Hello there couchsurfer! My name is Eric and I am from Canada. I was born in Quebec and my first language is French. I moved a lot when I was younger and my family made it's way to Ontario and I learnt English there as a teen. I moved to Ottawa for University where I studied an eclectic amount of Arts and Science - starting in biomedical science, moved through psychology and social sciences, to end up in philosophy of mind. I continued into my Masters in Cognitive Science, where I continued learning about the mind and the current debates in the fields of psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, linguistics and computer science. I always struggle to focus on a single idea for specialization, and would regard myself as a generalist. Throw me anything conceptual to learn, and I will absolutely love it! For this reason, I love travelling and digging into the history of any place. I find that places have a certain story to tell... and I want to explore it.
As for work... I am currently self-employed in website research. I lend my research skills to a group of consultants who have many contracts with the government of Canada and other private companies. I haven't yet found a true match to dedicate my attention for a career, but I stay positive and I know I will fall passionately into work. For now, I explore and I soak up knowledge and experiences.
OH! I almost forgot. I'm gay. And I always love to meet new gay people, see the city life that a city can offer, and learn about the gay culture of any new area.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm taking a few months to travel Europe. I set up base in Cologne with some friends, and I'm trying to make as many trips as possible. I call them loops... I will travel into new cities but will always be coming back to my friends in Cologne. I have many weeks of exploration ahead and many trips to make!
Also, I'm travelling alone and couchsurfing is the best way to meet people while keeping my budget under control. Those are two very important things in travelling... Meeting amazing people and not throwing money out the window when you can help it. Couchsurfing is an amazing community of people who love people and who love travelling. This is the type of people I want to meet!

Interests

Coming soon!

• arts
• culture
• acting
• perfumes
• traveling
• socializing
• computer science
• teaching
• history
• neuroscience
• psychology
• science
• social science
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: My taste is eclectic... My taste varies and comes in waves... Sometimes I really love pop and will look at top charts from London and New York. Sometimes I want some trance and electronic. I listen to Dubstep and heavy electronic to work, but then I want to listen to Chopin... I don't know how to organize this mess. I should spend some time organizing that.... it could be fun! If you like music and want to poke my brain!! Go right ahead.
Do I have a favourite genre...? No.

Movies: Ok, my taste varies on this one as well. Favourite movie could be Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain... the quirky life of a shy introvert who wants to do good. Ugh, makes my heart melt.

Books: Fantasy novels are my go-to. They tend to take real social structures (values, political systems, religions, etc) and just throw it all up in the air and create something completely new. YES PLEASE!
I like so many things... from Jane Austin to Stephen King... throw in some existentialism like Hermann Hesse.
My favourite series is (by far!) : The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan and finished by Brandon Sanderson

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Finished my masters is possibly the most monumental achievement of my life so far. It represents years of work and a culmination of my thoughts and effort.

However, I think coming to Europe might itself be a close second. This is a realization of a dream that is LONG coming and I was able to pull together and gather money for this trip. I'm very happy to finally be able to do this.

Teach, Learn, Share

TEACH: I believe this to be my life goal.
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” – William Arthur Ward
I try to apply this quote to everything I do.

LEARN: I call this "sponging". I want to be a sponge and I want to take it all in. Anything.

SHARE: I believe that teaching and learning have a positive symbiotic relationship. To truly inspire someone into learning, I myself have to always be open. Ideas are a messy world of change, and to dive into it always involves sharing. To give myself the opportunity to grow, I will always welcome honest sharing.

What I Can Share with Hosts

First, sharing of ideas and interests, memories and experiences. I love talking and exploring a city. With a host, I would love to talk and (if they have time) maybe go explore their city. The idea of making a host feel on vacation at home seems very attractive to me. But of course, I go with the flow and I understand that life has a rhythm that does not always welcome vacation! In that case, I can be as quiet as a mouse! I'm very perceptive and I will adapt to my host.

I unfortunately do not have my own place in Ottawa at the moment, and cannot host couchsurfers to Canada. But I will absolutely open my doors to travellers in the future. As of now, I would absolutely be open to acting as a guide to people who are interested. I will be back in Ottawa as of January 2016.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada