Maia

Travel information

I am currently

Description

Hello!

My name is Maia, and I am an enthusiastic learner and teacher, always looking to pick up new skills and share along the way. Many of my closet friends are Italian, and my mother lived in Italy for a while, so I am taking a short trip with my partner to learn more about Italian food, land management, natural history, cultural history, and life before meeting up with family for Thanksgiving and birthday celebrations.

Currently, I work as an ecological restoration technician in the San Francisco Bay Area. I teach students ages 5-18 about native plants, ecological restoration, and how caring for the land is mutually beneficial to human and non-human communities. We all collectively depend of the health of our planet!

I have 5 years of experience landscaping including plant and fence installation, and I would love to lean more about food production. I have a little bit of construction and welding experience from my work installing museum exhibits and assisting sculpture artists. I am organized and good at collaborating with people on projects. I also and cherish the chance to problem-solve independently and let my creativity show.

My true calling in life is learning about ecology and natural history - all the ways the natural world fits together to create one living whole! I have worked for university labs collecting data on forests in the Sierra Nevadas and Northern California. I have also assisted in teaching a university field course that travels around the state of California and teaches students how to notice and identify different geology, plants, animals, fungi, ecological patterns, etc. I am very excited to learn about the ecology of Italy - a country with a very similar climate to California but on the other side of the planet!

I also love to make art, surf, cook, birdwatch, hike, botanize, spend time with friends and family, play music (I am a beginner/intermediate guitar and trumpet player), and forage. I am passionate about forming a strong connection to community and land through ecological understanding, play, and food!

Interests

Water sports

Culture

Sustainability

Writing

Drawing & painting

Cooking & food

Gardening

Plant care

DIY & crafts

Art & design

Dancing

Yoga / Wellness

Beach

Nature

Mountain

Hiking

Camping

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent

More details about my language interests
I am embarrassed to be a unilingual American! I am interested in learning and trying my best to speak your language with you when possible.

Find a language buddy

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Animal Care

---

Some knowledge of:  

DIY and building projects

General Maintenance

Life at a Farmstay

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Teaching

---

Able to teach about:  

Gardening

Eco Projects

Art Projects

More details about your skills

Landscaping - 5 years of experience with: planting, native plant selection, landscape design, pruning, watering, irrigation installation, wood and cattle fence building, digging, concrete mixing, path building

Construction & woodworking - experience with: chop saws, table saws, chain saws, circular saws, drills, drivers, TIG & MIG welding, belt and palm sanders, angle grinders, wood lathe
I have used these tools in art projects and small construction projects (wooden fences, large-scale sculptures, art frame building, shoe racks, benches, bowls, cups), and would need direction with larger construction projects.

Teaching & learning - I graduated from University of California, Santa Cruz in 2023 with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. I love learning and practicing new concepts and skills. I also love sharing my knowledge with others and have taught elementary through college aged students about ecology and natural history. Nature is the best classroom, and I believe in empowering students to ask questions and search for their own answers with awe, wonder, and respect for our world!

Age

24

Some more information

• 

  Smoker

• 

  Driver's licence

• 

  Allergies

• 

  Special dietary requirements