ABOUT ME

It can be difficult to write these things without sounding boring/delusional/pretentious so I'll stick to some facts and let you decide when you meet me...

I'm 27, an engineer by training and originally from Coventry, England; that's where I'm currently living again temporarily after I recently finished working on the 2012 Olympics. I see myself living in London for the next few years.

I love to meet people, expand my range of interests, travel, and learn new things. I have a serious side, being interested in science and technology, the environment, sustainable living, international development, social justice and politics; but equally I also love watching or participating in sport & music, banter & comedy, and relaxing with friends (new or old) over a beer or good meal.

PHILOSOPHY

I love to have focus, goals to work towards, and to see the bigger picture behind things. This is both a great strength and weakness of mine. I like to keep an open mind and, while I hold stock in others' opinions (especially those I know & trust) ultimately I tend to learn by doing things myself...and if it goes wrong, learn what I can from it and move on!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

My CS experiences to date have been very positive. I'd like to host when I'm in a living situation that allows for it, which it doesn't at the moment. CS has, however, introduced me to a whole community that welcomes newcomers and offers a diverse range of people and events. As such going to events through the CS community is the main way I participate.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I stayed with my first hosts when I moved to Toronto in Summer 2010, which was a very welcoming experience and a fanastic demonstration of trust and hospitality. While surfing I was introduced by my host to the CS community in Toronto, and stayed involved once I found my own place. I had some great CS times there and also subsequently in Coventry and London since I've been back in England.

More surfing will be on the cards soon I hope...and eventually hosting I hope (see above).

Interests

Career-wise, my primary interest is sustainable energy, in which I aim to develop my long-term career. From 2011-2012 I took a bit of a diversion though and worked in transport planning for the London 2012 Olymics.

Otherwise...sports inc. rugby, football, tennis, (ice) hockey, running, working out at the gym and snowboarding; listening to music, playing drums and bass guitar, travel, internet, politics, culture, language, cuisine.

• culture
• environment
• beer
• running
• working out
• politics
• technology
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• guitar
• drums
• surfing
• snowboarding
• sports
• soccer
• hockey
• olympics
• tennis
• rugby
• engineering
• languages
• science
• language exchange

Music, Movies, and Books

My music taste is too varied to pin down in a few words; I can like anything from funky '70s disco to shoegazing indie to classical.

I'm not really a film buff but there's the occasional movie that really grabs me for one reason or another - examples include American Beauty and Snatch. I tend to be more into TV series than movies and love sharp comedies like Frasier, Friends and The Simpsons (in its prime), as well as a good bit of satire (Have I Got News for You is pretty much my favourite show, almost anything by Charlie Brooker finds favour with me too).

To be honest I haven't read any fiction in quite a while, but have delved into a few autobiographies.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Seeing the sunset atop Angkor Wat in Cambodia was pretty amazing!

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm always interested in language exchange - currently I'm looking to advance my French towards fluency (I'd say it's somewhere between intermediate and expert on the CS scale) and would like to add more languages to my repertoire in the future, as well as perhaps helping non-native speakers with their English.

I love a good jam with musicians too - I'm a drummer & bass player.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Cambodia, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Ireland, South Africa, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Thailand, United Kingdom

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