Gabriella

United States
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Profile information

Travel information
I am currently
Travelling
My next destination:
Indonesia - from May 2025 until Jun 2025
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Description
Hello, I am a Filipino American who grew up mostly in the United States (Georgia, California, Oklahoma, Maryland, and Virginia). Additionally, I spent a few years abroad living in Tokyo and Okinawa, Japan, as well as Seoul, Korea. My mom works in the US Air Force and is currently living in Pyeongtaek, Korea. I am interested in becoming more independent while still exploring and learning about Asia. It has always been my dream to travel, experience new cultures, and meet new people.

After graduating in 2023 from the University of Maryland with a degree in marketing, I wanted to travel and volunteer both in the United States and in Asia. During college, I became close to the Plum Village Buddhist community because my family lived far away. Whenever I stayed at the monastery, I helped with various chores, such as gardening, cleaning bathrooms, preparing food, and mopping and sweeping. After my graduation, I spent time at Blue Cliff Monastery in New York, where I volunteered for their Wake Up (ages 18-35) retreat, helping to facilitate and guide my assigned group through the schedule. I then traveled to New York City afterward.

After that, I went to Deer Park Monastery in California to assist with their Teen Camp retreat program, where I helped set up the retreat and supervised a group of teenagers. I then embarked on a series of travels throughout California before exploring mainland Japan with a friend for three months. Following that, I volunteered on an organic vegetarian farm in Hawaii and immersed myself in Hawaiian cultural experiences. Additionally, I spent time with my mom while she was stationed in Okinawa, and I also solo traveled in Taiwan and Indonesia for about a month each.

I am passionate about environmentalism, sustainability, education, reducing inequality, and helping children and the elderly. Some topics that interest me are Buddhism and mindfulness, yoga, art, nature, psychology, and philosophy. I am a creative person and love creating art in various mediums, such as drawing, painting, photography, and mixed media sculpture. I am also passionate about reading non-fiction and writing stories based on my life and my imagination. Furthermore, I enjoy singing and acting. Currently, I am interested in learning video editing and hope to bring my various interests together. Additionally, I have some experience from internships and school in graphic design and social media.
Interests
Hiking
Photography
Charity work
Languages
Farming
Gardening
Animals
Movies & TV
Performing arts
Culture
Books
Cooking & food
Drawing & painting
Writing
Music
Sustainability
Self development
Nature
Yoga / Wellness
Vegetarian or vegan
Videography
Art & design
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Intermediate
Tagalog: Beginner
More details about my language interests
I am interested in learning Mandarin.
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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
Charity Work
Hospitality/Tourism
Teaching
Being an elderly companion
Eco Projects
Languages
Animal Care
Some knowledge of:
Helping around the house
Gardening
Art Projects
DIY and building projects
Life at a Farmstay
Creating/ Cooking family meals
More details about your skills
I hold a degree in marketing and possess strong presentation skills and experience working in groups. My background includes diverse internships that have equipped me with a wide range of skills.

During my two-year tenure at a mosaic company, I was involved in designing and creating custom mosaics for clients. This role allowed me to collaborate effectively in teams, conduct client meetings, and explore different art forms, including collages, painting, and drawing.

I also completed an internship managing social media for a specialty coffee company, where I helped create and edit photos, graphics, polls, written posts, and videos.

Additionally, I interned with an online education platform, where I managed their website and blog. I assisted in writing and curating posts for social media and creating graphics for proposals.

I am proficient in graphic design, utilizing tools such as Canva and Figma to create visually appealing content. My artistic skills extend to painting, drawing, and sculpture, and I am currently learning film editing and photography to further enhance my creative capabilities.

From my time staying at monasteries, I have experience in performing a variety of household chores, including gardening, cleaning bathrooms, preparing food, and maintaining a tidy environment. My time volunteering on a farm provided me with hands-on experience in growing, planting, weeding, and harvesting crops.
Age
22
What else ...
I enjoy anime, musicals, and fantasy/sci-fi stories. Sometimes I play video games that are story-based or are about exploration. I love and am open to playing all sorts of games with people. Additionally, I would like to learn how to play an instrument in the future. I used to play guitar, but had to stop to dedicate more time for school.
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
- Special dietary requirements
  vegetarian

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29 Apr 2025

Left by Workawayer () for host (Volunteering experience in a ...)

I spent 2 weeks here and every day was memorable, unique, and beautiful!

I am truly grateful for the team that handles volunteers. They were fast, responsive, and always did their best to meet our needs and requests. If there were any issues, they would always deliver it thoughtfully and with consideration.

If you want to come, I highly… read more recommend getting involved in as much as possible! The experience is richer when you expose yourself to what’s available and enrich yourself with the community and other volunteers.

What made my volunteering experience here truly special was the other volunteers. We would hang out, share photos and videos, and help each other. Additionally, if you want alone time there are also many places to go if you want personal space to introspect, rest, and read. However, I heard from other volunteers that the social experience depends on the group of volunteers there with you because some groups are more solitary. Usually, we would have about 10 to 20 volunteers at one time.

Each week the schedule was different. The work was a lot less than 25 hours a week and was more like 5 to 15 hours a week with 2 days off. While I was there, I mostly worked on cleaning and serving food. Occasionally, we had random tasks like organizing legos. There were also opportunities to do extra volunteering if one desires(i.e. extra shifts or special occasions).

The schedule was always full of interesting activities(i.e. calligraphy class, tea ceremonies, hiking, tai chi). Additionally, this environment is very friendly for those who are new to Buddhism. All the monastery activities here like chanting, meditation, and formal dining are all optional. There were many books and resources given to learn more about Buddhism.

The vegetarian food here is phenomenal and everything they cook themselves is vegan. Additionally, we would always get snacks and refreshments to enjoy during break/after work. The accommodations are comfortable with a maximum of 4 people in a room with A/C. There is also moderately fast wifi available in the lobby.

While volunteering here, I never felt the need to leave the monastery/museum grounds because there was always something new to do and explore. Furthermore, I would not recommend this place if you want to travel around because it takes around 2 hours and 20 minutes to take a bus to the city center of Kaohsiung.

(Excellent )

9 Apr 2025

Left by host (Come explore various ...) for Workawayer ()

We were so lucky to have Gabi with us in Keelung for six wonderful weeks! Her maturity and professionalism truly shone through in everything she did.

Gabi took on every tasks - from conducting filed research and writing articles to developing creative and practical promotional ideas - with impressive dedication. What stood out most was how she… read more

(Excellent )

1 Apr 2025

Left by Workawayer () for host (Come explore various ...)

I stayed 6 weeks and had a good experience! Mila was a generous and kind host who was open to new ideas and communication. If I had any problems, I could always text or call her. Sometimes we would have a meal together and she would get food and drinks for the volunteers.

I think the highlight was the variety of projects that we got to work on.… read more

(Excellent )

19 Feb 2025

Left by host (Help us with daily activities ...) for Workawayer ()

Dear Gabby,
We are very happy to meet you. Thank you for your patience and friendly conversation with us in English. We did a lot of things together.We have dinner, hiking,vist the night market and Temple, meditate, yoga, cultural exchanges and sharing, and create many beautiful memories. We are like a family , get along naturally and… read more

(Excellent )

17 Feb 2025

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help us with daily activities ...)

I stayed for 2 weeks with Henry’s family and had an amazing time! This was my first Work Away experience and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. As a host, they are flexible and accommodating. I came a day earlier on last minute notice and they were very welcoming. Henry and his family are nervous about speaking in English, but I was… read more able to communicate with them quite well.

From the description, I was not really sure what to expect from my stay here. I thought that I would spend a lot of time exploring by myself, but actually every day of my stay felt full. Henry’s family tried to involve me as much as they could into their daily life and I met many of their friends. It was a good cultural exchange and they are very knowledgeable about Taoism and Taiwanese culture. They really supported me and provided opportunities for me to learn more. For example, they let me participate in their temple activities, took me to a local Confucius academy, took me to yoga and meditation class, and organized for me to receive the 3 treasures of the Tao.

While staying here, I felt like I got to experience a different side of Taichung. Last year when I visited Taichung by myself, I thought that compared to other parts of Taiwan that there was not much to do here. However, I felt like I gained a completely different perspective of this area after staying with Henry’s family and found so much life and beauty here. They are willing to try new things and go to new places with workers and helped me go to places that I wanted to see in their free time(i.e. Daijia Jenn lann temple, Gaomei Wetlands). Their family took photos of everything we did together so I have memories from everyday.

Additionally, there was not that much work that I was expected to do besides light chores, helping improve English through conversation, and sharing a presentation on my culture with children. One day I also visited the elementary school that Henry’s wife, Angela, works at and spent time with the kids.

As a vegetarian, I was very happy to stay here. Henry’s family would take me to eat out all the time and introduced me to so many good restaurants and foods. Additionally, if we did not eat out and Angela was available she would cook the best Taiwanese food! There were also many snacks and desserts that they shared with me so I never went hungry.

What I liked the most about my stay here was how kind, generous, earnest, and friendly Henry’s family was. They were always present and attentive. Henry’s family is respectable and honest, but also loving and fun. As a solo female traveller, I felt safe and respected in their home. More than a volunteer, I felt like I was family when I stayed with them. The next time I visit Taiwan, I want to come back to visit Henry’s family because of the friendships that I made here and learn more about their way of life.

(Excellent )

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