Ryan

Travel information

I am currently

Activities i am interested in:

Garden design, planting & ecology; hiking; cycling; wood carving; some woodwork; rowing/swimming/kayaking (albeit lacking experience!); social & cultural exchange; music and language; cooking

Description

Hi, I'm Ryan, I appreciate you checking out my profile.

I'm 25 and from the fields and trees of rural Ireland. Recently I've become fascinated by gardening, ecological planting and garden design, and I'm looking to spend time learning from experienced gardeners while contributing wherever I can.

I've spent the past year learning about gardening through reading, experimenting and plenty of trial and error, with a particular interest in ecologically-minded planting and garden design. While that has been my starting point, I'm equally keen to learn about ornamental gardens, trees, shrubs, perennials and the thinking behind good garden design.

I've planted and transplanted trees, propagated cuttings, started a small nursery, experimented with fruit and vegetables, done a little pruning and hedge work, and gradually begun thinking more about how gardens are designed rather than simply planted.

What I'm really hoping for is the opportunity to learn alongside someone with experience—understanding not only what to do, but why it's done that way. I'll probably ask plenty of questions to understand the thinking behind what we're doing, but once I understand the process I'm very happy working independently.

Outside of gardening, I enjoy music, languages, hiking, wildlife and discovering new places. I'm looking forward to sharing meals, conversations and a bit of everyday life, while contributing wherever I can.

Interests

Plant care

Gardening

Events & social

Culture

Self development

Pets

Vegetarian or vegan

Writing

Photography

Music

Languages

Cooking & food

Carpentry

DIY & crafts

Books

Art & design

Animals

Cycling

Hiking

Outdoor activities

Water sports

Yoga / Wellness

Team sports

Mountain

Nature

Dancing

Languages

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

More details about my language interests
Learning languages has been a tool to build understanding, relationships and new opportunities for me. So I'm always happy to impart some of the languages I know, and learn about the languages of those I meet, regardless of where they're from. I also have some experience teaching English as a foreign language. And have a lot of love for the language of my native land, Irish.

Find a language partner

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Eco Projects

Creative DIY projects

Animal Care

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Some knowledge of:  

Languages

Light gardening

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Helping with Computers/ Internet

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Able to teach about:  

Teaching

More details about your skills

I enjoy practical work and learn quickly. I'm comfortable working outdoors in all kinds of weather and have some basic experience across a range of areas including gardening, DIY, painting, woodworking, animal care and working with children.

I strive to be organised, tidy and respectful of people's space, while also happy to make my own contributions when appropriate - cooking, conversation, musical, humour!

On the professional side, I run my business marketing through social media, so I'm fairly competent with that. A big focus of mine is communication skills and soft skills, which tends to reflect in my personal relationships.

Also happy to impart music or language skills. I play classical and basic jazz piano, some guitar, didjeridoo, and tinker with other instruments. My first language is English, and have some fluency in French and Irish, and have a basic level in Spanish and Italian. I'm always trying my hand at languages so happy to learn more here!

Age

25

What else ...

I'll use this space to add in a few miscellaneous interests or anecdotes.

- I love exploring landscapes on foot, especially mature woodland, mountains and places where nature has been allowed to shape itself. I often find as much inspiration there as I do in gardens.
- I'm into meditation, yoga, tai chi and have maintained a daily stretch routine for years
- I don't travel too far without a book. Often something with a spiritual, indigenous or psychology undertone, frequently poetry, short stories and sometimes philosophical-type novels.
- I often wear hand-carved wooden pendants made from willow or hazel I've collected.
- I often travel with a "Diary of a Stranger" journal in which I collect fragments of people's stories
- One of my more humorous piano recitals was a four-man performance on one piano. To our surprise, it went well!
- Hands-on uncle of two little Aussies. Regularly looking for ways to keep in touch from around the world. A couple of favourites are "around the world hide-and-seek" and writing them stories.

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
  Not majorly. I don't eat a lot of meat, not big on butter or milk but I'll survive!