CURRENT MISSION

Meeting the fine people of Derby

ABOUT ME

Just got back from a few years adventuring, as a VSO Special Needs Advisor in Guyana and travelling and couchsurfing in Venezuela and Colombia. Now starting a new job and life teaching children with autism in Derby.

PHILOSOPHY

Every day's a school day.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Couchsurfing transformed my travels in Venezuela and Colombia. I found meeting up with new people and going to events just as valuable as finding places to stay. Just moved into a shared house so not able to host right now, but I'd love to meet locals and travellers, especially spanish speakers interested in a bit of a language exchange.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Wonderful times in Venezuela and Colombia - I made some great new friends both as hosts and through meeting up with people.

Interests

Adventures
Meeting interesting people of all cultures
Learning about cultures, science, psychology, music, teaching, nature ...
Making a difference
DJing
Outdoor sports - Mountain biking, Hiking, climbing, exploring, Camping/hammocking in wild places, canyoning, rafting ...
Photography
Writing

• culture
• writing
• photography
• dancing
• education
• dining
• cooking
• flying
• traveling
• juggling
• music
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• sports
• rock climbing
• teaching
• psychology
• science
• language exchange

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies:
Y tu Mama Tambien, Spirited Away, Fight Club, Battle Royale, Amelie, The Lives of Others, The Motorcycle Diaries, Up, The Wrestler, Little mis Sunshine, Pan's Labyrinth

Music:
Love all sorts, especially Reggae, Dancehall, Electro, Drum n Bass, Soca, House, Techno, Motown, Northern Soul, Disco, Hip Hop, Dubstep, Funk, Afrobeat, Salsa.....

Books:
Kurt Vonnegut
Barbara Kingsolver
Douglas Adams
Junot Diaz
Haruki Murakami
Ron McLarty
Graham Greene
Roddy Doyle
Catcher in the Rye
East of Eden
The White Tiger
Shantaram
Roald Dahl
Where the Wild Things Are
The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Climbing mount Roraima in Venezuela, three days stuck in the clouds on a giant, otherworldy table top mountain with fly eating plants, rolling frogs and tiny scorpions.

Riding the Porcupine Rim train in Moab, Utah - amazing desert landscapes, weird rock shapes and endless singletrack.

Living and working for two years in New Amsterdam, Guyana - working with schools to improve inclusiveness of education system, getting to know the local culture, working in schools, learning to DJ soca, reggae and dancehall Guyanese style, camping out in hammocks in the jungle, toucans, anteaters, the incredible kaiteur falls....

Teach, Learn, Share

I could teach - Mountain biking, basic climbing/rope skills, English language, psychology, special needs education, music, DJ skills (but not scratching), basic 3 ball juggling, how to cook a carribean toastie, how to peel a whole bulb of Garlic in less than a minute...

I would like to improve my Spanish and my guitar playing. Also interested in local culture, music, dancing, nature, hand drumming, outdoor skills, food, you name it! I'm very open to learning pretty much anything :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Guyana, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Nepal, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela

Countries I’ve Lived In

Colombia, Guyana, United Kingdom

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