Felix

Travel information

I am currently

Activities i am interested in:

Cologne, Germany

Hmu if you wanna hang out

Description

I am an adventurous person with an 99% of the time optimistic mindset. I believe this is one of my biggest strengths, because it opens up so many possibilities for me. For example did I do Work & Travel in New Zealand after completing my A-Levels, while a lot of my friends told me that they would be much to nervous. I just always feel that things will work out and they somehow always do. You have to improvise sometimes, but that's part of the adventure, right? :D

I see myself as a traveller, not a vacationer. The difference for me is, that a vacationer only wants to see places, make a superficial connection and tick a box, that they have been somewhere. I, as a traveller, am curious about the destinations I visit. I want to have an actual connection to the culture, the people and in best case be able to experience their everyday life. I want to meet locals, try to learn about their customs and culture and be mindful and respectful about it. To better be able to connect, I try to learn the language, which is a lot of fun for me.

Some of my values are to be...
...open minded to and respectful of other cultures. Only then can I try to fully immerse myself in the different way of life. And only then can I craft the connections and memories, I wish to have.
...sustainable. We only have one planet and it is in our hand to protect it. This only works if everyone does his/her part. When it comes to tourism I also care about social sustainability. I want to be remembered as a guest who is welcome back and makes people think positively about tourists.
...leading by example. This kind of includes the above said, but I care especially about children and youths, as I worked with them in a lot of different ways so far. I want them to see me as a good example on how to go through life. Being open to meeting new people, living an active life and live in the moment. Therefore I really appreciate the concept 一期一会 :)

I believe some parts of who I am are due to where I am from. Köln (ケルン/Cologne) in Germany has just been ranked 1st in a worldwide comparison of cities. Worldwide you are the least likely to be lonely in Köln, claims this study. And this is no surprise to me, as Cologne is the most open minded city in Germany and you get to connect with locals really quickly. If you ever are in Cologne, I would love to show you round :)

I am going to be in Japan for 6-9 months, starting in late December. I did not book a return flight yet. I want to buy a caravan to travel the country as flexible as possible. If I am lucky enough, I can find someone to share some of my travel experiences with.
One big decision I still have to make is wheter or not I will do the Shikoku temple pilgrimage or not.
My goal is to see most of Japan during those months and become friends with many japanese people. I also kind of love japanese, so I will continue to do my best to learn the language.

I have not yet participated in Workaway, but in New Zealand I stayed on a couple of farms with WWOOFing. It's a similar concept, but more farm related, I guess. I really enjoyed this too!

Interests

Van life

Self development

Sustainability

Plant care

Music

DIY & crafts

Books

Cooking & food

Gardening

Languages

Team sports

Nature

Fitness

Camping

Winter sports

Sailing / Boating

Mountain

Dancing

Beach

Water sports

Outdoor activities

Hiking

Cycling

Adventure sports

Languages

Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Japanese: Beginner

More details about my language interests
I can teach German and English or just be there to practice conversational skills. I am learning Japanese

Find a language buddy

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Life at a Farmstay

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Some knowledge of:  

Being an elderly companion

Gardening

DIY and building projects

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Helping around the house

General Maintenance

House & pet sitting

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Able to teach about:  

Languages

Eco Projects

Teaching

Babysitting and creative play

Hospitality/Tourism

Helping with Computers/ Internet

More details about your skills

Schooling/University:
- I have a Bachelor's (B.A. Sport and Movement Mediation in Leisure and Recreational Sports) and Master's (M.Sc. Sport Tourism and Destination Management) degree in Sport Sciences from the German Sport University Cologne.
- Sport Massage Certificate

Work Experiences:
I have worked a lot of different jobs. From supermarkets to Kiwi-Fruit Orchards, night shifts and day shifts.
I like plants and even grew peas and other small vegetables in my small (1m x 40cm) balcony bed for two years. Since then I went on to herbs, which I grow since then.
My grandmother has a very big garden in which I helped her with weeding and keeping it tidy from time to time. So I would be of good help when it comes to gardening chores.

When I was younger I did not have such high cleanliness standards but since a couple of years I am making sure that my flat, especially the bathroom and kitchen, is always clean. It is just much nicer. So you wouldn't have to explain how to clean something to me. Especially not if it comes to kitchen gear. I know how to treat knives, so they sharp, I know how to use pans, which spatulas to use in what kind of pans and which not to use. So no need to worry about your kitchen gear. I can also cook well, I guess. Not chef level, but if you would ask me to take care of cooking something healthy, I would be able to do so :)

I have worked a lot with kids and teenagers in mainly sport settings. Mostly kids between 2 and 10 years old. This is because I can connect with children very quickly. They like me and I like them. I guess because they are so excited about everything and are so cheerful. What I enjoyed most was seeing them grow. Remembering what the 8 year old boy in my ball-school was like when he was 2 years old, what I taught him, how he developed over the years just means so much to me.
I also have experience with language barriers. Since three years I work with refugee kids to make sure that they develop an interest in sports and an active lifestyle. Here I often work with kids who do not really speak german or english. But it is a lot of fun. I even went out of my way to make sure a really talented 7yo girl got to join a soccer club.
I would be a good help with keeping kids busy, teaching them english or german (if wanted) and making sure they grow up to enjoy movement.

Age

30

What else ...

I love board games, card games, pen and paper and enjoy teaching those.
Sport is a passion of mine. I am a regular gym goer, but am not sure if I will do this in Japan, because it is a lot of committment and I don't like doing it half-heartedly. Sports I enjoy are for example alpine Skiing, Wakeboarding, Slacklining, Roundnet or basically most outdoor sports. Indoor I am enjoying racket sports. I played four years of tennis, but that's a long time ago, so I wouldn't be a match for someone who plays regularly. I am quite good in Badminton and okay in Table Tennis though.
And I like dancing Salsa and Bachata, but didn't do it in years.

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies

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  Special dietary requirements