Since I left university I've been teaching English in different countries and, in between jobs, trying to spend as much time as possible seeing new places, new people, amazing wildlife and scenery, and having some fun. Although I inevitably have to work for longer than I can travel I do really enjoy my job and, as I get to do it in really interesting places, I'm generally all happy :-)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've hosted some people in different places when I've been able to, and I've surfed a few times. My main motivation is that I always enjoy meeting new people - whether it be through CS or just bumping into people in hostels or other places. You always get a different perspective on a place when you live there so I always like hosting to show people the 'real' things and it's great when others are able to do that for me!

Interests

I guess the obvious interest is seeing new places, and usually when I travel it's to see and often hike in great natural surroundings. I like bird and animal watching, photography, geography (which I studied), history and a good museum. It's always enlightening to see different cultures and how they manifest themselves - be it art, music, architecture, lifestyles, anything. I love interesting cities or towns or villages - be they modern, old, or a mix - and also being absolutely in the middle of nowhere for a true feeling of remoteness. I like a mixture of different sports, films, music, books, and I'm always open to new things and am interested in any conversation and chitchat about anything because I like to learn!

• photography
• hiking
• learning new things
• talking

Music, Movies, and Books

Leonard Cohen and Pink Floyd are two of my staples. For films it really depends what takes my fancy on a particular day - I must admit I love a good James Bond film, and for an animated film it's hard to beat The Incredibles. But I also really like non-mainstream and often non-English language films, and especially those that come from places I've lived and that help all of us to understand other places. One of the most recent ones I saw was called "I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced".

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Swimming with whale sharks is something you really have to experience. We've all seen fab photos, but until you're face to face with one in the sea you don't get a true sense of how big they are and their majestic, silent, nature.

Teach, Learn, Share

On a daily basis I teach English as a foreign language, but will also happily impart any pearls of wisdom (there are some) that I have acquired. And I love to learn anything new - and meeting new people and doing that is somewhat more engaging than a textbook. Just as a little disclaimer... I am not currently studying all the languages listed above, it's only Korean at the moment, but they are the ones that I have (or in some cases had) some passable ability in...

What I Can Share with Hosts

Interesting tales from everywhere I've lived and been, and always up for engaging in any intellectual discussion. If you do trivia nights or pub quizzes then I can join the team and share my winning knowledge too!

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Malta, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Palestine, Philippines, Poland, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Egypt, England, Oman, Romania, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic, Wales