Recently travelled through Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in September, October, November, December, 2019.. Now, back home in Victoria, BC. I've recently retired. I studied teaching; BEd. in Secondary School Spanish and Social Studies. I taught as a substitute teacher (mostly as a French as a Second Language (FSL) and French Immersion - elementary school) for four years (1989-93).
For most of my working life I worked as a public policy researcher (written background materials and submissions) for construction unions in BC, Canada.
I've also worked as a community organizer and activist.
I'm interested in languages, labour history, Buddhism (Theravada) and cycling.
Skills: In addition to my experience teaching Spanish and French languages I taught ESL in Central America for six months. I've also studied German for two years during my university years. On the trip to SE Asia I studied Vietnamese and Laos at language centres (two week intensive study with a tutor in each language). In Luang Prabang, Laos, I have volunteered for two weeks at Big Brother Mouse - BBM - http://bigbrothermouse.com/ (October,November 2019) helping young people practice and learn English. There’s a photo with students at BBM with my profile.
Other skills; writing, research, communications/media, bicycle repairs, basic computer skills.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I’m interested in meeting local residents in the countries I travel in. I love learning languages and would like to practice my beginners Vietnamese and Lao. I’m also looking to teach English, help with writing skills, history, or help as a community organizer with an NGO during my stays in Ho Chi Minh City and other cities in Vietnam.

Interests

• books
• education
• environment
• meditation
• politics
• cycling
• history
• languages
• travel
• language learning
• community organizing
• buddism
• unions
• cooperatives
• retreats

Music, Movies, and Books

Some of my favourite films: The Lives of Others, Cinema Paradiso, Strawberries and Chocolate, all of Costa Gravas’ films.
Books: All of those by Gabriel Garcia Marques, Javier Marias, Jorje Vargas Llosa, Arundati Roy, Malcolm Lowry,
I listen weekly to the CBC show, Writers’ and Company hosted by Elenor Wachtel to listen to interviews with authors from around the world. So many great books to read by browsing her website and listening to her interviews.
Tony Judt’s histories of modern Europe are also an on-going source of information.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

During my working life I helped organize migrant workers in the construction industry. These workers are very vulnerable, not able to speak English, and easily exploited. One case, the Canada Line project, ended in a victory for the workers when the BC Human Rights Tribunal ordered a payment of over $2.3 million Cdn compensate 40 Latin American workers who suffered discrimination while working in Canada.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach English and writing skills. Discuss a wide variety of world history and political issues. But mostly I’m interested in hearing from local residents and learning about their lives and history.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Now at 63 years I’ve accumulated quite a few of my own stories, experiences and skills. Some of these are mentioned in my profile above. I would like to continue these themes with hosts to discover our shared interests and learn from each other.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Ireland, Italy, Laos, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russian Federation, Scotland, Sweden, United States, Uruguay, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Austria, Chile, Cuba, Nicaragua, Spain