Elise

Travel information

I am currently

Description

Hi there!

I am coming to Canada at the beginning of April until 31st of May, and am looking for rural places, homesteads, farms, self sufficient places to contribute hands on with what is needed, learn new skills and knowledge related to sustainable, self sufficient and off grid living, and to meet new people and learn from them and their life stories :)

A bit about me and what I am bringing:
I grew up on the countryside in the Netherlands, so I have some experience with tools and equipment, hands-on labour, and small farm animals. I also volunteered for the animal ambulance in Amsterdam, where I gained some additional skills in working with (wild) animals.

I am in general a handy person and creative with coming up with solutions to challenges, and I am not shy of hard work and very eager to learn new skills. I am naturally helping with standard household tasks that involve everyone, like cooking the shared meals, washing up, etc. :)

I am currently living in Berlin since 3.5 years, where I enjoy the enormous diversity of cultures and the feeling of freedom to be who you want to be. I work for an educational organization, where I do finances and intercultural summer projects with youngsters.

I see myself as a positive, open minded, spontaneous yet structured, responsible yet adventurous, curious and respectful person who loves animals, nature, outdoor activities, sustainability, playing board games, crazy dancing and being creative. I am also currently on a quest to become more mindful :)

I love to connect with all different kinds of people and very eager to learn from them! I believe with an open mind in life and towards others, you can learn things you otherwise would never have learned.

Some other possibly important details:
- I am a vegetarian.
- I have a B1 drivers lisence
- Fluent in English, native in Dutch, A2 level of German

What I am looking for:
I am looking for places where I can help in the ways that are needed, related to homesteading, sustainable and self sufficient living, animal care, etc.. These are for example woodworking, construction and building, planting/maintaining crops (vegetable gardens or bigger), energy / water conservation and management, permaculture, animal handling and care, working with bees, or anything else that helps me understand what it takes to run a homestead and live as self sufficient as possible.

I am not looking for places that specifically need help with children. I already did my share of babysitting in my twenties :)

Next to the work, I am very keen to go exploring nature, do outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, etc., and just enjoy the beautiful places I will be staying while reading a good book outside, wake up with the sunrise in the morning, and sit by a fire at night.

Ask me any questions if you want to know more about me, I am always down for a skype meeting to see if there is a connection beforehand :)

Interests

Charity work

Beach

Animals

Adventure sports

Mountain

Technology

Politics / Social justice

Events & social

LGBTQ

Vegetarian or vegan

Sustainability

Culture

Self development

Books

DIY & crafts

Music

Plant care

Writing

Gardening

Drawing & painting

Yoga / Wellness

Camping

Fitness

Nature

Water sports

Outdoor activities

Winter sports

Dancing

Languages spoken

English: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Eco Projects

Gardening

DIY and building projects

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Some knowledge of:  

Charity Work

Languages

Being an elderly companion

Animal Care

Life at a Farmstay

Babysitting and creative play

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Helping around the house

Hospitality/Tourism

General Maintenance

Helping with Computers/ Internet

Teaching

More details about your skills

Problem solving is something that I am good at and which I enjoy doing. It comes in handy in any kind of situation. When I am facing a (new) problem, or when someone needs help solving a problem, I get creative with coming up with solutions.

Outdoor skills
- Taking care of animals (love it!)
- Basic skills with hand / electric tools
- A bit of gardening (my grandma is my great example)

Indoor skills
- cooking for big groups
- organizing, minimizing, cleaning
- childcare
- all kinds of computer skills related to wordpress, canva, excel, social media
- easy indoor repairs, painting, etc.

I speak fluent Dutch and English and a bit of German

If you want to see my professional skills you can look me up on linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/elise-rijssenbeek-55339267

Age

35

What else ...

- I love game night with friends and family
- I love reading books
- I love being in all kinds of nature and go for walks or climb trees every so often
- I am taking a course in life coaching to teach myself more about being able to help people in my close circle when they struggle with stuff
- I love working and taking care of animals. I volunteered for the animal ambulance in Amsterdam which was an amazing and very teaching experience
- I worked for half a year with people who were homeless/struggling with addiction which was one of the most teaching and grounding experiences ever
- I travelled south east asia for 3,5 months and I lived/travelled in Australia for 9 months and travelled Europe a fair bit
- One of my lifegoals is to live in either a tiny house or a house boat someday, preferably self sustaining with renewable energy sources and permaculture

Some more information

• 

  Smoker

• 

  Driver's licence

• 

  Allergies
  Just people's bullshit

• 

  Special dietary requirements
  Vegetarian aspiring to be vegan (but not strict atm)