CURRENT MISSION

Now living in Nantes! how to change that?!? Mission is planting roots and exploring the city with enthusiasm and generosity!

ABOUT ME

We are a Franco-Ethiopian family (some Vietnam and Yemen background as well :0) with a boy born in 2008 and a girl born in december 2011. Our family style is a mix of different cultures and influences, I'm constantly growing :-D UPDATE my ex- and I are separated but we are getting along fine! I'm in charge of the kids most of the time.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Before I knew of this CS project, I spent years wishing to reactivate hospitality in Europe, regretting the seclusion of the well-off. One of my dreams come true! I hope to involve for good.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Great beside Nantes, with my kids 7&3, for a week. Great in Bruxelles with my kids (3 1/2 years and 4 monthes old). Great in Millau too and a couple other places in France. Some of it before knowing this site/project... In Paris, Romania (at locals), Cambodia (at french expatriates), Thailand (in a local fisherman's family). I hope I can do a great deal more of it with my children, I'm so thrilled to meet people this way (surfing or hosting), I know this gives the real experience I love.

Interests

Action and transformation! Adventure and personal growth! I'm a transformational professional and personal coach. Currently writing my next book. And still a little bit : enjoying life as it is, learning, travelling, reading, discovering new fields of interest and people. Currently into coaching, aka helping people become the best version of themselves, and still unschooling my kids- that is: following and building on their personal interests. And I keep an eye in a lot of other things, from religion to low-impact building, non-violent communication, agroforestry... Also learning about wild plants - eatable or not - to share strange salads with my kids while walking around.

• arts
• coach
• walking
• gardening
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• painting
• music
• surfing
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

Seth Godin : most of his books and his blog.
Scott Dinsmore, blog Live Your Legend.
Dan Roam, Blah, blah, blah.
Thomas Gordon, Parental Efficiency Training
Jean Liedloff, The Continuum Concept
Laura Grace Weldon, Free Range Learning
Formerly : classicals from 15th to 19th century in French (Balzac, Corneille, too many others) and English (Shakespeare, Austen, James), plus some translated specially from Japanese, Russian, German, Greek. But after this life of intensive fiction, I quitted completely and all my reading now is non-fiction.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My son, born at home, beside the window. My girl born in secrecy, just the two of us with God!
Artistic squatts in Paris, I was priviledge to live with about 20 people of many different nationalities, status (illegal immigrants to well-off Frenchs Jews!), ages (teens to elderly), arts (none, gardening to video, ethnic music to painting, installations and performances...)

Teach, Learn, Share

I want to learn how to apply more of what I've learned - to act as I know best.

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Guadeloupe, Italy, Laos, Romania, Sweden, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Yemen

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ethiopia, France, United States