Mara

Switzerland
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Travel information
I am currently
Travelling
Description
Hi! I'm Mara, I'm 18 and I live in Switzerland. I just finished college and I am currently taking a gap year to take time to do some things I have always dreamed of.
I am a very active person but I also need some time alone sometimes.
I love to go out with my friends to spend quality time with them as well as spending time with horses and dogs. I like watching movies - either classics or a good "bad rom-com" - I also like to do sports such as swimming, going to the gym or sometimes running but it is always for pleasure. I read quite a lot and I am a huge fan of dancing (and music in general). Even though I do not take classes anymore, I am never going to say no to discover a new type of dance!!

I would love to join a place with a great atmosphere where I could meet new people.
Interests
Charity work
Hiking
Beach
Winter sports
Sustainability
Self development
Nature
Pets
Photography
Music
Movies & TV
Languages
Fashion or beauty
Fitness
Events & social
Dancing
Culture
Books
Art & design
Animals
Languages
Languages spoken
French: Fluent
English: Intermediate
Italian: Intermediate
Spanish: Beginner
More details about my language interests
I lived for a year in the UK so my english is pretty good. I would love to be able to speak well italian since it is supposed to be my second language. Also I learnt spanish in school but I am not able to have a conversation with someone so it would be great to practice my oral skills !
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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
Charity Work
DIY and building projects
Life at a Farmstay
Hospitality/Tourism
Some knowledge of:
Animal Care
Babysitting and creative play
Helping around the house
General Maintenance
Able to teach about:
Languages
More details about your skills
I have worked with children in different camps or simply babysitting so I have quite a few experience with them; I often used to help with children in a horse plus circus camp a few years ago and it was a lot of fun getting them to know how work and be around with ponies.
I have to admit that I do not have any skills in manual labour but I would be willing to learn since it can be very useful in the every day life :)
Moreover, I have worked in a camping for a few weeks to help with general tasks (computer, grocery sale, cleaning,...) and got to discover how you run a place and how much work it is.
Age
19
What else ...
My goal during this gap year is to work with horses in a ranch for a few weeks/months since it has been a dream for years now and I finally have the time to do it. I would love to discover about horsemanship too and perfect my riding.
I have been horseback riding for years now but always "english riding". I have always been amazed by the cowboy culture and I want to actually live it!
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
- Special dietary requirements
  I do not eat fruit, I do eat a few vegetables but I understand that it can be annoying sometimes so I can make my own side meal :)

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2 Nov 2023

Left by Workawayer (Mara) for host (Join us on our family farm ...)

Before booking anything, read carefully all the reviews!!!!!!

Staying at the finca was a very authentic experience.
The work is okay: you start at 9 until 1pm (depends) and basically what you do is feed the animals and give them water. After that you are free

I was supposed to stay there for a month but ended up leaving after 2 weeks for a few… read more reasons:
- the room is nice but there is a hole in the door which means that when it rains there might be water in the room. however i did manage to find a solution so that it would not be a problem.
- you will be on your own, the 4 people there are nice but they are not big talkers which means that you spend 90% of your day alone. Personally i was not ready to be this lonely and the shock was brutal, so yeah be ready for that.
- there are a lot of spiders everywhere as well as in the room (you actually can get use to it)
- when i told them i was going to leave early they litteraly didn't care, or at least that's what it seemed like so yeah again kinda brutal
- to go to the loo you have to go outside and then there is a toilet
- as a person who likes everything to be clean i had a hard time with everything beeing always dirty but not everyone will feel concerned about that

There are also good things of course:
- they will always answer your texts and your questions! don't be scared to ask
- Lucia is a very good cook. Coming from someone who can be quite picky on food it means a lot so don't worry about that. however being a vegetarian there might be a problem, but that's just Spain in general ahah
- the horses are really nice
- if you want to ride you will have plenty of opportuniy! If you have a good level you can ride every day in the arena or go on hikes (for safety reasons not alone) and if not you can take part in the classes she gives
- the landscape is absolutely amazing
- you can go to Granada on the weekends (you dont have enough time in the afternoon unless you take a uber). By bus it's 1h30 away (30min walk included) and it costs like 6e round trip. Granada is such a nice city with loaaads of students so you can easily meet people there.

So i know i put more positive comments than negative ones but the negative where just too much for me to handle and i decided to leave. i guess what i am trying to say is that the experience depends on the person but to actually enjoy it i think you have to be used to be alone for long periods of time without going out and talking and stuff. Otherwise be ready to learn a lot about yourself but i saddly learnt it the hard way aha.

If you have any questions my dms are always open!!

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