Marian

Travel information

I am currently

Description

I am an active, fit, recently retired teacher with a passion for travel of all kinds. I am the mother of 2 adult children, both of whom I introduced to travelling and who turned out to be wonderful global citizens. I have been fortunate to have travelled a lot but I have only stayed for a few weeks in a location and never truly immersed myself in another culture, so therefore I would prefer longer stays. I have retired early to make this dream come true with the help of Workaway! So far I have been fortunate to have done 3 Workaway placements. The first was in Laos where I managed a butterfly park on my own for 10 weeks - this involved supervising Laotian staff, dealing with tourists from all over and training new Workaway volunteers. My second placement was teaching English near Hanoi, Vietnam. The third was also in Vietnam and was at a cat shelter and cafe. It involved looking after the cats and serving guests at the cafe.

Interests

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Gardening

Charity Work

---

Some knowledge of:  

Babysitting and creative play

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Life at a Farmstay

Helping around the house

Animal Care

Hospitality/Tourism

---

Able to teach about:  

Language practice

Teaching

More details about your skills

I am a very organized, tidy, reliable individual who has been described as having a warm personality. I am an outgoing person with strong communication skills, both verbal and written. I am computer literate, however, I cannot trouble-shoot computer problems. Adventurous by nature, I have a passion for exploring and learning about other cultures. I have taught all ages of students, including adults, and I have taught all subjects! Most recently, I have been volunteering to teach English to a refugee family in my hometown. Besides being an experienced teacher, I am also a good pupil myself; willing and able to learn new things. In 2017, I learned how to be a deckhand on a sailboat! My gardening experience is limited to my own small garden but I would love to learn more!

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Dutch: Intermediate
French: Beginner

More details about my language interests
I am an experienced teacher and I am also ESL certified.

Find a language buddy

Age

61

Nationality

Canadian

What else ...

My interests and activities are travelling, hiking, running, gym, yoga, skiing, kayaking, scuba-diving, reading, baking, pets (especially cats), gardening, nature, conservation, photography and making on-line photo-books of my travels.
I am currently learning meditation and mindfulness.
I have many excellent work and character references, as well as unsolicited letters of commendation from administrators, colleagues, students, parents of my students and community members that I would be happy to share.

Some more information

• 

  Smoker

• 

  Driver's licence

• 

  Allergies

• 

  Special dietary requirements