Michael

Information de voyage

Actuellement, je suis

Les activités qui m'intéressent :

After two Workaways in Portugal, I will cycle south in Jan.2025 and into Spain There I will Workaway through Andalusia then cycle up to France around Feb or March.

Description

I've been an activist in the Israeli-Palestinian context most of my life, mostly in human rights, often with environmental activism. Also worked in lots of other strange and fun jobs (city planner, bike courier, teacher, masseur, assistant gardener, crepier...) In past 10 years I was a Dialogue Facilitator between Israelis and Palestinians. You can ask me about anything and I'll try to explain my views, which are pretty radical in Israel. (more about me below,after the Spanish!)
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La mayor parte de mi vida era activista en el contexto israelí-palestino, y desde 2006 trabajo en organizaciones de Derechos Humanos. Antes, trabajé en planificación urbana y en muchos otros trabajos extraños y divertidos (mensajero en bicicleta, profesor universitario, masajista, jardinero asistente, crepería...). Los últimos 10 años trabajaba como facilitador de diálogo entre israelíes, palestinos y otros. Puedes preguntarme sobre cualquier cosa e intentaré explicarte mis puntos de vista, que son bastante radicales en Israel.
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Last year was especially hard for me with the awful war in Israel/Palestine, especially as my friends/colleagues are from both sides of the conflict. I wanted to escape for a while and do a one-year voyage of bike Workaway. Now I'm in Portugal, soon I'll return to south Spain, then France, Morocco(?), Italy...let's see where my bike takes me!

Como podeis imaginar, este año fue especialmente difícil para mí debido a la terrible guerra en Israel/Palestina, que tengo amigos y colegas de ambos lados del conflicto. Queria alejarme por un tiempo y decidí combinar mis cosas favoritas (viajar en bicicleta, hacer voluntariado y conocer gente desconocida) por un año. Comencé en España, ahora en Portugal y en 2025 vuelvo a Andalucía, luego Francia ¿Marruecos? Italia...veré donde mi bici me lleva
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I'm older than most WAwayers but young in spirit and accustomed to physical work. Every summer I cycle about 1000 km so I'm in good shape!
I like living in a community with shared goals and stayed in a commune of Palestinians, Israelis & internationals (EcoMe) near Jericho, worked at kibbutz, etc. Also "Help Refugees" in Greece. Each one was a great experience!

Soy mayor que la mayoría de los Workawayers pero joven de espíritu y acostumbrado al trabajo físico. Cada verano hago unos mil km en bici, llevando mi tienda de campaña ¡Así que estoy en buena forma!
Me gusta mucho vivir en una comunidad con objetivos compartidos. Vivia en EcoMe, una comuna de palestinos, israelíes e internacionales cerca de Jericó, trabajaba como voluntario en fincas en Israel y Jordania, y con Help Refugees en Grecia. ¡Cada una fue una gran experiencia!
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I believe every human being has the same basic needs and that we are not as different as we appear from the outside. Getting to know people of all kinds, face-to-face, is something I really enjoy and have experience with. I'm an open-minded and sociable person who likes being with people and other animals. I can chat in 7 (human) languages.
I also enjoy being alone and can read for hours. I practice yoga and meditation.
This year will be a voyage of opening up, learning and hopefully many new friends on the way.

Creo que todo ser humano tiene las mismas necesidades básicas y que no somos tan diferentes como parecemos desde fuera. Conocer gente de todo tipo, cara a cara, es algo que realmente disfruto. Soy una persona sociable y de mente abierta a la que le gusta estar con personas y otros animales. Puedo charlar en 7 idiomas (humanas).
También disfruto estar solo y puedo leer durante horas. Practico yoga y meditación.
Este año será un viaje de apertura, aprendizaje y, con suerte, muchos nuevos amigos en el camino.
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Every year I cycle-tour in a different country, staying with local hosts as much as possible. At home, I host bike travelers and others from around the world. You can see reviews by people who hosted me or I hosted them in the bike-travelers couchsurfing: https://www.warmshowers.org/user/48116/member-reviews

Cada año, desde que cumplí 50 años, he ido en bicicleta a un país diferente y me quedo con anfitriones locales tanto como sea posible. En mi casa recibo a viajeros de todo el mundo. Podéis ver reseñas de los que me alojaron o los alojé, en la web de bike-travelers: https://www.warmshowers.org/user/48116/member-reviews
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Centres d’intérêt

Musique

Art et design

Végétarien ou végan

Animaux de compagnie

Soin des plantes

Écriture

Dev. durable

Activités en plein air

Histoire

Jardinage

Événements/vie sociale

Danse

Cyclisme

Cuisine et alimentation

Animaux

Livres

Culture

Bénévolat

Camping

Architecture

Ferme

Randonnée

Langues

Yoga / bien-être

Dev. personnel

Politique/justice sociale

Photographie

Nature

Langues

Langues parlées
Anglais: Courant
Espagnol: Courant
Français: Courant
Hebrew: Courant
Arabe: Intermédiaire
Italien: Intermédiaire
Hollandais: Intermédiaire

Plus de détails sur les langues qui m'intéressent
much of my life I live and work with people speaking different languages. After Hebrew and English (my mother and father tongues), I have lived in Spain, France, Netherlands and Italy and worked many many hours with Arab colleagues. I really like exchanging languages and also taught English to adults at a night school.

Trouver un partenaire de langue

Compétences et connaissances que j'aimerais partager ou apprendre

Ça m'intéresse :  

Projets artistiques

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J'ai des connaissances :  

Travail associatif

Éco-projets

Jardinage

Bricolage et projets de construction

S’occuper des animaux

Aider dans une ferme

Préparer les repas / cuisiner pour la famille

Aider à la maison

Accueil / tourisme

Entretien général

Tenir compagnie à une pers. âgée

Home sitting

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Je peux apprendre aux autres :  

Langues

Enseignement

Quelles sont vos compétences ?

I have experience in lots of different things...here's a list:

Languages - I speak fluent English and Hebrew, good French and Spanish (lived in Paris and Valencia), I can chat in Dutch (3 years in Amsterdam) and Italian. What's the hardest language? Arabic! After hundreds of hours with Arab colleagues, students of mine and friends, I can speak basic (Palestinian) Arabic, but I should be fluent by now!

Work with teenagers/young adults - My first experience working with kids was in CISV, a global peace organization where I was a counsellor and later Staff at camps in Sweden, Holland and Israel with kids (11 and 17-18 year-olds) from all over the world. From 2016 I worked with teenagers and young adults as a certified Dialogue Facilitator (always with a Palestinian co-facilitator) for 8 years with teenagers and young adults from Israel, Gaza, West Bank, Egypt, Jordan and other countries. In my last job, I coordinated weekly dialogues of students from Israel, Palestine, Jordan and other countries, at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies.

Field work, agriculture: I really enjoy physical effort. I worked 4 months on a kibbutz in the desert in southern Israel on their palms plantation. I volunteered in small farms in southern Israel and picked olives with Palestinians every year in the West Bank. On biking trips in Europe I often helped my hosts -an organic farm in Portugal, DIY in Normandy, etc. As a student in Jerusalem, I worked few months as assistant gardener.

Ecology: I know the basics of permaculture. I worked 2 years on water issues at Friends of the Earth - Middle East, focusing on cross-border problems like the Jordan River. In my 6 years at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies my focus was the political conflict but I learned a lot about solar energy, mud-building and other cool things.

Cleaning and house work: In my student years I cleaned houses and as a workawayer I actually like doing this!

I LOVE TO COOK, especially for others! I got experience helping to cook veggie meals for many people when I lived at EcoMe, an Israeli-Palestinian eco-commune. On my bike trips I always offer to make shakshuka for my hosts (just need lots of tomatoes, onions, eggs & spices). My latest job was at a creperie in Tel Aviv where I learned the secrets of preparing Breton savoury galettes!

Âge

61

Autres infos...

Apart from bike touring, I really love hiking. I read a lot of books! Especially fiction and historical novels. Saramago, Kazantsakis...

Informations complémentaires

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  Fumeur

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  Permis de conduire

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  Allergies
  I get hay fever (allergic reaction to hay) so can't work much in horse stable, unfortunately

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  Régime alimentaire spécial