Jema

Travel information

I am currently

Description

Teddy Roosevelt coined my life motto when he said, "Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."

Amen!

I'm a mature, single woman with heaps and heaps of farming, building, equipment, animal, gardening and manual labor experience. I come from a depression-era family and was raised with a very solid work ethic. I'm definitely not afraid to get dirty. I like seeing jobs get done and am not a clock watcher. :)

I've hosted lots of travelers in my homes, so I know what makes a good guest (and how to be one :). I see Workaway and HelpX and Wwoofing as a cultural and community exchange benefiting both parties, and I like volunteering with hosts who feel similarly.

Skills/experience include:
basic carpentry (trim, fences, chicken coops, etc.)
drywall (gyprock) & painting
rock & mortar
concrete/foundation
industrial construction
earthbag construction
operating landscaping equipment
forklift operation
swather/tractor
bobcat operation
milking (sheep)
docking (lambs)
herding
vaccinations
butchering (chickens, cattle)
persuasive writing
gardening
being nice :)

A HelpX host where the work is primarily cleaning wouldn't be a good fit for me. My passion is projects; I love seeing results.

Languages spoken

English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
Italian: Beginner
Portuguese: Beginner

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

Some knowledge of:  

Gardening

DIY and building projects

Babysitting and creative play

General Maintenance

Life at a Farmstay

Eco Projects

Animal Care

Charity Work

Languages

Art Projects

Helping with Computers/ Internet

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Able to teach about:  

Teaching

More details about your skills

Ooops - listed above.

Jobs I've done at various exchange locations around the globe are:

1. Re-finishing a sail boat, gardening, wood chopping.
2. Gardening, pony haircut, community work day, babysitting.
3. Fence building, cafe construction.
4. Winter wood chopping, feeding goats, weed whacking (strimmer/whippersnip).
5. ditch digging, tussock planting, weeding, build greenhouse, chicken/cattle management.
6. collect manure, feed lamb orphans, planting, braid willows, pruning, weeding, fertilizing, docking lambs.
7. rappelling to remove invasive species, community working bee, trail building, step building.
8. milking sheep, making cheese, harvesting capers, butchering chickens, feeding animals, mucking stalls.
9. thinning kiwis, gardening, making super-fertilizer.
10. weed whacking (strimming), refinish chairs & tables, gardening, watering, build & cover no-dig garden beds.
11. post hole digging, building berry stabilizing and rain-proofing structures, weeding.
12. papaya planting, painting, school presentations, repairs, kitchen maintenance, gardening, writing project
13. wood stacking, computer work, harvesting, roof maintenance, trellis building, rendering
14. hedge trimming, pruning, harvesting, gardening, canning, butter-making, composting, processing carob, fennel, & quince, whippersnipping, mowing, landscaping, wood shredding, honey harvesting, planting, sanding & painting, gutter maintenance, cheese-making, plaster and render repair
15. field planting, drain installations, assist stonemason, organize workshop and storage area, tank repair, babysitting
16. netting fruit trees and vines, elderly care, tree trimming & bush pruning, weed whacking
17. manual ditch revival, stair building, move tractorloads of materials, build garden fence
18. earthbag construction (shoveling, mixing, measuring, barbed-wire taming, generator & pump monitoring)

I guess I also have an extensive work history, which includes:

rafting guide
coal mine equipment operator
ranch hand
marketing & develoment
office manager
retail/service industry
interpreter (spanish)
electrical assistant

Age

41

What else ...

I like you already! :)

Also - I didn't know I wouldn't be able to caption photos. They're all from various, fun work-exchanges!

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies
  Negativity?

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  Special dietary requirements