Hi! I'm a Brit who's lived in a bunch of places (France, Switzerland, Japan, Italy and stints in bits of Latin America) who loves meeting new people from all over. Currently exploring the Nordic countries -- one of my favourite corners of the world. I used to be a diplomat in a former life, which means I'm house-trained and know how to eat with my mouth closed. But I left that world behind a while ago, so there's no risk of me showing up in a suit. I'm into indie music, snowboarding, hiking, camping and picnics.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To meet like minded, open minded, worldly souls who want to share their corner of the world with me or vice versa.

Interests

• indie pop
• cycling
• japan
• picnics
• the sea
• norway
• wild swimming
• sunlight

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Cats on Fire (Finland). Everyone on Labrador Records (Sweden). Pulp (UK).
Movies: Me, You and Everyone we Know
Books: Books about Japan.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can fix bikes and computers - at least the basic stuff - happy to share my knowledge. I used to teach the English language to bored Japanese teenagers and housewives, so can probably remember my phrasal verbs from my gerunds. I also know *a lot* about the European Union and the World Trade Organisation and in general I'm a geek when it comes to alternative economics, sustainability and degrowth. Finally, I'm also a dab hand at procrastination, daydreaming, dreaming in general.

Am keen to learn some basic yoga, and some knowledge of sustainable building / living techniques.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Happy to cook - how does chickpea dahl, veggie chili, Moroccan cous cous, zucchini and pesto pasta or refried bean and avocado tacos sound?

Or can do language exchange -- I'm keen to speak German and Italian at the moment. Can exchange for English (used to be an English teacher) or French (up to intermediate level -- I still make mistakes).

Or if you have a bicycle that needs some light maintenance then I might be able to help!

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, United States, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Switzerland