Henryk

Travel information

I am currently

Activities i am interested in:

Hi! It's time to see another beautiful country ;)

Description

Hello!

My name is Henryk, I'm from Poland.
I'm in Costa Rica now.

Working in carpentry, renovation, building or gardening, crafting things that could last for a long time and come to a great use for you. Sharing knowledge and skills. Admiring nature around, learning lokal history and traditions... that's what I will bring with me while staying at your place :)

About my traveling:
My son as a child used to love stories that I told him (simple things, like the story about a little brave boy facing all sorts of danger he came across)... and as before... being 20 years old... he still wants to listen to them :) OK... maybe not exactly, he is a grown up now. But I think, that the best ideas for all stories come from real adventures in life.

In the short video I attached to my profile you can see me eating a boletus mushroom and praising its taste and smell. That was during one of my excursions (Czech Republic - 2018). My son made the video.

Interests

Outdoor activities

Plant care

Farming

History

DIY & crafts

Beach

Books

Culture

Camping

Carpentry

Nature

Hitchhiking

Yoga / Wellness

Vegetarian or vegan

Self development

Sustainability

Mountain

Hiking

Gardening

Cycling

Astronomy

Animals

Languages spoken

English: Fluent
Polish: Fluent
German: Intermediate

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Charity Work

Art Projects

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Some knowledge of:  

Life at a Farmstay

Helping around the house

Animal Care

Hospitality/Tourism

Helping with Computers/ Internet

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Able to teach about:  

Gardening

DIY and building projects

General Maintenance

Eco Projects

More details about your skills

My volunteer jobs till now:

Carpentry:
I built a new wooden wall and the door and the handrail by the front porch of the house, 2 meter high cupboard for the kitchen, wardrobe, outdoor benches, chairs and tables, a new storage unit for tools, crafting table, new gates and wood shelter. I built recently a huge wardrobe room for brides in a wedding centre and a big storage room in a greenhouse. I build my first top bar beehive. A horse shelter with a feeding area and a workshop room.

Building:
I took part in building a round strawbale house, I worked with wood and clay. I built a long brick wall, with a ferro-concrete frame. I did plastering and painting. I crafted a bamboo construction for tomato plants and some lattices by the house for roses. I have a lot of experience in reparing old and building new fences. I repaired roofs, I put new chimney, I built terraced gardens and stone walls. I built new stone pathes, l put nice green lawn in front of the house. I made several rain ditches on the road.

Renovation:
I renovated almost entire house (taking down the walls, rearranging the rooms space, painting, flooring, fixing new shelves and doors, renovating bathroom, installing new shower cabin and the toilet... etc...). I renovated 20 chairs by putting new furniture upholstery. I put wallpapers, painted walls and ceilings, assembled furniture. I insulated the walls and the floor in the attic.

Animal care:
For over half a year I helped with milking and feeding cows.
I fed reindeer, horses and chickens.

Gardening and forest jobs:
Picking berries and mushrooms.
Harvesting all sorts of vegetables.
Cutting bushes, putting new turf around the house. Cutting grass with a lawn mower. I prepared 50 pits for planting new trees, I harvested olives and quints.
I have been sowing, planting, weeding, mulching, pruning, harvesting and preserving a lot.
I raked leaves, shoveled snow from the roads, cleared the forest by cutting down the trees. I replanted hundreds of gynostemum plants for the decoration of a big wedding centre.

Different jobs:
Years ago I had rope access work experiences e.g. I worked for the forest inspectorate collecting fir cones in the early winter.
Some experience in taking care of the guesthouse (preparing apartments for guests, cleaning and doing laundry) and the tourists (greeting, checking in and out, guiding and showing the farm).
For over 4 years I used to work as a waiter in the UK and in Poland.
In Iceland I worked in a greenhouse for a year taking care of tomatoes and cucumbers. In Switzerland I helped with repairing a car: metalwork, painting,, putting grease.

I fell in love with permaculture, selfsufficiency and sustainability as a good and healthy approach to life.

I'd be delighted if we could learn from each other... not only our languages but also other valuable things.
By the way... I'd like to try also something else... something new that I've never done before.

Age

45

What else ...

After eight years of working in a big corporation I decided to change my life completely. I started my long adventure with Workaway in December 2018 and for the next several years I would like to travel a lot.
Some time ago I discovered Buddism and meditation and it became a very important everyday practice on my way to awareness, peace of mind, balance and strong feeling of love to everything that surrounds us.
I love reading, hiking in the mountains, watching wildlife especially birds, swimming, sunbathing, playing board games, riding a bike, meditating (Vipassana), doing Yoga and discussing with open minded people.

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