I was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1959. I am married to Pascale. She is storyteller. We have 4 children, all adults, living in Singapore, Toulon (France), Paris (France) and Brussels (Belgium). We traveled a lot with them, especially in Europe, mostly camping. We are grandparents of two granddaughters.
We are committed to AFS (American Field Service, a global NGO that aims to promote peace among people). Thus, we have welcomed young people from foreign countries (California, Hong Kong, Hungary, Slovenia, Mauritania, Benin) free of charge for periods of 10 months or more.
We manage a small NGO that financially supports development projects in northern Benin (West Africa).
I had the chance to travel to Europe, South and North America (13 stays), North and West Africa (11 stays), the Near and Middle East (5 stays) and Oceania to Easter Island.
I have walked to Compostela three times from my home in Montpellier.
After having been a director in public hospitals for 25 years and a public affairs judge, I have been retired for a year. I take the opportunity to travel and get involved in community life, particularly to inform the families of incarcerated people. I really like hiking and caving. I go out once a week.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To know people from different cultures. I really like exchanging ideas to understand points of view, especially if they are different from mine.

Interests

• reading
• hiking
• cultural immersion
• caving
• visiting

Music, Movies, and Books

when I go to a country, I like to deepen my trip thanks to literature. I read a lot of books, 2 or 3 per month.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have always hitchhiked, either as a driver or as a passenger. During a trip to Cuba, the car was the only place where the people I was traveling with felt free enough to talk about their island and ask questions about the outside world.

Teach, Learn, Share

I really like learning. For example, this year, to begin my retirement, I went to England for a month in Bristol and London to improve my level of English and serve in a charity shop.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I like to share people's concerns. Every person is different. That's a lot of fascinating subjects: social issues, travel, politics, economics, history, etc.

Countries I’ve Visited

Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Chile, Cuba, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, Palestine, Peru, Romania, Senegal, Singapore, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Senegal