ABOUT ME

hello there, i'm JJ. I like to make things out of wood, cycle and try to be a nice person. I'm not the most outgoing person in the world, observing rather than making a lot of noise. However i have noticed that when I have more personal conversations with people, it helps to make me and others more relaxed and feel cared for and interesting. It's good to talk and share the complexities in life with a listening ear. I like that. But sometimes it's hard to be outgoing, right? it can be tiring sometimes. maybe that's just me? I'm sure it's not. There must be loads of us! Big cheer for the not so super extravert charismatics!!

I like to be real, i'm not going to pretend i'm super fun and exciting to be around, because i'm not. I'm dry. I try to be comfortable with who i am and where i am. And I like food. And cycling. And camping. And making things. And the sunshine. And walking. And failing at learning to surf. And good films. Good being a very specific and genre-less adjective.

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us. And when we bring what is within us out into the world, miracles happen"

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

im new to this thing, but plan on being a good host/guest whenever/however possible.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've only done it once, and that was unintentionally. i stayed at a friend of a friend of a friend's house and she told me about the CS website. i thought it was a great idea so i signed up.

Interests

i have no particularly amazing skills but im interested in camping, the outdoors, knocking down cities/buildings to let nature take over (i have never put this into practice),i pick apples and distribute them for free with the sheffield abundance project.

• dining
• running
• walking
• movies
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• camping
• agriculture
• ecology

Music, Movies, and Books

music is good. i play saxophone in a flambuoyant nu-jazz band called flamingo love parade

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I cycled across Morocco once. That was fun. I wouldn't say it was amazing, it was actually very simple. Not easy. But definitely simple.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'll teach you about ecology. ok. so the earths systems run in cycles. carbon cycles, nutrient cycles, predator prey cycles, population dynamic cycles, global temperature cycles, atmospheric gas cycles, etc, etc. right. so we need ecosystems to be as large as possible so if one of these cycles goes wrong (eg, too many predators in one area and all the prey die) the rest of the ecosystem can help correct for the area in which its gone wrong. like a buffer. Prey from other, neighbouring areas move in because there's less competition. However, we're destroying and reducing natural ecosystems to make way for humans for shelter and agriculture and it's screwing up the cycles. its too warm here, too cold there, not enough water here, too much water there, predators are going extinct here, their prey become too numerous there. extinction is irreversible. extinction is bad bad bad, ecosystems cannot function and do their cycles properly without enough species. we need ecosystems to give us food, to provide pollinators, to stabilise cycles, to balance temperatures, to provide predators with food, to fuel the earth with energy and keep the lights on and internet going.

moral of the story: there's too many kids, dont have kids.
(i actually used to think that)
that's all i know.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Morocco, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

Spain, United Kingdom