CURRENT MISSION

Travel and education

ABOUT ME

I'm happiest when I'm travelling, most absorbed when I'm reading a good story and most content at the end of a beautiful day. I love grappling with ideas, concepts, theories, systems, stories and realities. Being a researcher, I get to indulge that part of myself. However, I also like switching off and doing all kinds of stuff... [?] (for want of a better phrase). There's constant oscillation between the two and I'm never quite sure which is more satisfying. I would get along with anyone who is friendly and good-natured. When I'm travelling, I like having a variety of experiences: walking long distances in new and unfamiliar places; bus journeys and drives; having hectic days and calm and restful days. And I like spending time discovering stuff with folks. I like being away from home and like absorbing all the wonderful things I see and feel when I'm away. I call Melbourne home.

PHILOSOPHY

Seek and thou shalt find. Embrace your life, your journey and your story. There's beauty and value in every little piece of the giant jigsaw that's forming before your eyes. Kindness and understanding are precious gifts.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have both couchsurfed with and hosted people. I think it's a brilliant way to travel.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

It has been incredible. Exciting, motivating, inspiring and great.

Interests

Literature, cinema, journalism.

• literature
• beauty
• education
• walking
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• teaching
• journalism

Music, Movies, and Books

William Wharton, Dostoyevski, Richard Bach, Michael Cunnigham, Somerset Maugham, Margaret Mitchell, Harper Lee, Leo Tolstoy, J.D. Salinger, DBC Pierre, Hanif Kureishi, Pedero Almodovar, Martin Scorsese, Richard Linklater, Susan Sontag, Hilary Mantel, Naomi Klein, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, John Osbourne, Beckett, Ionesco, Albee, Dario Fo, Conrad, etc. I'm going to fall back on the standard 'I'm into lots of stuff' here...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once stayed in a beautiful monastery with a few other couchsurfers, disconnecting from the incessant pressures of our urban lives, revelling in the wonders (and novelty and strangeness?) of solitude and the healing power of silence. I wish I could do it again, if only for a short while.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to talk to people, hear their stories and share my own. I love meeting people from different walks of life. What you learn from someone whose world is perhaps dissimilar to yours can be invaluable. At the same time, I believe our commonalities, shared journeys and experiences can be illuminating. All that matters really is being able to spend some time with someone and connect with them. Enjoy yourselves meeting interesting folks and having new experiences while you travel!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, India

•