CURRENT MISSION

Discover this Blue Planet and save it :)
We are Earthians, forget borders, money, ethnicity, religion, all these evil ways that have divided us.

ABOUT ME

I am a pioneer with Couchsurfing as my badge says. I am a verified member, my address. I am old School Couchsurfing as a Pioneer member when all it was about sharing our lives together.
I have been doing a lot for this community since it really began in the early 2006, 2007. Yes, I have been part in the embryonic stage of Couchsurfing.
I am one of a few French person in my hood, I enjoy life and all its small happiness.
Take your time in reading my profile, please, please, please and please, and really please (my interests, philosophy, my participation and experience with CS, where I lived, where I travelled, the couch information...)

Your couch request will be REJECTED if I realize that you did not read my profile in its entirety. Yes, I can tell if you READ or not my profile. Old users of CS as I am, have our little tricks to select a happy few.

We are a family , meaning, there are children in this household with school hours and we do not do couchsurfing except at week ends and even at week-ends we can be very busy. These days I am personally very busy and cannot accept guests.
I don't let people I don't know in my house. Last minute requests will be rejected systematically.

As you might have understood already, I am French from France. If you are French and you address to me in English, you obviously did not read properly. That is my first indicator that your reading was sloppy. Tell me about yourself and why we should host you but even that is not enough to host you. And by YOU, it means only ONE PERSON, no more.
I get requests for weeks and for 4/5/6 people.
I am sorry but I am not your hotel replacement.

I am described as a funny, crazy little short person. I love food and love cooking. I enjoy what life gives us. People always adore my children, my daughter started couchsurfing she was 4 yeard old.

PHILOSOPHY

Life's too short.
I hate consumer society and the way people are made to believe that their happiness can only come with what they possess. Being successful, having a 4,000 square feet house, barbecue, swimming pool, kids in private schools ; this is NOT my way-of-life even if I would like the best for my family and my children. There are many more ways to gain happiness and watch the beauty out there than to have your bank accounts fully loaded and umpteen credit cards and a 40 years mortgage. This is however what Corporate U.S.A wants us to do. I don't abide by this and Earth is blessed with humble people like me.
I do a lot of recycling whenever I can, salvaging old pieces of furniture, food that would go to waste, using veggie peels, eggshells, teabags for compost.
I used to be an active member of FreeCycle.Org in Montreal and in Paris.
I was very active when we lived in Montreal, I was even a Monitor with the Freecycle Montreal team.
Everywhere I lived permanently or even on vacation trips, I would also do food dumpster diving in the local markets and then we get fresh products that gets eaten straight away.
I love the growing movement of ugly vegetables and fruits. I don't care for perfect. I want nutritious healthy food.
Dumpsterdiving is more difficult in the USA and specifically in San Francisco but after many years I manage to get random fruits and veggies at known addresses.

I have been totally for the Occupy People Everywhere in the world, Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Mission, Occupy Oakland, Occupy Cal, and with the Ferguson Protests, Women's March and anti Trump demonstrations.
All the more with this government in 2017. There are civil rights that are taken away from us and something needs to be done and something will occur in the near future and hopefully for the best. We have to act, we have to react.
Bernie Sanders is an amazing man, Elizabeth Warren...these people are heroes.
I support Represent US, an anti-corruption group and any events associated with Bernie Sanders and Coalition.

I dream for a better world, people caring for themselves and not being threatened with tribal power pettty wars, corporations, I dream of peace and equality. I wish for integration over segregation. I wish for healthcare for everyone as a right, libraries to thrive, local events with the children who are our future and taking them away from gang culture, drugs, they believe that they are nothing to society. We can all lay down our part and bring joy and happiness to this world. It's hard work and you have to believe that you can. We all can.

In Quebec, there is 7 million people and in France there is 8 million of people living under the poverty line, hence the whole population of Quebec.
Furthermore, in the US, there is 311 million (2011 census) and there are 40 million of poor people, that`s the whole population of Canada or even more !!
This is absurd and unbelievable ! Wherever you are from, the USA is a disaster zone and is as bad as some what were called some countries as the Third World. There is a lot of goodness too and when you get to know the people they are amazing. Not every American has voted for Trump.
We are the 99% under the command of the 1% evil, unscrupulous corporations, an elite who has more than any ordinary human being and always wants even more and more.

I am a daydreamer and I dream constantly. I believe in small happiness, birds, butterflies, trees and flowers. I like the small happiness, a I love you text message, a letter, a rainbow. warm rain, holding hands, kisses and hugs, à post-it note with warm thoughts. I am very sensitive and do not condone gross and rude behaviour.

In my house, my rules : respect, clean after yourself and no smoking, no loud music.

In my house, I don't let strangers in. You need to contact me a couple of weeks in advance so that we have the time to get to know one another even if it is only superficial and totally virtual. No last minute requests, not even a few days before your arrival and worst a couple of hours before your arrival. All these bad timely requests will be considered as rejectable. And you need to know the 'magic words', it's how I know you read thoroughly and not considered us as a mere replacement to a 80$/200$ hotel room. We are a family not a hotel.
If you can afford Burning Man 2017 and in the many years to come, my home will not be yours. Burning Man originated on a beach in San Francisco. It has become a disgustingly event for rich people who enjoy to flatter themselves and congratulate one another because they believe that they are the last tribe of artists mastering the Universe.

Je ne supporte pas cette société de consommation et la façon dont les gens pensent que leur bonheur ne pourra ainsi arriver qu'avec ce qu'ils possédent. Réussir dans la vie, avoir une maison de plus de 400m2 avec piscine et barbecue, les enfants dans une Grande école privée, n'est pas mon idée du bonheur même si je souhaite le meilleur pour mes enfants. Il y a tellement de manières de regarder ce monde et toute sa beauté que d'être heureux avec plein de cartes de crédit et une hypothèque de 40 ans ! Je suis en phase avec le recyclage que l'on veut bien nous permettre de faire dans les zones urbaines, je suis une membre très active de FreeCycle.Org et j'étais très active quand nous étions à Paris ainsi qu`a Montréal, il m'est arrivé aussi de faire les fins de marchés et de récupérer tous les invendus au moins sur six mois de l'anné et ainsi nourrir ma famille avec des produits frais ou en faisant des conserves et confitures qui étaient alors gardées pour l'hiver.
Je soutiens tous les gens des Occupy qui essayent de se faire entendre. Les situations économiques du monde entier sont absurdes !Quand je ne philosophe pas, je dors enfin...j`essaye !

My sleep is sacred, mon sommeil est sacré.

I can also be very sleepless, sleep deprived....Insomnia I hate you !

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I like to help with dishes, with pottering in the house, even help with the laundry if that is needed.Offering gifts is nice but it should not happen necessarily and some people seem only preoccupied with the gifts they are going to get.
There are infinite ways to reciprocate goodwill. I had this kind of CS experience and it's extremely annoying and frustrating. I am for the human contact of the Cs experience, I like to share and I enjoy to live with the people i host or who are hosting me, it's a sharing thing, we share the housework, we share the food we eat like we buy the food together or the person arrives with her food or with wine, we respect one other intimacy and so on and so forth... Please be honest about smokers in your house when you host because we are non smokers and we have children. You won't be allowed to smoke anywhere in my house. It's definitely polluting and unpleasant when we are in a smoking environment.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

We've had very BAD and very GOOD CS experiences Some people do not have the CS attitude and that's unfortunate. My first remark is that smokers should not be allowed ! Some others have the CS attitude and they should gain a medal for it so much they are great hosts !
I agree to enjoy the moment of the connection with CS however I feel extremely betrayed when there is a so-called friendship and people are just freeloaders. If you expect to just crash at my place, pass your way, I want connections and talk to you about umpteen thousands things and enjoy your company. I would try to choose people who feel the same way too.

Take your time in writing to me. Don't expect that I will accept your request because you give me notice two days before your arrival or even one hour notice. I need time to know a little bit of who you are, read your profile and then make a decision. I have children and I won't let just anybody enter my house.
Couchsurfing warns you that you should have backup plans. Take your time to read my profile too and see if we visited the same places, if we saw the same films and like the same music or if you don't share anything, maybe we can still get along because it is all about generosity and honesty as well. When you do a request, be open of who you are and then we can arrange something together. It does help with the Connection and the time we will then want to spend together through the CS experience. And don't forget the golden keye ! Golden key ??? The magical words. Yes, a password, is hidden in my text so that I am sure you read my profile and a couchrequest without the password will automatically be rejected.
I am not your hotel replacement. Yes, San Francisco is expensive but if you managed to come all the way here you can finance your hotel as well. I am not your way of saving money that way. You are only interested in using our generosity. It is the plain truth and as a pioneer it saddens me how ugly this accommodation generous movement became.
I rarely accept a request unless you read all my rules.

Interests

J'aime rencontrer les gens, parler de tout et de rien. J'aime aussi partager les occupations quotidiennes de la maison, faire le linge, la vaisselle. J'aime cuisiner pour mes hôtes qu'ils soient dans ma maison ou que ce soit moi dans leur maison.
Je peux être grincheuse si j'ai mal dormi mais sinon j'aime bien faire la fête et j'apprécie les gens polis,agréables,sympathiques et généreux.

I enjoy to socialize with lots of people. I like to share what's happening in the house be it dishes, laundry or the cooking of a meal. I can get grumpy if i did not sleep well, however I like to party and get around people who have things to say, tell and who are kind about everything. Politeness is a must with me. Sorry the golden key is not there, carry on with your search,

• birds
• culture
• writing
• beauty
• civil rights
• environment
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• breakfast
• wine
• coffee
• bbq
• running
• partying
• flowers
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• billiards
• socializing
• dumpster diving
• magic
• music
• outdoor activities
• scuba diving
• rock climbing
• swimming
• teaching
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

Totally a Depeche Mode Fan, electronic music and the 1980' music, you will definitely hear some :)
but I also love classical music with Mozart, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Satie, Rossini, Verdi ...

My favourite movies are American Beauty, Moulin Rouge, Gone with the wind, E.T, West Side Story, the Island, Good Will Hunting, Singing in the Rain, My Fair Lady, Titanic, Les Poupées Russes,La Grande Vadrouille, La Folie des Grandeurs,...

I have favourite actors : Ewan McGregor, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernard Giraudeau. When you ask me for a place to live, you should first tell me who is my favourite French actor. I will tell you that I met him, was his official Webmaster, etc.

I get bored with fiction and novels unless they are really good and well written. I prefer History Books with the big H. I wanted to become an Archeologist when I was small...I am a HISTORY fan of all periods as well.
I am very much into politics and always have been.
It lead me on Terrorism, Counterterrorism, my experiences in the Republic of Ireland, in Northern Ireland, and as a research assistant back then I was in the middle of what has been coined "The Troubles".
Maybe you wonder why I was there and since what age. You can ask me. I will gladly answer. My son is I would say 300% Scottish and in our correspondance you should ask me why. Something Like "why do you say that your son is 300% Scottish " or something similar I may be able to let you know more about us.

My favourite French author is Eric Emmanuel Schmitt : l'Evangile selon Pilate, l'enfant de Noë...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I did a tour of Europe in 1992 travelling from France, Italy, Austria, Czeck Republic, Hungary, Serbia, Greece, Italy again, France, Spain and back to France. That was a big circle ! And it opened for me the doors of great knowledge. It gave me a key to wisdom. All that in just one month as I was with a EuroPass Train and I also hitchhiked that same month from Bordeaux to south Spain in Malaga and then again back up, from Malaga, Madrid and Hendaye, South West of France.
I never did like jumping from a bridge or an airplane, I am not that kind of person :=)
However I rock climb when I have the time and I am a very serious rock climber. I train indoors to be able to do outdoors. I am passionate about rock climbing and if you are a rock climber, we can go and enjoy or talk about it. I also run and do the very SF thing to do like the 5k,7k, Bay to Breakers run.

I do cooking workshops in my house once in a while with friends because I really like cooking and I love the sharing experience. Remind me of my mission in life and what I said about it. You know I am a teacher and I have a great memory but sometimes I have memory holes. I have always taught either English or French from time to time to adult students but children from PreKindergarten up to 4th year University, are levels I can do too.

Teach, Learn, Share

J'aime bien apprendre des nouvelles recettes de cuisine et j'aime bien transmettre ce que je sais en cuisine. J'aime les épices et les tisanes.

I love to learn about new recipes and I love sharing some of my knowledge in cooking. I like herbs and herbal teas.

I teach French or English , it has depended quite a lot on where I lived.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Nothing much these days, I'm Sorry.

You need to have your OWN FOOD, I can provide one breakfast, a cup of coffee or tea but that's it.

I will ask you to get anything you used to be clean and dry and put where you found it or if it is beddings, clean, dry and folded before you leave. It's common sense but in the late years, people no longer understand the Couchsurfing community and only use it as an alternative to avoid paying a hotel. You are missing the point.

I can share some of my time if my schedule allows it.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, France, United Kingdom

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