Polina

& Ryan

Information de voyage

Actuellement, nous sommes

Les activités qui nous intéressent :

We travel to connect with families, communities (including indigenous ones), farms, and artists—and to learn by helping out with hands-on.

Description

We’re Polina & Ryan, a family of five (kids 15, 12, and 6) from a cohousing community in California. We’re practical, community-minded, and happy doing hands-on work: cooking for groups, gardening/composting, basic repairs/DIY, and helping a project run smoothly.

We’ll be in Chiapas Jan–Mar 2026 and are looking for a respectful exchange with families, community projects, farms, or creative spaces. We’re easy to live with (used to shared spaces and shared meals), communicate clearly, and follow through. Our kids are kind and independent; we handle parenting/bedtimes and don’t expect hosts to provide childcare.

Centres d’intérêt

Nature

Dev. durable

Culture

Bricolage / artisanat

Cuisine et alimentation

Langues

Langues parlées
Anglais: Courant
Russe: Courant
Espagnol: Intermédiaire
Allemand: Débutant

Plus de détails sur les langues qui m'intéressent
I (Polina) am at an intermediate level in Spanish. I speak Russian and English fluently. I'm able to teach both English and Russian, if there's interest. My husband (Ryan) is a beginner at Spanish. We're both working to improve our Spanish. Our eldest daughter, Claire (15 years) is at an intermediate level in Spanish. She (Claire) is interested in teaching English to kids.

Trouver un partenaire de langue

Compétences et connaissances que nous aimerions partager ou apprendre

Ça nous intéresse :  

Travail associatif

Projets artistiques

Éco-projets

Enseignement

Tenir compagnie à une pers. âgée

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Nous avons des connaissances :  

Jardinage

Bricolage et projets de construction

S’occuper des animaux

Aider dans une ferme

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Nous pouvons apprendre aux autres:  

Langues

Baby-sitting et jeux créatifs

Préparer les repas / cuisiner pour la famille

Aider à la maison

Accueil / tourisme

Entretien général

Aide informatique / Internet

Garde de maison et d'animaux

Quelles sont vos compétences ?

What we’re best at (quick snapshot):
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• Cooking & kitchen help: Meal prep for families or groups, plus cleanup and keeping shared spaces tidy.
• Garden & land projects: weeding, mulching, watering routines, compost support, and general hands-in-the-dirt help.
• DIY / repairs / maintenance: electrical, basic plumbing, basic carpentry, painting, good with most all hand tools.
• Community living & reliability: we communicate clearly, show up consistently, and help keep a shared project running smoothly (chores, routines, coordination).


More thorough list of my (Polina) skills:
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• Cooking for groups — experienced cooking for large groups; comfortable with planning, prepping, serving, and cleaning
• Gardening — practical garden help (planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, general care)
• General DIY / basic handyman skills — competent with many common hand tools; able to help with household and project tasks
• Manual / physical work — willing and able to do active work (digging, lifting, carrying, repetitive tasks)
• Composting — experience creating and maintaining compost systems
• Vermiculture — experience caring for compost worms and maintaining worm bins
• Basic animal care — comfortable with routine care for common farm/pet animals (feeding, watering, cleaning, basic handling)
• Intentional community living — practical experience living in a shared community setting and contributing to group life
• Reflective listening — experience with empathic communication skills; able to listen carefully and help others feel understood
• Computer-based work — comfortable with a wide range of digital/admin tasks
• Basic graphic design (Canva) — creating visuals for flyers, posters, and social media posts
• Video creation — producing/editing simple videos for promotions, updates, or storytelling
• Social media management — posting, basic content planning, and maintaining a consistent online presence
• Event support & organization — helping plan and run events; logistics, coordination, and keeping things moving smoothly
• Property management experience — familiar with rental/property-related responsibilities and communication
• Reliability & follow-through — consistent, organized, and good at completing tasks as agreed
• Medical background — holds a MD/PhD in medicine (not currently practicing; hasn’t practiced for many years)

More thorough list of Ryan's skills:
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• General handyman / DIY — basic plumbing, basic woodworking, household repairs, and confident use of common hand tools
• Electrical work (experienced, not licensed) — very comfortable doing professional level electrical work; wiring houses/, and troubleshooting electrical problems
• Composting — experience creating and maintaining compost systems (monitoring moisture, aeration, and inputs)
• Vermiculture — experience caring for compost worms and maintaining worm bins
• Garden work (basic, eager to learn) — willing helper for planting, weeding, mulching, watering, harvesting, and general garden maintenance
• Permaculture (beginner) — introductory understanding of permaculture systems and strong interest in learning more through hands-on work
• Manual labor / physical work — digging, lifting heavy objects, basic construction labor, and general “get it done” work outdoors or on job sites
• Basic animal care — comfortable with routine care for cats, dogs, chickens, goats, and horses
• Computer-based work — comfortable with a wide range of digital/computer hardware tasks and troubleshooting
• Intentional community living & leadership — practical experience in shared governance, participation systems, consensus decision making, and community culture
• Group facilitation — leading meetings, guiding discussions, keeping groups on track, and helping people reach decisions
• Conflict resolution / mediation skills — recent training and experience with interpersonal conflict and relational healing
• Community process design — creating clear workflows, roles, policies, and procedures (especially for volunteer-run groups)
• Teaching & youth work — theater teaching plus running youth improv classes
• ESL teaching experience — taught English as a Second Language in Russia; comfortable working cross-culturally
• Certified Focusing Professional — trained in Focusing (an awareness and inner-healing practice); strong listening, presence, and guiding skills
• Certified addiction recovery coach (not currently practicing) — trained in recovery support and coaching skills
• Certified Stretch Therapy teacher (not currently teaching) — trained to teach mobility/flexibility work; currently practice personally and could teach again if needed
• Property management / landlord experience — rentals, tenant communication, and handling issues responsibly
• Reliability & follow-through — accustomed to roles where people depend on consistent execution and clear next steps
• Bachelor's degree in Philosophy with an option in Religious Studies, and minor in Physical Science

Âge

45 & 54

Autres infos...

Lately our family has gotten really into modern/alternative board games. Our current favorites are Skyjo, Splendor, Carcassonne, and Karuba—and since we’re traveling right now, a few of them are literally coming along with us!

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