Jill

United States
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Profile information

Travel information
I am currently
At home
Activities i am interested in:
hiking, coffee, exploring
Description
Hello!

I'm Jill. I grew up in Southern California and lived in NYC about 9 years before the pandemic hit. During lockdown decided to quit my job as a recruiter for healthcare, return to SoCal, and take a break from the grind.

Reconnected with family and now have been traveling on and off since August 2021. Completed a road trip up from SoCal to Vancouver BC, staying at homesteads/farms/communities via Workaway. I needed a break from the hustle and bustle of the city and have loved learning about the homestead/farm lifestyle and meeting new people.

I have a passion for sustainable living and would love to learn how to be off grid. Interested in learning more about caring for animals, building/carpentry, and agriculture amongst other things.

I'm someone that enjoys doing her best and if I am doing a task, I want to do it right. During my free time I enjoy reading, running, yoga, and ballet/dance . Mental health is super important to me and I find working my body also keeps my mind healthy.

Continuously finding what brings me happiness and hoping to surround myself with likeminded people.

Currently, I'm living/working in Wyoming until mid October. I recently obtained my 200hrs Certified Yoga Teacher while I was traveling in Costa Rica earlier this year and was able to be hired as a yoga instructor/activities guide at a ranch out here in Wyoming. It has been great to delve deeper into my yoga practice and begin a new chapter as a teacher. I hope to continue teaching as I travel.
Interests
Self development
Yoga / Wellness
Van life
Vegetarian or vegan
Water sports
Writing
Sustainability
Performing arts
Nature
Outdoor activities
Mountain
Movies & TV
Hiking
Gardening
Fitness
Drawing & painting
Dancing
DIY & crafts
Farming
Animals
Art & design
Beach
Carpentry
Books
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
Art Projects
Eco Projects
DIY and building projects
Life at a Farmstay
Some knowledge of:
Gardening
Animal Care
General Maintenance
Hospitality/Tourism
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Babysitting and creative play
Helping around the house
Able to teach about:
Helping with Computers/ Internet
More details about your skills
I like to consider myself pretty handy and if I am unfamiliar I am definitely eager to learn. I don't mind a bit of physical labor and sometimes can thrive off of it.

So far I have helped out at previous hosts with gardening, compost, animal care (chickens, peacocks, goats, and pigs), household organizing, and food preservation. Before workaway, I worked on a vegetable garden in my parent's side yard and grew tomatoes, eggplant, kale and carrots.

I've helped out on occasion at a local community nonprofit farm with a variety of tasks like raking/clearing plots, prepping strawberries for jam, CSA boxes, etc.

I recently worked on my sister's website on squarespace so if you need help with any tech/digital I'd be happy to give it a go.

I went to school for media and communications and can assist with any website/social media plans if needed too, but I'd like to get my hands dirty as well.

Would really love to learn more on woodworking.

I am also a fairly new yoga instructor 200 CYT and would love to share my love of yoga with my hosts
Age
35
What else ...
I'd like to build a relationship with any host and hopefully have a positive experience where we are mutually benefiting.

Other things I'm interested in during off hours: hiking, writing, reading, potentially surfing (beginner), and films (classics and current series, just finished Loki)
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
- Special dietary requirements
  Vegetarian

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29 Jun 2023

Left by host for Workawayer ()

Jill was an absolute gem & we just wish she could have stayed longer. She was so willing and fitted in very well immediately. Nothing was too much trouble. Quote - Some People Walk Into Our Lives & Leave Footprints On Our Hearts. Jill certainly did.

(Excellent )

3 May 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Get an insight into kiwi life ...)

It was such a pleasure staying with Ricky and Andrew. The week I stayed with them ended too soon. From the beginning they made me feel so welcome and at home. Ricky was sweet enough to make delicious vegetarian meals for us and the desserts and tea were such a treat. In the evenings I enjoyed gathering by the wood burning fire and watch a golf… read more

(Excellent )

15 Jun 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (A semi retired couple would ...)

Judy and Gordon were wonderful hosts! I was very sad to leave after spending a little more than a week with them. Their place is lovely and full of energy with friends or family stopping by, clients visiting the studio, and the pups and cats roaming around. While there, I was able to help rake up the leaves in their beautiful garden, power wash… read more

(Excellent )

9 Jun 2023

Left by host (A semi retired couple would ...) for Workawayer ()

Jill was a great communicator from the start. While we did not have a lot of work to do but everything we asked Jill to do she did with a smile.
As well as this Jill pitched in and helped with entertaining our grandchildren and clearly has a way with children. She helped with household chores without being asked. Jill's energy is positive and… read more

(Excellent )

6 Jun 2023

Left by host (Help with house projects and ...) for Workawayer ()

Jill has a very friendly disposition and is happy to contribute wherever she can. She can complete tasks independently to a high standard. We all enjoyed our conversations with her . Totally recommend Jill to any prospective hosts . Our dog Mocha would also give her a huge tail wag.

(Excellent )

31 May 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help with house projects and ...)

It was a pleasure staying with Rachael, Guy, Elliot and of course Mocha. I stayed a week with them and it was a great exchange. Guy and Elliot were very welcoming while Rachael was away for a few days. I mostly helped in the garden weeding, a few walks with Mocha and did some indoor cleaning as well as making some dinners. I enjoyed our… read more

(Excellent )

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29 Jun 2023

Left by host for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

3 May 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Get an insight into kiwi life ...)

(Excellent)

15 Jun 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (A semi retired couple would ...)

(Excellent)

9 Jun 2023

Left by host (A semi retired couple would ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

6 Jun 2023

Left by host (Help with house projects and ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

31 May 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help with house projects and ...)

(Excellent)

2 May 2023

Left by host for Workawayer ()

Jill was lovely to have around. Thanks for all your help.

(Very good)

2 Apr 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Join our family at our horse ...)

I had a unique experience at Lyn and Jamie's. I arrived at a very busy time and there was only one other workawayer at the time helping them out with the horses and no one else. Luckily Cloe was able to show me the ropes as she had been working solo there for 2 weeks prior.

With 26 horses, it is a lot of work to keep the stalls clean, feed and… read more

(Very good)

25 Apr 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Experience living in ...)

I should have written this earlier as Clare was so kind to let me stay with her family last minute in March. I had initially reached out to Clare for a longer stay in advance, but our dates didn't align. However, when I was looking to spend a few nights in the city before I left Australia for an early morning flight out of Melbourne, Clare was… read more

(Excellent)

25 Apr 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help with 2 friendly ...)

I'm a bit conflicted about leaving this feedback. Alex was nice in person and over text, but reflecting now it would have been appreciated to have the details of my stay clarified to a certain extent. It was never indicated to me directly that Alex would be out of town away for work during the majority of my stay. Based off her profile, I assumed… read more she was working in town, but during my month long stay from March into April, she was gone working in the Christchurch area, while I was in Queenstown with the two kids.

When I arrived and realized she was going to be completely out of town during my stay with the exception of a weekend, I wanted to stay open to the experience and since the kids would be in school and then at their dad's for a short period maybe it wouldn't be so bad. But I did find it overwhelming being the sole caretaker of the two kids, especially since I wasn't able to have a few days to learn the ropes prior. I arrived on a Sunday afternoon and Alex left the next day, Monday morning.

Since I was essentially a full time au pair, the hours weren't the usual Workaway hours I’m used to. My time off was when the kids were at school and then at their dad's, which I was hoping would feel like enough. In the end, the daughter didn't go to their dad's my first weekend, so I didn't get that time off and then I was never told prior that the kids were going to be home on a week long break with me instead of in school. So a majority of the time off that I was supposed to have, I never got and there wasn't a conversation on how we could adjust my stay in anyway so that the exchange would be fair.

I had access to the spare car and took Freeman, the young boy to his after school activities and Myffy, the teenager to her job on Saturday mornings. Then I did the grocery shopping and made dinner too. Freeman and I bonded over Pokemon and he introduced me to his fav novel series, Wings of Fire, which I read a few during my stay. Myffy was interested in learning more about California and the States, which I was happy to share. She was a typical teenager wanting to hangout with her group of friends and a tad messy.

It was nice having access to the car on my days off, but I also took care of the family dog while the kids were at their dad's, so even on my days off, I had to be home by a certain time to let the dog out and give her a walk. They also had a blue tongue lizard that escaped when I upped its water while Freeman was at his dad' s, which of course I felt horrible about, but also just generally overwhelmed by the whole situation. This exchange was challenging on various levels I think due to the amount of responsibility I was charged with.

Overall I don't know if I would say it was a fair exchange as I felt like I was constantly "on" as the sole caretaker of the kids. Things would've been a different experience, if I just helped more in the traditional sense. In the end, my time in Queenstown wasn't what I was hoping for.

(Neutral)

28 Feb 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help needed organising and ...)

Kari's place is great! Her location can't get better than two blocks from the beach, a short walk to the stores, lagoon and bus. I was hoping to get sunny beach weather during my two week stay and Narrabeen certainly delivered, despite a few cyclones coming through.

Kari is definitely a character and may take some time to get used to her humor,… read more

(Excellent)

22 Feb 2023

Left by host (Help needed organising and ...) for Workawayer ()

Jill is wonderful, she was a delight to host we had a lot of fun, she handled all her tasks well, she helped me in my garden weeding, cleaning out the compost and generally tidying up the house and garden. Hopefully she'll come back again, she's always welcome.

(Excellent)

17 Feb 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Stay at my little suburban ...)

This review is long overdue and I apologize for not having submitted it sooner. Lucy was nice enough to step in and give me a last minute stay right before Christmas. My original host in Brisbane cancelled a week before I was due to arrive and I was scrambling to find a new host that would take me in for the holidays. This proved to be an… read more

(Excellent)

12 Feb 2023

Left by host for Workawayer ()

Jill had a non-standard stay as I was away for half of her visit and in covid self-isolation for the other half. She took all of this in her stride and was a valuable contributor to the farm and support to me and Hannah during some difficult times. Jill largely ended up working solo on her farm duties - she was diligent and a hard worker, very… read more

(Excellent)

11 Feb 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Experience the beautiful Blue ...)

It was such a pleasure staying with Margaret and Rowan. I was with them in the Blue Mountains a little over two weeks and learned so much from them, caminos (Can't wait to plan my first one!) and Australian and South African culture. The work varied from helping tiding up storage areas, creating flyers on Canva, assisting with a history picture… read more

(Excellent)

7 Feb 2023

Left by host (Experience the beautiful Blue ...) for Workawayer ()

Jill is a bubbly and happy person and fun to have around. She is willing to try out new things that she's not done before. She's easy to communicate with.

(Very good)

22 Jan 2023

Left by host (Enjoy our peaceful farm, ...) for Workawayer ()

Jill was an absolute pleasure to host. She was very quick to learn tasks and completed all work to a very high standard. While she was with us Jill prepared feeds for a bottle fed calf and her mother, she helped me paint the exterior of the house, which she did to a really high standard, some weeding and general house and farm duties. Jill is a… read more

(Excellent)

22 Jan 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Enjoy our peaceful farm, ...)

What a great stay! I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Fiona and Alex. They were great hosts and their property is beautiful. From the start they were very accommodating. They were nice enough to pick me up from the Port Macquarie bus stop and treated me to takeaway by the local beach. They were so sweet in modifying their diet during my stay and… read more

(Excellent)

26 Nov 2022

Left by Workawayer () for host (Various planting, outdoor ...)

My stay with David was a wonderful experience. He is such a sweet man and was kind enough to take me out with two other workawayers to Hana and the crater during our stay. There was a good balance of work and play. The work and hours was very manageable. I spent most of my time weeding amongst other general tasks that weren't too labor extensive.… read more

(Excellent)

21 Nov 2022

Left by host (Various planting, outdoor ...) for Workawayer ()

Jill is a breath of fresh air! I could not have had a more fun, eaget and capable volunteer. I am still enjoying the beauty and food from the beautiful container garden she helped to create. I think she fulfilled sone of her deaire to learn about sustainable living and being off the grid. She cared very well for Houdi and he stayed with her the… read more

(Excellent)

23 Nov 2021

Left by host (Help me with my garden in ...) for Workawayer ()

Jill stayed at my place twice and we had a great time together and synced easily. She was flexible with scheduling and super helpful out in the garden. She has a fun, up-for-anything personality, and so easily blended into (and enhanced!) the social happenings here. Highly recommended!!

(Excellent)

6 Oct 2021

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help me with my garden in ...)

I had such a great time at Christina’s. Her little haven is a slice of paradise. Watching the sunrise over the tree covered mountains with the morning mist was so serene. I thoroughly enjoyed my week stay with her and Guapo, her delightfully charming dog. He is a character.

During the day, I helped her prep the front yard for the winter by… read more

(Excellent)

8 Oct 2021

Left by host for Workawayer ()

I knew, as a Workaway host, that with the interview with Jill that she would be perfect for us, and I was right. She was an excellent worker, self motivated, took charge, and fit in to our little community very quickly. She took on any task and was well rounded to what she had to offer. I would highly recommend her to any Workaway experience.

(Excellent)

5 Oct 2021

Left by Workawayer () for host (Communal homestead, organic ...)

As my first workaway host, I think I really lucked out! This place was amazing and overall such a great experience. The scenery couldn’t get any better. That view gave me the most beautiful sunsets. The people all were so welcoming and I had a great time getting to know everyone in my three weeks there.

The work was varied and a good balance of… read more

(Excellent)

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