This butterfly is constantly evolving and changing the colours on her wings and eyes (thx to coloured contact lens:) Flutter your way down here and discover the hidden colours on her wings. I'm currently in Valencia, Spain.

PHILOSOPHY

- Don't just teach your kids, educate them.
- Materialism has a life-span, experience lasts a lifetime.
- Work for what you need, not what you want.
- Your kids will value what you did for them more than what you bought for them.
- Misfortune can be a blessing in disguise.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Depending on my circumstances and where I am, I may be able to host if not you are most welcome to meet up for a cuppa chai and a chat!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

About a decade ago I couch surfed with my daughter when she wasn't even crawling yet and was amazed by the hospitality of the host. At first was I was very anxious about travelling with my baby but that experience has given me the green light to continue to travel so adventure here we come!

Interests

Travelling, of course! When I had a child I put that travel bug on hold and unleashed it when my very hungry caterpillar became a very lovely butterfly so off we went travelling for a year and I did odd jobs like volunteered in permaculture farms and hostels. The following year I got itchy feet again so we travelled again and have been doing so every long school holiday! While travelling I like to get involved with the community so I find volunteer work in children's summer camps which always turns out to be an amazing experience.

• animals
• culture
• books
• architecture
• spas
• dancing
• chocolate
• exercise
• crossfit
• sauna
• reading
• traveling
• juggling
• origami
• magic
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• teaching
• hitchhiking
• volunteering
• beaches
• lakes
• mountains
• tea
• waterfalls
• exploring
• gym
• jokes
• healthy lifestyle
• discovering new places
• hot springs
• fireworks
• nature walks

Music, Movies, and Books

I love pop-up books, I have also created an interactive childrens picture book so of course that's my favourite book.

Music I love listening to depends on my mood, mostly RnB, Hip Hop, reggae, latin, I like Cardi B, Sami Yusuf...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My best and worst travel experience (A Blessing in Disguise)

Ready, steady, go! A backpack, 2 passports, an ATM card, cash, 2 guide books to Central America and Caribbean Islands, and a smartphone. Off we went on an epic journey to discover new places, try local cuisines, meet interesting people, navigate, explore, and learn about different cultures. We, that is my 4-year-old partner in crime and I with 36 years between us, age 4 and age 41 a huge gap but with a close connection. Both born in the year of the tiger 1974 and 3 cycles later 2010, prowling and searching for new experiences and living the most important Costarican motto ‘Pura Vida’ to live a laid-back life full of happiness and low on stress. Little did I expect that my worst experience would also turn out to be my best.

I got robbed! Now in a new place with little language comprehension, without cash, ATM card, and smartphone. Half of my essential travel items gone in the blink of an eye. Help! What were we going to do now? 2 options, first: cry, second: don´t cry. I chose option 2, I made a plan to earn money, I made use of a skill I had most recently learnt from other travellers whilst volunteering in Ometepe, Nicaragua. The skill was ‘macrame’ hand-made bracelets using a special wax coated string. Nicaragua a poor country but rich in culture and diversity, not the place to earn money selling my handicraft so instead I exchanged my bracelets for food and in an instant I knew enough Spanish to do that!

Next destination, Costa Rica where money could be made, an expensive country full of tourists with disposable income looking for the best souvenirs. So we made our way to a hippy beach town Montezuma, aka ‘Montefuma’, famous for uplifting herbs and handicraft, just the thing right up our doorstep. A full day of transport got us there, 2 bus rides plus 3 hitch hikes! All was worth it, sold my entire collection of bracelets in 1 week and earned enough for the rest of our trip. I had gained more than I had lost, not only materialistically but also experientially. I saw and discovered great things, experienced unforgettable things, met amazing people and did crazy stuff that I had never expected I ever would. In the end I didn't buy any souvenirs to take home but I took home a well-educated child without official schooling, new skills and a broader outlook on life. The icing on the cake was the incredible compassion and generosity we received from total strangers who bent over backwards to help us such as couchsurfing, home-cooked meals, free international phone calls and chauffeur driven rides! To return the favour I tailor-made or gave them one of my macrame bracelets.

The one amazing thing I saw was the development and maturity of my 4-year-old, she understood that now we could only buy what we needed not what we wanted and she accepted that. In fact, she actually wanted to help me sell my bracelets! Through this experience I learnt that products with a story sell like hot cakes, 10% is the product 90% is the story and we had a great story to tell. I saw what designs sold well and focused only on making those, my rasta coloured bracelets and rainbow butterflies sold like hot cakes. Not only did we have a great story but also designs that people could relate to or had a symbolic connection with. For me this was also an opportunity to change 'commodity' treats in favour of 'action' treats for good behaviour. So instead of offering unhealthy junk food as a treat I opted for a physical or/and educational option this resulted in us spending quality time together by doing something that she chose. This mother and daughter relationship made us a team, partners in crime! It created a closer bond, a symbiotic relationship, we were like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and we fit together to create a perfect picture.

In hindsight, this was my best travel experience. Instead of mourning over my material loss I rejoiced the experiential gain. A true blessing in disguise.

Teach, Learn, Share

I am an ESOL teacher so can teach English. I am also into healthy living and keeping fit.

Other fun things I can teach are hula hooping, macrame, origami, magic card tricks and how to juggle!

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cayman Islands, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Hong Kong, Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom

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