About me:

I live in Donegal, in the north west of Ireland, where I was raised. I am married to Joyce who shares most, but not all, of my travels and teaching opportunities. Our three adult children are based in Spain, New Zealand and finally England where we have three grandchildren. So normally at home it is just the two of us and we like to welcome guests.

I own a ten acre forest of hardwood trees. The Facebook page “Carnagarve Forest Friends” gives more insight into my vision for developing it as a “community resource for wellbeing - physical, mental and spiritual”.

My first eight couchsurfing guests were in Sicily, where we both taught English from 2017-19. Now I am still involved in TEFL through various channels including voluntary teaching online and local refugees from Ukraine and elsewhere.

Although I have a Christian faith, guests of all faiths and none are very welcome. This is a home where people are free to honestly share their background and beliefs. In 2006 I trained to teach a very interactive 5 hour Bible seminar

My other interests include photography, reading/writing, cine-gym, cooking-by-numbers, astronomy and swimming - I have been known to skinny dip and engage in other naturist social events. [Go on - ask me what "cine-gym" is!]

For the past four years I have documented my life using INSTAGRAM.
You can find me on: https://www.instagram.com/lburns558/

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To make the most of the years between a full-time career and eventual full retirement, I want to travel inexpensively and meet up with some interesting, quirky people. This might even involve sharing in some of their experiences, different from what I'm used to. The essence of empathy is being able to "stand in another person's shoes."

Interests

• photography
• cooking
• swimming
• astronomy
• naturism
• bushcraft
• skinny dipping
• reading/writing
• cine-gym
• celtic christianity

Music, Movies, and Books

Music
Irish/Scottish/Canadian folk, classical, contemporary Christian
Books : Mann-Booker prize-winners; English classics; the odd thriller (until I get fed up of the writer's formula); quirky biography. Bill Bryson books. Biographies of people I admire.
Movies: Groundhog Day; Shawshank; most films starring Julie Walters (we share a birthday) and far too much free stuff on YouTube.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One thing per decade:
1950s - I was born!
1960s - During Canada's centennial year (1967) I travelled across the country by train and attended "Expo '67"
1970s - During my student holidays I worked on summer schemes with kids from deprived areas during the worst of the Northern Ireland "Troubles". This included calming a sectarian riot on a double decker bus.
1980s - I spent a night on Kongwe mountain (Malawi) watching the southern constellations silently rotate above me.
1990s and 2000s - I held down a (Physics) teaching job and raised a family. The amazing bit is surviving both.
2010s - A few days after my 60th birthday I packed in the science education and started a "twilight career" in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). My new journey has brought me so far to London, Hungary, Sicily and Edinburgh.
2020s - Over the last couple of years, I have been developing my ten acres of recreational forest which is wonderful to share with guests.

... to be continued ...

Teach, Learn, Share

- My home is in a beautiful part of Ireland. During the summer there are many beaches to visit.
- I don't do much hiking personally, but the area in which I live has some good options.
- My forest offers visitors a place to explore and learn.
- When travelling, if my hosts wished to improve their English through conversation - the best way - I would be happy to guide them. In the same way, I sometimes like to learn the language of my host. I studied basic Italian while living in Sicily.

What I Can Share with Hosts

- Let me transport you in your imagination to my homeland: its beauty spots, history and culture.
- I can cook some Irish food, but even better I have learned to make the following Italian dishes: arancini, carbonara, caponata, tiramisu and cannoli
- Through conversation in English, I can help non-native speakers improve their fluency and accuracy. If you'd like a sample of the Irish language, I'll teach you a few easy songs.
- Any number of Physics equations, if anybody wants them.
- A quick tour of the night sky on cloudless nights.

Countries I’ve Visited

England, France, Germany, Scotland, South Africa, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Ireland, Italy, Malawi