CURRENT MISSION

Save the world, go places, learn, and meet awesome people along the way!

ABOUT ME

I'm friendly, laid-back, respectful, down to earth and interested in many different things. I'd love to get to know you and learn about your culture and interests and experiences! I'm curious, independent, passionate about things important to me, and can be a bit stubborn. I have a good sense of humour, can hold a decent conversation, and I'm honest and open-minded. I hate prejudice in any form. I don't smoke, drink socially (not often) and I'm vegan (previously vegetarian for 10+ years).

I enjoy good company, but need to spend a fair amount of time alone. I'm not really a party girl and I much prefer catching up with a few close friends to a night of clubbing. As a traveller, I'm clean, tidy, respectful and quite self-sufficient - I don't need "babysitting", feeding, or constant entertaining. Having said that, I'd love to hang out with you and have a chat or share a meal if you'd like! I'd rather be straightforward from the start, so I will mention that I'm bi and queer-friendly :) I love the bush (nature), animals, being outdoors, travelling, adventure, learning, volunteering, good (vegan) food, meeting new people, and having fun!

I'm open to getting to know all different "types" of people, but I'd particularly love to meet some more friends interested in outdoor activities, sustainability and nature :) Please feel free to contact me if you think we'd get along!

PHILOSOPHY

None really, except that I aim to be true to myself always. I hate "just sitting there", I always want to be doing something to improve things. I think that trust and respect are the most important things in any form of relationship. And good communication is essential too! :) I think that choice is a luxury that far too few people have - and that those who do have that luxury, often take it for granted. Some sayings/mottos that lie along the lines of my own thoughts and beliefs, and that I try to incorporate into my own life:
Live and let live. (Anonymous)
There's no justice, there's just us. (Anonymous)
A life lived in fear is a life half lived. (Anonymous)
Change is the only constant. (Anonymous)
Be the change you want to see. (Gandhi)
A society is only as successful as its least fortunate members. (Anonymous)
What you do not do today, you will regret tomorrow. Live without regrets! (Anonymous)
The future is not somewhere we are going, it is something we are making. (unknown)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To connect and learn with others who are interested in sharing their/our cultures and daily lives and experiences, and to hopefully make the world a friendlier, more open-minded and trusting place.

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

In the past, hosting couchsurfers and showing people around Melbourne and surrounds when possible - at the moment, just showing people around when I can. I've only couchsurfed a couple of times so far myself (great experiences), but would love to do some more in the future!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My previous housemate and I hosted our first 'official' couchsurfer in July 2011, and between then and October 2012 (when we both moved), we had many other lovely couchsurfers to stay! I've also had friends stay over of course, and have acted as "tour guide" for various other travellers (not just couchsurfers).

As for couchsurfing myself, I've done some wwoofing and stayed at friends' places, but only technically couchsurfed for 2 nights so far! I also used to be a professional housesitter and petminder (so can provide excellent personal references if potential hosts require). I really enjoy the opportunity to learn about other people's cultures and countries, so I appreciate meeting others who are happy to share their experiences and languages! :)

Couchsurfers my previous housemate (Luke) and I hosted:
2011 Alison - Australia - 15/7/11 to 16/7/11
Adelaide and Agathe - France - 18/7/11 to 21/7/11
Tim and Malin - Germany - 18/7/11 to 25/7/11
Alina and Dominika - Germany (NZ!) - 1/8/11 to 3/8/11
Merle and Sophia - Germany - 2/8/11 to 6/8/11
Kyleisha - NZ - 4/10/11 - 5/10/11
Paula and Florian - Germany - 23/10/11 to 26/10/11
Karim - Egypt - 24/10/11 to 27/10/11
Danielle - USA - 29/10/11 to 30/10/11 and 4/11/11 to 6/11/11
Steven - USA - 31/10/11 to 1/11/11
Douglas - USA - 24/10/11 to 2/11/11
Jessica - USA - 29/10/11 to 4/11/11
Eric - France - 2/11/11 to 5/11/11
Øyvind and Pia - Norway - 7/11/11 to 10/11/11
Steven (again!) - USA - 8/11/11 to 16/11/11
Kat - Australia - 10/11/11 to 11/11/11
Riccardo - Italy - 18/11/11 to 21/11/11
Rosa - Australia - 24/11/11 to 26/11/11
Felix - Germany - 30/11/11 to 1/12/11
Manuela - Austria - 28/11/11 to 3/12/11
Elena - Switzerland - 4/12/11 to 9/12/11
David and Roman - Austria/Germany - 5/12/11 to 7/12/11
Megumi - Japan - 12/12/11 to 13/12/11
Angelika and Philipp - Germany/Austria - 12/12/11 to 14/12/11
Alison (again!) and Matt - Australia/Wales (UK) - 16/12/11 to 20/12/11

2012
Merle and Sophia (again!) - Germany - 10/2/11 to 13/2/12
Alison (again!) - Australia - 21/4/12 to 22/4/12
Meren - Australia - 29/4/12 to 30/4/12
Tim and Malin (again!) - Germany - 5/6/12 to 6/6/12
Paula and Florian (again!) - Germany - 13/6/12 to 14/6/12

Hosts I've couchsurfed with so far:
Mark - South Australia - 4/8/12 to 5/8/12
Pixie and Jesse - South Australia - 11/8/12 to 12/8/12

I'm hoping to add to both of these lists soon!

Interests

I have stacks of different interests! Some of my particular interests include conservation, ecology, nature generally, environmental issues and protection, sustainability and "grass roots" living, voluntary simplicity, social justice issues, assorted sports/outdoor activities (kayaking, bushwalking, birdwatching, swimming, snowboarding, spelunking, climbing trees...), design, wwoofing, volunteering, travel (of course!), photography, polyamory, flight, botany and zoology, learning, renewable energies, dumpster diving, world culture and languages, people watching, Confest, good food, spending time with friends, cars and motorbikes, making things, exploring. I like kites, freedom, forests, vegan chocolate, road trips, music, reading, picnics, dirt, watching ants, good films, bad films (some!), writing stuff (occasionally), gardening, decent conversation, hugs (and hugging!)... the list goes on :)

• animals
• wildlife
• birds
• culture
• writing
• design
• photography
• environment
• dining
• cooking
• chocolate
• vegetarian
• vegan
• gardening
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• outdoor activities
• kayaking
• spelunking
• scuba diving
• swimming
• ecology
• languages
• tourism
• volunteering
• road trips
• food
• nature
• sustainability
• learning new things
• conservation
• classic cars
• alternative lifestyles

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Oooh, that's hard... it would probably have to be something to do with nature/travelling.
Swimming in a river with a wild lace monitor (large lizard) in 50 degree Celsius heat was pretty awesome though :) Getting a ride on the back of a kind policeman's electric bike in Beijing traffic at midnight was also an interesting experience!

Teach, Learn, Share

I have assorted bits and pieces of knowledge. Some of this is useful, some is interesting, and some is totally pointless and irrelevant, but I am willing to share it all! I'm happy to pitch in and help out where possible, I'm good at weeding (yes, I actually like this!). Perhaps we could discuss and share travel stories or recipes, or info about birds or revegetation or the environment and sustainability generally, if you are interested :)

I'd love to hear your music recommendations and learn about your passions. I'm up for learning nearly everything, and I'm super interested in learning more languages (or at least some useful words and phrases!).

If you are interested in seeing some of Australia's wildlife and really beautiful scenic areas, I know some great spots where there are amazing views and many birds, kangaroos, wombats, etc. And for anyone travelling in Victoria, Tasmania, coastal NSW, or parts of South Australia, I'd be happy to help you with ideas to plan your trip, and fun things to see and do... feel free to get in touch!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Cook Islands, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Slovenia, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia

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