I am an outgoing person who loves good conversation and the simple things of life! I love travelling, discovering and exploring. In general I prefer slow travel and living in the places I visit, at least for a while. I also love the outdoors and am based in a wild coastal village in Wales. I spend a lot of the time in the ocean, in my garden and building fires. I've spent many years of my life in education of various sorts and spent the past 5 years teaching at Aberystwyth University - both Creative Writing and Art History. Now I have itchy feet again and want to return to Italy where I lived at the beginning of 2020 to improve my speaking skills and visit more of the south.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I believe that really discovering and exploring new places is dependent on the people that you meet there and the insights that they can give you. I have done Couchsurfing for a long time -- on the previous database and couchsurfed across Russia and Germany when I was 22. I had such a fantastic time that year and learnt so much from the hosts that I stayed with! I have also used couchsurfing over the years to connect with new communities in countries across the world. It's such a great way to touch in with a ready-made community in a new place. I would love to Couchsurf in Italy too, to learn more about the South with people from that region who are open to sharing their passion for their localities.

Interests

• writing
• gardening
• reading
• hiking
• art history
• good conversation
• vegetarian cooking
• cycle touring
• creative writing
• living fully
• living alternatively

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: The Neopolitan Novel series by Elena Ferrante, 'The Golden Notebook' by Doris Lessing, 'Music and Silence' by Rose Tremain, 'Pig Earth' by John Berger, 'The Idiot' by Dostoevsky.

Music: 'Nardis' and 'Waltz for Debby' by Bill Evans, 'September Song' sung by Sarah Vaugn, 'Montagne St Genevieve' by Django, 'My Funny Valentine' by Chet Baker.

Movies: 'Jules et Jim' by Truffaut, 'Breathless' and 'When God Created Women' by Goddard, anything by Pasolini, 'The Leopord' by Visconti, 'Rome Open City' by Rosselini, 'The Magician' by Ingmar Bergman and the list goes on...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Gone on a journey up to the top of the Great Wall of China with some friends and wild camped at the top in a place that no tourists will ever go to!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can help you with your writing as I used to teach on a creative writing course, I can help you with singing, playing the piano, learning English, veggie cooking, lindy hop dancing,

What I Can Share with Hosts

Music, my experiences and thoughts about the world, lovely vegetarian food, thoughts about culture and art, help in the house and garden, tips on hiking and travelling.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, France, Germany, Italy, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Peru, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Iceland, Italy, Wales