Sarah

United Kingdom
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Profile information

Travel information
I am currently
Travelling
Description
Libraries and the sea, languages and learning new stories and skills: I want to Workaway to feel connected to places and people. In the future, I want to build a home on some land with friends, and through Workaway I can learn what that takes.

I've spent the last few months as a volunteer librarian in Kolovai village, Tonga. I've been stacking shelves, mowing lawns, cataloguing donations, planting pele, running reading programmes and cycling trips.

In trying to balance being lost in books, and being an outdoorsy person, I'd like to spend some time gardening and building before I go back to school to do a masters in librarianship.

Look forward to meeting you,

Lil (or Lilo) x
(confusingly, no one has ever called me the name on my ID - Sarah)
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Portuguese: Fluent
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.
Find a language buddy
Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
DIY and building projects
Eco Projects
House sitting
Some knowledge of:
Gardening
General Maintenance
Helping around the house
Able to teach about:
Languages
More details about your skills
Gardening and lawns: I've been lucky to tend to a garden for a number of years where I cleared the garden for winter and planted bulbs and built a raised bed for broccoli and rainbow chard. Here in Tonga I've been mowing (big!) lawns with petrol-powered tools like brush-cutters and lawnmowers.

DIY: I have used power tools like drills and floorboard sanders to renovate my home in the UK and also painted walls. I'm quite happy getting on with DIY on my own after some good instruction.

Cleaning and cooking: is there anything baking soda and elbow grease can't do? I've worked in hostels and am more than happy cleaning the day away and I've recently been deep cleaning an entire community library!

My professional life has always been connected to libraries and publishing. Outside of work I like to run, do yoga, surf and read.
Age
33
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
- Special dietary requirements

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9 Feb 2025

Left by host (Help us with native bush ...) for Workawayer ()

Lilo stayed with us from the 20th of January until the 7th of February. The last 9 days were as a house and dog sitter while we were away on our annual holiday to the Marlborough Sounds. Lilo showed a very keen interest in conservation and got stuck into weed whacking, clearing paths for us, hand weeding our gardens and cutting and treating the… read more

(Excellent )

20 Jan 2025

Left by host (Help with toddler and ...) for Workawayer ()

I felt like I struck gold when Lilo showed up at our door! There was an instant connection and her communication was always excellent. It felt so natural having her as part of our family for a few weeks and I cant even begin to describe how helpful and wonderful she is.

Lilo baked delicious cakes, cleaned windows, listened to my crazy stories… read more

(Excellent )

19 Jan 2025

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help with toddler and ...)

I stayed with Niki and Noah for just over two weeks over the Christmas and New Year’s period. Niki was one of the first Workaway hosts I reached out to as the priorities of surfing and gardening were very much aligned - we had a phone call before I’d even got to Aotearoa and I just knew it was gonna be brilliant. Niki is a super talented and funny… read more human being, an expert surfer and an incredible parent to Noah. Niki was so generous and warm when it comes to sharing her home and her stories and community. She used to be a Workawayer, and so is the perfect host as she knows what it’s like to be on the other side! She made a list of tasks she wanted to be done, but also a list of cool stuff and activities that I’d be interested in doing. We managed to surf everyday for two weeks over the summer. She got me set up with a spare wetsuit and foam board and whilst she surfed I would look after little Noah, then she would insist I get out in the water and thrash around on the amazingly gentle Ōhope waves! Noah is a fun and active toddler, who despite going through the hell of teething, remained super curious about the world around him and eager to clamber over trees in the park, boost down slides in the playground and collect shells on the beach. After some initial hesitancy, he and I were able to go on some beautiful walks along the beach whilst Niki shredded some baby waves on her long board. Niki introduced me to lots of her amazing community, at bbqs and at the beach and invited me along to hang out with her very cool pals and looped me into Christmas and New Year celebrations. On top of taking care of Noah at the beach, I weeded the ragwort across the paddocks and took on the honestly quite satisfying task of cleaning all the windows inside and out at the house. I had a lot of fun cooking for us and Niki was always appreciative of anything I made or extra cleaning and laundry I helped out with. I had an amazing retro caravan sleepout as well as the option to dash inside to a spare room when it got real stormy some nights. It seems strange to write Workaway feedback for someone who I now consider a friend - I’m just honestly so blessed to have met Niki, Noah and Niki’s mum and sister too. They are all such open people and made me feel part of the family. Niki also connected me up with my next Workaway host, which is a whole other magical journey. I can’t thank Niki enough for everything and looking forward to seeing all of you again in the near future.

(Excellent )

19 Jan 2025

Left by Workawayer () for host (Gardening, DIY and good ...)

I stayed with Beatrice and Hugh for about 2.5 weeks and well, what can I say but, Uawa hard! Beatrice and Hugh accepted my very last minute request even though they were in a quite busy period, after my previous plans fell through, and I’m so glad that hiccough led me to them and their home and community in Tolaga Bay. They put me up in the most… read more

(Excellent )

20 Dec 2024

Left by host (Gardening, DIY and good ...) for Workawayer ()

Sarah, aka Lilo, stayed with us for 2.5 weeks. Lilo was an absolute delight to have around, and we can wholeheartedly recommend her to other hosts who will be lucky to have her. With her bright and dynamic personality, she is knowledgeable, trustworthy, and always keen to try everything on offer.
She is easy to get along with, shares tips and… read more

(Excellent )

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9 Feb 2025

Left by host (Help us with native bush ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

20 Jan 2025

Left by host (Help with toddler and ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

19 Jan 2025

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help with toddler and ...)

(Excellent)

19 Jan 2025

Left by Workawayer () for host (Gardening, DIY and good ...)

(Excellent)

20 Dec 2024

Left by host (Gardening, DIY and good ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

19 Jan 2025

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help welcome on our organic ...)

I stayed with Trish for just over two weeks. This was my first Workaway and I couldn’t have asked for a more inspiring and welcoming person to host me. Trish is a super considerate human being - little things like making fresh bread with wheat flour even though she doesn’t eat gluten! Trish is a brilliant communicator and I was so grateful for the… read more

(Excellent)

19 Jan 2025

Left by Workawayer () for host (Gardening, bread making and ...)

I genuinely feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to Workaway with Claire, Dan and Mike in Tōrere. I was there for just over two weeks and learnt so much, about gardening, the life of plants, fishing, living off the land but most importantly, how to take care of it. Every shape and shadow and root and leaf on this land has a story and has been… read more attentively loved and nurtured by the family that the human and non-human feel so beautifully intertwined. I had so many questions and Dan and Claire and Mike were always so generous in sharing their knowledge and experiences. Every night my journal would be full of notes and diagrams about pruning and planting and soil health and what different plants need and what different weeds tell us. Claire lent me the most brilliant texts and books and it was a thrill to read about soil chemistry or weed growth and then connect and see it in real time in the growing around me. Claire’s strength and work ethic is unmatched and it was an honour to join her for a couple hours in the morning to help out with tasks like watering the greenhouse or preparing the corn beds or banana groves or weeding the asparagus. Whilst we worked Claire would tell stories of the land, her life or go into detail about what we were doing. Dan, Claire’s son, and a friend of my previous Workaway host, was equally generous. He was really considerate of what I was interested in and would also detail his gardening and beekeeping methods as we worked in the food garden or prepped lettuce seedlings in the potting shed or planted turmeric in the banana grove. It’s honestly incredible what they do, providing all their food from the land or from hunting and fishing. Dan helped me upgrade my handline, which resulted in my first catch off the shore of Tōrere beach! We also went out to local beach and river spots and up into the forest behind the house to look for medicinal plants and he introduced me to his amazing friends. I started helping out with cooking for friends who were visiting them and from there I cooked more and more - it was so fun and inspiring to pick the produce from the earth and the trees and then rustle up meals in the kitchen. They were all so encouraging of my cooking and it really helped me reconnect with something I used to love doing. Mike invited me to help out with thicknessing wood in the sawmill, which was a really cool experience, and we went up into the forest and I learnt all about how he lay the water pipe and created the path and created the spring which gives them their water. One morning I even helped him dig out the spring, that gets clogged up with gravel! These three teachers are very special human beings and anyone would be lucky to learn from and contribute to their lives and their land. I feel so enriched and grounded by my time there and I wish I could have stayed even longer to learn and do even more. I cannot thank you enough.

(Excellent)

18 Jan 2025

Left by host (Gardening, bread making and ...) for Workawayer ()

Lilo has been with us for the past few weeks and has been an absolute gem. We all feel so lucky to have had her as part of our family during this time, Lilo is passionate about learning everything about the gardens so she was really dedicated to completing every task asked to a a very high standard. Whether we were weeding, planting, watering the… read more

(Excellent)

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