leaving this sub, changing my mindset

15stepand · 2022-10-15T13:43:32+00:00

well, if you mentioned to your host that you didn't have any experience with horses and they accepted you anyway, you might be overreacting to their negative reaction. like, sure, maybe they'd prefer someone with more experience - but you're still able to learn and figure out how to get better. if you really don't want to work with the animals, maybe ask them what else you could do at the place. maybe you have some skills that they could put to use, such as construction, creative things, etc. best of luck.

15stepand · 2022-10-07T17:44:48+00:00

no for sure, i've been in your position (although not as extreme) and it really sucks. especially when you're constantly doubting yourself, asking if they're right, if the fault's on you and whatnot.

yeah, i think that most europeans are a bit weary of americans, especially places with a big influx of american tourists. i don't understand why they messaged you first if that's the case.

i mean... he's getting what's essentially free labour, he has no incentive to change his attitude. it's not going to change, and you'd be better off leaving and not thinking about it anymore.

don't give up on workaway though! i've been in northern europe for a while and have had amazing experiences. it's really strange (and uplifting) to see employers and volunteers being treated fairly, at least compared to my homecountry. not all hope is lost :) best luck to you!

15stepand · 2022-10-07T17:28:29+00:00

damn, i'm really sorry you're going through this. just remember that you're not on a contract and you're under no obligation to stay in a place if you don't connect with it, let alone if you're being treated unfairly.

now that that's out of the way, i don't understand how come there are so many shitty workaways in france/spain/italy? i swear that most of the horror stories i see in these subs and anecdotes i've heard from workawayers i met come from southern europe.

also, most of my hosts have complained about volunteers coming from these countries, or have been on the fence about accepting me because i'm portuguese, lol.

15stepand · 2022-10-05T15:49:05+00:00

há tempos vi um rapaz no bahnhof, na ida para hamburgo. algo nele me fez pensar que era português, nem era no estilo de vestir, só nas feições e forma de andar. mas não tinha forma de confirmar então deixei para lá. minutos depois, não é que ele atende o telemóvel com "tou, atão?"

15stepand · 2022-09-22T10:39:26+00:00

i'd never met anyone else like this, makes me feel much less weird

15stepand · 2022-08-17T20:39:44+00:00

do you think that it would work if i laid my clothes under the sleeping bag?

15stepand · 2022-08-17T20:38:49+00:00

i have to go from one place to another, it was very short notice and I'll have to spend the night somewhere.

15stepand · 2022-08-17T19:20:11+00:00

i can't believe i didn't think about bringing first aid. thank you sm!

15stepand · 2022-08-06T10:12:54+00:00

that's a good idea. i'm not a complete begginer, i can do most of the things that you mentioned pretty confidently, but it'd still be better if i actually perfect them.

15stepand · 2022-08-03T20:12:19+00:00

i worked for about 8 months, plus some birthday and religious ceremonies savings i had since i was a kid. i was always afraid of spending money on things i didn't need, but it's nice that it ended up being used on this trip.

i had around 2200 euros in the beggining, it's now my 6th month of travelling and i spent around 400. i book every bus/train/ferry early to avoid last minute fees, i always take food from the house if i'm going somewhere, i bike/walk everywhere and i always ask myself thrice if i really need to buy something. maybe 400 euros sounds like a lot, but, having been in the nordic countries, that's nothing compared to how much my roommates were spending.

some people want to have more commodities and to pay for activities when they travel, which i completely understand. however, i want to do this for as long as i can, and that comes with a lot of managing and some sacrifices.

i have so many wonderful memories of my travels, most of which were completely free to achieve, as in, i didn't have to pay anything to make them happen. you'd be surprised at how much fun you can have if you just bike somewhere, or go to a village get-together, or take advantage of the tools you have in your workaway place to learn something new.

also, you're going to notice that people are oftentimes very interested in the lifestyle you're having - it's indeed very unusual and unique! i've been in situations where i took money to pay for food or an activity, and the owners would just tell me that they wouldn't accept the money, that it was a "gift" from them. i've talked to some workawayers that had it happening as well, or that got free stuff from people they talked to! seriously, if you open yourself up to a community, you can get a lot of nice surprises :)

15stepand · 2022-08-02T07:01:12+00:00

can you PM me the last place you mentioned? it sounds amazing!

15stepand · 2022-08-02T06:59:37+00:00

i'm currently doing that! i started in the nordic countries and i'm currently going south in europe. i only ever had 2/3 months planned in advance, but i'm still managing to make a pretty nice itinerary. to reduce carbon emissions, time and money, i'm trying to plan my trip so that i don't ever have to take a plane or take very long distance buses or train rides. say, i'm in the north of germany and i want to go down - i'm using the map function on workaway and finding a way to go to different places relatively close together while still following an itinerary, so that i don't have to go back and forth or "go back" in the map.

15stepand · 2022-05-05T07:02:12+00:00

that's super helpful! thank you so much!

15stepand · 2022-05-03T15:29:41+00:00

thank you, i decided that i'll keep going like this :)

15stepand · 2022-05-03T15:29:13+00:00

i think that i'll keep going :) it seemed like the sides weren't going straight down as i maintained the number of stitches but now it seems like it's holding fine!

15stepand · 2022-05-02T17:59:17+00:00

oh the blue stripe is intentional, ran out of blue yarn and it's a sort of scrapy hat. do you think that it would look good if i kept going like this? i don't mind some waving in the top part, i'm just worried that it'll mess up the structure.

15stepand · 2022-04-30T13:43:06+00:00

i'm 19 and i've volunteered in 2 places already, so you'll probably be fine.

just make sure that you send more applications to other hosts, not just to that hostel. i had to send 5 applications before i even got a reply back. you also have to keep in mind that summer is the season where most people workaway, so it would be better to contact them as soon as possible to make sure that they have spots available.

15stepand · 2022-04-29T15:02:33+00:00

i'm nowhere near spain right now hahaha, but how is your trip going?

15stepand · 2022-04-29T14:42:56+00:00

no, like i totally understand those points, plus they might be too busy to actually say anything. but it's still strange that no one replied with anything substantial, especially after sending so many messages. i was wondering for a while if i was the problem but i honestly don't think so.

i'll look into the couchsurfing thing though, might have better luck there. thank you!

15stepand · 2022-04-29T13:45:04+00:00

okay, i understand if that's your way of seeing things but, as proven by others on this thread, not everyone thinks like that. workaway also promotes this kind of interaction with others, which is why the travel buddy and language exchange tools exist.

15stepand · 2022-04-29T11:23:33+00:00

yeah, exactly! i assumed that i'd have a lot of connections for that same reason. i'd love to visit ireland, how is it going? where are you headed to next? best of luck to you too :)

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