Matthew

Information de voyage

Actuellement, je suis

Les activités qui m'intéressent :

April 2026: I'm leaving Nepal and heading to Australia.

Description

I'd like to find a family or small spiritual organization in Australia to build community with. I'll likely benefit from doing physically active tasks in an environment supportive of post-retreat integration. I think a farm stay might be a good choice.

I'm motivated by gratitude and the desire to learn more about our natural world and how other people and cultures relate to it in ways that don't revolve around consumerism, competition, individualism. Insight and loving kindness meditation (vipassana and metta) are an integral part of my daily life, inseparable from an ethical and happy lifestyle.

I lived and worked with a meditation retreat center in northern California for the last 3.5 years. I helped grow the community with other volunteers, primarily as the landscape manager, while also participating in many retreats.

During the last year I also spent some of my free time tutoring an ESL student from Mexico. I have a deeper appreciation for the difficulties immigrants face (especially in the U.S. right now) and the many challenges and thrills of learning a new culture and language.

I’m interested in permaculture and sustainable agriculture projects, environmental conservation, animal rescue and wildlife rehabilitation. I completed a 5 month stint WWOOFing on the Big Island of Hawaii in 2021 and learned quite a bit about the joys and difficulties of farming and homesteading.

Other relevant experience I can draw upon includes home repair and improvement projects like painting, installing new outlets, fixing a leaky roof, cleaning and repairing siding and decks. I also love cooking with people and discovering new recipes and cuisines.

Overall, I think you'll find I am a "low maintenance" type of guest. Beyond sleep and food, I mostly just need a bit of time and space for meditation.

Centres d’intérêt

Bénévolat

Culture

Yoga / bien-être

Sports d’hiver

Écriture

Dev. durable

Dev. personnel

Animaux de compagnie

Soin des plantes

Activités en plein air

Nature

Musique

Montagne

Histoire

Randonnée

Jardinage

Ferme

Danse

Camping

Livres

Animaux

Langues parlées

Anglais: Courant
Espagnol: Débutant
Japonais: Débutant

Compétences et connaissances que j'aimerais partager ou apprendre

Ça m'intéresse :  

Aider dans une ferme

Accueil / tourisme

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J'ai des connaissances :  

Jardinage

Bricolage et projets de construction

Entretien général

Préparer les repas / cuisiner pour la famille

Éco-projets

Aider à la maison

S’occuper des animaux

Langues

Aide informatique / Internet

Enseignement

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Je peux apprendre aux autres :  

Travail associatif

Quelles sont vos compétences ?

I’m very fit and healthy and I enjoy outdoor physical labor like gardening. I’ve worked as a volunteer horticultural assistant in the rose gardens of Portland's Peninsula Park.

I've worked on many home gardening tasks: mulching, weeding, pruning, composting, watering, soil aeration etc.

I’ve cared for the health and wellbeing of several domesticated felines.

I helped develop hiking trails for a retreat center that involved assessing and mitigating soil erosion.

I worked as a volunteer sous chef for a nonprofit. I enjoy cooking and want to expand my knowledge of different cuisines.

I’ve worked on many small repair and home improvement projects like painting, installing new outlets, fixing a leaky roof, cleaning and repairing siding and decks. I also have a lot of experience with light housekeeping and cleaning.

I’m good at organizing, cataloging and managing information resources and collections. (This was the primary focus of my career more recently).

In terms of “soft” skills, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time developing the introspective skills of meditation. It’s very humbling and the training never ends but integrating mindfulness into daily life and relationships is important to me. I’m very empathetic, reflective, and an excellent listener.

My undergraduate degree is in East Asian Studies and I hold a master’s degree in Library Sciences.

I have excellent English language skills and experience tutoring ESL students.

Âge

48

Autres infos...

Meditation is a big part of my life. I feel the frenetic pace of life in America is not conducive to happiness and I'm dedicated to a contemplative lifestyle that recognizes and affirms interdependence as the natural state of the world. A healthy, happy life for me requires close contact with and sensitivity to the natural environment. I find this by hiking and exploring different biomes, overnight backpacking trips, skiing, kayaking and other wilderness adventures. Beyond recreation, I’m interested in learning more about agronomy, sustainable food production, and mitigating the loss of habitats due to human development and climate change.

Informations complémentaires

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  Fumeur

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  Permis de conduire

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  Allergies

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  Régime alimentaire spécial
  I prefer to not eat meat (fish is ok) but I will if it's the culturally polite thing to do.