Dana

Germany
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Profile information

Travel information
I am currently
At home
My next destination:
Italy
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Description
Hello lovely human beings of workaway 🌞

Life has taught me to find joy in the little things – the smell of fresh herbs, the crunch of autumn leaves, the light in the sky shortly before the sun is about to take off for the day and it's going to rain, a kind person smiling to a foreign baby in the subway and all of these wonderful moments that make life wonderful. I always kinda felt connected to nature and I really enjoy spending time outside

I would describe myself as cheerful, easy-going, adaptable, and ready to get my hands dirty when needed. Whether it’s cooking, cleaning, gardening, or taking care of animals, I’m always super happy to support :) I love learning new things and enjoy being part of a crew where everyone has some skills to share and people learn and grow from each other.

When I'm not working, I spend my summertimes mainly at the set up of festivalsides. I've learned a lot of different things while working there and I'm quite sure I'll be able to use some of my knowledge for a workaway stay :) I did various things like set up the stages, take care of the decoration, work in the kitchen and cook for the crew, organise the artist care or working in a 'Awareness' team (a crew that makes sure that the guest are feeling safe and have someone to talk to in case they fall sick, get harassed etc.). Whether you need a mediation person for a chicken fight or you feel like new garden decoration from recycled materials - I'm your person 👩🏽‍🔧

I haven’t done workaway yet, but I’m super excited for the new experience. I've been doing Couchsurfing for years so I'm kinda used to the idea of hospitality exchange. If you're curious, I can send you my Couchsurfing profile link too, so you can get a tiny proof of happy people that stayed at my place (or kind people who had me as their guest) :)

I'm quite excited and always happy to meet new people, exchange ideas, learn things, help in communities and enjoy life at its fullest.

If you have any questions feel free to ask 🌈
Take care!

PS: Little side info but I feel like it's important to share beforehand - I smoke cigarettes (like 5 per day) and I hope this is okay for you! For sure I would always only smoke at areas where I'm allowed to.
Interests
Politics / Social justice
Hiking
Charity work
Drawing & painting
Movies & TV
Photography
Plant care
Music
Cooking & food
Carpentry
Languages
Self development
Sustainability
Pets
Mountain
Gardening
Camping
DIY & crafts
Books
Farming
Culture
Hitchhiking
Nature
Outdoor activities
Vegetarian or vegan
Writing
Yoga / Wellness
Beach
Art & design
Animals
Languages
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Italian: Intermediate
Turkish: 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:
Eco Projects
Life at a Farmstay
Some knowledge of:
Art Projects
Being an elderly companion
Teaching
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Helping around the house
Hospitality/Tourism
General Maintenance
Helping with Computers/ Internet
Able to teach about:
Charity Work
Languages
More details about your skills
🍳 Cooking: I really enjoy cooking and have some professional kitchen experience. I love preparing (hopefully) tasty dishes and sharing them with others – nothing beats the feeling of everyone enjoying the food you’ve made :)

🐾 Animal Care: I’m an animal lover and have experience taking care of pets. Whether it’s dogs, cows, donkeys, horses or whatever - I’m always happy to spend time with animals and take care of them

🧹 Cleaning and Organizing: I don’t mind cleaning at all – I'm also that kind of person that likes to organise things (like the drawer in the kitchen you're afraid to open :D)

🛠️ Handy with Tools: I’m pretty handy and enjoy taking on small DIY projects. I’m quick to learn new things, and I enjoy fixing things or creating something new from old materials.

💻 Tech Help: While I’m not a tech expert, I’m comfortable with computers and other technical advices and can help with basic tech issues

🌱 Outdoor and Gardening: I’m also happy to be outside, whether it’s gardening, working in the yard, or just getting my hands dirty with outdoor tasks. I'm also kinda good with plants :)
Age
29
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
- Special dietary requirements
  I'm mostly vegetarian but when I'm out of my home country I sometimes try meat so I am not super strict about it. I also don't mind preparing meat dishes for other people.

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16 Feb 2025

Left by Workawayer () for host (Enjoy gardening in a ...)

My first Workaway experience with Lorenzo was great. His old, cozy little house gets sunshine all day long, which I really enjoyed. The sunsets over the sea were absolutely breathtaking and definitely my highlight of the day. On good days with the right conditions, we could even see as far as Corsica, and the island looked as if it was right at… read more our doorstep. The house is a bit hidden away, but it’s a very peaceful place with beautiful birds and stunning nature.
I took the train to Follonica station and then a bus to Gavorrano Centro (about a 30-minute ride from the station). Before my arrival, I had already communicated to Lorenzo that I was perfectly fine traveling alone and walking to his house on my own. Initially, he considered picking me up from the station, but in the end, he told me to meet him at the entrance of the path leading to his house. When I left, I again took the bus to the station—this time, he was kind enough to walk with me to the bus stop.

I had my own little princess room, which I truly appreciated. I was there in mid-January, and unfortunately, there was one small downside: there was only a fireplace in the living/dining room and no other heating like radiators or similar. Luckily, Lorenzo had two hot water bottles and plenty of (rather) thin blankets in the house, but honestly, I was freezing every night, despite sleeping with a scarf, hat, three wool sweaters, three pairs of thermal leggings, fleece joggers, two pair of wool socks and more. I kinda got used to it and discovered some little hacks like eating extra spicy dinner so I would heat up from the inside a bit before going to bed. So, if someone reading this tends to get cold more easily, I would definitely recommend packing plenty of warm clothes during a winter stay! Additionally, there was only cold water for showering. It could be slightly warmed with a boiler, so it wasn’t completely cold, but also not really warm - just not ice-cold. If you're not used to cold showers, this could be a bit challenging during the colder winter months. But I’m sure this isn’t an issue at all when the conditions are a bit warmer in general. However, Lorenzo did mention that he plans to install solar panels and heating or something similar one day — so who knows, maybe by next winter, there will already be an alternative heat source!

I also really enjoyed the work. The first day was a bit tough for me, as we had to carry heavy bricks over uneven terrain, and I’m not particularly fit. Overall, the work was challenging from time to time, and I had sore muscles every day, but after a week, I felt so much stronger. Like a true outdoor fitness adventure without boring exercises, which I really appreciated. Since Lorenzo has had a lot of experience with different Workaway guests, he was very good at communicating what needed to be done and which tasks were on the agenda. Most of the time, Lorenzo offered me a variety of tasks that need to be done and I had the freedom to choose what suited me best and what I felt like doing. I really appreciated this autonomy and flexibility. In general, I liked Lorenzo’s approach of recycling everything and finding a way to reuse materials - I personally learned a lot from that. There is a lot to do on Lorenzo's huge property, and I'm sure there is a suitable task for everyone. Something you feel comfortable with. I cut nails from branches, collected and trimmed laurel and olive branches to later use them as a protective barrier for a fence and weave them in. I also cleared a small area for Lorenzo to build a pergola. My main tasks were sorting the branches stored there by other workawayers, reusing them when possible and removing weeds.

I really enjoyed the work, it was great to see the progress and feel proud of myself. It’s nice to know that every task has some kind of meaning and purpose—even if it’s “just” collecting firewood so we could have a bit of warmth in the house in the evening. We also always listened to good music while working, which I really enjoyed and made the work feel much easier. Another good thing was to see how passionate Lorenzo is about the whole project and the tiny projects within the project. Everyday there were new ideas coming into his brain and you could just feel how much love and passion he has for his adventurous project!

Lorenzo is a kind person. I think it’s also quite respectful to leave me my own room. I felt safe during my stay, which is quite important for me. He made me fantastic, varied breakfasts in the morning and cooked amazing meals in the evening - classic Italian cuisine with simple ingredients and wonderful flavors. I even discovered my new favorite Italian snack thanks to him! He shared many many many stories from his life and is truly a master of monologues. I especially enjoyed his stories about his travels in Ethiopia. However, I have to admit that after a week, I felt a bit drained because Lorenzo is quite talkative. That’s not necessarily a bad thing - it’s just part of his personality - but I can imagine that for some people, it might be a bit too much, since (at least to me) it mostly felt like a monologue than a dialogue, as sometimes I found it difficult to get a chance to speak because Lorenzo kinda dominated the conversation with his stories.
Furthermore, I would like to add that Lorenzo has a rather negative opinion towards transgender/transsexual people, and therefore, I would not recommend this project for people from this lovely community.

After my stay, Lorenzo repeatedly asked me through various channels to leave a reference, which, to be honest, made me feel a bit pressured. I had already explained to him - both during and after my stay - that writing a detailed and thoughtful review was important to me. Since I was still traveling and working afterward, I simply didn’t find the right time to sit down, reflect, and put my experiences into words. While his requests were always polite, and I understand that references are crucial for the whole Workaway system, it started to feel a bit much. Unfortunately, this took away from my overall experience a little.

Lorenzo, thank you (and dear Marshall) for the time, I really enjoyed the work and the peaceful environment!
All the best to your wonderful farm, take care. I am quite sure that the farm will get more beautiful day by day - there's always a solution :)

(Very good )

18 Jan 2025

Left by host (Enjoy gardening in a ...) for Workawayer ()

This Workaway experience with Dana, which for me was the 18th workawayer in just a year, was truly exceptional, so I recommend this nice German girl, from Munich exactly, for anyone who is looking for a willing and also a great and tireless worker!
In addition, Dana is very nice: from the very first day we became friends, we enjoyed having dinner… read more together in front of a beautiful sunset, and then we drank some wine cheerfully. The next day Dana helped me a lot to clean up an area where I am going to put up a wooden shed for tools and to accommodate other workawayers.
Then from the third day onwards we started working at full speed, she was very good at cutting and rearranging the branches that had accumulated after I had been pruning the olive trees for the last few months, while I was painting the wooden shed before assembling it, with impregnating agent first and then also with bitumen liquid for the floor.
So we worked in perfect synchrony and harmony, but also in autonomy, and she was very good at rearranging all the branches and cutting them neatly so that I can reuse them not only to burn them in the fire, but also to make poles and fences out of them, which are always useful.
We had a lot of fun watching the sunset and we also took a few breaks from time to time while working of course, but the most beautiful moment was having breakfast together, and then dinner after contemplating the sunset.
Usually before dinner we also made a fire, so that in the evening the house was always warm and it was nice to have dinner in front of the fire listening to some music and drinking a glass of good white wine.
These days with Dana were really fun, exceptional days that combined gardening and pleasure in an exquisite way.
So, Dana wrote to me a few weeks before coming, and together we chose the best time. Then she came and adjusted to the dates that worked best for both of us. From the first day we started talking very pleasantly and became great friends, and then we immediately started working together in the garden, so that we could enjoy the sunny days even in the cool January weather.
We were very lucky because the weather was beautiful, even though it was late January. We concentrated on cleaning an area where I want to build a wooden house, so we carefully cleaned the concrete platform that will house the wooden house (which in turn will house future workawayers!) and then we pruned the trees around it, both olive and laurel trees.
Dana was really good and very clever and active in helping me, she immediately understood how to use the tools, she carefully cleaned the path, working very hard and always concentrating on the work, and then in the evening we had fun together talking and eating together, quietly. Really Dana was very good at cleaning up the branches, the leaves, and above all at removing the soil from the ground, so that I could assemble the little wooden house. Together we also rearranged the garden and in a few days the whole area took on a completely different look!
So my workaway experience with Dana was extremely positive, and I highly recommend this girl who was born in Munich, because in addition to being very good and willing, she is also very nice and it is pleasant to spend time in her company.
Dana is a dynamic and enterprising girl, and she wrote to me in a very nice way on workaway, from which I could immediately understand her positive energy!
Dana arrived here in Gavorrano quietly, and after a convivial first evening in which we dined together, the next morning we immediately set to work in the garden: she helped me a lot to sort out all the branches that are on the ground after the pruning of the olive trees over the last few months, so she was very good at collecting the branches, dividing them according to size, cutting them, and cleaning up leaves and twigs, collected in small groups.
We also had a lot of fun, and as she loves good food, it was very nice to cook different dishes for her every day, experimenting with new recipes for breakfast and dinner, which she certainly enjoyed :)
In fact, in addition to the passion for good food, with Dana we also shared the passion for good music!
Finally, I highly recommend this German girl, because in addition to being energetic and nice, she is also very strong and very good at working in the garden, and I really appreciated that from the first day she learned to work independently, setting the alarm clock early, to being able to work in the best hours of this cold winter.
Thanks for all your help dear Dana, and it was a lot of fun!
I hope you can come back soon dear Dana, and see all the progress being made here on the farm, thanks to the help of all the workawayers!
Thanks again dear Dana and see you soon :)
All the best!
I-renzo

(Excellent )