helena_b

Information de voyage

Actuellement, je suis

Description

Hello everyone, my name is Helena and i’m on a path of living a life in which i cultivate deep, meaningful connection with myself, the Earth and fellow human beings. And i would love to learn more about cultivating plants too! :-)

I have degrees in Social Anthropology, English-language Translation and i'm fully qualified to teach English at Czech secondary schools. I’ve worked as an English language teacher, translator/writer/editor for books and magazines and a photographer/videoeditor (https://brunnerova.wixsite.com/foto). However, in 2022 i quit my career to spend a year and a half living in Plum Village monastery and meditation center in France which practices in the tradition of Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, the "father of mindfulness" in the West. Besides learning more about meditation and zen, i've been working on an organic farm here. This has been a transformative experience, both thanks to living in a large international community in which we are all students of our minds and thanks to the chance to learn more about farming and find a deep meaning in growing herbs and vegetables for the community as well as cultivating spaces that benefit other living beings.

I’m now exploring the next steps and how to keep learning, growing and contributing to a more harmonious world.

Centres d’intérêt

Langues parlées

Czech: Courant
Anglais: Courant
Allemand: Intermédiaire
Français: Débutant

Compétences et connaissances que j'aimerais partager ou apprendre

Ça m'intéresse :  

Bricolage et projets de construction

Entretien général

S’occuper des animaux

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J'ai des connaissances :  

Jardinage

Aider dans une ferme

Éco-projets

Aider à la maison

Accueil / tourisme

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Je peux apprendre aux autres :  

Langues

Projets artistiques

Enseignement

Quelles sont vos compétences ?

In nutshell:

After more than a year of working on a farm and walking The Fishermen's Trail (230 km hike along the coast of Portugal) on our days off in February, i'm quite strong and fit and i generally really enjoy moving my body. I know a little bit about farming and some simple repairs and i would love to learn more. I also have experience in hospitality (reception, kitchen help, serving food, housekeeping) and i've worked as a tour guide in Alaska. If needed, i can contribute with skills involving teaching English or helping with projects involving photography or videos.

In detail:

2018-2022 working full time as a freelance writer/editor/translator, photographer and English teacher (for levels A0-C1, mostly teens and adults).

June-September 2018: Tour guide in Alaska, USA, Black Diamond Resort: guiding groups of 5-15 people on horse-drawn carriages, taking care of horses

Volunteering:

Plum Village monastery and meditation center, France:
March 2023 - March 2024, Happy Farm: working on an organic farm producing vegetables, herbs and flowers; creating and taking care of beds, growing plants from seeds, harvesting, weeding, watering, cutting grass, taking care of compost, small DIY repairs, welcoming visitors on the farm...
July 2022, October-February 2022-2023: helping with a retreat for teenagers and everyday running of the center (cooking, cleaning, preparing meditation hall...)

Workaway:
18 August - 12 September 2015: Lauku Tēja, Latvia
Family-owned farm specializing in the production of herbal tea; weeding, collecting plants, leaves and flowers and processing them (cutting, heating, drying...).

12 July - 25 July 2015: Frauenau, Germany
Helping Ilona and Franz with the work around the house and in the garden (mostly cleaning, picking fruit and wheelbarrowing wood).

1 July - 10 July 2014: Hasslebo, Åland Islands
Tiny eco-hostel and campsite on a tiny island; housekeeping, helping with the preparation of breakfast for guests.

1 July - 16 July 2013 and 28 January - 15 February 2014, Comfy Corner, Berlin, Germany
Small hostel in the center of Berlin; housekeeping, front desk work, light repairs and anything that needed to be done, especially creating the feeling of "a home away from home" for everyone. Since volunteering worked so well for me here, I was invited to stay longer so from June 2014 to January 2015 I turned from a volunteer to a co-host to other workawayers.

25 July - 22 August 2013, Gramsford Lodge, Blackpool, UK
Hotel: Housekeeping, front desk work, preparing and serving meals and drinks to guests.

Workcamps (international projects for small groups of volunteers):

1 August - 15 August 2016; GREFA, Spain
Volunteering in a wildlife animal rescue center, mostly doing renovation work of the enclosures.

9 August – 23 August 2012; The Big Skill, Wales, UK
Helping with Big Skill Village – setting up the site for a festival of traditional crafts, inviting local people and assisting during the festival.

23 June – 7 July 2012; Athboy Tidy Towns, Ireland
Working on the facades of old buildings, painting doors, walls and windows, helping with small landscaping projects.

3 July – 17 July 2011; Jøssåsen Landsby, Norway
Working in a Camphill community together with people with special needs. Mainly landscaping such as building a stone path and a wattle fence and creating flower beds.

1 July – 17 July 2010; Äijälä farm, Finland
Organic gardening, planting, hay-making and cleaning up the forest. Some of the work was done together with Finnish people with special needs.

Other voluntary work:
14 July - 21 July 2019: helping with Czech NGO Hnutí Duha in the forests of Czech Paradise - mostly repairing or removing fences around young trees and marking trees infested with bark beetles

2016: teaching English to teenagers in one of children's homes in my hometown

2016 - 2018: photographer for Re:Views Magazine (magazine published by the Department of English and American studies at Masaryk University)

2012 - 2014: translating English subtitles into Czech for ted.com and khanacademy.com

7 August – 22 August 2010, Romania; with about 30 other volunteers from the Czech Republic we were helping local elderly people in a small Romanian village Rovensko with their daily routines (mostly simple farm work)

Âge

32

Informations complémentaires

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  Fumeur

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  Permis de conduire

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  Allergies
  No

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  Régime alimentaire spécial
  Vegetarian (or vegan), i'd consider eating meat in some rare cases (e.g. living far north).