Gabi

Austria
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Travel information
I am currently
At home
Description
I am an energy-rich woman who has a lot of joie de vivre. I am open minded and curious, self-motivated, equipped with hands-on mentality and creativity, have good social skills and most of all I am an easy going, positive thinking woman.

I throughout enjoy being outside (yeaaaah) and especially gardening/farming (permaculture). I have hard-working established two fruit and vegetable "no dig" gardens in Austria and helped on a young permaculture farm in Tanzania, an organic garden for a restaurant in Ghana and an agro ecologically farm. Generally I live environmentally conscious.

I grew up in a big family and have been working in marketing within international companies. Throughout the years I have traveled in various ways and learned, that my most memorable ones are those where I lived with locals.
Logically this leads to volunteering ;-)

I am also experienced in renovating houses, love hiking, kayaking, taking good photos, watching sunsets, ...
Interests
Mountain
Beach
Books
Farming
Music
Yoga / Wellness
Water sports
Sustainability
Photography
Plant care
Outdoor activities
Nature
Hiking
Gardening
Architecture
Art & design
DIY & crafts
Charity work
Culture
Languages
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Italian: Intermediate
Spanish: Beginner
French: Beginner
More details about my language interests
I can help kids, teenagers, students and grown-ups with their homework and I also worked as a teacher in Uganda - but I am not a trained teacher!
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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
Being an elderly companion
Hospitality/Tourism
Some knowledge of:
Gardening
Life at a Farmstay
Helping around the house
Charity Work
Languages
Animal Care
DIY and building projects
Teaching
Eco Projects
General Maintenance
Able to teach about:
Helping with Computers/ Internet
More details about your skills
# Gardening/ farming:
One of my beloved private projects was to establish no-dig gardens, following permaculture principles and I have also worked on farms in tropical regions. I know how to dig, saw, water plants and how to plant them (in central europe) so that they help each other.

# Text/ Communication/ Computer/ Administration:
I have been working in marketing, where I did a lot of copy writing for mailings, websites, folders, flyers, organized events and have supervised and timed various projects. Of course I am experienced with computers = word, spreadsheets and Adobe Lightroom (photos)

#Kids:
I can help kids with their homework and also taught mathematics/reading/writing at a kindergarten/elementary school following the books. Apart from rising my two sons I helped in a kindergarten/pre-school in Uganda, which I found very rewarding.

# Photos:
As an experienced hobby-photographer I like taking good photos and when I am traveling I am also blogging.
Age
64
What else ...
I like walking, trekking, exploring the neighbourhood and the country - and the world.
If I am not doing this, I go swimming, sea kayaking, reading, chatting with friends, going to the museums, knitting/crocheting ...
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  no
- Special dietary requirements
  no

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19 Feb 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help us with different ...)

Die Finca selbst ist ein Traum. Wunderschön, rundum Natur, liebevoll und mit viel Geschmack her- und eingerichtet, ein kleines Paradies. Katja und Jorge sind sehr angenehme liebe Menschen, die mich offen aufgenommen haben. Ich fühlte mich von Anfang an wohl und genoss die Natur rundum.

Arbeit:
Da die Finca nur wenige Zimmer hat, ist auch der… read more

(Excellent )

19 Feb 2024

Left by host (Help us with different ...) for Workawayer ()

It was so good to have Gabi here. He has a lot of energy and a very good disposition for work. She takes initiative and is very creative in what she does. She is also a positiv and very kind person.

Gaby stayed with us for two weeks and helped us with different types of tasks such as on the computer, taking photos, selecting and opening sacha… read more

(Excellent )

14 Jan 2023

Left by host (Experience permaculture ...) for Workawayer ()

Thanks workaway I met this wonderful lady who stayed three weeks and is now back.
She is amazing , hard working, full of kindness ,creativity, responsibility and really present and conscious!
I wish our ways are gonna stay connected.

(Excellent )

30 Dec 2022

Left by Workawayer () for host (Experience permaculture ...)

Wow, what a wonderful experience!
1. All the people were open minded, helpful, soft, friendly and with an incredible spirit.
They all work on realizing this dream – and it looks already so very well! Ottomans knowledge around permaculture is impressingly deep and profound. Angelista, his wife, knows a lot about plants. She is such a kind person… read more

(Excellent )

21 Nov 2022

Left by host (Share English ,wildlife ( ...) for Workawayer ()

Gabi is the best volunteer you could have! She stayed with us for two weeks and quickly become part of the family. She always positive and very supportive she tried to help everything. She is super kind person her kindness will be remembered with my team. You will have very good conversations with her about life and wildlife.

She will have a… read more

(Excellent )

19 Nov 2022

Left by Workawayer () for host (Share English ,wildlife ( ...)

Ich war leider nur kurz dort, hab mich aber sehr wohl gefühlt und viel Neues erfahren.
Isaac ist voller Elan, engagiert und hat ein großes Herz. Mit ihm kann man einige interessante Gespräche führen und er ist auch recht offen. Mit mir als Atheistin ging er als tiefgläubiger Mensch sehr gut um ;-)

Konkret gearbeitet hab ich vor allem in einem… read more Waisenhaus gleich ein paar Häuser weiter. Alle vor Ort waren beeindruckend und herzerwärmend nett, offen und hilfreich. Die Unterkünfte der Kinder sind einfach für unsere Verhältnisse - aber sehr gut für vor Ort. Die Kinder bekommen sehr abwechslungsreiches Essen und können Schulen besuchen. Ich habe vor allem mit den Kindern gespielt, gemalt und sie bei den Hausaufgaben untertützt.

Isaacs NGO war eine spannende Erfahrung und ist ein interessantes Projekt. Er unterrichtet eine große Gruppe an jungen Menschen in verschiedensten Bereichen, sodass sie dann fit sind, um gute Jobs im Tourismus zu bekommen. Alle empfand ich als sehr nett, mit manchen machte ich Ausflüge in die Umgebung (See, hot springs, ... es gibt einige schöne Plätze). Davon profitierten wir beide: Englischunterricht gegen Einblicke in die Natur und die Lebensweise vor Ort. Fand ich ziemlich klass.

Als Volunteer ist man ja oft mal mit seiner Komfortzone konfrontiert. Ich muss gestehen, dass ich meiner nicht ganz sicher war, als ich hörte, dass ich bitte am nächsten Tag doch was über "eurpean culture" erzählen solle. Aber die Gruppe machte es mir einfach und wir genossen die Zeit sehr. Später erfuhr ich dafür viel über die "local culture".

Isaacs Haus ist geräumig, mit einem kleinen Bad und einem weiteren (beim 4-Bett-Zimmer). Unvergesslich wird mir Sarah bleiben, der gute Geist im Haus. Eine warmherzige Person, die grandios kochen kann und die man einfach ins Herz schließen muss.

Leider war ich nicht dabei, als Isaac Schülern "birding" lehrte - aber das kann ich ja hoffenltich bei einem nächsten Besuch nachholen. Bäume pflanzen ging aufgrund der Jahreszeit nicht. Aber wir haben an einem Samstag einen längeren Abschnitt der Straße vom Plastik befreit.

Menschen, die gerne ihre Englischkenntnisse weitergeben wollen oder auch solche, die mit Kindern arbeiten möchten, kann ich den Aufenthalt empfehlen.

Danke, Isaac, für die Offenheit, Gastfreundschaft, Hilfe, ich fand die Zeit toll. Alles Gute!

(Excellent )

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19 Feb 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help us with different ...)

(Excellent)

19 Feb 2024

Left by host (Help us with different ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

14 Jan 2023

Left by host (Experience permaculture ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

30 Dec 2022

Left by Workawayer () for host (Experience permaculture ...)

(Excellent)

21 Nov 2022

Left by host (Share English ,wildlife ( ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

19 Nov 2022

Left by Workawayer () for host (Share English ,wildlife ( ...)

(Excellent)

9 Apr 2022

Left by host (Enjoy helping at our ...) for Workawayer ()

😊, it was such a sweet experience with you Gabi. You have such a beautiful smile that melted our hearts with love the first time we saw you. We enjoy your stay right from the start and never wanted the end to come. Thank you for the wonderful ideas, the kindness, the beautiful thoughts and the love you showed towards our kids they surely miss you… read more

(Excellent)

27 Mar 2022

Left by Workawayer () for host (Enjoy helping at our ...)

Oh wow, what a great time. The weeks with Esther, Janet and these children were incredible, absolutely amazing.
Esther and Janet are very lovely and generous people and as caring hosts exceeding my expectations. Sharing is so very much in their blood, it is overwhelming. They also were there to answer all arising questions and extremely… read more helpful.
When I was there, we usually had about 12 kids, who starting to arrive at 7:30 and stayed there for the morning. Officially the day would end at 12:00, but some of them just wanted to hang around longer. As the younger kids weren’t so fluent with English, I focused on the bigger ones between 7-11 years. At the start I didn’t know exactly what to do how, but at the end of my stay I prepared school- and homework for them, and was reading, writing, talking and did mathematics with them.

We then had two breaks during the morning. One where we did kind of stretching and a second one, for which Essie prepared some tea and popcorn or bread, cookies, …

The very small kids were shading or tracing for a shorter time in the morning, the middle aged ones would learn e.g. ba, be, bi, bo, bu, … There was a teacher in the beginning, but she left later and we were on our own. We = Esther, other volunteer(s) and me.
On Friday we had the day off, on Saturday it was library day and more then 30 children came to play, listen to stories out of books and watching videos.

The house is in a village on the countryside. You don’t find many fences there, but vegetable gardens and a log of mango- and jackfruit trees and aloung the main road some small shops.

I had a spacious own bedroom with a good mosquito net and a comfortable mattrass. We got very good breakfast, lunch and dinner and probably every day had some of these wonderful fruits.

Within short time you get to know the neighbours, all of them are extremely nice. Everywhere you will see children, smiling and waving “hello teacher”. I was deeply touched by the openness of the kids, the friendly attitude of everyone.

If you walk for 30 minutes, you reach Lutembe beach at Lake Viktoria. You should not swim in the lake, but can have a beer or whatever there and enjoy the view. While walking there you can spot some of the beautiful birds Uganda has. I enjoyed going to Entebbe from time to time to drink some ice cold coffee or staying at a swimming pool. One day we went to Mabamba swamp, on another to Jinja (long ride). Thanks to Esters help we volunteers also did a marvellous, week-long tour to the western part of the country at a very reasonable price.

On my last day I felt so sad, that I found myself within some tears. I can only recommend a stay there. Of course, education in Uganda and the school system and learning material is different from the one we know in german speaking Europe. But you are free to introduce something different and the open and sharing attitude these children have are mind blowing. It was not easy every day, because they don’t mind noise in the same way we do, but these weeks were just great.

If you want to bring something, buy less but buy good quality 😊 Cheap stuff you can buy in Uganda, and there are too many kids, so it may get ruined easily. Unbreakable pencils, nice dolls for the girls, easy games for the taller ones, good english books, … will be appreciated.

I am looking forward to coming back, seeing how the kids are doing and once more helping this project these wonderful women have founded.

(Excellent)

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