Both Janine and myself are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

CURRENT MISSION

exploring places, cultures, and souls... seeking authentic friendships and knowledge of the other along with my fiancée Janine

ABOUT ME

Was learning the languages of the Arabs (literary Arabic, the Arabic of the streets, the language of the body, the language of the heart)... in Damascus. The desire to make myself useful has taken me, after those marvelous years in Syria before the war, to many other Arabic countries. this days in Lebanon, country of my fiancée.

PHILOSOPHY

"The road to true happiness... is in diminishing the excess of the desires over the faculties AND putting power and will in perfect equality" (J.J. Rousseau) It's not personal but I guess it's a good philosophy of life!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

well, you can say so by now -- in France, Mexico, Belize, more recently in Québec (the WONDERFUL community of Mashtuiatsh, on the Lac St-Jean) and in Oman... I also discovered the most CS-friendly country in the world -- any guesses? (put a guess in your request ;-)

Interests

development and post-conflict reconstruction (sonds kinda' dry but it's SOOOO necessary), theatre, jazz, ethnic rock and other local musics, local cuisines, mountain hikes, ski, snorkeling, speleology

• arts
• literature
• poetry
• theater
• wine
• yoga
• music
• jazz
• hiking
• slow food
• quality time

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies:
"Pokayanie" (Sergey Abuladze)
"Korczak" (Andrei Vajda)
"Breaking the waves" and others alike ***

Music:
Goran Bregovic, Queens, Manu Chao, Benabar, Lhassa, all latin, most Middle Eastern (ex. Kadhim al-Sahir -- isn't he great when he sings on Nizar Qabbani's poems?!?)
***

Books:
I love literature but I love even more reading from life, in an Odysseic approach to knowledge (it's not for nothing that this guy, Ulysse, got lost (lost?!) for 10 years in the Mediterranean before going back home from Troy!)... speaking of travels and self discovery, you guys should also give the recent Canadian novel "Life of Pi" a try!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Helping collect some of the last weapons of FARC in Colombia, after they signed the peace agreement and decided to reintegrate in civilian life!

Teach, Learn, Share

-- Middle Eastern habits, culture, and politics!
-- East European, South European habits and culture

Janine is a great cook of Lebanese home food so you may taste some when we travel together. I don't know how to cook but I love trying new dishes, especially vegetarian or fish-based. I'm going to the fruits and vegetable market or the fish market early in the morning, when all the produce is fresh! We can go together and share the process, I'll buy whatever fresh produce is necessary for us and you'll do the cooking for dinner ;-)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can show you around the beautiful South Lebanon! And to the real restaurants in the old souq.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Belize, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Serbia, Spain, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Algeria, Colombia, Egypt, France, Lebanon, Romania, Syrian Arab Republic, United States, Yemen

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