Meridian

Travel information

I am currently

Description

Hi, I’m Meridian! I’m a 20 year old American looking to make some lifelong memories by engaging with travel to the fullest. I am one year away from completing my Bachelors in Geography and International Development (and I am enrolled in a Masters of Environmental Science program right after). I want to go into ecology after school to help local communities navigate the effects of climate change.

I love the outdoors, learning new things, and exploring. I want to meet people from all walks of life and share stories and philosophies. Learning about the local history of wherever I am is very important to me. In preparation for my Europe trip this upcoming summer, I got recommendations and formed a list of books to connect with the culture, history, and geography of the countries I'll be visiting. I’m always down for an adventure, from a night-sky photography hike to trying a new instrument.

I am full of stories to share as well! I have travelled to 36 US states on a DIY vanlife cross-country roadtrip of a lifetime. I have started two labor unions, performed in musicals, and built a three foot robot chicken. I am new to the Workaway platform, but no stranger to volunteering or travel. I grew up volunteering with a local charity that provides Christmas gifts and staples to low-income families in the community. From the age of 8 until when I moved for university, I would spend almost every day from October to December in “Santa’s Workshop” working with people of a wide variety of ages to better the community.

[Deutsch]
Hallo! Ich bin Meridian. Ich spreche fließend Deutsch. Mein Vater stammt aus Deutschland und ich habe mein ganzes Leben lang Englisch mit meiner Mutter und Deutsch mit meinem Vater gesprochen. Mein Deutsch ist unbedingt nicht perfekt und ein Ziel meiner Reisen ist mein Deutsch zu verbessern, aber ich kann mich gut unterhalten. Ich lese gern auf Deutsch.

Interests

Plant care

History

DIY & crafts

Carpentry

Gardening

Mountain

Sustainability

Vegetarian or vegan

Nature

Hiking

Languages

LGBTQ

Farming

Camping

Animals

Languages spoken

German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Italian: Beginner

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Life at a Farmstay

Eco Projects

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Some knowledge of:  

Charity Work

Gardening

DIY and building projects

Animal Care

General Maintenance

Helping around the house

Teaching

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Able to teach about:  

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Languages

More details about your skills

I am natively fluent in English and German.

Farming & Animal Care
~ 16 week internship at Sanctuary One, a permaculture care farm in Oregon, USA. I provided daily care for 70+ animals (dogs, cats, goats, pigs, horses, chickens, geese, ducks). I also helped the earth care manager with the growing schedule for the permaculture farm. Skills: feeding, injections, deworming, dog training, large animal handling.
~ I have raised chickens (as pets) my whole life. Skills: flock management, wound care.
~ I built a 3,000 square foot raised trellis garden at my home that I grow organic veggies in each year. Skills: weeding, planting, drip irrigation, composting, organic pest control.

Carpentry Projects
~ Campervan conversion. I transformed the back of my minivan into a camper by building a wooden bed that folds into a table with storage and a kitchen area. I lived in this for 99 days on a roadtrip.
~ I built a 10x10 foot freestanding treehouse secured around the trunk of an oak tree 12 feet off the ground. It is waterproof and sleeps four.
~ I have built multiple chicken coops and runs over my years of keeping chickens. My current setup involves a coop made of recycled pallet wood and a run made of a 10 foot round trampoline sawed in half and connected in a half-circle dome shape with welded wire fencing.

Interpretation & Guest Services
~ Tour guide and student ambassador for my university.
~ Tour guide for Sanctuary One farm.
~ Conservation interpreter for Virginia Zoo
~ Historic fashion reenactment and lecture series at the Virginia Civil War Museum.

I’m a fast learner and I am capable of working both on a team and independently. I am always happy to learn new skills.

Age

21

What else ...

Some assorted interests and activities I enjoy:
Theater, mock trial, contra dance, museums, board games, hiking, reading, music, rock climbing, historical costuming and sewing.

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies
  No allergies

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  Special dietary requirements
  I am a vegetarian. I love to cook and I am happy to share hearty vegetarian recipes. I am also happy to eat side dishes and whatever is available if you are not a vegetarian.