Brigitte

Travel information

I am currently

Activities i am interested in:

I wish to live a true immersive 3 to 4 month experience in Sweden as a carreer break. I am learning Swedish right now, in order to be able to interact properly with Swedish people within 2 months.

Description

Hej!

I am Brigitte, a French woman of 55 years old.

I am energetic, curious, positive, respectful, open-minded, bold, creative and easy going.
I live, by the sea and the countryside, in the west of France, in Brittany.

I wish to have a career break than can bring me to new horizons... and I have choosen Sweden!
I am aiming at spending 3 to 4 months in Sweden, from April till June-July, and trully willing to have an authentic immersive experience.

It is my first time with workaway and I am very motivated!
My wish is to stay at least 3 weeks to 1 month with the same host.
Ideally, I would like to visit several places during my stay, so if you have a project which includes several destinations, I am all yours!

In a nutshell, I would like to discover, learn from, be helpful to, share time with Swedish people.
I am eager to discover your culture, land, habits, traditions and way of life.
Thus, I am learning Swedish, as I think it is a mark of respect, openness and dedication to make the effort to speak your language.
I would like to practice and speak Swedish during my stay but I can also speak other languages (French, English, Spanish as well as Italian and Portuguese) which is a nice way to interact with other workawayers.

I am versatile and a quick learner!
I am careful, sharp and accurate, both at physical and intellectual tasks.
I can take care of many details at the same time.
I like my work to be neat and satisfying.
I love learning from people and I would be grateful if you offer to teach me new abilities, expand my knowledge and improve my skills.

As far as my skills are concerned:

- Marketing, Communications, PR and event management.
I used to work as head of communications and I was a spokeswoman for big international companies, as weel as local cultural or business events.
I would, of course, be delighted to use my skills in order to help you organising festivals or other events such as charity, business or family gatherings, if you have plans to do so.
++ I am also a boardmember in european charities, thus I would fancy working with an NGO which shares my social and environemental values.

- Social interaction:
I love meeting people and I am very good at developping friendly or charity social networks.
I have quite a few experiences of living abroad and working in international environments.
++ I would rather share a several-workawayers experience than one by my own.
I am used to living and working with youngsters.
++ I fancy having my own bedroom and privacy in order to rest properly.
From time to time, I can, of course, take care of your beloved family if you wish me to do so.
I am experienced and very reliable. I am a town adviser and I have 7 nieces and nefews who live nearby in French Brittany.

- Housekeeping:
I am the queen of organisation and washing, so if you are stuck with things you want to sort out, get rid of, upcycle, clean, polish, varnish, paint or fix, I can be a great help if you wish to make your place nicer, tidier and spacier. I am also good at decorating and creating nice cosy athmosphere.
I live in a stoned and slate-roofed family traditional britton house, with my mother 85, nefew 28, and an ant and uncle +80, living in a beautiful old farmhouse, twinned to ours.
We have a 3 acres garden, with flowers, a few vegetables and fruits and 2 cats wandering around.
We also have a private little forest. I moved in 2 years ago and I have done a lot of tidying up and a few renovation work.
I am also thinking about becoming a host myself, so learning from your experience would be a great plus.

- Cooking:
I love cooking, French cooking of course but also all kinds of food (Italian, Asian, Maroccan, Indian, Lebaneese, Russian....). I prefer using organic and fresh products... and guess what?
If you have buckwheat flour available, I can pan our delicious salted britton 'crêpes' (very thin pancakes you fill in with ham, cheese, eggs etc...). The sugared ones are done with regular wheat flour.
++ I have never tasted or cooked Swedish food, so I would be happy to share your family recepies!

- Gardening, landscaping, crops and orchard:
I like working outside and I can do various tasks such as maintaining a garden or an orchard, plant, pick up, cut, crop, mow, uproot weeds... Chop wood, use chainsaw...
I have been trained in cultivating an organic orchard according to the Pierre Rabhi's method which includes how to make a good compost and use dry toilets.
++ I would love to know how to preserve and ferment vegetables and fruits, plant fruit trees, pick up mushrooms, start a forestgarden...

- Carpentry, plastering and tiling:
Although I am not a professional carpenter, I like working with wood.
I can follow your instructions for cutting, sawing, sanding, varnishing and fixing things together.
++ I would like to work on buildings and renovation projects.
If needed I can also help with tiling, plastering or other renovation or construction works.

- Plumbing and electricity:
I have never done plumbing or electricity but, there also, I can follow your instructions and help you with organising the work. I am precise and meticulous.

- Driving:
I am an experienced driver.
++ I am able to drive a tractor or any other mechanical engines, once you show me how to do so.

- Farm animals, sleddogs or pet care:
I love animals and I would be delighted helping with yours.
I can feed, train and cuddle them and give them the care needed when wounded or old.
I used to milk cows when I was young, with machine or by hands.
++ I would love to know how to shear a sheep, clean and card their wool; work with goats or horses, learn how to make cheese, soap... or any other kind of useful stuff.

- Foreign languages:
I can teach you French and English and even Spanish or Italian if you are an absolute beginner.
I definitly need YOU to improve my Swedish as I would like to become pretty fluent by the end of my stay. I might settle down here, one day, if my experience leads me to do so! You never know^^

- Others:
Please ask me if you have other needs and if you plan work I have not mentionned yet.

Tack för att du läser mig. Jag ser fram emot att träffa dig!

Brigitte

Interests

Writing

Plant care

Events & social

Cooking & food

Movies & TV

Hiking

Charity work

Astronomy

Water sports

Sustainability

Pets

Mountain

Dancing

Gardening

Carpentry

Videography

Self development

Languages

DIY & crafts

Sailing / Boating

Outdoor activities

Cycling

Books

Animals

Yoga / Wellness

Politics / Social justice

Nature

Farming

Culture

Adventure sports

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
Italian: Beginner
Portuguese: Beginner
Swedish: Beginner

More details about my language interests
I can teach French and English. I would love to become fluent in Swedish, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

Find a language buddy

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

General Maintenance

Life at a Farmstay

Helping around the house

Teaching

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Some knowledge of:  

Gardening

DIY and building projects

Being an elderly companion

Eco Projects

Animal Care

Hospitality/Tourism

House sitting

Art Projects

Helping with Computers/ Internet

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Able to teach about:  

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Charity Work

Languages

More details about your skills

If you request more information about my skills than the one listed in my description, please ask.
I would be pleased to answer you.

Age

56

What else ...

I love being outside, wandering around the countryside and seashores or visiting nice swedish cities.

I have been only once in Sweden, but it was a looooong time ago, in 1997 and it was a quick professional trip. I was working for Whirlppol France as a supply chain manager and I visited the Norrköping microwaves plant I worked with on a daily basis. Needless to say that I did not visit the country.

I like cycling, running, hiking, trekking, canoeing, climbing, sightseeing and I like to do so sharing time with others. I am found of sauna and yoga sessions to!
I am confortable with horses, I used to ride but I need practicing.
I like playing board games and cards. If your a chess player, I would love you to teach me.

I have many other interests but what I like most is interacting with foreign people and learn from them as weel as sharing my own experiences.

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies
  No

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  Special dietary requirements
  No, not particularly.