José Antonio

Spain
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Profile information

Travel information

I am currently

At home

My next destination:
Iceland
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Description

(FULLY VACCINATED [2+Booster] !)

My name's José Antonio (or just José)

I am a retired Spanish Language and Literature Department Head-Teacher. I have taught Spanish and Literature to native and foreign students in Public Hight Schools for 37 years.

I hold a Masters Degree in Teaching Spanish as a foreign language.

I also authored two Spanish Courses for German-speaking people, published by Hueber Verlag (München).

Writing fiction is one of my passions, and throughout the years I have been the recipient of several national and international Literary Awards, both in the poetry and short stories genres.

My other inalienable passion is traveling and seeing the world. I am interested in everything, even in those aspects of reality that may seem not very positive. Nothing human is foreign to me...

I lead a healthy and sober life. I do not smoke or drink alcohol, and have no bad habits in general. I’m a quiet, calm, patient, responsible and easy-going person. I eat everything and have no dietary restrictions.

I am experienced with the common household chores and I am also a talented bread maker (have been baking regularly at home for decades)

I love animals and I am well-versed in their needs and care, both with home pets, like dogs and cats, as well as with farm animals, specially horses.

I have an international car license, of couse.

(SEE MORE BELOW)
Interests

Plant care

Movies & TV

Gardening

Charity work

Pets

Politics / Social justice

Sustainability

Sailing / Boating

Self development

Art & design

Outdoor activities

Farming

Van life

Technology

Astronomy

History

Music

Mountain

Languages

Architecture

DIY & crafts

Nature

Carpentry

Photography

Books

Writing

Animals
Languages

Languages spoken
German: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
English: Intermediate
French: Beginner

More details about my language interests
Yes, as a Philologist and professional teacher (I taught Spanish in public High Schools for 37 years) I am very interested in giving language classes. (Spanish, Italian or German, although German is not my mother tongue)

Find a language partner
Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

Some knowledge of:

Light gardening

Babysitting and creative play

Being an elderly companion

Able to teach about:

Creative DIY projects

Light maintenance

Life at a Farmstay

Helping around the house

Animal Care

Hospitality/Tourism

Languages

Teaching
More details about your skills

I am skilful in all tasks related to home improvement and repairs. I particularly love working with wood, from which I can create anything, from furniture to cabins or even wooden houses! (If I have the necessary tools, of course!)

My services, therefore, can be both academic (as an experienced language professional teacher) and manual, depending on the needs of the host. I do not ask for much to get by: just a clean bed, a warm shower, three meals a day and a Wi-Fi connection to maintain contact with my family.

I like photography very much and I use the pictures I take as a source of reflection for writing pieces about the world’s diverse complexity.
Age

73
What else ...

Actually, in principle, I’m interested not only in the 20 countries in the world I have indicated in my list but also in the other 174 countries I have not pointed out. (You know, it isn’t allowed to put more than 20…! ;)

As is the case with the faces of the moon, the world is interesting in all its faces, even in its ugly ones!

I hope to find in my hosts open, sincere, honest people. People who look you in your eyes because they have nothing to hide. Easy-going people, with whom it's enriching to talk. People like me.
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  No
- Special dietary requirements
  No, I haven't

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11 Feb 2026

Left by host (Feel at home, learn to cook ...) for Workawayer ()

José è una persona molto gentile e onesta, molto affidabile, è stato un validissimo aiuto; si è prodigato per aiutarmi ed ha portato a compimento il lavoro che doveva eseguire, peccato che per problemi di famiglia ha dovuto interrompere anticipatamente la sua permanenza.Conoscerlo è stata una bella esperienza.Grazie José

(Excellent )

10 Apr 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help in small hostel - ...)

My stay at Ingrid's hostel in Boquete significantly enriched my experience as a Workawayer around the world: all the staff assigned to the hostel -Oderay, Massy and Richelle, as well as of course also the owner herself, Ingrid, on the occasion that we were able to see each other-, were at all times respectful and kind to me, so that from the … read more

(Excellent )

10 Apr 2024

Left by host (Help in small hostel - ...) for Workawayer ()

Jose Antonio was a great volunteer at our Hostel. He went out of his way to help; welcome our guests, make sure they had everything they needed and also had time for a chat with both guests and coworkers. We really enjoyed the support he offered to our team and recommend him 100%

(Excellent )

9 Sep 2022

Left by host (Come and live with a lively ...) for Workawayer ()

José stayed with us for a couple of weeks and I couldn´t have been more lucky! For us, he was exactly the right person at the right time.
José is very amiable, adapts easily, is helpful, skilled and pretty strong. He can work on his own, has a good understanding and knowledge of all sorts of maintenance tasks and a good sense of order. José really … read more

(Excellent )

6 Sep 2022

Left by Workawayer () for host (Come and live with a lively ...)

Christiane is an intelligent, very active and determined woman, capable of facing many different situations and resolving them successfully. It's perfectly normal for her to switch from her job at her office to shovelling and carrying heavy buckets of volcanic sand; from enlarging the pasture in the paddock for her Icelandic horses to playing the … read more

(Excellent )

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These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.

Communication:
(4.7)

Skills:
(4.9)

Observed house rules:
(4.9)

11 Feb 2026

Left by host (Feel at home, learn to cook ...) for Workawayer

(Excellent)

10 Apr 2024

Left by Workawayer for host (Help in small hostel - ...)

(Excellent)

10 Apr 2024

Left by host (Help in small hostel - ...) for Workawayer

(Excellent)

9 Sep 2022

Left by host (Come and live with a lively ...) for Workawayer

(Excellent)

6 Sep 2022

Left by Workawayer for host (Come and live with a lively ...)

(Excellent)

12 Jun 2022

Left by host (Help a family learn Spanish ...) for Workawayer

José is a wonderful person and a hardworking committed volunteer. He's one of the most caring, thoughtful, and grateful volunteers. He is a very kind-hearted, helpful, sociable, responsible, and organized person. During his stay at my home, José set up an example of how a good teacher should be. He was always there to help with any task and he was … read more

(Excellent)

8 Jun 2022

Left by Workawayer for host (Help a family learn Spanish ...)

In my travels around the world, I have had very pleasant work experiences with Workaway, people and families with whom I "connected" immediately, as if we had known each other for a lifetime. Well, Robert, his wife Elibieta (Ela) and their daughter Katayrina (Kasia) are a perfect example of those families where you immediately feel at home.

I can … read more

(Excellent)

18 Apr 2022

Left by host (Lend a hand around my home ...) for Workawayer

Jose is a mature and assertive gentleman; he is very interested in his books and spent much of his free time working on them. Not the usual workawayer for here but what work was found for him to do in the garden, was well done. He was very good with a neighbour’s dog and played with him every day as he followed him in his work. Jose seemed … read more

(Very good)

17 Apr 2022

Left by Workawayer for host (Lend a hand around my home ...)

Catherine is an intelligent and cultivated woman with very personal points of view about the reality of the world. She has an interesting conversation about various historical aspects of Ireland's past and present, and I was delighted to listen to her. Also, she plays the guitar and has a nice voice.

The B&B activity that she ran at home … read more

(Excellent)

11 Nov 2020

Left by host (Looking for help with ...) for Workawayer

First of all, Thank you José for so many delicate and nice words, in your feedback. I am very happy about it.

Knowing how José apprehended his stay in my house and with me, gives me a lot of satisfaction, because that's exactly what I want to experience with the persons who will come and help me in my "haven of peace".
To have beautiful exchanges … read more .. To make beautiful discoveries .. To leave beautiful memories. All this fills my heart and delights me to know this mission accomplished with him.

But, Ladies and Gentlemen the Hosters, you should know that José's personality made this possible. If it wasn't for this man so warm, so present, so curious, so efficient, and so courageous… this exchange could not have existed as it has been.

José took "à coeur" and "à bras le corps" all my daily worries and the restoration work in the "house workshops", as well as the construction of a little lean-to shed to store the wood closer the door.

He worked with determination and enthusiasm (sometimes alone, sometimes with the help of my friends), on the installation of wood paneling to cover the walls of the workshop .. So many cuts to make, so much patience to have in the hands of José !
He took part in tidying up and organizing this large room as if he had to work on it every day.
He left a wonderful little "note" in this workshop, a drawing on wood, made with his pyrography tool, (a beautiful deer in front of the small valleys of the Gers and the Pyrenees mountains on the horizon..), simply to please to my dear son.

The elevation of the lean-to on the north gable of the house has been very joyful, if very difficult. José has exhausted his hands on the stone, on the wood, on the roof tiles. His determination allowed the realization of this small construction which will give me a lot of comfort. I will call him ""José's lean-to shed" "
And how beautiful it is !!

José also assembled the wooden containers for my small permaculture garden that will come alive in the spring. It allowed the improvement of an under roof to protect garden tools.
I had imagined many more things to put in his hands to improve this magical place again and again..
Just as I had imagined many other visits and discoveries to do and see in the region. But we ran out of time.
Maybe José will make another jump one day over the Pyrenees mountains to come back to my Tuscany Gersoise.

In conclusion, I must say that, this kind and delicate man, "Professor José", has the tremendous capacity to adapt to his surroundings and to the people he meets. (My friends all loved it him)
His good mood, his sens of humor, his calm and his consistency, make him a wonderfully easy-going man.
He brought happiness in my house and I thank him with all my heart.

(Excellent)

6 Nov 2020

Left by Workawayer for host (Looking for help with ...)

Imagine a jewel in the middle of the countryside: a massive stone house and sturdy wooden beams on its roof. And next to it another minor construction, the "Parador", also built in the same way. The house and the Parador are surrounded by oaks and other beautiful trees.

When you wake up in the morning, a Mediterranean light delicately paints the … read more landscape with incredible pastel tones. Your eyes will not believe what they are seeing: in the vast field of sunflowers in front of the house, some deer (two, three, four ..., depends on the day) walk gracefully and calmly towards the nearby forest. Sometimes they run to the trees... Your eyes may not believe the wonder that you are witnessing, but what your eyes see is not a mirage, but the natural environment in which Annie lives.

I spent just under two months at Annie's home, but that short time in the span of my life has left an indelible memory in my brain and heart.

Annie is an extraordinary woman, of fine spirit, intelligent and very generous with her things and with her time: thanks to her, I have known the Gers region as if I had lived there for many years. Annie took me to see everything that I was interested in seeing in this delightful corner of the sweet France: cathedrals, collegiates, churches, museums, castles, an Armagnac winery, another wine cellar where we had the opportunity to "make" our own wine, a duck farm, painting exhibitions, a Renaissance music concert , the laboratory of a master chocolatier ... Everything was extraordinary!

Together we traveled in a balloon over the Gers and she took me to a small airport so that I could fly (with the instructor behind me, of course) an ultralight plane, in a gliding flight ...

Annie cooked for me with dedication and enthusiasm. She introduced me to her friends, all of them really very lovely people, we ate a few times together and it was like being in my own family.

Annie also gave me the opportunity to talk about so many things in life - some happy, others sad - and we both enriched ourselves with our long dialogues.

In exchange for so much generosity, I did my best in the surroundings of the house and in the workshop, so that the jewel in the middle of the field would be even a little more beautiful, if possible, and the song of the owl at dusk sounds even more pure in the limpid air of this place.

(Excellent)

21 Sep 2020

Left by host (Join us on our horseranch in ...) for Workawayer

OK, José Antonio.
He was staying with us for three weeks. Far too short.
A great guy, who was loved by anybody of our big family - especially our 'little prince' (3) was excited when playing with him. Like a fresh summerwind he blew in new motivation and a lot of improvements into my horse stable to be prepared for our long winter.
Being a Jack … read more

(Excellent)

19 Sep 2020

Left by Workawayer for host (Join us on our horseranch in ...)

Dear Workawayer,
if you like horses, if you like big sweet dogs, if you like open, jovial, friendly, nice people, with a sense of humour, if you like intelligent children (well, actually only one child, but which is capable of doing what several would do at the same time ...!), if you like forests ..., the small Uschi horse farm is your … read more

(Excellent)

5 Nov 2019

Left by Workawayer for host (Share our family life and ...)

Dear fellow Workawayer, you can go around the world two, three, four times ...; you can find wonderful people everywhere (there are millions of them!) on your way; you probably would also find lovely homes where you will received as a family member, but I can guarantee you, you will never find a better Workaway destination than this Swedish home.
… read more

(Excellent)

5 Nov 2019

Left by host (Share our family life and ...) for Workawayer

Jose, what a wonderful, lovely, kind and smart person! Jose is someone to love. He is so interesting, skillful, funny, trustworthy and helpful! A very unik person. He is interested in everything, he is easy going, always calm, friendly and nice. Jose is the most positiv person ever! Spending time with him gave us a lot of new views and thoughts … read more

(Excellent)

5 Sep 2019

Left by host for Workawayer

Thank you Jose for coming to stay with us. You brought with you many stories, many practical skills, and boundless enthusiasm. Thanks to you I now consider myself a novice baker and enjoy fresh bread regularly. The gardens are gorgeous, I get many compliments on the hand crafted sign on the barn, and even 10 year old Jackson noticed and … read more

(Excellent)

27 Aug 2019

Left by Workawayer for host (Come and enjoy beautiful ...)

I have traveled many countries on different continents and have seen many cities, towns, people and landscapes, so I feel humbly authorized to say that Vermont is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.
And in Vermont, Martin's Old Scott Barn is truly a piece of Paradise on Earth. "The Old Scott Barn" has everything that makes the … read more

(Excellent)

8 Aug 2019

Left by Workawayer for host (Bluegrass region farmstay in ...)

I spent a month at Ted and Machi's house. Not all the time I was able to be with them and their wonderful children just because the Lehrmans traveled to Japan two weeks during my stay.
Work is the typical farm work. But I also had the opportunity to do some carpentry work, restoring a large stable. If you like animals (cows, horses, pigs, sheep, … read more

(Excellent)

5 Aug 2019

Left by host for Workawayer

José is a wonderful man. He is trustworthy, considerate, caring and kind. His helpfulness and desire to do good is commendable and noteworthy. We now consider him family. Most of all, he is a wonderful carpenter!! We can highly recommend him to anyone!

(Excellent)

26 Apr 2019

Left by host for Workawayer

Jose' -Macho Man-Ambassador of Spain is a very smart, hard working, worldly man with many skills. We welcomed Jose' into our home and treated him as family and he treated us the same. Jose' is a self starter and didn't need any supervision and does quality work. We highly recommend Jose' to all Workaway hosts,

(Excellent)

25 Apr 2019

Left by Workawayer for host (Help with daily maintenance ...)

My first Workaway experience was at the Paton’s home. From the moment I arrived at their place, Polly and Grant welcomed me as if I were a member of their family and their cordiality increased more and more during the four weeks I lived with them. We had a great time and we laughed a lot together; we even celebrated Easter together, first in the … read more

(Excellent)