I’m 43 and was born and raised in a small town in rural Texas, but many years ago my career took me to London, where I eventually became a British citizen - I therefore refer to myself as British-American. After retiring at age 40, I now split my life between my two homes in London and Cape Town. I don’t enjoy cold weather, so I live in the Northern Hemisphere during spring and summer, and then move to my African home during the Southern Hemisphere’s spring and summer (which, as you know, are the Northern Hemisphere's autumn and winter). As a young retiree, I have the freedom to focus on the things I enjoy most: travelling, studying subjects that deeply interest me — particularly economics and foreign languages — and volunteering with local Malawian and Zimbabwean communities here in South Africa. Since retiring, hosting travellers through Couchsurfing has become a new favourite hobby of mine. It allows me to connect with people from different backgrounds, which is good for my mental well-being now that I no longer have the daily community of work colleagues that once surrounded me. Being a host lets me feel like I’m travelling the world without leaving the comfort of my own home. I love being exposed to different cultures, traditions and languages through the wonderful guests that stay with me. To my travelling guests, I wholeheartedly say: Welcome to Casa Lorraine! This home is named in honour of my grandmother, Lorraine. She came from a peasant family in southern France, and together they left their homeland in search of a better life in the New World. In many ways, I feel she has been with me and has guided me on my own journey—leaving my own homeland to begin a new life here in South Africa, just as she left hers for North America. Naming this house after her is my way of honouring that shared spirit of hope and yearning for a fresh start in life in some far-away land.