CURRENT MISSION

Permettre a ma belle de decouvrir le monde

ABOUT ME

My mane is Damien. I love my familly that offered me such a wonderfull childhood. So many cosins to play with , pillow battles and tree climbing contests, parties in the woods and trvels all over europe !
I'm a french boy, 29, from Aix en Provence near Marseille, but I studied engineering in Toulouse and worked in Madrid, Sri Lanka and Bordeaux where I learned to enjoy wine more decently ;-)
I love travelling, and fortunatly my friends are now working all around the world, from Haiti to Australia through Soudan or Georgia !
As an aeronautical engineer I did't really like the purpose of my job (desing avionic for the aircraft's cockpits) though I really enjoyed working in Madrid: no boss, no stress and so much time for parties!
I quit in february 2010, starting my onw personal internal "Crisis", finding myself jobless as millions of people in that world...but feeling confident, free and happy.

Since then, I sail atlantic, mediterannean and red sea on a boat i restored with a friend, met my wife in eritrea and married last september!
My plans: Starting a familly life and roaming the world with them!

PHILOSOPHY

Every day I stimulate myself: try to look at every days life with poetic eyes. I sometime try to help people to do so, try to make things change for what I feel is beter... and try to know if it is better for others.
I love discovering and learning. I think I've been teach by my parents to be curious: I like to observe people, nature, history, culture, penomenon and to undurstand them. That does mean I sit and observe. Maybe I should but I'm not really "zen", i prefer to go every where I can, try all activities, meet poeple, to learn more, to know more, to compare, to understand.
After spoprts, ecology is my second passion. I'm not pessimistic but I think rather realistic. Altough I think every thing is possible, there are some things more likely to happen than other. So "Carpe Diem", but take care of the consequences!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I host quite a lot of people in Madir, but noone since then... except 2 last night, the first ones to visit me in Asmara, where it seems that I am the only couch surfers hosting.
I will advertise the project to my friends and family, and wish I could appreciate travelling in a very near future.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Once I was looking for an hotel near my office in spain, and asked my way to a moroccan guy in the street.
He spontanouly ofered me to come to his very moddest house where we had diner with is wife and a friend of him. We talked a lot about life in spain, life in general , and life away from home. It was a sad but unforgettable diner.
I like unpredictable encounter that brings experiences like that: I had some in sri lanka, in nepal, in india and of course many in france!
I had also couchsleepling experience contacting friends of friends that I did not know, and where living in a place I had to go. My parents where members of "Servas"and I met plenty of people on their trip sleeping in my house for two nights or more.
And I hope Couchsurfing will get me a lot more experience!

Interests

It's gonna be difficult...and I'll send you to the next paragraph that explain more or less that I'm interested in everything.. interesting! Let's try to foccus on a few things:
- I'm fascinated by music. I can't play anything but I thing it brings so much to humans, animal and even plants.
- I keen on ecology, and would like to participate in protecting the future of our planet
- I love nature and animals, epeciily the seas.
- I enjoy doing a lot of sports, especially those which bring people toghether without competition and bring us closer to nature: climbing, alpinism, Kayak, canyoning, sailing, mountain biking, back-country ski...
- I like photography and try to capture the astonishing variety and beauty of nature and humans.

• animals
• culture
• photography
• beauty
• wine
• walking
• partying
• boating
• traveling
• alpinism
• music
• cycling
• kayaking
• camping
• sailing
• skiing
• sports
• rock climbing
• ecology
• engineering
• history
• volunteering
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

The movie I prefer: Le grand bleu, from Luc Besson
The book I prefer: Les cavalier, from Kessel.
I usually like films and books that makes you laugh or happy till the tears come to your eyes, or that bind your feelings with those of the protagonist. I like it alos when, whithin a compelling story, can make you discover a country, a culture or a piece of history.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Once upon a time... I was walking on a glacier with a friend to climb a famous summit of the southern french alps: le glacier blanc et la barre des ecrins. In this sunny late afternoon of septembre, there where still a few people on the way to the refuge. We where perhaps the last ones going up, but we did not care because we would camp on the glacier, and we where enjoying the spectacular view and the peacefullness of the mountains entering a summer evening. But as we where crossing carefully an easy crevasse, we heard a voice. Looking around: nobody. Down: nobody. We shout to the frozen entrails: "is there any one here?" ... and the desesperate voice which came back frozed our blood. What to do ? and How? Of course we knew how to make a "mouflge" to rescue someone from a crevesse, but we could bearly communicate we this guy and we didn't know if he was injured. After a stressing while, we undurstood he was able to put ins harness and was not to injured. One hour of exhauting effort after, the bloody face of the german hapless appear in the decreasing light. After spending 3 hours in what he tought would be is coffin of ice, with a broken nose, he was slowly but certainly rising from the dead, and from the cold.
From that time, I would never walk alone on a glacier.

If you come to my place, I will tell you how I survived the Tsunami on a sri lankan beach when I was there as a UN volunteer, and hang around three days in the jungle.

Teach, Learn, Share

I would like to learn about plants. How they can helps us to live better?
I can share sports and adventure in Eritrea, where it is allowed.
And although it's not very original,I have plenty of energy, time and friendship to share with anyone!

Countries I’ve Visited

Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Eritrea, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Nepal, Norway, Portugal, Senegal, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Gabon, Spain, Sri Lanka

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