ABOUT ME

I have decided to take a year out before i head off to University next year. I started off by earning money at a renewable energy company helping to build solar and wind farms. Despite my parents protests, I headed out to South America alone for 5 months and fortunately i've come back alive.
My next destination is India where i will be volunteering on a health and sanitation project for 10 weeks.

PHILOSOPHY

My target for the end of my gap year is to have this box overfilling with my new life mantra

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am open to all experiences couch surfing has to offer!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I was backpacking round Europe with a friend this summer and after visiting Heidelberg we jumped on a train to Lyon which arrived in the early evening. Finding a place for the night was our first priority. The first place we tried was fully booked but they recommended another hostel on the other side of town. We underestimated how long it would take us to walk there and soon the evening had turned to dusk, the beautiful architecture had turned to deteriorating apartment blocks and men's eyes were glued to us wherever we walked. Our hopes were lifted when we eventually found the hostel we were looking for, only to be were crushed moments later when we were told they too were full for the night. It was gone 11 now and we sat down on a bench to decide what to do next and i started crying. Our little scene on the bench attracted the attention of a passing couple. After chatting to them for a couple of minutes they invited us back to their apartment for the night. Going against all we had ever learned about talking to strangers we immediately accepted the offer. They had a beautiful apartment, ordered pizzas and we played board games until the early hours! It was Fency and Diana who restored our faith in humankind and convinced me to sign up to the couchsurfing community in order to help me meet more people like them all over the world!

I was also fortunate enough to go to Carnival in Rio de Janeiro this year. A crazy experience only made possible due to the ability to couchsurf.

Interests

I'm trying hard (and failing) to learn Spanish. I am also trying (and failing) to learn the harmonica, keep fit and make bread, although it doesn't stop me practising them religiously. I love live music and going to festivals. I like films, particularly foreign ones, yoga, and wild swimming. I like studying Geography and i am very interested in sustainable development and renewable energy.

• architecture
• festivals
• yoga
• movies
• board games
• music
• live music
• backpacking
• surfing
• boxing
• swimming
• geography
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: radiohead, the strokes, arcade fire, the smiths, the cure, pink floyd, bon iver, metronomy, lcd soundsystem, kings of leon blah blah blah

Movies: drive, the girl with the dragon tattoo, submarine, tell no one, the secret lives of others, submarine, the diving bell and the butterfly, paradies, goodbye lenin

Books: the power of one, the art of fielding, the bell jar, the book thief, 1984, shantaram...

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Namibia, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, United Kingdom