Hello! My name is Derek. I'm a musical instrument maker and musician living and working in Southern Ontario, Canada. I love the excitement of new and challenging experiences and I love meeting people! Most of the traveling I've done the last few years has been on tour around Canada as a bass player with local bands. I always love to learn new things. I've been studying the Russian Language lately, hoping to travel more extensively around eastern Europe in the future.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Finding accommodations is great but I also really care about connection and understanding as much as I can about where I'm traveling. I'd always prefer to experience a new place in the most engaged and genuine way possible and I like to avoid the expense and seclusion of hotels whenever I can.

Interests

• music
• travel
• art
• theatre
• film
• language

Music, Movies, and Books

I've been listening to a lot of ionnalee and Goldfrapp lately! Have been discovering some really great Eastern European traditional and semi traditional music like Sutari, Отава ё and Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares. Really love classics like Ravel, Debussy and Bach but this winter has been all about electronic ear candy. :)

I love reading Milan Kundera, Orhan Pamuk and a lot of boring resource material about carpentry and linguistics! (Haha)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Rode a bicycle across Canada (roughly 10,000km from the Alaska border to Newfoundland) over the course of about four months.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm always happy to help out with chores, errands, meal prep or the odd repair. I love to hear your stories and have plenty to share as well!

Countries I’ve Visited

Denmark, Iceland, Portugal, Scotland

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada