Simon & Merel

Travel information

We are currently

Description

Simon: I'm a tall, adventurous Dutchy with a passion for mushrooms. I'm thrilled about traveling to New Zealand, especially after hearing from a friend that it's a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Professionally, I work as a psychologist in Amsterdam, a job I truly enjoy. I'm excited to experience community living and see if it’s as fitting for me as I imagine it to be. I bring humor, fun, and the ability to make others feel at ease. I love a good workout, enjoy getting my hands dirty, and am always up for a challenging project. I'm also eager to develop my handyman skills.

Merel: I have a passion for dance, helping others grow, and love art and nature. I am quite a spiritual being, and I love to learn and grow on both a practical and spiritual level, guided by my intuition. Additionally, I am very practical and organized. Before these travels, I was working as a fundraiser for the young talent programs of Dutch National Opera & Ballet. I was raised in a work-life community focusing on personal and professional growth and see myself developing further in that direction. At the moment, I am also giving tantric and dance workshops and volunteering and working for an organisation called PLAY, which focuses on co-creating, authentic relating, tantra, and playfulness.

Interests

History

Animals

DIY & crafts

Farming

Writing

Yoga / Wellness

Van life

Vegetarian or vegan

Water sports

Winter sports

Team sports

Sustainability

Self development

Plant care

Photography

Outdoor activities

Nature

Mountain

Gardening

Hiking

Drawing & painting

Events & social

Dancing

Cycling

Cooking & food

Charity work

Camping

Books

Art & design

Adventure sports

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent

More details about my language interests
We learned different languages at school. English being the language we are most skilled in. Language exchanges are so nice to do! We both like to learn about new languages and cultures because it can be used as a mirror to help us reflect about our own background.

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Skills and knowledge we'd like to share or learn

We're interested in:  

Gardening

Eco Projects

Charity Work

Animal Care

Hospitality/Tourism

Art Projects

Teaching

DIY and building projects

General Maintenance

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Some knowledge of:  

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Helping around the house

House sitting

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Able to teach about:  

Languages

Babysitting and creative play

More details about your skills

Simon:
My background is in psychology. I've done clinical psychology and I am a licensed psychologist who works with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, EMDR and schematherapy. I like to puzzle with people how to understand their obstacles and how to overcome them.

Besides that I really like photography. I'm an amateur but I like to develop my self in this field. I've done a portret photography course which was very exciting. Right now on my travels I really love to photograph in micro. For example: a plant so zoomed in that you can see all of the details. It's in the small things ;)
Also I volunteered once for a festival as photographer. It was nice to capture the memories in the making.

I don't have handy man skills but I like to work myself in sweat and learn on this field. Talking about sweat, I want to learn how to build a sauna :) That would be awesome.

I'm sportive. I do mountainbiking, yoga, fitness and more :D

I like organizing events and bring people together. I am pro-active and sociable.

I used to be a taxidriver. So I can definitely say that I'm a skilled driver.

I also volunteered as cook once for a festival. I cooked vegetarian meals for a group of 50 people. This was pretty scary but also very rewarding.

Merel:
I have a background in the Arts, on the project/production side of the industry (although I love to work creatively on art projects too!). I previously worked as the Marketing Manager at a Historic House Museum in Amsterdam and before travelling here I worked with the Dutch National Opera & Ballet as a fundraiser for their Young Talents program. In this role, I connected and managed events for a group of young benefactors (ages 25-40).

In addition to my professional experience, I am passionate about dance—particularly contact improvisation and ecstatic dance—and I facilitate workshops in dance meditation and tantra. I have also spent 12 years as a professional acro gymnast, which has enhanced my love for movement and play. This summer, I organized a co-creative holiday program for around 50 people, which was a rewarding experience in community-building, working with groups and event coordination.

I’m eager to expand my skills in working with the land, gardening, and harvesting, and I am especially excited to develop my handywoman abilities. I’m a quick learner and enthusiastic about hands-on projects, like building a sauna or contributing to a tiny house/van project, as Simon mentioned!

Additionally, I have a lot of experience in working with children. I worked as an au pair in London and I have done extensive babysitting throughout my life. I truly enjoy the playful energy of children and find their way of thinking and engaging with the world deeply inspiring.

Age

29 & 32

What else ...

Games: 'weerwolven of wakkerdam', or secret hitler. These two are Psychology based interactive games. But we like all sorts of games.

We are both interested in personal growth and can host or create games or playful programmes. Next week we'll be volunteering and Shiva Shakti festival in New- Zealand. Tantra is for us a way to relate to (each)other(s). This means we like to be authentic and truthful in the here and now :)

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
  We both eat vegetarian. Merel eats glutenfree.