Michał

personal website

Tyszka

Route 40 - mythical spine of Southern Andes © Catamarca, Argentina 2025   

WHAT IS THIS PAGE FOR?

I created this page to present my colorful personality in a factual, reliable and relatively truthful way ;) The interaction on the internet you are currently experiencing is meant to help me build positive, creative, dynamic and constructive relationships, both professional and social - especially when direct contact, due to the distance between us, is difficult.

ABOUT ME

Without excessive habits, imposed beliefs, ideologies or other unnecessary attachments, I let myself be guided by life, appreciating every synergistic encounter I am able to discover. What is natural I change as little as possible, and I dedicate time and energy to making things enjoyable. Following the idea that "you learn more by traveling", I am constantly on the road. The subpage JOYRIDE! is a compressed, visual synthesis of that journey, which of course I invite you to explore.

I am characterized by an above-average orientation in the world, documented by visits and activities in dozens of countries. I mainly live in Latin America - I have been to all Spanish-speaking continental American countries, many of them several times. I consider myself to some extent an expert in this region, which I try to use by facilitating expeditions through the Andean backroads within the SERPENTINIUM project.

I am influenced by an open, energetic, positive, empathetic attitude full of daily energy exchange, typical of a large part of Latin Americans. It would be good to spread this mindset, which (at least to some extent) I try to do...

EDUCATION

I.    I hold a Master’s degree in Geography - University of Warsaw (2007).
II. I also completed postgraduate studies at the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in the field of advanced multimedia creation (2010).

In educational terms, I function as a geographer and technical programmer - multimedia specialist. I communicate fluently in Polish (M), English (B2/C1), Spanish (B2/C1), and to a limited extent and rather unwillingly also in Russian (A2).

WORK

The job I would enjoy the most probably doesn’t exist yet. I’m definitely on the path to discovering it, though — ha! For now, I focus on gaining new and diverse experiences.
I spend the 2020s as follows:

WINTER:
The South American Andes (Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Colombia). I have a jeep here, and I’ve driven it thousands of kilometers along mountain roads, between the highest Andean peaks. Raw, endless spaces, often at altitudes well above 4000 m above sea level, absorbing mountain passes and surreal, unforgettable views of colorful mountain ridges. Scenery that (perhaps apart from the higher parts of some Asian mountain ranges) doesn’t exist anywhere else! This is the world I chose for winter, and it’s when I pursue my greatest passion and, within the SERPENTINIUM project, perhaps share it with you as well.

SUMMER:
I work in the Icelandic nature reserve Thorsmork. My time is occupied 200% with handling tourist traffic at a base beneath the glaciers Eyjafjallajökull, Mýrdalsjökull and Tindfjallajökull. In summer, it’s an excellent, beautiful, original and isolated place, cut off from the rest of the world by glacial rivers, with dozens of kilometers of hiking trails to explore through the harsh snows of glaciers, the waters of gigantic waterfalls, volcanic dust, and wind sweeping through vast Icelandic canyons.

AUTUMN:
Autumn is wine time. That’s right! I have a friendly vineyard, picturesquely located in the Swiss mountains of the Vaud region, where we’ve been producing excellent wines for years ;) It’s a relatively short and seasonal job… I keep it for sentimental reasons, great relationships with the owners, and the physical aspect, which—at least over a short period of 2–3 weeks—feels very refreshing. Another advantage is that it doesn’t restrict me much, and by late autumn, from November, I can start exploring new, unknown routes in the Andes to gather knowledge and materials to use during the winter weather window for Andean expeditions.

SPRING:
In spring I’m usually on vacation — almost always, unless I’m discovering a new country (which I might be doing;), I’m also in Poland and ideally in May, it’s possible to try to meet me there.



PERSPECTIVES:
Another activity that seems like an interesting challenge, and where I believe I could perform very well, is something like intercontinental HR. It would be great to search for talent in South America for jobs (remote or perhaps not only) for Polish companies, for example in tech. I would have the chance to strengthen mental and intellectual bridges between what I consider valuable in Poland and in South America. Coordinating, organizing, and managing the work of a team I build myself feels like a fantastic role, which would also guarantee me a steady flow of knowledge about new technologies and where the job market is heading...

An alternative interesting activity that also comes to mind in the context of my experience would be testing various technological solutions in challenging or even extreme terrain conditions that I’m familiar with (altitude above sea level, lack of infrastructure, heat/cold, dry/humid)

I also see potential in using time zone differences for task continuity (extending the day from a European perspective) for European companies



The above information refers to the present, but historically I’ve taken on many more different jobs — sometimes responsible, sometimes fun, sometimes interesting... There were also shitty jobs... I was never particularly picky — I adopted a strategy of trying everything and working everywhere, which gave me enormous freedom, tons of experience, and money when I needed it. The list of 9 countries where I’ve worked will probably grow...

Below I include a small compilation of what I’ve already done — to close this chapter with complete information.

MY PROFESSIONS ...
click on a selected image to learn more ...

Oldschooltour - Serpentinium
Project ideator and implementer

Volcano Trails - Tourist flow management in the Thórsmörk nature reserve

A.E.S.T - Event agency manager
Video productions

Photojournalism, Photomontage

IT, website creator
Programmer of simple things

Graphic designer

Wine production

Other interesting episodes

EVENT AGENCY - MANAGER,
HEAD OF MULTIMEDIA DEPARTMENT

I once co-ran a company (2009–2013) focused on multimedia production for concerts and other events. We provided visual setups using LED screens, cameras, mixers, and projectors.

We handled the multimedia side of concerts, working with many popular Polish music bands and comedy groups, often in venues for several to tens of thousands of spectators.

We worked all over Poland, traveling to concerts and festivals... we even created a fan zone during EURO 2012. I remember my time in the event industry quite well, although 5 years in that field feels long enough to become quite exhausting.

My responsibilities:

  • Ensuring proper execution of events, correct equipment setup, and task allocation to staff.
  • Coordinating technical details of visual production with clients.
  • Creating visuals, videos, ads, posters, and other necessary multimedia materials.
  • Operating multimedia equipment – LED screens, mixers, cameras, software.
  • Thousands of kilometers traveled for meetings and events with equipment.
EXPERIENCE - 5 years
2009-2013

PHOTOJOURNALIST, PHOTOMONTAGE ARTIST

I enjoy road reportage, with all its atmosphere: dust, wind, and sand straight into the eyes.

After years of trial and error, I finally reached a level in photography that you can judge yourself, since all materials on this site are my own work.

I like creating photomontages—combining, editing, and enhancing images digitally. Lately I’ve been doing less of it, and that’s probably a good thing, as technological progress seems to have devalued these skills...
Skills:

  • Photojournalism. Travel photography
  • Digital photo editing in Photoshop with a particular focus on photomontage
EXPERIENCE - many years

IT, Web Developer, HTML, CSS, FLASH, PHP Programmer...

I worked with websites and programming as a freelancer during and shortly after finishing my studies.

Nowadays I still occasionally take on website projects, although I no longer code from scratch, but instead use existing solutions and adapt them to the project’s needs. Recent work:

SOSNOWY WARSZTAT . PL





BBO GROUP . PL





Skills (need refreshing):

  • Website programming and design
  • HTML, CSS, PHP, FLASH, new technologies
  • JQUERY, JS – basic level
  • SEO and website optimization
  • I can do some things in IT and marketing, but I wouldn’t say I enjoy it.
Experience: since 2006 with breaks

OTHER INTERESTING EPISODES:

During the years (already a second decade!) of traveling the world, I’ve visited nearly all continental countries of Europe and both Americas.

I worked in gardening on the Isle of Wight in England, in Norwegian forests and nature reserves where I contributed to reforestation, proudly reaching at least tens of thousands of planted trees, gaining a wide range of useful survival-type skills, such as operating chainsaws, driving specialized vehicles, or boats.

I helped build wooden houses in northern Norway, worked on Danish plains, in Swiss mountains, on the ocean coast of Portugal, and in one of the largest online stores in the Netherlands.

I also had some fun episodes cutting Christmas trees in southern France or harvesting olives in Spain. I worked on coffee plantations in Colombia, sawmills in Ecuador, and experimental construction projects in Argentina...

I’m thinking about building a small experimental house somewhere in Colombia, Argentina, or Bolivia. Waiting for the right moment... ;)

Due to a lack of fear when it comes to action, I’ve also done a few things that... are probably better left unwritten here ;)

Acquired skills:

  • Tool handling – saws, jigsaws, guns
  • Measuring and reading plans
  • Building internal wooden partition walls
  • Tree planting
  • Driving tractors and forklifts – both great fun
    • Experience: several years with breaks

Wine Production, Harvest Seasons

I discovered the Pyrenees and soon after the opportunity to work in France in wine production. Although living in France isn’t particularly pleasant, I tried that as well, spending a few years mainly in the south.

As of today (2025), I’ve completed well over a dozen harvest seasons. I once set myself the goal of doing harvests in every major region of France and Switzerland — I’m close to completing it... mostly lacking time... because although I still enjoy it, this activity needs to keep its place.

I probably won’t complete that plan, but it’s a nice way to stretch youth, maintain tradition, and work physically for at least a few weeks a year. I’ve also done off-season vineyard work: pruning, planting, and tying vines. I like the atmosphere of harvest time. I also like this job because it contains many core elements of work: human interaction, physical effort, fatigue, sun exposure, creating a product meant to be enjoyed, restorative rest... it’s a shame it only lasts a few weeks.

Skills:

  • Vendange (grape picking) – very good at it and enjoy it a lot
  • Cave de vin – cellar work, enjoy it less as it’s indoors
  • Pruning
  • Palissage
Experience: 10+ seasons

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Working with computer graphics was initially needed for building websites, and over time expanded into broader needs such as photo editing, banner creation, animation modules and animations themselves (Flash). There was also a need to prepare print materials. So I created posters, flyers, and catalogs...

When I realized that being a graphic designer essentially means sitting in front of a computer all the time, I started limiting my mainly freelance activity in this field. Nowadays I occasionally design something, mostly helping friends.

I completed postgraduate studies in multimedia (Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology, 2010), which helped structure my knowledge in this area.

Skills:

  • Multimedia creation – photography, editing, video production
  • Adobe software:
    • - Photoshop ( very good )
    • - Flash ( very good )
    • - Illustrator ( general knowledge )
    • - Premiere ( general knowledge )
    • - After Effects ( general knowledge )
  • Creating graphic designs using raster and vector graphics
  • Designing website interfaces
  • Preparing materials for print
EXPERIENCE: SEVERAL YEARS

WORK IN TOURISM

Besides handling tourist flow in a nature reserve under Icelandic glaciers, which I usually do in summer, I also have several years of experience in the hospitality industry (Kraków, Poland 2006–2009)

Working with tourists from all over the world certainly has its advantages, although now, approaching my 40s, I try to focus on more constructive activities... ...

Responsibilities:

  • Managing reservations
  • Multimedia-related work
  • Organizing events, trips, free time, etc.
EXPERIENCE: 5 years

Oldschooltour - Serpentinium
Project creator and executor.

I created and run a project aimed at bringing — mainly to Europeans, but really to anyone interested — the high-altitude spaces of the South American Andes.

Acquired skills:

  • Terrain knowledge — high Andes topography: Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru
  • Driving hundreds of kilometers (4x4) on mountain roads
  • Spanish communication with local populations
  • Knowledge of culture, events, and places in the Andes
EXPERIENCE: WINTER, SEASONAL

DOCUMENTS

Last section of this subpage. It could also be called "download". If you are interested in downloading my CV, diplomas and such... - feel free! (materials in pdf, jpg)