Ian

Travel information

I am currently

Description

Hi everyone! My name is Ian, and I am a twenty-nine year-old traveller raised in Seattle, US. I have been planning to travel and eventually live in Latin America for several years and am looking forward to contributing positively to the communities I meet along the way. In the past ten years, I have worked as a journalist, artist (sign-painter, muralist, tattoo artist, illustrator and printmaker), mechanic, construction and restaurant worker, but I have many other hobbies... too many, maybe. I love learning anything and everything and am a skillful and attentive student, and one day hope to be a teacher. I am fascinated by history and am hoping to work on a book/podcast/photo journal in my travels about food culture in Latin America from pre-colonial times, and how indigenous food traditions persisted alongside and melded with colonial ingredients and cooking techniques to form the culinary traditions of the present.

My dad was born and raised in Venezuela, and my mom's family has lived for several generations in French-speaking North America, mostly in Quebec. I spent most of my childhood in Seattle, and have since lived in Canada and Ecuador, and travelled to Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, India, Thailand, Cambodia, Spain, France and England. Of everywhere I have been, I feel most connected to Latin America, and look forward to meeting my Venezuelan family for the first time at some point during this trip.

I would love the opportunity to volunteer in communities with strong cultural identities, particularly places with culturally relevant projects that I can lend a hand with. Longer-term stays are great if possible, so I can be more fully involved in the community, and help with larger projects if possible, but I am flexible and do not have a set travel schedule. I am not as much interested in tourism or partying, although I acknowledge the importance of both to local cultures and economies, and would love to dance and play salsa, cumbia and traditional music whenever possible (I play the congas and am learning the accordion). I have months to years of experience in gardening and farming, construction, mechanical repair, restoration, painting, teaching and cooking, and would love to offer my skilled assistance in any of these fields, and to be an eager learner in any others.

I am proficient in Spanish and would love to do a language exchange if possible, but am also eager to learn non-European languages such as Mayan, Quechua, Aymara, etc. I have taught English in several countries and would be happy to do so formally or informally if desired by the community I am in.

Thank you very much for reading all of this, and I look forward to meeting you soon!

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate

More details about my language interests
This workawayer has indicated that they would be interested in sharing their language(s) or learning a new language. You can contact them directly to discuss this.

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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Gardening

Animal Care

Life at a Farmstay

Helping around the house

Being an elderly companion

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Some knowledge of:  

Languages

Charity Work

Eco Projects

Teaching

DIY and building projects

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Able to teach about:  

Art Projects

Creating/ Cooking family meals

General Maintenance

Helping with Computers/ Internet

More details about your skills

Arte (pintando, dibujando etc), cocina, reparación de motos y máquinas mecánicas, costura, construcción (enmarcaciones), escritura.

Painting and art projects, cooking, repairing motorcycles, cars and machines, sewing, construction (framing), writing.

Age

30

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies
  No

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  Special dietary requirements
  No