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Description
Hello dear Workaway community!
My name is Geert. I am 28 years old and I'm from Belgium.
Since March 2022 I am traveling again, this time with a bicycle, in search for a more meaningful and simpler life.
I want to experience and learn many different things and meet interesting people.
I would like to learn (more) about permaculture, foraging, natural building, off-grid and sustainable living.
I'd like to work in an animal sanctuary and learn (more) about farm animals and how to take care of them and connect with them.
I'd love to spend some time in hostels and in communities, wether in ecovillages or with co-housing and work/live together with fellow travellers/volunteers as I love this way of living.
I am open minded and good hearted, always want to help where I can. I am sensible, a good listener, a little more on the quiet side, calm and respectful.
I love to connect with people but also value being alone. I'm a dreamer and want to make this world a better place.
I'm motivated, eager to learn and a hard worker.
Some things I love to do in my free time:
- swimming in lakes
- wildcamping
- hiking in the mountains
- cycling
- reading in my hammock
- Evening bonfires
- boardgames
- listening to music/podcasts
- watching documentaries
- drinking coffee while watching the sunrise
- learning a new language or just in general learning about life and the world we live in.
I'm not the best in describing myself so I hope this gave you at least a little preview of who I am (becoming).Interests
Yoga / WellnessFitnessBeachVan lifePolitics / Social justiceVegetarian or veganPlant careSustainabilitySelf developmentOutdoor activitiesNatureHitchhikingLanguagesMountainHikingGardeningEvents & socialCyclingBooksAnimals
show moreLanguages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
German: Beginner
Spanish: BeginnerMore details about my language interests
I'd love to learn/improve my Spanish. I used to be able to speak it a bit while hitchhiking but lost most of it. I would also like to learn French, but have never prioritised it (although it is supposed to be my 2nd language 😅) I understand quite some German because a lot of it is quite similar to Dutch but rarely speak, so I would also like to improve that. any help or advice or whatever along the way is welcome. My preferred learning environment is while doing other tasks or through conversations rather than sitting down and actively studying it.Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
Animal CareHospitality/TourismCharity WorkDIY and building projectsEco ProjectsLanguagesSome knowledge of:
GardeningGeneral MaintenanceCreating/ Cooking family mealsHelping around the houseMore details about your skills
I haven't really studied much. I quit school as soon as I was 18 years old because of many reasons, one of them is that I was in the wrong school. I also always had problems with the school system. I just didn't fit in and also didn't wanted to fit in.
For the rest of my working career, it has always felt the same.
Because I don't have any degree, I worked most of my time in factories, warehouses, doing all the typical industrial work. Packaging, orderpicking,... Later in life when I was already travelling, I started to do more outdoor work like picking apples, picking strawberries, harvesting white asparagus, harvesting leeks...
I did a lot of tough physical labour on minimum wages since I was quite young (15 years old) like working in restaurant kitchens and having 12 hour shifts of washing the dishes etc.
These are jobs that are still a possibility to do for me when it's a paid position.
Because of this lifestyle I feel like I am lacking specific skills, although those many different experiences have definitely shaped me the way I am now. I am very independent, went through a lot in life and know what it is to work hard for my money.
I do have many passions and interests like I mentioned earlier in which I'd like to gain more experience and knowledge.
Recently I've learned a lot more about gardening and planting a polyculture veggie garden.
I've also created a patio with natural stones, something I never thought I could do by myself.
I also learned how to bake sourdough bread from scratch with my own starter.
This summer of 2023 I worked in a hostel (Estonia), on a holiday rental house at lake balaton (Hungary) and on a campsite (Slovenia) where I mostly had to do the cleaning part of the business.
I am a hard worker, eager to learn, have a lot of motivation and am genuinely interested in many things regarding veganism, taking care of animals, DIY, gardening, sustainability, foraging wild edibles, and many more things related.
I am a clean and tidy person. Organizing stuff, cleaning, doing laundry, iron clothes, and other household tasks are obvious things to me and I don't associate them with work as it's taking care of yourself and your environment.
I am someone who can work independently as soon as I know what to do or have a sense of what has to be done. I will visualize the task and start doing it until I'm finished, but I will need some sort of guidance on the first few days and from experience have realized that I prefer a sort of schedule or to do list because it hasn't always been very clear from the beginning what my tasks are or what is expected from me.
I cannot offer you a lot of knowledge but I can offer you 2 hard working hands and my input or ideas that might come up in the moment and I believe that I am capable of many things if given the chance.Age
29
Some more information
Smoker
Driver's licence
Allergies
NoSpecial dietary requirements
Feedback
I am not sure how many laughs we had together but we had some fun times and we were blessed to have him cooking some meals that were a favourite to many.
He rode from Belgium to Lithuania and arrived on a bike with a broken seat which… read more
I offered my full time help for 2 weeks as it was clear (especially after his reply) that he needed it! I am glad I have been able to help him with various tasks. He was very busy with his other job and… read more
Friends
Feedback
I am not sure how many laughs we had together but we had some fun times and we were blessed to have him cooking some meals that were a favourite to many.
He rode from Belgium to Lithuania and arrived on a bike with a broken seat which… read more
I offered my full time help for 2 weeks as it was clear (especially after his reply) that he needed it! I am glad I have been able to help him with various tasks. He was very busy with his other job and… read more
Lawrence is a great guy. Very passionate, energetic and always positive!
He is incredibly generous with all he provides for the volunteers. I really enjoyed the pingpong table, the beamer to watch movies, all the… read more
Hendrik is very energetic and passionate about his project. Cindy, his girlfriend, is such a warm person. Both of them make you feel welcome and at home instantly.
Sharing the communal spaces with other workawayers… read more
We planned this for a short time, and a short time it was. Unfortunately.
We had a great time although some more personal time for talks should have been possible :-)
Always welcome to come by! Take care
What a place, what an experience, what a time...
Living together for 7 weeks, of which almost 5 were with us 2 in the end of winter/beginning of spring, wasn't always easy but so rewarding nonetheless. I learned so much from you, your calmness, understanding, warm and honest and true heart. You're such a beautiful human being and I… read more
What a time we been through!
Geert is the most determined, hard-working volunteer I ever had here on the farm. I am very grateful to have had his company and help for almost 2 months here. We did mountains of work together and without his determination and motivation the project wouldn't be what it is today. I am literally inspired by… read more
It's was a wonderful time to spend with you
You are really hard worker and happy all the time
We want to wish for you all the best and really looking forward to seeing you again (:
Thanks again
Ran and Eyal
I had to sort out dates, planted some new trees in the village, taking care and planting new date palms on the plantation, did some painting and… read more
I ended up staying for almost 2 months and it was lovely.
I learned so many different things from them, from working with Clinton on different projects like making a wooden stair on a campsite, or laying stones at a swimming pool, or working at the bar with… read more