Jia

Travel information

I am currently

Description

Hello! I am Taiwanese-American, born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. I spent ten years in New York for my university studies and corporate life before I left everything behind to travel the world to build a life with more balance between work and my passions. My love of electronic music led me to Ibiza, then Berlin where I lived for 8 years until March 2022. In that time, I worked in the music industry for electronic music artists/DJs all over the world. I also worked for tech companies as a business analytics specialist. I love to travel and in recent years, I have been to Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa, Kenya, and Mongolia.

Berlin was an incredible city to enjoy music, art, and culture, but during the pandemic, I realized that a life more connected to nature and animals (horses especially:) was much healthier for me both mentally and physically. I came to this realization while working on a cattle ranch and pinto stud in Namibia in 2021 where my responsibilities included general care of the horses and acclimating young foals to humans, working in the garden (tomatoes, chilis), as well as creating a business plan for the farm to apply for a loan to install an irrigation system. The work was hard but incredibly rewarding. I also enjoyed applying my business skills to the agriculture industry. I am passionate about farming and agriculture because food is the basis of human life, and a greater connection to our food sources will lead to a healthier and more sustainable way of life.

In this next chapter of my life, I am looking to apply my business strategy, analytics, and data science expertise to international development work in Sub-Saharan Africa and developing economies. I want to empower local communities, farmers, and small business owners to be more independent, self-sustaining and if possible, grow to navigate the global marketplace and find ways to better withstand the effects of climate change. I developed a personal connection to these goals after working on farms – in Namibia and Mongolia – and learning about the needs of local entrepreneurs and small business owners. Sustainable tourism is another area of which I am interested to learn and contribute my sills.

I am also passionate about horses :) In 2016, I did a Workaway with wild Mustangs in New Mexico, USA where my responsibilities included feeding, mucking, and doing basic training/groundwork to acclimate the horses to humans so they could be adopted. Since the horses were wild, it was quite a challenge! In May 2022, I spent 3 weeks at a horseback riding volunteer program in South Africa where we took care of horses, tacked up, and exercised them daily in the arena or in the African bush. My other Workaway projects in Bulgaria and Mongolia also involved horses.

My other hobbies include kitesurfing, gardening, urban street art, electronic music, jazz, and amapiano (from South Africa)

Interests

Languages spoken

English: Fluent
Chinese (Mandarin): Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
German: Beginner

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Eco Projects

Charity Work

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Some knowledge of:  

Gardening

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Life at a Farmstay

Helping around the house

Animal Care

Hospitality/Tourism

Languages

Art Projects

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Able to teach about:  

Helping with Computers/ Internet

More details about your skills

Horses: general horse care, tacking up, basic groundwork, lunging, experienced level rider (gallop and canter)

Farm/Garden: tomatoes (pruning and staking), chili peppers, zucchini, squashes, a variety of herbs and flowers.

Cooking: I love to cook! At home, I often cook Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, Japanese, Mexican, and Mediterranean dishes.

Professional/Business Skills: business strategy and corporate finance, financial projections, Excel modeling, data analytics. Additionally, social media marketing (Facebook, Instagram) as I previously did this for my music & lifestyle blog.

Languages: English (native, fluent); Chinese/Mandarin (intermediate), Spanish (basic), German (basic)

Interests: In my spare time, you might find me going to a jazz show, jam session, stand-up comedy show, art exhibition, or biking around Berlin looking for large street art murals. I’ve also been involved with refugee volunteer projects in Berlin – one was a weekly, communal cooking get-together, and another brought arts and crafts to children staying at a refugee shelter.

Age

41

What else ...

I consider myself a very open and adventurous person. I love meeting new people, trying new types of food, and exploring places I've never been. I try not to have preconceptions about anything as you never know who you will meet or what you will learn.

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