Lara

United States
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Profile information

Travel information
I am currently
At home
My next destination:
Canada
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Description
Hi! I'm a clean, cheerful, and outdoors-oriented person. I just finished a masters degree in signal processing and am taking a year off to do some wandering and working in the world. I love animals, music, and learning about how the world around me works.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Intermediate
Russian: Beginner
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
DIY and building projects
Some knowledge of:
Art Projects
Animal Care
Life at a Farmstay
Eco Projects
Languages
General Maintenance
Able to teach about:
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Teaching
More details about your skills
I have experience caring for dogs and cats. I also like riding and have some limited experience with horse care. I would love to learn about and help care for your animals!

I'd also love to learn more (and help with!) day to day tasks on a farm like gardening, fencing, repairs, etc. I'm in good shape and am comfortable with physical labor. I also really would love to learn some woodworking skills if you happen to have a project that requires that and are willing to teach me! I also would be happy to help with cooking. I especially love baking - I have some pictures of baked goods I would be happy to make for you in my photo album.
Age
25
What else ...
When I have free time, you can generally catch me running, reading, baking desserts, or listening to music. I also love to learn new crafts - I picked up knitting and embroidery during the pandemic, and would love to learn another new skill!

One thing that's brought a lot of joy to my life recently is playing and listening to folk music. If you'd like to learn clawhammer banjo or fiddle, or would like to jam with me (or teach me a new instrument!), I would be very excited! I have recently been dabbling in guitar and piano.
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  No
- Special dietary requirements
  No

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21 Jan 2025

Left by host (Join a passionate team ...) for Workawayer ()

Lara was very helpful and conscientious of her assigned tasks while she stayed at our ranch. She was always willing to learn and to help others. We really enjoyed hosting Lara.

(Excellent )

13 Nov 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Join a passionate team ...)

During my time here, my main chores were watering and feeding the horses and occasionally helping with training. I got pretty good at moving hay bales and stuffing hay bags! I really enjoyed getting to spend time with so many horses and the 20 or so dogs who have made the ranch their home. And the solitude of the desert night is quite spectacular.… read more Vera lets Workawayers accompany her on vet visits and on endurance rides, so you get to see a lot of different things.

Some things that I think would be useful for future Workawayers to know:

Vera runs a pretty large operation and as a result is often somewhat stressed. Communication on the ranch is sometimes unclear, and there was a lot of yelling at Workawayers, sometimes for things that were not in their control. The storms tend to blow over pretty quickly, but it can be upsetting.

In general, this tends to be a 7 day a week job; I saw Vera grant an off day to one girl after she asked for one and after she had been working for more than a month but no off days were offered as part of a schedule. However, the middle of the day tends to be pretty chill, so you do get off time, if not off days. I would recommend asking Vera for her volunteer contract before you get here so you can see what the official expectations are.

Another thing that I think people should be aware of before coming is that Vera uses the house and the kitchen as a shelter for local stray dogs. It’s an impressive act of kindness on her part. But since the dogs aren’t housebroken, the house tends to have a fair amount of dog feces in it. I think one gets used to the state of the house and the kitchen over time, but depending on the person, this might affect whether or not you want to come here.

Finally, you should definitely bring a good amount of snacks, and maybe some food for main meals. There are plenty of beans and generally a decent amount of some sort of carbs and cheese. Other foods sometimes are present and sometimes aren’t. We tended to run low on milk and breakfast food pretty often. Vera does occasionally take the volunteers out to dinner, which is fun! She also took us out to the movies once, and she took us line dancing, which was quite kind.

One thing I was quite grateful for was Vera’s willingness to explain how different parts of the rescue worked. I also really appreciated Vera’s daughters, Erna and Tamarah, who are kind and incredibly patient while teaching volunteers how to do chores. Liz, the ranch manager, also has a lot of knowledge to share if you ask her. Above all, I really appreciated Noémie, Lena, Holly, Lucie, Inès, and Victoire, the other Workawayers who I worked with. All of them worked hard and were cheery and kind even on the busy days. I couldn’t have asked for better teammates.

(Good )

16 May 2022

Left by host (Help us on our hobby goat ...) for Workawayer ()

I can't say enough good things about Lara as a Workaway guest. We really hit the jackpot!. As a recent M.I.T grad with a degree in electrical engineering, she is obviously high on the intelligence quotient, but beyond that Lara in "high" on just about every positive quotient, in our opinion. Laura would "hit the ground running" literally first… read more

(Excellent )

10 May 2022

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help us on our hobby goat ...)

Linda and Phil are great hosts and lovely people - would highly recommend staying with them if you have a chance! They also have the sweetest goats and dogs :)

Our daily chores mainly consisted of taking care of the animals, and we also helped out with cooking, mucking the barn, cleaning the rental room, and installing flooring in one of their… read more

(Excellent )

10 May 2022

Left by Workawayer () for host (Come help milk goats and make ...)

This was such a lovely experience! We stayed for three weeks at the farm in March, and during that time we got to know the most amazing goats, dogs, cats, chickens, and people.

This is truly a magical place. All of the human structures - be it the road, the barn, the cabins - all of them were built by the ranch and its workers, and Nancy has a… read more story to tell about each of them. At night, if there are no clouds, stars stretch endlessly across the sky, and each morning a sunrise paints the land. The smell of juniper and piñon trees is always in the air, and when snow comes it blankets the entire area in white, and you become very grateful for the wood stove in your cabin and the snuggly blankets.

But it’s not just the stark beauty of the desert that makes it wonderful - it’s also the people and the animals who inhabit it. Nancy and LeRoi are full of stories and wisdom and are always willing to answer a question, be it about a goat’s pedigree, how to change a truck tire, or how to hitchhike with a goat across California (ask Nancy about the last one). They also have really built a communal, respectful atmosphere - while we were there, there were plenty of other workawayers, and Nancy and LeRoi encouraged all of us to share our stories and areas of expertise not just with them but also with each other. My fellow workawayers taught me things ranging from wood carving to chainsaw maintenance.

The animals are just as incredible - you’ll meet the most charming little goaties, including Kandi (most likely to be secretly plotting world domination), Avalanche (most likely to sneak into the stanchion for extra food), Mountain Dew (most likely to be bullying another goat), and Nairobi (most likely to want pets). The Maremmas and the Pyrenees are the same - you’ll be charmed by Mercury and Mars, moved by Brando’s dedication to the goats, and impressed by Fig Cookie’s leadership. And Groucho and Gladiola are sweethearts who deserve all the pets! (as does Mister, the queen of the cats)

On your off-days, you can hang out with the baby goats, join the goats when they go out to graze, hike in any direction you wish, ride the dirt bike, or spend time in the incredibly well-stocked library.

Really grateful to my fellow workawayers, all the animals, and Nancy and LeRoi for letting us come live with them. Miss you all!

(Excellent )

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21 Jan 2025

Left by host (Join a passionate team ...) for Workawayer ()

Lara was very helpful and conscientious of her assigned tasks while she stayed at our ranch. She was always willing to learn and to help others. We really enjoyed hosting Lara.

(Excellent)

13 Nov 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Join a passionate team ...)