CURRENT MISSION

On a mission around the world with my love (Joël Monin, also on CS) to get inspired by alternative, sustainable, earth friendly ways of life, and to find the next place where we'll settle. (Going from Belgium to Belgium in 1 year, through the West : Canada, USA, Central America, South America, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Australia, South Africa, Madagascar, Ethiopia)

ABOUT ME

Hello! People say I'm a friendly and open-minded person, very social, curious about everything, and smiling all the time (especially while travelling, it just makes me happy :-)

I am a photographer who has been working as such for more than 15 years, then, wanting to do more, I worked as a teacher assistant with kindergarten kids and also as an extra-scholar art animator. I totally believe in active pedagogical methods like Montessori, for which I did a training. My last job was working, as the only employee, in a secular non profit organization with retired volunteers, organizing lectures and events in a community center and working along other great non profits as Amnesty, Oxfam or the Red Cross. I love to do new things and keep learning, I adapt to any situation very well! I speak French, Spanish and English, and I'm able to help with translations, taking care of children, any administrative or computer work, gardening and farming work, or animal caring, and of course any photography related work (workshops or pictures need).

PHILOSOPHY

I try to live fully, respectfully of the Earth and the others, in the most positively way :-)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I only have been surfing so far, but I'm getting excited about hosting as well (as soon as I'll have a home again ;), now that I have been hosted like a queen everywhere I went, I just want people to feel as good as I felt!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I'm a beginner at CouchSurfing, I only have been surfing to 3 CS in Ireland, and it totally concurs with the first idea I have about CS: I'm convinced it's a great way to travel, mainly for the human experience, which is a huge deal for me when I travel. It's so interesting to meet all these unique people and to hear their stories, about the place we are at, but also about themselves, about people they have met through CS... It's just an infinite way of discovering learning, sharing...

Interests

I LOVE to travel, discover new stuff and meet new people. I'm a photographer, so I always have some sort of camera in my hand, trying to capture the special moments of my life. Photography has been at the centre of my life for the last 20 years, so everything about it interests me. At home, I also work in schools with kids, helping the teachers around.
FOOD is also a big passion for me, there isn't a lot of things I don't like!

• wildlife
• arts
• photography
• dining
• traveling
• surfing
• nature
• permaculture
• earth

Music, Movies, and Books

Too many to count... I'm a big fan of tv shows, I have seen almost everything that's worth watching! Also big fan of music festivals, mainly rock, electro, world music, reggae, dub... open to anything good to discover :-)
I love reading (and trying to practice) self-development books.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The first thing coming to my mind is my visit to the breathtaking Iguazu waterfalls in Argentina, at the Brazilian border. It was on my 30th birthday, I was there by myself, and it was just one of the most perfect moment of my life :-) Then comes the Patagonian landscapes, and the awsome 72hours bus trip I took to cross Argentina :-) I guess my Argentina experience was pretty special to me!
The food in Thailand has a special place in my heart also! Probably the best food in the world for me :-) But now that I've tried real Mexican Food... it might get on top of the list ;)

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach about photography! I started the old good way, with black and white film, almost 20 years ago... and so much as happened in that art since then! I'm very passionate about it :-)
After lots of traveling, I can share tips on some countries, and best ways to travel.
I want to learn more about organic farming, permaculture, alternative and sustainable ways of living...

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share tips about photography and traveling, and I'm a good listener! I can discuss about life for hours :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Laos, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, United States