CURRENT MISSION

My mission? To learn from others and share my joie de vivre with them! I am trying to hit a country for every letter of the alphabet. Missing O,Q, X (Chinese province),Y. I also am excited to share Couchsurfing with my new husband (!), Patrick!
ABOUT ME

I am excited to try Couchsurfing in various countries around the world! I had the BEST experiences in Canada (my own country!), Europe, and Africa as a 'surfer'. I surfed twice in Belgium, once in Luxembourg, once in Germany, twice in Italy, once in the Netherlands, twice in Mozambique. I even surfed in Ottawa, Canada's capital city in December 2015 and Cornerbrook, Newfoundland in 2019! I never would have seen the sights I saw and learned so much about my hosts and their interests and city/village, if I had not Couchsurfed!

I am a teacher at a French public school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I speak English and French fluently and used to speak Japanese almost fluently. I can also speak a bit of Spanish and a wee bit of German. I come from a very close-knit family and adore my 3 nephews. I am considerate of people's abodes and privacy when staying with friends, family and strangers.

I truly love to do most anything! I love sports (playing and watching), the arts (museums, historical and modern sites, art exhibits, live music, dancing….), languages, and exploring the world with its many cultures, languages, culinary goodies, and adventures.

I am an 2SLGBTQ+ ally with hundreds of LGBTQ+ friends from 12 years of riding 620 km from Toronto to Montréal as a fundraiser for Toronto People With AIDS Foundation.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm on Couchsurfing to meet new people, learn of their language and culture, explore their cities/towns/villages and countries while enjoying a safe place to stay. I look forward to our cultural exchange!

Interests

I am very active as I am an alpine ski coach in the winter on weekends and participate in a long distance fundraising bike ride for Fighting Blindness Canada every June. I love most everything from art, sports, languages, movies, music (especially live) and learning about new cultures and people. I used to paint, play piano and the alto saxophone, and go to monthly documentaries.

• animals
• arts
• culture
• documentaries
• education
• coach
• drinking
• movies
• chess
• traveling
• painting
• music
• live music
• piano
• cycling
• surfing
• skiing
• sports
• rock climbing
• teaching
• languages
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Favourite music is a tough question to answer. I love live music whether it be a house DJ, an alternative band or a solo folk artist, I love the live music experience. Old school Kaskade is my happy music. Gordon Lightfoot live is a magical experience.

Favourite movies is also tough. I'll keep pondering on this one...

Favourite books...the pandemic allowed me to slow down and READ. Loved this part of slowing down! I loved the Tatooist of Auschwitz, Left Neglected, Educated to mention a few.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One amazing experience was meeting a Moroccan woman and her son on a French train and staying with her (couch surfing on my own!) where we celebrated Ramadan with a late Moroccan-style dinner.

I also would include my adventures in 19 African countries...the best memories were randomly meeting locals and being welcomed into their homes.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach about
….my adventures in travelling in general and living in Japan,
.…about Canada, Ontario, Toronto,
….sports including downhill skiing,
….French, English (ESL especially), kindergarten, physical and health education, science, coaching, pedagogy
….Autism Spectrum Disorder and special education in general

Learn
….languages
….about various cultures of the world
….how to play chess
….as much as I can about the people who host me and their country, city/town/village, culture, language

Share
….I hope to share my own apartment someday! We always have roommates who are not keen to share our space :(
….intriguing views on life
….about my country (Canada), province (Ontario), city (Toronto), culture, languages (English, French, Japanese), passions
...cooking (learn new recipes, share my favourite dishes and learn how to prepare my host's favourite dishes)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am someone who will leave your place clean, tidy and hopefully, full of laughter or shared stories.

Countries I’ve Visited

Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, England, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Netherlands, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Tanzania, United States, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Japan

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