Nikki

Travel information

I am currently

Description

Hello! I am Nikki from The Netherlands.
I signed up again to Workaway because I am currently able to travel around for a long period of time and I want to make the most of it! I have always enjoyed hostel life and I would love to volunteer at hostels during my travelling if possible.
One big goal of mine during this time is to learn and improve practical skills such as hospitality skills, maintance, making reperations, building things and gardening so that I can be more of use in the future to myself, to my family and friends and to other hostels and organizations.
My biggest goal however, is to discover what I actually want to do with the rest of my life. I will meet so many more people when travelling than when I stay in my home country and it allows me to have more conversations with different people from different walks of life who have different ideas, experiences and perspectives and I hope that this can help me in figuring out my own future way.
This is also what travelling means to me, gaining perspective through people and places that are far away from anything I know now.



After a few years of Covid and trying to discover myself back home, working different jobs and starting a new degree, I realized I need change. After spending time in multiple hostels in different places, again sharing stories and experiences with people of all ages and walks of life, receiving tips and recommendations, I decided to start travelling again from January 2024 onwards. This time, I am planning to leave for a longer period of time, perhaps even a year or more.

I would love to find a place to volunteer at from the middle of February onwards in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. I am planning on going back to the Canary Islands as I have recently spend the happiest 10 days of my life there, and I have developed an interest in learning more about the way of life there. I want to achieve a basic level of Spanish before I leave to the Canary Islands, and I am interested in a language exchange to improve my skill once I am there.

From the end of March/the beginning of April I would love to find a place to volunteer at anyhwere in the world.

Interests

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Spanish: Beginner

More details about my language interests
I am currently learning an early level of Spanish. I am very much a beginner still, but I'm curious and enthusiastic and I hope spending time in a community where more people speak Spanish might help me improve my skill in a more fun and meaningful way. Hopefully I can help you with English or Dutch in exchange!

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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Gardening

DIY and building projects

Eco Projects

Charity Work

Languages

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Some knowledge of:  

General Maintenance

Life at a Farmstay

Helping around the house

Animal Care

Hospitality/Tourism

Helping with Computers/ Internet

More details about your skills

I have experience at the reception with the system FrontDesk, check-ins/check-outs, extending bookings, taking deposits, making sells for beverages, foods and items being sold at the reception.
I like administration related tasks and I have done a lot of adminstration in my past three jobs in the last 1,5 years. I can easily adapt to any system being used if you are using another system than FrontDesk.

I have experience in housekeeping, cleaning common areas, cleaning and making the beds of private rooms and shared rooms, cleaning private and shared bathrooms. Keeping track of what's needed throughout my shift.

I have also experience in setting up a pop up bar where I provided music, talk to guests, and sell (local) (mixed) drinks and cocktails.



I have worked in administration for 6 months at a covid vaccination center and I have done source and contact research questionnaires with people who tested positive for covid for 6 months. The past 1,5 year I have also worked in the radiology department at a hospital as a student lab technician where throughout the day I needed to continuously use the electronic patient files program.
During these times I had to use different systems on the computer to work with, all containing personal data to be careful with. These programs I was able to quickly become familiar with.

After my first Workaway experience on a horse and cattle ranch in Canada and my second experience on a small horse ranch in Greece, my experience in animal care and general maintenance of a place have greatly improved.

I would really love to learn new practical skills as well such as maintenance, making reparations an gardening, to be able to help out where needed. It would feel great to be able to use these skills at any future places as well, to have the feeling I can offer more and be more of use. I would like to put in extra hours to learn a new skill if possible.

Age

26

What else ...

I have volunteered through Workaway three times.
In the summer of 2016 I've been lucky enough to be able to volunteer at a ranch in Saskatchewan, Canada. In my 4 weeks there, I've learned so much about ranching and the western style of living. I have gone on cattle drives, worked with the horses, joined in a small local horse competition, went to chuck wagon races and met some amazing people.
All of this has driven me even more to travel and volunteer at places around the world.

In the summer of 2017 I had the same kind of experience in a remote place on a little Greek island, with many more fellow volunteers. I realized that having other volunteers to work alongside with really helped me with my personal development. So many experiences and stories were shared and nice connections were made.

After my exchange in the fall semester of 2018 at the University of Alberta in Edmonton Canada, I went back to the same ranch I volunteered at in 2016. It was a very different experience in the middle of winter where I was more isolated as I was the only volunteer at that time. This taught me a great deal on that I should be aware of my mental health at all times and to communicate when needed.

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies

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  Special dietary requirements