Christien

United Kingdom
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Profile information

Travel information
I am currently
Travelling
Activities i am interested in:
Permaculture, Language Exchange, Photography, Design, Videography, Yoga, Meditation, Hiking, Chess, Guitar
My next destination:
Chile - from Mar 2024 until Apr 2024
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Description
I’m a freelance graphic designer who works remotely and likes to spend my time getting to know new countries and cultures.

Primarily I would like to learn how to be fully sustainable so that one day when I decide to settle I can live semi or fully off grid and so learning skills related to that way of life is important to me. However, I am also interested in language exchanges, teaching English, carpentry and construction, charity work and hostel work and am really keen to use workaway as a chance to see a more local side of the countries I’m travelling in.

My work schedule is very flexible and I often have periods of waiting for client feedback or with no project at all. When I do have a project running I usually only need a few hours a day. So my freelance work won’t clash with workaway working hours.

I have over 10 years experience in graphic design, photography, marketing, social media work and 3 years experience in videography and video editing and can offer these services as part of the volunteering experience.

I’m a native English speaker and almost fluent in Spanish, with some experience of French too. I’m always keen to practice my Spanish and develop my french but also to learn some of the language of wherever I travel to.

Whilst I don’t have any formal teaching experience in English, I do really enjoy helping non-native speakers develop their English.
Interests
Van life
Team sports
Plant care
Movies & TV
Mountain
Hiking
Architecture
Videography
Yoga / Wellness
Sustainability
Vegetarian or vegan
Self development
Politics / Social justice
Photography
Nature
Music
Outdoor activities
Hitchhiking
Languages
History

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Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
French: Beginner
More details about my language interests
This workawayer has indicated that they would be interested in sharing their language(s) or learning a new language. You can contact them directly to discuss this.
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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
Charity Work
General Maintenance
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Hospitality/Tourism
Some knowledge of:
Art Projects
Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Life at a Farmstay
Animal Care
Able to teach about:
Languages
Helping with Computers/ Internet
More details about your skills
Graphic Design, Photography, Videography, Marketing, Permaculture, Natural Building
Age
36
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
- Special dietary requirements
  Vegetarian

Feedback

12 Jan 2024

Left by host (Seeking people with good ...) for Workawayer (Christien)

Christien was super nice, pleasant and helpful. Thank you for the nice review and probably helpful for others to know what to expect and inspiration. As in his review, he helped out with some painting and assisting Freddy my helper. I really appreciated the social media and graphic design he created. We are starting an environment group and he… read more

(Excellent )

17 Dec 2023

Left by Workawayer (Christien) for host (Seeking people with good ...)

We had a nice time at Tara’s, her property is beautiful and the treehouses are set nicely among the nature with many birds around, it’s very calm and relaxing.

Tara had a quite busy schedule during our stay but she managed to find some time to lay out her vision of the project. We enjoyed the construction and painting work we did on the house… read more

(Excellent )

15 Oct 2023

Left by Workawayer (Christien) for host (Enjoy city life and nature, ...)

I really enjoyed my two weeks volunteering at the hostel. It was a big challenge for me having never worked in a hostel before and it really pushed my Spanish language ability. Ricardo is an excellent manager and a good all round guy. He was very patient with me while I learned the ropes and with my Spanish. He's very dedicated and runs the hostel… read more

(Excellent )

22 Aug 2023

Left by host (Learn about self-sufficient ...) for Workawayer (Christien)

It was really nice having you at the farm.
Such a funny guy,bringing smile in your day.
Working with us in the garden during the morning and improving his guitar skills in the afternoon (we are waiting for the big concert!)

(Excellent )

22 Aug 2023

Left by Workawayer (Christien) for host (Learn about self-sufficient ...)

It was very hard to leave after two weeks of staying on Pure's farm, I had a great time getting to know and helping alongside Pure and the other volunteers. His project is really impressive with an abundance of fruits and vegetables and his vision to become fully self-sustainable is coming to life. I really learnt a lot and was very lucky to be… read more

(Excellent )

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12 Jan 2024

Left by host (Seeking people with good ...) for Workawayer (Christien)

(Excellent )

17 Dec 2023

Left by Workawayer (Christien) for host (Seeking people with good ...)

(Excellent )

15 Oct 2023

Left by Workawayer (Christien) for host (Enjoy city life and nature, ...)

(Excellent )

22 Aug 2023

Left by host (Learn about self-sufficient ...) for Workawayer (Christien)

(Excellent )

22 Aug 2023

Left by Workawayer (Christien) for host (Learn about self-sufficient ...)

(Excellent )

10 Apr 2023

Left by host (Help us on our permaculture ...) for Workawayer (Christien)

We're honored to be the first hosts to leave feedback for Chris, and we hope we do him justice!! Chris was a very hard worker, picked up new tasks easily, was so so pleasant and easy to be around and chat with, and is an overall lovely person :) He is caring and considerate and fun. He listens well to instructions, and it was so nice that he… read more

(Excellent )

8 Apr 2023

Left by Workawayer (Christien) for host (Help us on our permaculture ...)

I’ll start by saying that this was my first Workaway and I don’t think I could have asked for better experience than with Jackie & Julia and their wonderful animals.

Communication leading up to my stay great - Jackie & Julia responded quickly and were very clear before I committed myself with what would be expected of me and of what I could… read more expect from my time on their homestead. They made sure that the experience would be a compatible one for both parties. They were also kind enough to allow me to volunteer for just 1 week, when usually they ask volunteers to stay for two, and had no qualms with my lack of experience.

As I was arriving late from Moalboal, they arranged for their friend to collect me from the port (and provide a scooter the following day) at a good price and were there to give me a warm welcome with their friendly dogs on arrival.

The accomodation for Workawayers is idyllic - with a double bed, outdoor bathroom/shower, composting toilet, hammock seat and balcony, as well as the cutest roommate: Auri the cat. It’s located in it’s own secluded part of the property so that you have privacy and the girls are very good at giving you your own space, but also making you feel welcome and comfortable.

My work was incredibly varied during my time at the homestead - something I think was a conscious decision by Jackie & Julia because they know I would like to build my own one day. There are a number of everyday tasks, such as watering vegetable patches, cleaning out the chickens, ducks and rabbits and collecting manure from their cow Ushi. But during my time I also helped to plant Napier grass, fell a tree, saw and debark wood for building, created a rapid-heat compost heap, machete work, mixing cement, creating a base for the construction of a bathroom, draining ponds, re-soiling vegetable patches, opening and grinding coconuts (this was very fun!) and on top of the hands-on work I was able to learn about their grey water system, natural pool, which plants and trees are good and bad for soil, and a lot of information related compost creation and the care of animals.

Every morning at 7.30am on workdays Julia greets you with infectious enthusiasm and a cafetière of delicious coffee (or tea). Work begins at 8am and by 10am Jackie has prepared a tasty and filling breakfast for everybody. Work finishes at midday and the girls are very conscious of making sure you don’t work beyond 12pm - however if you wish to carry on with some tasks they’re also happy for you to do so. I really enjoyed having a wholesome productive morning and then getting the afternoon to explore the island!

Jackie & Julia are great company to be around, they are incredibly caring, open-minded, interesting and warm and together they make a great team. One evening I was invited to join them and their friends for a delicious dinner and a game of Codenames (which we lost because of Julia ;) ). I really enjoyed spending time with them and getting to know them both as equally as I did learning about running a permaculture homestead. So expect to have a nice social experience as well as working experience.

It would be difficult to talk about the homestead and not mention all of the animals! They have two super friendly dogs Boxy (sorry I kept forgetting your name Boxy) & Tubig, 5 cute cats - and often a kitten or two that have been recently rescued, many friendly chickens who love to help you work - especially Coco, rabbits and ducks - and all very well looked after.

It was very hard to leave after my short week and I really wish I’d been able to stay for longer. Thank you for everything and hopefully see you again sometime on Siquijor!

(Excellent )

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