CURRENT MISSION

To do more things than I would have done yesterdayDidn't PLAN to be robbed at knife-point though!

ABOUT ME

Best way to explain me is to read my references.

PHILOSOPHY

To encourage people to never be afraid of doing anything and to never allow a fear to get in the way of a choice. To explore, learn and to discover as much as possible. To plug oneself into the world and to connect.

Что привело меня на Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I can host/meet-up/hang-out sometimes but also I have stayed with some really cool people during my recent travels.

Previously, I said 'yes' to everybody who asked to stay at my place, if I had space. I only did this for one month but, in Nice, I was getting up to 5 requests every single day.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Another update. I am very disappointed that during the last three weeks in America I had had to stay only in hostels and hotels because many, many people from NY and Fort Lauderdale weren't able to even reply to my couchsurfing requests. Although, a few people did reply to say they are busy and one very fun girl did meet me in FL for a drink or two.

Previously, I have met people in France at a couple of meet-ups, hosted over 30 people at my place during a one-month period, stayed with three hosts in Malaysia and Singapore (all of whom were fantastic) and met a few people in Philippines both at meet-ups and one-off meets, all of whom were kind and fun.

I have been fortunate enough to make some really good friends during those times.

Интересы

Skating, running, swimming (well, floating, I don't really swim), music, doing new things, being outside or with people.

• dancing
• dining
• running
• drinking
• clothing
• traveling
• music
• swimming

Музыка, кино и книги

Dune Quotes
- "I am dead to everyone unless I try to become what I may be"
- "Fear is the mind killer. I must not fear."
I found a website called HomingBooks that lets you share your reading experiences and books with other people...it's really cool. I found a book at the airport that had already been half way around the world and have been able to read who else read it!

Классная вещь, которую я сделал(-а)

I wrote this story on the back of a travel itinerary during May 2008 and this section has finally inspired me to type it up. It's not really amazing, but it was a very emotional experience.

Here goes:
==========

I don't know what to say, nor do I know exactly how I feel, soI will tell only what happened.

I am in a country where it is normal to earn $5-$8 per day in the city, and where many employees spend up to 50% of this amount on their travel and food costs for the day. When I was last here, I slept at a place where it is normal for the family to sleep side-by-side on a bamboo floor - six people in one room, wrapped up only in their clothes like sardines in the tin that is their tiny little half-burned down house. I also stayed with a more wealthy family where the mother and two daughters share a bed, and the aunt, nephew and neice share another. The youngest daughter told me a story about how she saw a beggar in the street eating a dead, maggot-ridden rat.

An hour ago, I was sutck. A mistake by somebody at my bank caused me to be unable to withdraw money having already bought my flight out of the capital city. I had no telephone credit, no cash left and had just been reminded of the airport tax ($5). My debit card does not allow me to withdraw because my bank kindly decided to block it and I needed to telephone them to unblock it, but I couldn't because I had no money for the payphone, and anyway, it is not possible to get enough coins to use the phone for more than two minutes on a local call, never mind a ten minute international call.

One of the girls at the airport had taken pity on me and gave me about $4 from her pocket, and pleaded with the other staff to pay the remaining $1 on my behalf. I promised to give her the money back, but she was not interested. I insisted and ask for her phone number in any case. I later discovered that she is married and has two children. She had given up more than her daily salary in order to help me out.

I have no idea how that makes me feel. Humbled. Sad. Happy. Overjoyed. Depressed. Confused. I have never experienced kindness of this magnitude from an absolute stranger.
==================
There, that is my story. Three times during that trip, I had tried to get her money back to her but circumstances prevented.

===UPDATE===
She wouldn't let me pay her back. "Knowing that I helped you and hearing 'thank you' is enough"

Учу, учусь, делюсь опытом и информацией

I can teach absolute beginners to skate, and can teach absolute beginner to intermediate computer skills. I would like to learn to surf or kite-surf or parascend.

But MOST OF ALL, I would like to learn to dance or swim.

Где я побывал(-а)

Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Где я жил(-а)

France, Philippines, United Kingdom