Virginia

Travel information

I am currently

Activities i am interested in:

I am currently wrapping up my work and looking to start travelling in the summer for a year or so.

Description

Hi! My name is Virginia and I am from Italy. I am planning a work sabbatical to travel and explore new opportunities for my life and career. For the past ten years, I have worked as a social science researcher and now I want to explore a potential new chapter of my life and career closer to animals and nature, which are very important to me. I have joined Workaway seeking opportunities to experience and learn about working with horses (in particular) and other animals. I have been learning horseback riding and natural horsemanship for the past two years, and I volunteer at the local animal shelter. While somewhat of a beginner in these fields, I am passionate and a hard worker - willing to give it my own and eager to learn, with a "no-task-is-beneath-me" attitude.

I am a dual citizen of both Italy and the United States and I speak four languages: Italian (mother tongue), English (native fluency), Spanish (advanced speaking and understanding, beginner writing), and French (intermediate speaker, beginner writing). I also love to travel the world and have gone on several backpacking trips (mostly solo out of necessity) to Spain, Morocco, India, and Mexico. I am curious and open-minded and like learning about other people's ways of being in this world.

Interests

Pets

Sailing / Boating

Animals

Nature

Languages spoken

English: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
French: Intermediate

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Life at a Farmstay

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Some knowledge of:  

Animal Care

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Able to teach about:  

Charity Work

More details about your skills

Horse related-experience and skills
Over the past two years, I have taken weekly riding lessons that included retrieving the horse from the paddock/stall, grooming, tacking, and returning to the paddock/stall. I have also occasionally volunteered at a horse rescue center where my duties included leading the horses, grooming them, and mocking stalls. I am comfortable grooming and tacking most horses on cross ties and non-reactive horses in a stall. I am comfortable turning out and moving non-reactive horses. I can clean a stall and understand that poop scooping is an essential part of horsemanship. I am a high-intermediate rider, learning to canter and starting to jump.


Small animals-related experience and skills
I have volunteered at the local animal shelter for a year, activities included: walking and entertaining the dogs, and providing socialization to the cats and small mammals. I can take care of dogs, cats, and small animals. I have some training related to working with reactive dogs.

Skills related to my previous work experience
I worked as a social science researcher for a decade. For the past year, I co-directed a small women-owned research consulting business. Through these experiences, I have learned the following transferable skills: positive client-relationships development and sustainment, grant writing and administration, budget creation and management, teamwork and management.

Age

40

What else ...

I am an avid reader. I love to read anything but I love the most fantasy and classical myth revisitation.

I practice yoga daily and I enjoy cracking a joke, when appropriate.

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