having a mailbox key so please talk to us. With our permission we have allowed USPS mail to be addressed with a "Care Of" line in the address to our business address. In that instance when the mail arrives it goes to the Owner mailbox and the owner will hand deliver it to you. This cannot happen when the owner is out of town. So please speak to us and we will figure out how to get your correspondences and any packages to you. Unless we extend a worldpackers stay through worldpackers website, worldpackers must leave the premises at the end date of the worldpackers agreement. Worldpackers cannot leave vehicles or property on the premises after the end date without the written approval of the Owner. All property left without the owners permission is considered abandoned. We can be flexible in creating great experience with your specific needs, we have often extended worktrades and also adjusted worktrades to end earlier and helped worldpackers in their travel to and from truth or consequences. Please always communicate whenever anything is needed to be adjusted.