Merel

Travel information

I am currently

Activities i am interested in:

Cacao, farming, indigenous cultures, ancient sites, spirituality, pottery, beekeeping, rock climbing, surfing, qi gong, art, murals, painting, drawing, hiking

Description

Hi! I’m Merel, fascinated by the world, colours, languages, cultures.
It all started with my parents traveling by camper van, I was 3 years old and after a couple of days at the same place I would tell them: ‘’Let’s find another place?’’. In 2013 I did my internship Graphic Design in Bangkok, fell in love with the country and decided to go back after a year to teach English. But the world kept calling me with its adventures and not much later I started rock climbing and connecting to nature in different ways. I never really liked being a tourist and always wanted to immerse myself into the real lives of the people living wherever they were living and what they were doing.

For 15 years, 6 months a year I have been painting houses professionally with my father and besides that I kept on doing some graphic design along the way. On my travels, and in my own bedroom at home I have painted murals, something which I really enjoy.

I learned Soul in Touch body work, which is a form of Thai massage, addressing the nervous system and bringing clients to a state between awake and asleep. I really love this practice and I would love to share more of it.

Besides (house)painting, murals, art, graphic design, massage, teaching English, climbing (instructing possibly), I would love to learn more about farming and natural building. Beekeeping, pottery, cacao are high on my list!

I would say I am a bit of a chameleon, I go with the flow and what feels right in the moment. I don’t like feeling hurried or being put under a lot of stress, but when I work, I work hard and do my best. Kindness and compassion are really important to me, and so is connection. Mutual understanding, living from the heart. I love to talk but a lot of the times I also love to just be quiet and just be present with whatever is around me and observe, really embodying the moment.

I speak Dutch and English fluently, I understand more Spanish than I can speak, but I really want to keep practicing! I also speak a tiny bit of Thai.

Traveling has united me with so many beautiful souls, and has taught me that creating together and living in connection with nature is so important to help ourselves, all life around us and the planet. Therefore I would love to help out at a project that has those core values of regeneration, mindfulness, compassion, eco, awareness, connection, developing something for the greater good for all.

Interests

Charity work

Farming

Self development

Sustainability

Culture

Plant care

Music

DIY & crafts

Art & design

Photography

Languages

Gardening

Drawing & painting

Carpentry

Astronomy

Animals

Water sports

Outdoor activities

Hiking

Mountain

Sailing / Boating

Yoga / Wellness

Nature

Camping

Beach

Adventure sports

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
Thai: Beginner

More details about my language interests
I believe getting to really know the culture in the place you're at requires to be interested in the language! Words and sounds are so beautiful, the way we say things. It's all just poetry! I taught English in Thailand, although my mother tongue is Dutch. Currently I am learning Spanish, for now I am understanding a lot more than I am able to speak, so I really would love to practice!

Find a language partner

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Light gardening

Light maintenance

Life at a Farmstay

Eco Projects

Animal Care

Hospitality/Tourism

Art Projects

Helping with Computers/ Internet

Helping around the house

House & pet sitting

Babysitting and creative play

Charity Work

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Able to teach about:  

Creative DIY projects

Languages

Teaching

More details about your skills

Art projects
Painting
Murals
House Painting / restoration
Massage Therapy
Meditation
Stretching / yoga / Qi gong
Teaching English
Graphic design / Website design
Photography
Rock Climbing
Surfing

Things I would love to learn more about:
Beekeeping
Pottery & Ceramics
Cacao
Coffee
Land regeneration
Natural building
Bamboo building

Cob building
Spanish Language

Age

33

What else ...

''Live and let live''

We are all conditioned with our own belief systems, we are free to change them, but we are also free to let others stay free in choosing what they believe.

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies
  Perfumes, heavy chemical cleaning products, some detergents

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  Special dietary requirements