Update November 2024.

SITUATION
Originally from Toulouse, France, I am currently "Partnerships, Events and Development Coordinator" for a fundation helping children, teenagers and women in poor districts of Sao Paulo and Rio, Brazil.
Guests, if I am not on vacation, and if your request is not too bad, I'll be happy to host you in Sao Paulo. PLEASE READ "MY HOME" SECTION.
Hosts, if I am about to travel and you are reading this profile because I've sent you a request, hope it will give you a better idea of who I am...

HOSTING
I started hosting when it became possible for me to host, in Chonburi, Thailand (May 2019 - March 2020) and in Kinshasa, DR Congo (March 2022 - August 2023). I really liked it.
Recently (November 2023 - August 2024) I was living in a community in Egypt where hosting wasn't possible. Now I have my own studio in Sao Paulo, where I have just landed for a new adventure, so I am happy to be able to host again.
It's a small apartment, not very close to city center. And I also have my routine (work, rowing training, shamanic ceremonies...), but when I am available, I'm more than happy to spend time with my guests. I can commit for at least one evening sharing drinks and conversations.
More details in "My home" section".

TRAVELLING
I also use couchsurfing for travelling. When I do so, I consider as a duty to be clean and respectful with my host, to have reasonible schedules, to be flexible... I also really like when I can spend time on conversations and/or hang out with my host, because couchsurfing is not just a free hostel... and even if of course I understand that it depends on his own schedule.
My most recent trips were Sinai and South of Italy (August 2024), and Couchsurfing also helped me to find accommodation in Paris (September 2024) while I was having my pre-Brazil training and waiting for my visa.
In the next few months, I will probably try my chance as a guest around Brazil and Latin America.

At the moment, below are the dates and places I will be travelling (i.e. not hosting):

- December 21st-30th: Aruba, Curaçao, Dominican Republic
- December 31st - January 1st: Rio de Janeiro
- January 3rd-8th : Chile (mainly Patagonia)
- January 30th - February 3rd: Rio Grande do Sul
- July 2025: Probably going to USA (including Alaska and Hawaii), Canada and Mexico

185 countries visited (92,5%).
14 countries where I have lived, on all continents.

#FullyCovidVaccinated (2 + 3 boosters)

I like adventures, new discoveries and challenges, because I think it makes the life much more interesting, especially by meeting great people from around the World.
Actually, when I got my master's in political science, I was very happy, but I also realized that after more than 2 decades in classrooms, it was time to go far away, meet people, cultures, and learn more about myself and the other...
Outside France and before reaching Brazil, I have been, from newest to oldest:
- Programs Manager in a development NGO in Assiut, Egypt
- School-Company Relation Manager in a business school in Kinshasa, DR Congo
- Community library volunteer in a favela of Recife, Brazil
- Volunteer in charge of kids cinema in a refugee camp in Mytilini, Greece
- English teacher in a high school and in a primary school in Chonburi, Thailand
- High school pluridisciplinary teacher in a high school in Honiara, Solomon Islands
- Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning Coordinator in a Syrian NGO in Antakya, Turkey
- French and Spanish teacher in refugee camps in Nablus, Palestine*
- University Chancellor in Kankan, Guinea
- Projects Manager for a UNFDP-funded program in Conakry, Guinea
- French civilization lecturer in a university in Tianjin, China
- Intern in NGO in Conakry, Guinea
- Intern in NGO in New York, USA
- Exchange student in a university in Valparaiso, Chile
- Secondary student in a high school in Hannover, Germany

Besides these experiences, I went on the Panamerican, the Transiberian, the Silk Road, the Transsaharian, the Panafrican...

Another of my passions is hiking/trekking.
I have been walking among other on: Camino de Santiago (from Le Puy en Velay France to Fisteirra Spain), Cathare Way (France), West Highland Way (Scotland), Landmanalaugar to sea (Iceland), Likyan Way (Turkey), Annapurnas Loop (Nepal), Tasmania Crossing (Australia), various Great Walks (New Zealand), Caminos Incas (Peru, including Salkantay, Lares, Choquequirao), etc...
My highest challenge has been Huayna Potosi (Bolivia, 6088m), followed by Kilimanjaro (Tanzania, 5895m), Annapurna Thorong Pass (Nepal, 5416m) and Iztaccihuatl (Mexico, 5230m).

Also really like diving, I've got my SSI (=PADI) and enjoyed Ko Tao (Thailand, where I've been learning while the rest of the world was locked due to covid first wave), the Red Sea (Egypt), Galapagos (Ecuador), Noronha (Brazil), Puerto Madryn (Argentina), San Andres (Colombia), Zanzibar (Tanzania)...

"My" regular sport is rowing. I've been practising for maaany years while still in France on Garonne river. And now in Sao Paulo on their Raia Olimpica.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Til 2017, I was mainly going to hostels, but I progressively felt that, everywhere in the world, I was sleeping exactly at the same (cold) place, full of people sticked on their smartphones...
So, as I was planning to start a World Tour, I decided that I had to change my way of travelling. I tested it in Europe, met amazing people, and so I went further and met amazing locals on 4 continents, and brought so many nice memories from everywhere and with tens of new friends...
Definitely the best way to get human and friendly experiences, you never know how nice the next CSer will be, you only know he/she will be amazing. It definitely changed my way of travelling and, since travelling is an important part of my life, Couchsurfing also somehow changed my life...
And finally, when I got my own apartment in Chonburi, Thailand, I became a host, considering that it was fair after all that time travelling, and also in order to continue meeting nice people with nice stories and, somehow, continue travelling... Haven't hosted as much as I had been hosted (my city was not that touristic) but I've really liked it. So I did it again during the 18 months I've spent in Kinshasa, DRC. Again, not a very touristic place, so not tons of requests, but the positive in Kinshasa (as well as in Chonburi actually) was I met really interesting travelers, that were not only looking for the most touristic places in the World, but were also interested in what non-touristic places can offer.
I am now starting my third "host period" in Brazil, hopefully great people will send me requests, making me travel more by the stories they will bring with them.
CS for ever!

Interests

• culture
• theater
• wine
• politics
• reading
• music
• rowing
• teaching
• history
• travelling
• nature
• adventure
• trekking
• diving
• hanging out
• countries
• equality
• ayahuasca
• world food
• ngo
• development studies

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Everything, depending on my mood. I love listening and even playing classical music for example; but at the same time I am curious of the most recent hits. What impresses the most is the diversity between the traditional musics of the world.

Movies: I barely find time, but I like mainly comedies or, of course, adventure movies, when they make me relax and travel around the world at the same time.

Books: I have a certain interest in classics, but my favorite remain the historical books.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Waiting for more than a week under a deluge of gunfire and artillery until the Ethiopian army and the rebellion had finished "talking", to be able to leave Gondar City. (August 2023)
Following the narcos unofficial road in Venezuela, near the Colombian border, in the middle of the night with a taxi. (March 2018)
Playing drinking games based on Kim Jong Un's best seller in a hotel room in Pyongyang (North Korea). (October 2019)
Seing a terrorist attack just under my window in Kashgar (Xinjiang, Western China) and being then interviewed by Reuters about it. (August 2014)
Reaching Timbuktu (Mali) after 24 hours in a jeep, and slowly understanding (there was no tourist, only the army walking all around, and the police registering various details about my accommodation plans in order to protect me during the night) that I had definitely not chosen the best time to visit Northern Mali. (July 2015)
Running away from Cambodia to Laos because I hadn't agreed to pay the 3USD "corruption fee" to the guys at the immigration before leaving. (August 2012)
Making a group of Nepali sherpas astonished when I told them I had been hiking from Manang (3530m) to Muktinath (3800m) via Thorung La (5416m) and that I had managed to survive the acute mountain sickness. (October 2019)
Becoming likely the youngest university Chancellor in the history, 25 years, 9 months and 15 days old in Kankan Nabaya University (Guinea). (October 2014)
Telling tons of bullshit to a group of gangsters in Palermo until I was able to escape them without any loss of money. (February 2010)
Convincing the future French president François Hollande to sign various commitments for the children rights, one month before the election. (March 2012)
Playing chess with World champion Karpov in Russia and being able to get a draw at the end. (July 2006)
Publishing my first book when I was 14 years old. (January 2004)
Surviving malaria, dengue fever and covid-gamma.
Being part of this world.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach about French language and French culture... I would love to learn basics in the languages of the countries where I am travelling, and the history and culture of the places...
I am curious of what the people I meet have done extraordinary or normal, what motivates them in this world, how they see the future. Special focus on their most crazy adventures around the world.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I would like to share interesting discussions, with nice people, about almost any topic...
I can also share my experience of travelling (on the cheap) in many countries... (it has become a kind of speciality) and hear about other places they would advise.
As well as all what I can share... life is about sharing, right?...

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Albania, Andorra, Angola, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Northern Ireland, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City State, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Wales, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brazil, Chile, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Palestine, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Turkey, United States