Adam

United States
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Profile information

Reply rate
50.0 %
Travel information
I am currently
Travelling
My next destination:
Paris, France - from Mar 2026 until May 2026
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Description
Hello!
I am an American who is currently on a gap year between high school and attending Cornell University for physics/engineering physics. I am on a quest to make good use of my gap year by mixing travel and helping other people.
In terms of my personal interests, I love reading and writing, spending time outside, sailing, kayaking, hiking, and learning about new things.
Interests
Technology
Charity work
Languages
Books
History
Cooking & food
Writing
Astronomy
Cycling
Hiking
Nature
Sailing / Boating
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Intermediate
Japanese: Beginner
Russian: Beginner
More details about my language interests
I love learning languages, and I find their connection to people and culture to be fascinating. I'd be willing to learn and practice any of the languages on my profile (though my Russian and Japanese are both pretty rudimentary). I have no experience teaching languages, but I'd be willing to give it a shot!
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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
Charity Work
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Languages
Some knowledge of:
Eco Projects
More details about your skills
I have experience with living and working outside. I completed a term of service with the Civilian Conservation Corps, which taught me how to live in the wilderness, use a chainsaw and other tools, and build beaver dam analogs. I also have completed a two week Outward Bound sailing course where I learned knot tying, oceanic navigation, and small boat handling. Both of these also taught me the value of resourcefulness, self sufficiency, hard work, and commitment.
Additionally I worked for a year as a librarian's assistant, gaining experience with organization and customer service. I also have minor experience with teaching, having spent a week as an orchestra camp counselor and having spent a day teaching history at the middle school level.
Age
19
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
- Special dietary requirements

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30 Mar 2026

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help us develop permaculture ...)

I had a fantastic three weeks here with Adrien!

My placement was in March, and my work mainly consisted of cleaning and organizing the hives, and preparing and cleaning his farm and honey processing room for the upcoming season. I found it all to be quite pleasant, and Adrien did a great job at giving me opportunities to try out other types of… read more work as well. These included building a door, planting a garden, trimming trees, and picking up sticks, among others. He also always gave me the offer to come with him to see other parts of his operation, which I really appreciated. Even though I had no prior experience with beekeeping, I feel that I was able to actually help, and now I’m even considering getting bees of my own!

Adrien himself was a great host. He was super generous, providing a breakfast and lunch any day that I requested it, and he let me try all seven types of his honey and his brother’s mead! He is very flexible with the work schedule, and was willing to accommodate weekend trips spilling over into Monday. I was staying with Adrien in his Grandparents’ AirBnB, which meant that I had a private room, queen sized bed, showers, a washing machine, and a fully equipped kitchen at my disposal. One small note is that this is not necessarily the most sanitary/clean placement to ever exist. Adrien doesn’t wash his hands, I was the only person who ever sweeped, and dishes frequently piled up until the sink was overflowing, though the dishwasher was always available to use for my own dishes. I was able to get along fine with this, but occasionally it bother me. He also smoked occasionally, but it’s just pure tabacco (not a cigarette), and he was always sure to check with me first and to do it next to open windows or in other rooms behind closed doors, which I greatly appreciated. We also were practicing language with each other, and he was incredibly patient with my broken French. Frequently he would also have to repeat instructions in English after I didn’t understand the French, which was greatly appreciated 😅. He also taught me how to meditate and aligned my chakras, which was fun. Broadly he is pretty busy after work hours, so I would recommend bringing a book or two for your stay. His family and workers were also super fun and accommodating to be around, and his Grandpa’s dog Jessie is the best!

The area of Condé-sur-l’Escaut is great too. I had a great time exploring the forest and countryside nearby. There isn’t a whole lot in the way of big cities nearby, but on weekends I had a super easy time getting to Mons and Bruges, and the local train station is easily accessible and Brussels, Amsterdam, and several other cities are within a two hour ride. There is an Aldi’s and another small, local grocery store nearby, and they pretty holistically covered my needs, but we would occasionally drive further south to go to a larger store.

Overall I had a great time here, and I wish that I could have stayed longer! I really felt that I got to see and understand the whole process of honey production, and it was inspiring to see how much Adrien cares about his work. If you want to learn about a very unique type of agriculture in a very fun and pleasant environment, give Adrien a shot!

(Excellent)