CURRENT MISSION

Catch up on travelling , meet new people, and enjoy life !

ABOUT ME

I am a retired language teacher in the private sector and trainer in Human Resources matters.
After my father's death I have accepted to become the "administrator" for my handicapped sister, and I finally picked up travelling again, it is one of my passions.

As a trainer in multinational companies I met people from many different countries and different cultures, which was very interesting, and I appreciated this diversity very much. It was so enriching.

I very much love nature in all its aspects (regions, plants, animals), and I did a lot of gardening in my life.
The beauty of nature has a softening effect on me and brings peace in my heart.
I can really appreciate the small things in life !
In earlier years I did quite a lot of petsitting (cats and dogs), because I love animals, and I do not have any of my own.
These last years I only do catsitting at the houses of 2 friends of mine !
And I work in their gardens .... since I moved from a house to a small appartment, so I don' t have a garden of my own anymore.

PHILOSOPHY

Accept people as they are, be open and discover the best in everyone, as long as there is mutual respect.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Having been too busy in earlier life, I travelled in the classical way in the past.
I have only experienced Couchsurfing a few times (I discovered it only in 2008), and I have excellent souvenirs.
In 2015 I made 2 city-trips to Barcelona and Prague, where I stayed in a hotel again like before, because I had to decide too fast and too late (too busy with the succession and with my sister).
But I missed the communication and shares/exchanges during and after those nice and interesting activities and visits during the day.
I also had the feeling that I lacked to get to know the real people from those different and fascinating towns and countries.
And although I don' t mind planning and making visits on my own during the day , I found it rather sad having to keep the experiences to my own, without being able to share what I saw and discovered.

Therefore I started using Couchsurfing again in 2016, meet the inhabitants, and in the mean time learn more on the new country and its culture and habits in a personal way !
I embrace the adage :
"If you really want to get to know people, you have to go to their houses and knock on their doors" !

AND SOMETHING ELSE :
I am really not too old for Couchsurfing !
My age has never been in the way of things I wanted to do !
Dreams can be realized one day or another, sooner or later.
It is NEVER too late for it !

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I had my first CS experience just before Christmas 2008, and it was great !
With Chochana in Strasbourg. It was a super experience.
And then in 2010 with Gerard Delbecque in Bavincourt, so generous !
In May 2016 I was again very warmly welcomed in Lisbon by Luis Pitta and in Porto by Paula Pinto.
I was also hosted in a very friendly way in May 2017 in Berck-sur-Mer by Chloé.
In October 2017 , I had 3 magnificent hosts in my beloved "Baie de Somme" in France :
Loïc Lapczuk, Anne-Florence Buys and Emmanuel Dubert : thank you so much !
Anne-Florence and her husband Alexis have become true friends in the mean time, with a strong bond.
So, high time to continue and extend this experience ....
And voilà, in June 2018 I have been hosted by Dunia Lozano in Sevilla : a very nice and such warm-hearted and interesting person, many thanks !
And I met up with Marta in Sevilla : she was so kind to cancel a personal appointment in order to welcome me in Sevilla awaiting my host Dunia to be back from work : also a very kind and super interesting person.
I hope I can stay with her a next time, because I loved Sevilla very much and I would like to return in Spring to smell the orange trees ...
Now in June 2019 I realized one of my life-dreams : I visited the city of RIGA !
Since my last name is Riga, this visit was very special to me. Riga is a wonderful little city and I savoured every minute of it.
I was welcomed in Riga by the very warm, open, interesting and folklore-loving family of Guntars and Anda Vaisla. This family gave me such a great time in Riga ! I will forever appreciate and they will always have a special place in my heart !
And on my way to Latvia, I stopped in Vilnius (Lithuania) , where I was cheerfully hosted by Ugne Jasinskaite.
She gave me a super and speedy all-round visit of Vilnius and Trakai, and I spent a memorable time with her and her daughter.

Interests

Travelling, nature (walking, flowers and gardening, animals), languages, art, music, reading, movies, study of colours (different levels), communication, personal development, psychology, genealogy.
Cooking and dinner parties with friends.
Sports were present in an earlier life ...
I would now like to start Tai Chi again (which is not really a sport) !

• animals
• cats
• dogs
• arts
• culture
• cooking
• walking
• gardening
• flowers
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• jazz
• teaching
• genealogy
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

What do you like to watch, read, and listen to?
 
I love classical music very much, but also jazz, chanson, easy-listening, relaxing music, many styles actually (e.g. Coldplay, Cats, France Gall ...), except metal, hard rock etc...
I read a lot of thematical books (psychology, nature, health), but also novels (e.g. Eric Emmanuel Schmidt and contemporary writers).

So many films : I love films with a story behind, engaged movies, and do not like historical films that much, although ...
To mention a few :
* Out of Africa
* The Gods must be crazy
* The constant Gardener
* A beautiful mind
* Animals are beautiful people
* Gone with the wind
* The pianist
* Schindler's list
* La vita è bella
* Il Postino
* Le fabuleux destin d' Amélie Poullain
* Le vieux fusil
* Le dernier metro
* Documentaries about nature (David Attenborough and others ...)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

* Travelling on my own through Thailand over 30 years ago (it was rather adventurous at that time since Thailand was not as developed then as it is now).
* 1 week in New Orleans more than 35 years ago, with its beautiful and breathtaking jazz !
* Sleeping in a hut on the beach of Kho Pipi island in Thailand (no electricity, no water, only a bed of straw ...).
* I participated in an opera - Aida from Verdi - as a non speaking-actor/singer (actually I was a Roman soldier !).
This was an amazing experience.
* Mythique traversée à pied de la Baie de Somme - avec guide - à partir de la Baie du Crotoy jusqu'à Saint- Valery-sur-Somme (Picardie in France).
Epatant ... ! (Breathtaking).

Teach, Learn, Share

What kinds of skills or information could you share with someone? What would you like to learn?

I can share my language skills.
I can share my teaching skills .
I can certainly learn a lot from others !

I would like to learn how to make mozaiks, how to use a tablet and become better in working on the computer ...
And how to put more photos on my profile !!

What I Can Share with Hosts

My good mood and my smiles !

Countries I’ve Visited

Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Italy

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