CURRENT MISSION

Finding contentment in work and relationships

ABOUT ME

I am a French girl living in Helsinki, after spending many years in the US. I'm a grad student in design at Aalto University. Not sure where I'll go next, but I'm pretty happy here for now :)

I really enjoy traveling but have not had a chance to do much leisure travel. Most of my trips have been for educational or family purposes. I have always thought that we are not necessarily born in the country that fits us best, nor that that one country will not change throughout our lifetimes. That is part of the reason why I enjoy traveling: not just for discovering new places, but also in search of a society and locale that feel as close to a perfect fit as possible.

PHILOSOPHY

I feel that I am waiting for a point in my life when I will feel well settled where I am and with what I am doing.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am hoping to find couches for my travels through this site. It would be nice to meet some interesting people along the way.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Seoul, Copenhagen, Stockholm

Interests

I really enjoy studying languages. French is my first language and I learned English after moving to America. I then started studying German in high school and Swedish for a short time at university. I am now focusing on Korean. I also really enjoy listening to a range of different types of music. I have also been knitting and crocheting on and off for the past couple of years.

• cooking
• traveling
• knitting
• music
• languages
• science
• social science

Music, Movies, and Books

I don't watch many movies but my favorite movie that I have watched in the past few years is Pan's Labyrinth. I also really like Shaun of the Dead. I don't watch enough movies though so I'd love to have some recommendations!
I watch more television than movies. I really love British comedies and panel shows (Would I Lie to You?, 8 Out of 10 Cats, etc.). I also really like British and French documentaries (or "reportages"). They are much more authentic than the American alternative. I do watch some American shows as well though. I really enjoy Top Chef, Brooklyn 99, the Mindy Project, and the new show Broad City.
I have always enjoyed reading as one of my greatest hobbies. However, since I have started university, I don't do as much reading in my free time. The books I read over the summer are French translations of Agatha Christie and other similar, though usually more recent, crime mysteries. I have been reading Jo Nesbo for about 5 years since those books started being translated into French. Since I went to high school in the US, I'm also trying to catch up on classic French literature I didn't get to study, like Zola and Balzac.
I mostly listen to pop indie rock and I also enjoy some good French electro music. I am always open to listening to different genres though. Some of my favorite bands/artists at the moment are Cut Copy, Kings of Convenience, Sondre Lerche, Fred Falke, Humming Urban Stereo, Phoenix, Miami Horror, etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This will seem rather mundane because it is something many people have done, but I am very proud of myself for learning English and I think it is amazing that I have learned Korean up to this level. Though Korean has been more academic, I learned English out of necessity after having moved to the US. When I think about how difficult life was for me when I did not speak any English at all and how far I have come, I think it is truly amazing.

Teach, Learn, Share

This is something I have realized rather recently and I am not sure whether it is true for all people. I am getting to a point in my life at which I am meeting a lot of new people as I change settings and I have found that the people I form new ties with tend to remind me of friends I have had from before. I then fall into the trap of getting as comfortable in the new friendship as I am with the old friendship that I am reminded of. So I think my advice here would be to remember where you stand in your relationships with people so you don't confuse them and get yourself into uncomfortable positions.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Knitting, languages, cooking, travel stories!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Mali, Sweden, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, South Korea, United States