CURRENT MISSION

To connect, to explore, and to enjoy life. Also traveling.

ABOUT ME

Hi! I'm Ashley: eccentric, scientist, person, sometime traveler, and refugee from the British Isles, currently living in Finland.

I enjoy the simple pleasures in life, such as good music, good food and drink, and good company. I'm the kind of person that gets excited at the tinniest of things, and I try to take a positive outlook on life :) I love the outdoors, and travelling (I am currently trying to travel as humanely possible on my budget). I'm always trying new things or trying to break out of my comfort zone in some way or other.

I'm a political and socially conscious person; although I never push my opinions upon anybody and I always love to hear about other peoples opinions an ideas on life, politics, and philosophy.

I'm equally at home having deep, interesting discussions, or partying away in the early hours with old friends or new acquaintances.

That's (some) of me!

PHILOSOPHY

In a word,

Know more about the world today than I did yesterday,
and live life to the best of my ability.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've done my share of hosting and surfing, and I also help to organise events and parties in the local CS community in Helsinki.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

All of my CouchsSurfing experience have been beyond positive. I could list them all here, but there have been so many I feel I could not do them all justice!

I'd like to thank all the awesome surfers, hosts and local people who have made the last couple of years so special :)

I've surfed in:

FRANCE
SPAIN
BELGIUM
LITHUANIA
POLAND
HUNGARY
SERBIA
BOSNIA
RUSSIA
and hopefully, many more!

Interests

Science (because I should really be interested in what I do!)
Cooking
and Baking
Tea (the kind you drink)
Travelling (when I can)
Music
Par"tay"ing
Photography (I'm learning!)
Philosophy (more the practical, everyday kind. I generally follow a stoic philosophy)
Exploring
Hiking
Drinking Whiskey
Outdoorsy stuff of all kinds
Cycling (on a bike)
Campaigning (although I'm not really active much now)

• photography
• dining
• cooking
• baking
• running
• sauna
• walking
• partying
• drinking
• politics
• traveling
• music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• surfing
• science
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Books, brilliant things. I tend to like books with big ideas, concepts and those which will leave a lasting impression!

I love music. Listening to it, dancing to it, the whole lot. Electronic (Drum and Bass, Dubstep, House, Electro), 80's Indie, 90's Alt Rock, Punk, Jazz, Hip-Hop (Old School), Funk ... and many more.

I like Classic 'noir' type movies (Double Indemnity, Third Man, The Big Sleep - anything with Humphrey Bogart) - the kind where everybody is wearing a hat. Anything by Stanley Kubrick, Hitchcock and Tarantino. I'm also big fan of sci-fi, I guess it's a guilty pleasure. I also tend to watch a lot of documentaries. I'm open to anything, really.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Basically everything about China. Visiting small villages and towns where few foreigners had been - an amazing experience!

And, of course - walking the great wall.

Hiking over a glacier and spending two weeks high in the french pyrenees.

Seeing the northern lights. Never thought I would get to do it, but I did. Beatiful!

Sitting and watching the sun rise over the Danube after a night of partying in Novi Sad, Serbia.

Running from a sauna and jumping into a frozen lake, at -25 Celsius. In Finland ... where else?

The un-natural quietness of Lapland's forests in winter.

The midnight sun in Midsummer, in the middle of the Finnish forests.

Watching the sunset from a farm in the hills of Catalonia, while we feasted on a roasted meat from a fire. Amazing.

Motorbiking the Hai-Van pass during a storm, in Vietnam.

Teach, Learn, Share

Learning: everything, all the time. You can never learn too much.

I love cooking, food and drink. I am always looking to learn from others, especially about their native cuisine. From my experience, there is always something to share.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Finland, United Kingdom

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