From: United States
Individual account
United States
14/11/2016 - 01/08/2021
1041
My name is Katia, but I'm not Russian, I'm Polish... as Polish as any third generation American can be. I am currently exploring Denver, CO, with plans to stay here and attain my massage license. I am most recently from Chicagoland, where I had two lives, one spent dancing swing and blues in the late city lights and working at a literary agency, the other tutoring ESL speakers, nannying, and teaching children to swim. Before my life in Chicago, I graduated from Illinois College with a BA in English, spending my penultimate semester (January-May 2015) studying in Bath, England and traveling the European continent.
That 6 months changed my life's course. I discovered the beauty of global community and realized that I could build community and help others all over the world, just by remaining open and spreading positivity. Since then, I have used WorkAway, couchsurfing, and similar platforms to find integrative experiences and am searching for any and all positions with which I can gain and share skills, share stories, and generally coexist in communities that will help to enhance my universal consciousness and build me into a more compassionate and knowledgable global citizen.
I am most specifically interested in learning more about sustainable farming, sustainable communities, volunteer organization, and running wellness retreats as I have an opportunity to start a project in my hometown (Arcadia Valley, MO) when I am finished here. Would love to share more about this opportunity with you.
WHAT I CAN OFFER:
I am a charismatic and easy-going person but I am also hard-working and responsible. I am a team player who loves outdoors work and interacting/learning with people. I studied writing and worked in a city, but I grew up in a small town and spent summers doing many odd jobs and volunteer trips and projects, therefore I bring with me experience in painting (fine arts, house painting interior and exterior, furniture painting and staining), landscaping (domestic, small-scale eg. gardening, planting, weeding, stonework, grass cutting, planting, path-laying), farming (small-scale eg. horse grooming, animal-tending, potato planting, harvesting), child-minding (as a mother's helper, babysitter, nanny and tutor), teaching (to both native and non-native English Speakers), and administrative and editorial work. I have also had many workaway experiences in which I gained general building and maintenance knowledge. I am also CPR and First Aid certified.
INTERESTS:
Music (play saxophone, clarinet, learning guitar and piano), Dance (Swing, Blues, some Salsa), Reading and Writing (creative nonfiction, fiction, fantasy, philosophy, modernism, surrealism), Art (drawing, painting, performance), Hiking (grew up in a small Missouri town in the Ozark Mountains and spent most of my childhood in the woods, exploring caves, mountains, and rivers), Cycling (biked across upstate New York and around Illinois), Swimming (collegiate swimmer and youth swim coach), wellness (massage and therapy) and sustainable farming.
WHAT I HOPE TO GAIN:
I am searching for opportunities to connect with people and land on a smaller scale. Growing up in a small town I have an inherent love of community and civic duty. I want to make a difference in people's lives and also in the world on a larger scale through sustainable living. I am also hoping to learn more fundamental skills like gardening, sewing, building, farm-tending, building, and survival skills. I have spent much of my time in cities however and have an abundant love for the culture of arts, music, and dance, so I hope to enhance my skills in each as I travel, including my writing, dancing, and yoga practices and learn from my hosts all they have to share.
AVAILABILITY:
I am in Denver now and will be completely free until January (minus September 1-15). However, I am ideally looking for a long term farmstay from now/soon and through summer 2020, potentially into the fall. I am interested in spending time in a place and really learning and achieving goals while in school (will be attending part time from Jan. 2020 - Jan 2021).
Please reach out to me if you think we would be a good fit. I endeavor to respond quickly and look forward to hearing from you.
Gardening
Building
Babysitting / child care
General Maintenance
Farmstay
Help with Eco project
Help in the house
Helping with Tourists
Charity work
Language practice
Art project
Teaching
I have experience in social media (Facebook, twitter, instagram), blogging (wordpress), administrative work, teaching English and swimming (from ages 3 and up, specialized in teaching adults), small scale gardening (plots of 2 acres or less), child minding (ages 1-14), small and large scale painting (indoor and outdoor mural and house painting), hospitality (barista, house maid, shop keeper, bartender, waitress), teaching (to both native and non-native English Speakers)general cleaning, building and maintenance work. I am also NFPT personal training certified, and CPR/ First Aid certified.
English, Beginner Spanish, Beginner German
26
American
Certified in CPR, First Aid, and TESOL/TEFL
Feel free to check out my Couchsurfing profile as well: https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/katia-barzowski
Smoker
Driver's licence
Allergies
Lactose
Special dietary requirements
Lactose-free, vegetarian/pescatarian
