CURRENT MISSION

Nail the Arabic alphabet

ABOUT ME

I'm a teacher, a vocal arranger and an auntie. Originally from Brighton, UK, currently living in Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia.

PHILOSOPHY

Keep the kid in you.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We'll see who gets in touch.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

None whatsoever!

Interests

I am a real sucker for live music (see below). Am also interested in issues relating to social justice, particularly the ethics of nationality, migration and border control.

• singing
• festivals
• ethics
• boating
• music
• live music
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

To describe my music taste crudely, I'd say jazz (traditional to modern), African (Desert Blues, Afrobeat..) and, er, 80s (sorry, can't help it!). Gigs over the years include Youssou N'Dour, Baba Maal, Femi Kuti, Oumou Sangare, Ismael Lo, Salif Keita, Soweto Gospel Choir, Etran Finatawa, Tinariwen, Amadou and Mariam, Incognito, Jamie Cullum, Esperanza Spalding, Robert Glasper, Raul Midon and Stevie Wonder.

Books: Resolution for 2013 is to add more to the list, but books this year include 1000 Splendid Suns (read it before you die), the Kite Runner (ditto), the Last King of Scotland, the Reader, half of Wild Swans, half of the Spirit Level, most of A Brief History of the World and have just started Things Fall Apart.

Directors: Woody Allen, Tim Burton, Danny Boyle, Ang Lee.
Films: Life of Pi, The Kids are Alright, Midnight in Paris, Slumdog Millionaire, the Beach, the English Patient, the Color Purple, Big Fish, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, 10 Canoes, American Beauty, the Way, Raise the Red Lantern, The Last King of Scotland

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Took a train from Moscow to Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Celebrated a wedding in Ouazzane, Morocco
Saw sculptures made from weapons in Maputo, Mozambique
Danced on a float, Pride festival, Brighton, UK
Took a boat on the Ganges, Varanasi, India
Stayed with a family in a township, Knysna, South Africa
Smoked a spliff in a rastafarian village, Knysna, South Africa
Saw the white nights in Oslo, Norway
Heard a horseman singing "I like to move it, move it" in Petra, Jordan
Heard my nephew blowing raspberries in church, nr Inverness, Scotland

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm an English language teacher by profession. I could also teach you a song in French, Japanese and Swahili.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Mozambique, Norway, Palestine, Portugal, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Mozambique, Russian Federation, Tunisia, United Kingdom