CURRENT MISSION

To engage with the world, not just view it from a window. And increasingly, not to act my age.

ABOUT ME

A very abridged recent history: Graduated from University of Aberdeen in 2007. My degree in Anthropology rather set the tone for the next five years: Very interesting, but very non-specific! To summarise: long-ish trips to exciting parts of the world, interspersed by far less exciting jobs back home.

I have been a mountain leader on two youth expeditions (Arctic and Indian Himalaya); volunteered for two environmental NGOs (in Bolivia, and again, the Indian Himalaya); climbed mountains, rocks and frozen waterfalls in the Alps, Norway and Croatia; and been the archetypal "traveling bum" in South America, Morocco and Spain.

I once wrote a book about traveling in South America, but I really don't like it now. I also once had a media-bothering encounter with a polar bear.

I have worked as a charity fundraiser, climbing instructor, EFL teacher, social care worker, rickshaw rider.... Hopefully the Masters I'm about to do will get me a job that will inspire me for more than a few months!

PHILOSOPHY

The natural world is my church - in a John Muir kinda way. I believe in increasing environmental awareness, and in re-connecting humans with the natural world. I try not to be evangelical about it, as it's best learned through experience – like learning a foreign language through immersion in its natural context rather than through repetition of grammatical rules. There is nothing like experiencing the world first-hand.

I also believe in living for the present, rather than being too focused on future goals. "Life is what happens while you're making plans", though I do often need reminding of this!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

This is pretty much the first nice flat my girlfriend and I have lived in! And therefore, the first where we've felt able to host people. I'm about to travel to Russia and then Kyrgyzstan for six weeks, though, so I'll hopefully get to meet some great people as a guest for the next little while...

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

In Cuzco, one of the most touristy cities in the world, my friend and I managed to avoid the backpacker hostels and spend several nights sleeping in a dentist's waiting room (at the invitation of a very friendly dentist!). I have also had a few unofficial couch surfing experiences when hitch-hiking - the lift-giver spontaneously offering their own couch for the night.

Previous experience has all been through friends' couchsurfing accounts (who I've been traveling with). This is my first real attempt at a profile of my own!

Interests

The natural world, mountaineering, climbing, languages, writing, environmental development, anthropology.

• writing
• books
• instructor
• boating
• traveling
• hiking
• backpacking
• mountaineering
• surfing
• rock climbing
• anthropology
• communications
• teaching
• history
• languages
• hitchhiking
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

A selection of my favourite books:
“Wild” by Jay Griffiths
“Mountains of the Mind”, Robert MacFarlane
“Magic Bus” by Rory MacLean
“The Snow Leopard” by Peter Matthiesen
“The Antidote: Happiness for people who can't stand positive thinking”, Oliver Burkeman

I'm a big fan of the following bands: Sigur Ros, The Phantom Band, Super Furry Animals, British Sea Power, Wilco, Manu Chao, Fleet Foxes, The Shins, Belle and Sebastian.... The rest (and some of the above) you could almost categorise as “middle-of-the-road British indie bands circa 1995-2003” - I did stop being entirely “up to date” with music around then! I'm very open to and interested in new music in new places.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The iridescent glow of an Alpine dawn.
A cloud inversion from a Scottish peak.
The millions of stars viewed from high on a mountain, away from all the light pollution.
Sitting on a boat surrounded by leaping dolphins.
Aurora Borealis.
The Loch Ness Monster (or was it?)

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Germany, India, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Sweden

Countries I’ve Lived In

Norway, United Kingdom

•