Federica

From: United Kingdom

Account Type
Individual account
Travelling to
France, Italy, Spain
Travel dates
01/07/2018 - 30/09/2020
Nº of Facebook friends
221
Badges

My status
Travelling
Description
Travelling for a couple of years with the specific purpose of learning about permaculture and natural building. I like doing experiments with different things and asking a lot of questions, following my curiosity wherever it may take me.

I have been working in architecture studios for the past four years, and now I am looking to experience something new. Working in an office was interesting and I learned a lot (architectural drawing, model making and that colleagues are annoying), but sitting on a chair for the rest of my life is not a good prospect for me, even if it spins.
I'm Italian, since I was born there, but there is very little of me that belongs there. Travelling and living in different places has made my culture a patchwork, each place I go to adds something more to it, and Id like to keep it going that direction.
I have always been curious throughout my life, but I get a little more curious each day. I spend my free time reading random books, watching films, listening to podcasts, going out with friends, cooking weird stuff and experimenting with food, going to exhibitions, rollerblading and travelling. I also have new different hobbies every month or so, ranging from sewing to sourdough bread making.
My plan is to start something like a cultural center community in the countryside at some point, if I find the right people with the right mentality. However I feel like I have a lot to learn still, so I am trying to slowly fill all the gaps, and workaway is a big part of it. I am mainly looking for natural building projects or permaculture, but I have found that I enjoy finding new stuff that I am interested in all the time.
Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
Some knowledge of:
Life at a Farmstay
Eco Projects
Charity Work
Able to teach about:
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
More details about your skills
Gardening - compost, preparing beds, natural fertilisers, organic gardening, planting, transplanting. I am also constantly reading new things.

Eco building - different eco building techniques including adobe, cob, quincha, cob bricks, hemp and lime construction. Also one of my favourite reading topic!

Food fermentation - making ferments including naturally carbonated drinks and vegetable ferments, sourdough bread making.

Architectural/interior design - by profession, I studied interior design for 4 years and then worked in architecture for another 4. I am also decent at graphic design.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
French: Beginner
Age
29
Nationality
Italian
What else ...
If you are a workawayer living in Europe and also looking to start your own project or community, and you like what you read on my profile, get in touch with me!
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  no
- Special dietary requirements
  Vegetarian!

Photos

Feedback

06/12/2019

Left by Workawayer (Federica) for host for (Join us to create sustainable ...)

I don’t know where to begin to describe how amazing my experience with Julia and Joep was, so I will split this reference into different points to give you an idea!

The location - Barichara is a traditional village surrounded by beautiful hills, and J&J’s place adorns one of them. There are a lot of trails and places to discover all around, but… read more

(Excellent )

06/12/2019

Left by host (Join us to create sustainable ...) for Workawayer (Federica)

It was really nice to get to know Federica, what a great volunteer!

Federica helped us perfectly... she is very dedicated, fast-learning, hardworking, skilled, respectful and eager to learn about everything. Apart from mainly doing a very good job of dry stone walling (our new outdoor bathrooms) she also did some great gardening and was even very… read more

(Excellent )

16/10/2019

Left by Workawayer (Federica) for host for (Bioconstruction & Recycling ...)

My stay at here was incredible! I ended up staying three weeks instead of two. Highlights of my stay were:

- Natural building with Luz, who is very keen on using no cement whatsoever! Also a great person to exchange opinions on techniques. I was given a good amount of freedom too, to experiment a bit with different methods.

- Cultural exchange… read more

(Excellent )

29/03/2019

Left by Workawayer (Federica) for host for (We are putting together a ...)

Staying with Carlos, Samanta and Mateo was a truly incredible experience. I was not sure what to expect as this was my first time staying with a family in Argentina and also my spanish was very weak, but from the moment I met them I felt right at home and I was so happy with everything I got to do with them. I could not have asked for something… read more

(Excellent )

23/12/2018

Left by host (Gain new skills, exit your ...) for Workawayer (Federica)

Federica is amazing.
Dear host, you can, like me, trust him.
You can count on her support, she is one of the people who count on a season.

I offered to do activities for which I do not have enough skills to succeed.
She succeeded.
And what satisfaction to ask a volunteer: What am I doing now?

In addition, I asked him to prepare my project for… read more

(Excellent )

21/09/2018

Left by Workawayer (Federica) for host for (Gain new skills, exit your ...)

I stayed with Nicolas for about three weeks and I do not think my experience could have been any better. Nicolas is hard working and lovely and, while he wants to get everything done to a good standard (impeccable!) he is extremely patient, I never saw him losing his temper or even get close to it. The volunteers that were there at the same time… read more

(Excellent )

17/11/2018

Left by host (Organic gardening and ...) for Workawayer (Federica)

Our experience working with Federica was not the best it could have been. She came at a time when we weren't as available as usual due to personal matters and there seemed to be a lot of misunderstanding between us. We do our best to be open and listen to volunteers' feedback so we would have appreciated if she would have come directly to us to… read more

(Good )

16/11/2018

Left by Workawayer (Federica) for host for (Organic gardening and ...)

This review is a little complex, I will split it in three parts, my objective experience, pros and cons and an “epilogue”. I hope this is useful for both future workawayers and for the host as well.

When I first arrived at the farm, I was greeted by other workawayers who gave me a brief tour of the farm and told me where I will be sleeping. The… read more day is indeed structured as described on the website, early breafkast, work, break, lunch, break and then work again. Each day we were encouraged to try a different activity, which could also change between the morning and the afternoon. Usually the activities were weeding, mulching, raising beds, cutting grass, digging a trench around the house, taking care of the chickens and eco building. I stayed at the farm about 10 days. I spent most of the time with other volunteers working on different things. The activities were normally briefly described at dinner the day before by the project manager, Julie, and carried out independently thenday after by the volunteers.

Pros:

The farm is beautiful, the setting is incredible, the land is stunning. There is a lot of space and a lot of potential. The volunteers are great people and the Khmer family is also loving and caring once you make a little effort to get to know them.

Cons:

The main issue, is that while everything is super organised, nobody seems to know how to do what and the jobs that are to be carried out by the volunteers are not well-managed by community members. The thing that disappointed me the most about the farm, is not just the lack of experience and knowledge necessary to take care of the animals, dogs, cats and chickens, but the indifference to this issue shown by the host. When I first arrived the dogs and the cats were malnourished from living on a mainly-vegan diet, and this would not have changed if it wasnt for the volunteers bringing up the issue. It also felt like it did not matter whether I worked or not a lot of the times, and it was difficult to find guidance from the host when needed.

Epilogue:

Overall, I still enjoyed my time here and thanks to the great volunteers with whom I was able to share knowledge and experience. I was very lucky with the people, but these projects should not rely only on the volunteers to offer a great experience. Everyone was eager to make a difference and made an effort to bring something to the farm, and I often felt like this was not recognised, appreciate, and not even encouraged by the management. I recognised that this place is relatively new, which is why I did my best to leave an in depth and honest feedback. I truly do hope that it helps the host get a better idea of what areas need improvements, as I really do think that the project could be something really great.

(Good )

18/10/2018

Left by Workawayer (Federica) for host for (Join our young, multilingual ...)

I stayed with Tom, Cyrielle and their kids for about two weeks. Before arriving Tom asked me what I wanted to work on and I let him know that I was interested in working with hemp lime. When I arrived there was some work to be done on the structure of the house, which I found really interesting, and later on I had the chance to try out hemp lime… read more

(Excellent )

06/10/2018

Left by host (Join our young, multilingual ...) for Workawayer (Federica)

Federica came to stay with us for 2 weeks, she wanted experience with ecological building techniques and put herself to work from word go, she was eager and determined and learnt quickly how to accomplish the tasks that were put to her. She helped out with cooking, washing up and cleaning and introduced us to various vegetarian dishes of her own… read more

(Excellent )

03/09/2017

Left by Workawayer (Federica) for host for (Help us developing our ...)

I spent two weeks and a half and I met some incredible people and learned alot. You have to go through a short period of adjustment to their way of life when you first arrive, but then you start to enjoy the experience and you never want to leave!

(Excellent )

28/08/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Federica)

Thanks to Federica for her patience, congratulations on her mission and her goals

(Excellent )

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