Marta

Travel information

I am currently

Description

Hi! We are Marta (from Poland) and Shanna (from the Netherlands), a couple studying psychology in Amsterdam (we are still working on our mind-reading skills). We both had a gap year before uni in which we traveled a lot. In fact, we met each other while solo backpacking in South-East Asia! And after five minutes we discovered we would be studying the same program at the same university :)

We don't have a couple's account since not all our travels are together (so on this profile you will only see feedback for Marta). Here's some info about us separately:

MARTA!
I take photos, play some instruments, love pot plants and my grandma. I'm very much into outdoor stuff, I was raised spending a lot of time doing sports, camping or helping around in the countryside where my grandparents lived. So during my gap year I was also close to nature most of the time. I did three cycling trips during which I cycled the Polish Baltic sea coastline, I cycled in Germany from the North sea to the Austrian border and I went for a hitchhiking-cycling trip through Portugal and a tiny bit of Spain. I also went to two workaways on organic farms in the North of Italy and worked in the Austrian Alps at a hotel bar for 3 months, after which I went solo backpacking in South-East Asia for another 3 months.

Nature is cool, but the core of my travels has always been getting to know other people, their cultures and their diverse perspectives on how to live life, and that is what makes workaway a perfect choice for me.

SHANNA!
I started off my gap year by traveling around Europe for a month. Moving from country to country by train, sleeping in hostels and making new friends, living out of a backpack... It was amazing :)

After all these city trips I decided to go to the countryside and spend 3 months at a workaway in France to improve my French skills, since it has always been one of my favourite languages. I stayed with a lovely big family, where I helped with looking after the 4 children and with some general maintenance around the house. Later I went on a solo-backpacking trip to the South-East of Asia for 4 months, to meet and connect with other people, other cultures, and the beautiful landscapes of Asia.

CURRENTLY:
Since we started uni we haven't had many opportunities to travel, and because we miss nature a lot in Amsterdam, the summer break is THE moment to move around.

We love nature; mountains, forests, lakes. So we mostly travel to places where we can feel the natural environment instead of the crowded streets flashing with light. We are looking for a welcoming, peaceful environment with open-minded people to share warmth and experiences with.

Shanna is a dancer but she did not know where to put that information.

Interests

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Polish: Fluent
German: Intermediate
French: Intermediate

More details about my language interests
We are generally interested in how different languages communicate sense in different ways. Shanna speaks fluent Dutch and English, intermediate French and learns Polish. Marta speaks fluent Polish and English, intermediate German and basic Dutch.

Find a language buddy

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

DIY and building projects

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Charity Work

Teaching

Babysitting and creative play

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Some knowledge of:  

Gardening

Being an elderly companion

General Maintenance

Life at a Farmstay

Eco Projects

Helping around the house

Animal Care

Hospitality/Tourism

Art Projects

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Able to teach about:  

Languages

More details about your skills

When it comes to specific skills, we are no pros in cultivating beetroots or plumbing. However, we believe that the most important thing is being open to learning new skills (and we're quite handy if we may say so ourselves). Everything is learnable!

We have some workaway experiences with organic farming and babysitting, and have always been keen on learning new stuff: from a bartending course to repairing bikes, from volunteering at a summer larp camp for children to working in sales. Dancing, music, picking mushrooms, photography, paragliding; We just have very diverse interests and we're always more than happy to share (and exchange!) some knowledge.

Age

21

What else ...

What always gave us the most satisfaction and happiness was getting to know people, trying to understand their perspective and what builds it up. That's the reason why we travel, study psychology and enjoy being a part of the world :)

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
  I (Marta) am vegetarian and I try to limit dairy products. Therefore if vegetarian/ vegan food is available, it's perfect for me. At the same time, I want to be open to different cultures and culinary ideas, so I won't be strict with my diet. Shanna eats