kinkajou

Travel information

I am currently

Description

Hi there, I'm quite new to workaway (currently on my first one, restoring an old house into an art gallery that will be part of an ecovillage) and I figured since I don't have any references yet, I'll go for a long intro here.

I'm a wildlife biologist from Austria, currently travelling the US after finishing my last project in Costa Rica, where I worked at wildlife rescue center. I'm looking for a little time out to fill with different experiences before deciding where to put my feet down for longer, and what's next for me.
I am chosing workaways to expand my mind and skills and get a different experience as I believe it is only beneficial to regularly break free from one's routine and comfort zone, in order to grow and be open to new experiences and human connections. Workaways is a great opportunity to spend some time doing other things allowing me to refocus and think about perspectives.

I have always been adventurous and curious about a lot of things, and already as a kid loved exploring, discovering new places, observing nature, animals and humans alike and absorbing whatever happens around me to have novel experiences, learn and understand, acquire new skills, make connections and grow as a person.
I love meeting new people, hearing their stories, exchanging ideas, creating experiences, making connections and learning from/about each other, even more so after working for about a year in a fairly remote setting.

I've always loved animals and nature, which is why I became a biologist and also wildlife rehabilitator. My fascination for the tropics have made me travel a lot for work/research/wildlife rescue & rehabilitation as I'm from Austria where unfortunately we don't have rainforest and beaches (but stunning mountains), so I have traveled and/or worked in Latin America, Indonesia, Europe, Madagascar and Australia.

In my free time I enjoy being outdoors (whether relaxing at the beach or climbing summits), traveling (random road trips, exploring, finding abandoned buildings and other lost or curious places), experiencing art, getting crafty using different materials and media, also making stop motion short clips, decorating sleeping cats and sometimes people, practising acroyoga. I absolutely love live music and going to concerts, genuine humans and deep connections, treating others with kindness and being treated with kindness, open communication and honesty and I often find myself to solve other people's problems.

I enjoy working on random projects knowing I can make a positive impact, am able to create something, acquire new skills or learning something new, applying existing knowledge and successfully troubleshoot.

Please ask away if you have any questions, looking forward to hearing from you soon!

If you need references, I'm happy to provide some personal ones (as I don't have any on here yet since I'm a freshly signed up workaway newbie) :)

Interests

Languages

Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate

More details about my language interests
Languages: German (native) English: Fluent Spanish: sufficient for everyday communication with some good laughs guaranteed as I still can barely speak un the past or future and tend to make unintendly funny mistakes. I can help you learn german!

Find a language buddy

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

Some knowledge of:  

Gardening

DIY and building projects

Babysitting and creative play

General Maintenance

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Life at a Farmstay

Eco Projects

Helping around the house

Hospitality/Tourism

Charity Work

Art Projects

Helping with Computers/ Internet

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Able to teach about:  

Animal Care

Languages

Teaching

More details about your skills

I consider myself to be a flexible allrounder, a jackie of all trades - an academic not shy of doing manual labor (it's all good exercise), getting muddy (i love mud!), doing the brainwork but also love to actually DO things with my own hands and getting creative. I've worked as a researcher in Australia, Indonesia, and Central America , studying mainly human impacts on wildlife and biodiversity, but I've also been a bike courier doing food delivery, organized events (music and market stalls), done fundraising and educational campaigns for NPOs (wildlife rescue), social media (conservation education), done some upcycling projects/restored furniture, written and published various articles, designed flyers for events, DJed, built nest boxes, done treeplanting for reforestation projects, ... before that worked in biomedical research and hospitality.

Drivers license (also manual), ATV/quad driving experience, unfortunately don't have my own transportation at the moment though.

I'm a bit of an animal whisperer (not so much with horses though, where I lack thorough experience), good with tools, can fix stuff, paint walls, murals, build things/help with carpentry, chop wood, lift stuff, cleaning, ironing, laundry, use a sewing machine, do gardening and yard work, planting, wildlife rescue and rehab, unconventional and creative troubleshooting and problem solving, cooking, baking, ...
But also grant writing, preparing reports and research proposals, science communication and outreach, teaching and writing ... whatever is needed!

Age

40

What else ...

I'm very bad at remembering card game rules. Recently discovered 'draw the sentence' and it's my new favorite game!

Fun fact, Austrians do not know the sound of music. Only the traveling ones amongst us know it exists cause we get asked about it all the time ;)

Halloween is coming up and can share some cool bat facts with you - I've been working with them for over 10 year (research, rescue and conservation) and love introducing people to the fascinating world of bats. Also, my birthday is on halloween!

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies

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  Special dietary requirements
  Vegetarian