Badges (3)
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Profile information
Travel information
We are currently
At home
Activities we are interested in:
Permaculture, animal care/work, farming, sustainability, self-sufficiency, natural gardening, eco-building, self-development, singing, dancing, cooking, sports
Description
Hello!
We are Charleen from Germany and Jules from France. In 2017 we decided to travel together by bicycle. We crossed Europe from France to Turkey and made the way back through the Balkans.
It took us about a year and a half, as we like to take our time to connect with our environment.
We already experienced more than 20 different workaway places together so far.
We are used to work together as a good team, and we enjoy it. We both are fit and not afraid of hard work.
The philosophy of our life is quite simple: we both want to slow down and reducing our needs in general.
After having experienced traveling, we are both seeking for a place to settle down and to start building up a place where both, nature and human can thrive peacefully.
If you would like to know more about us, you can have a look to our respective descriptions below.
Thank you for your interest! :)
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Charleen's description:
Hello to everyone!
I am Charleen (25 years old) coming from Berlin, Germany. I am currently living at my mom’s place in Berlin, but I am pretty much ready for a change!
Here a little insight into my story:
Straight after high school, I went to New Zealand for “work&travel” (2015). This first big travel was already about meeting myself and connecting with new people and natural surroundings. I worked on two different farms and realized that I love to work outside and like being close to animals. That's where and how Jules and I met.
Back in Berlin I passed two internships - in an animal shelter and at a veterinary, but finally started to study biology. However, I quickly realized that I want to quit studying in the city and want to travel again - so I started the bike-tour together with Jules (…).
Volunteering through workaway felt like the best way to connect with people and to participate in their ecological projects concerning to Jules and my interest in permaculture. I really enjoyed this time and learned new things about gardening, natural building, wild edible plants, cooking, camping, children and animal care – and basically focused on slowing down in life - being more connected to myself and nature.
But I also found out that I (still) feel very connected to my family, as I decided to come back and live again at my mom’s place after traveling.
During the last year (2020) I worked with a good friend, having fun while selling vegetables in a market hall, in Berlin city. But since I start to lose happiness and faith about the “normal” city-life, feel pretty disconnected to my current surrounding and also undecided about choosing my way of education, I am now willed to make a change again.
As we already described above, we both are slowly looking for a place to build up our own home. Therefore, I want to jump deeper into topics like – sustainability and self-sufficiency including: building with natural materials, do handcrafting, how to make up my own vegetable and fruit garden, how to include and treat animals, the same for children.
My wishes:
I basically want to learn how I can be able to bring my abilities, interests and needs into one working healthy cycle for me, my family and nature with just few money.
Besides that, I plan to do more internships and perhaps starting an apprenticeship in an ecological or social field.
Furthermore, I can imagine of being active in human and animal rights; working with disabled people and refugees combined with animal-assisted therapy and/or therapy through singing and dancing.
My skills: I am good at dancing and singing. I do like working physically and I am generally good at sports.
A little insight of me:
I consider myself as an open- and free-minded person, which likes to laugh and connect with people and my surrounding. I do love communal life, but at the same time I also feel comfortable with being and working just by myself. In general, I am an easy-going person and adapt very fast to a new place with new tasks. I am also an emotional, caring and an empathetic person.
I am vegeterian, on the way to reduce dairy food and to eat more raw than cooked food. I love cooking and baking, so I enjoy trying new recipes. I do smoke cigarettes, but not extremely. As I try to reduce it, I respect every none-smoker and none-smoking areas.
I am glad you read until here and I hope to meet you very soon. :)
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Jules' description:
I am Jules (31 years old) from a small village nearby Strasbourg in France. At this time, I live at my mum's place, but I use to travel a lot this last 5 years.
Here is a bit of my story:
Earlier in the past, I studied Biology and I got my master's degree in pharmacology in 2016. I quickly realized that working in this field was not for me and then I started to listen to my deep wishes which were traveling far away from Europe. Then I ended up in New Zealand where I spent 1 year and 3 months. During this time, I completely change how I used to live: I traveled from place to place with my van, I experienced my first workaway projects,
I worked in a restaurant for half a year while living in a hostel, I learnt a new culture with a new language, etc.
This experience allowed me to get to know more about myself - What I want to reach in my life, how and where I will make it. I slowly had a vision of my future and since then I am making my way to reach it.
Permaculture has been one of the main doors that I was happy to open up. The philosophy was really similar to my way of living. Then I decided to meet people which are having the same ambition as me - living among nature.
From 2017, I built up my bicycle and went back on the road again.
I crossed many countries, met a lot of people, seen beautiful landscapes and had a real feeling of freedom.
Charleen joined me during the trip. I went to more than 30 different workaway places during 1 year and half.
This allowed me to get a strong experience in permaculture. It even became my passion.
Back to France in 2019, for some reasons, I stayed longer than I expected in my hometown. I started to get more involved in the village as I knew I will stay for a while.
I created an association called "Perm à Wangen" based on the permaculture philosophy. About 15 people joined and we decided to create several sharing gardens. They are still running at this time.
I even became part of the council of the village. The mayor liked what I was doing with the association and wanted me to build up some projects about ecology for the village. Then we created for the first time a place where we are recycling organic matter. We are producing compost and mulch for the village.
Moreover, to sustain myself, I started my own little company. I provide my help for people who want to build up a permaculture garden, want to learn about wild edible plants, natural building and so on.
Few words about myself: I would say that I'm patient, resourceful, friendly, respectful, passionate, aware and frugal.
My skills: permaculture designer, natural builder, teacher, animals care, cook
My wishes: improving my natural building skills, building up my own house made of natural materials, creating a food forest, reaching self-sufficiency, teaching permaculture to more people (in schools, etc.)
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Thanks a lot and we hope to meet you very soon. :)
Cheers,
Charleen and JulesInterests
MountainMusicYoga / WellnessHikingVegetarian or veganDrawing & paintingAnimalsDancingCharity workCultureCooking & foodSelf developmentLanguagesOutdoor activitiesNatureSustainabilityArt & designDIY & craftsPetsGardening
show moreLanguages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Spanish: BeginnerSkills and knowledge we'd like to share or learn
We're interested in:
Life at a FarmstayCharity WorkArt ProjectsSome knowledge of:
DIY and building projectsBabysitting and creative playGeneral MaintenanceCreating/ Cooking family mealsEco ProjectsHelping around the houseAnimal CareLanguagesTeachingAble to teach about:
GardeningMore details about your skills
Natural gardening, Natural building, Animals care, Farming, Cooking, Edible wild plants, Dancing, Singing, sporty, creative in painting and drawing
Age
34 & 29
What else ...
Charleen is a "light" smoker
Some more information
Smoker
Driver's licence
Allergies
Special dietary requirements
Vegetarian/vegan
Feedback
Eine Weile ist vergangen als wir uns zuletzt gesehen haben. Ich denke sehr gerne an Euch zurück . Es war eine ausgezeichnete Begegnung. In allen Belangen wunderbar. Wir sind sehr glücklich das Ihr bei uns wart.
Es ging alles Hand in Hand.
Ausser Eurer schönen Einstellung zu Euch selbst , dem Leben und unserem Planeten… read more
At this time, we helped mostly in the daily routine farm work : feeding animals, taking care of the garden, building and repairing, helping on making food, etc.
We were pretty free to… read more
Tole & Marleen are 2 really easy going persons who are keen to share their daily routine with their children.
They welcomed us as we were part of the family which was a great feeling from the beginning.
It is a place were many different things are going on. The children are very active… read more
Zudem konnten wir uns intensiv über unser Leben, unsere Pläne, unsere Werte und… read more
Friends
Feedback
Eine Weile ist vergangen als wir uns zuletzt gesehen haben. Ich denke sehr gerne an Euch zurück . Es war eine ausgezeichnete Begegnung. In allen Belangen wunderbar. Wir sind sehr glücklich das Ihr bei uns wart.
Es ging alles Hand in Hand.
Ausser Eurer schönen Einstellung zu Euch selbst , dem Leben und unserem Planeten… read more
At this time, we helped mostly in the daily routine farm work : feeding animals, taking care of the garden, building and repairing, helping on making food, etc.
We were pretty free to… read more
Tole & Marleen are 2 really easy going persons who are keen to share their daily routine with their children.
They welcomed us as we were part of the family which was a great feeling from the beginning.
It is a place were many different things are going on. The children are very active… read more
Zudem konnten wir uns intensiv über unser Leben, unsere Pläne, unsere Werte und… read more
Her place is located in a quite remote area in the mountain surrounded by many abandonned houses and few local farmers. The Nature around is slowly recovering from human activity and it becomes wild again which makes the place beautiful.
Anneli is an… read more
They spent almost three weeks helping me with so many things on my farm. They cleared the garden and the barn, built permaculture beds, built/weaved a beautiful compost, built a path, shopped wood and so much more. They are so amazing and wonderful… read more
Our time together was amazing! We feel enriched by their fresh presence.
They are highly motivated to act on their ideas and respond to any tasks given by us immediately. They are driven by a genuine inner motivation and their… read more
First, Jules spent 2 and half months on site while Charleen joined the crew around mid September for a month.
We had the honnor to be one of the first volunteers at the garden. Then we could be part of the really beginning of the project. As Mary and Thora really open minded people and talkative, we shared and exchanged work,… read more
Charleen always with a peaceful smile in her beautiful face, Jules always eager to take initiatives and commit to his work.
We had very nice discussions, and input from your experiences guys.
The outdoor kitchen that you built is a footprint and a big incentive for us… read more
Always friendly and hard workers.
We totally recommend them as volunteers.
I already miss the good time we spend together and wish you good luck for the rest of your trip.
Regards… read more
Unfortunately Marianna spent only one weekend with us as she was working on her artproject in Athens, so we mainly helped Perikles.
We enjoyed living in their comfortable and well made straw bale-clayhouse, working in the garden, as planting salads and creating a new path with stairs… read more
As we came during winter, it was not much to do at her place but we tried to help as much as we could. She showed… read more
We all hope to see you soon!!
Sonia