Jim (48)

Volunteer since
2016

Speaks

My Japanese is fluent in all skills. French is my mother's language, I was brought up bilingual with English. My Thai was fluent but is bit rusty. My Mandarin is described as "advanced" but in reality I still struggle to understand what people say, even though I can express myself alright now.

Last seen online
more than 6 month ago

About me

I am forty and of dual French and British citizenship. I have spent most of my adult life living and traveling in East Asia (Japan, Thailand, China, South Korea etc), with a few months in West Africa, which were precious to me because I was born and spent my early years in Nigeria. I still have 'unfinished business' with Africa I love learning languages, living among and as the locals, music, reading, writing, hill walking, camping, woodwork, and spending time outdoors. I try and practice yoga daily, and I am a vegetarian (mostly). Now that I have turned forty, I am not quite so gung-ho as before, in fact I am quite a contemplative person I think, but very sociable too - a life lived cut off from others is of very little interest to me.

Preferred location

I am based in France at present, but the idea (still tentative at present is to volunteer-Wwoof my way up from Southern Spain up to the Pyrenees, over the course of a few weeks or months. Ever since I walked the Camino de Santiago I've been wanting to spend more time in Spain, and if I can get my work (translating) organized than the above is a project I'd love to complete this year. I can do most things but am not too keen on handling chainsaws.

Skills

I have worked as a translator from Japanese and French into English, and as an English teacher abroad. I am relatively good with my hands and manual work, enjoy carpentry but have no real training, but learn quickly and if shown how can probably do most jobs that don't require a high level of skill.

Additional info

I am not a smoker, I have a drivers license, I am a vegetarian and I have no allergies.