I'm an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys traveling and meeting people. In the last several years I've taken up trail running and it's become a truly enjoyable part of my life. I appreciate harmony between people and work to be kind and listen and share with others. Some volunteer work I've done includes Wwoof NZ, caring for an autistic child and spending time with seniors. I've worked most my life as a builder and I am also certified to teach English to students of other languages.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm new to couch surfing (2016) but I like the concept of budget friendly travel and the idea of hosting as well. I've travelled in many countries and have found that despite differences between cultures, religions, ethnicities etc, most people are caring and when we can talk, walk and work (or better sing) together we find the connections that bind us together. This helps us cooperate despite differences and promotes appreciation of others while learning about ourselves. I've been both a WWOOF host and volunteer and this (CS) strikes me as a short term version of that....

Interests

Family, people, nature, music, friends, art, alternative building, organic gardening, emotional growth, photography, learning to see beauty in everything.

Music, Movies, and Books

Music I like includes classical the wonders of Bach, Handel , Chopin, Scriabin, Górecki ...
I also like Neil Young, Tom Waites, Nick Cave, Joni Mitchel, Matt Corby, Nina Simone, Nora Jones, Ron Sexsmith, System of a Down (occasionally), Alex Cuba, much more!
I enjoy some indie/art house movies and the occasional Hollywood wonder (have seen some great foreign films)
I like reading!. Recently I discovered Tim Winton's writing - poetic and although intensely Australian, his language is universal in describing the joys and sorrows of the human experience. For the most part I read non fiction; often architecture and combinations of history, politics, and emerging sciences like brain plasticity and the road to artificial intelligence. I'm also interested in research in PTSD and autism. One of my favourite blogs is Tim Urban's Waitbutwhy - check it out!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Snorkelled the remote islands of Venezuela with my family while living on a broken down sailboat. Hitchhiked across Türkiye solo solo. Skied the Finlandia Hiihto.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Building skills, child care, elder care, cleaning, gardening, landscaping, fixing things. Basic car and boat repair and maintenance. Firewood!, farming/animal skills.

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Bulgaria, Colombia, Croatia, Curaçao, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Venezuela, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Canada, New Zealand