I'm an open-minded person who likes people and culture. I enjoy connecting with others about our shared humanity, and learning about our interesting differences.
I am a socially engaged person who believes we should all do what we can, with our skills, means, and interests, to improve the world. I like to contribute to community-building on the small-scale, as part of friend networks and local social initiatives. I also work toward and support broader efforts to advance human rights and social justice.
I like to explore urban, small-town and rural places, and also spend time in nature -- away from media, phones, city noise and technology. I like to set aside time toward being creative -- through things like cooking, pottery, letter-writing and poetry, and watercolour painting.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The short answer is, it's fun, sociable, interesting and affordable, and gives you a much better view into the cultures and places where you travel.

Right now, I am travelling for four months in Europe, and would really enjoy connecting with people in some of the new places I will be visiting there, such as Bordeaux and St. Malo (France), Jersey, and various Spanish towns and cities.

Through Toronto friends who are couchsurfing hosts, I have enjoyed meeting many couchsurfers from all over the world, have stayed friends with several of them, and even hosted a few of them informally (before joining couchsurfers). I've also met up great people abroad, through friends who know them from couchsurfing, such as when I went to Sarajevo a few years ago.

I really enjoy travelling most when I can connect with a local person, and hear their views, histories and recommendations about their community or region. Often, I plan my travels based on where my friends live, but it would be lovely to go to new places and get an insider perspective! Plus, it's more friendly and connected with the local culture and community -- not to mention more affordable -- to stay with folks rather than in a hostel or hotel.

Interests

• cats
• singing
• meditation
• walking
• pottery
• hiking
• anthropology
• languages
• social science
• social justice
• different cultures
• mindfulness
• community
• humour
• reading and writing

Music, Movies, and Books

I love books and was a bookseller in my earlier life, as well as studying literature, so it's hard to narrow this down. I enjoy fiction (like Margaret Atwood!), and especially Indigenous Canadian and US authors like Tom King (also his non-fiction), Richard Wagamese, Thomson Highway and Sherman Alexie. But I also like great, fun stories, like Harry Potter! Non-fiction I enjoy tends toward science (Neil DeGrasse Tyson), political and social commentary (Rebecca Solnit, and especially with humour it it, like Caitlyn Moran), biography (lately Trevor Noah's "Born a Crime") and things on meditation and mindfulness, like Thich Nhat Hahn, Pema Chodron and Jon Kabat-Zinn.

Movies: I've tended to move away from more serious drama and suspense, and toward both documentary, and more uplifting and lighter stuff as I've gotten older. In the past several years I've enjoyed Hidden Figures, Up, Wonder Woman, Ghost Busters and The Incredibles, as well as a lot of Indigenous, feminist, Canadian, international, and/or LGBTQ documentaries, feature-length, and short films.

I have eclectic music tastes, and tend to pick up music from friends and acquaintances. I like international music, protest music, folk, singer-songwriter, alt rock, some rock, ambient, some blues, jazz and classical. I suppose I'm least a fan of heavy metal and hard rock. I'm famously bad at getting lyrics right!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

On the travel front, I recently walked half of the Camino Frances in Spain, 400+ km from St. Jean Pied de Port to near León. I really loved it, and hope to go back finish the Camino, to Santiago and on to the sea.

I also am very proud of the work I have done (through my job) toward LGBT equality in Ontario, especially recognition of transgender people's rights.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Let’s talk!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Wales, Zambia

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, England, United States