René

Travel information

I am currently

Description

Hi, Laura (Colombian, 36) and I (Dutch, 39) would love to move to the French Pyrenees with our two dogs and we'd like to get in touch with people already living there. I'm happy to help out, and have done so many times before. Unfortunately, Laura can only help with the vegan cooking for the time being, since she has some back and hand problems that we're trying to get fixed.

In the near future, we would ideally like to share land with other vegans/or live near them, to plant trees, rescue a few animals, grow food, have some workawayers and couchsurfers over, and we hope to adopt a human or two eventually. I've been a high school English teacher for many years and ... we'd go with homeschooling. Anyway, we really want to be part of a community of caring people.

Hobbies and interests include reading fantasy, playing board games and video games, singing, watching comedy, writing, and long-distance hiking. Laura used to play the bass in a rock band, once life allows it she would like to spend more time being all kinds of creative, she wishes she could prepare vegan food for a living, and I think she's very funny.

We'd love to know your thoughts on the viability of opening a vegan eatery (we're thinking about Colombian food and perhaps other latin food) in the area. And how about finding jobs as English teachers? We both have the degrees and lots of experience. Laura has taught Spanish too. The thing is, in the Netherlands we have no financial worries or insecurities, but I've never been happy here for many reasons, so I have often left the country to hike, volunteer, and look for online jobs, unsuccessfully, as I have to compete with native speakers for the jobs that pay well. I'll keep looking though. Since Pau, Tarbes, and Lannemazan are nearby, I was hoping that we could always teach at a language school as a last resort.

We're looking for kind locals to talk with us about our ideas and/or to befriend. We're not sure where to start, how to find a place to live that allows dogs while we're unemployed at first, and if the area will allow us to not have to worry about generating an income that will permit us to take care of others as well.

By the way, we wouldn't rescue more animals than we know for sure we can support without having to rely on others. I've helped out at a few shelters and sanctuaries, and I don't want to constantly feel as much stress as many lovely sanctuary owners do. We're welcome to move in with one of those people in Spain, whom I've visited a few times, but unfortunately, it is dry and hot for much of the year, and that kind of climate and landscape is not what we're looking for.

Thanks for reading!

P.S.: I've been using Workaway (I used a shared profile many years ago), Couchsurfing and similar sites since I was 20 years old, so you can check CS for references: https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/rene20. Also, we'd pay for our own food.

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
French: Beginner

More details about my language interests
This workawayer has indicated that they would be interested in sharing their language(s) or learning a new language. You can contact them directly to discuss this.

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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Gardening

DIY and building projects

General Maintenance

Eco Projects

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Some knowledge of:  

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Helping around the house

Animal Care

Charity Work

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Able to teach about:  

Languages

More details about your skills

I enjoy physical labor and I've worked with large groups of dogs. I wouldn't say I'm particularly skilled at many things - just eager to work and to learn.

Age

40

Some more information

• 

  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies
  No

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  Special dietary requirements
  Vegan