ABOUT ME

I'm the mother of an energetic 8-year-old boy, and getting used to being a single parent. I love travelling and grew up with friends from all over the world. Haven't had as many opportunities to travel in the last few years, but I'd like my son to meet and appreciate people from different cultures too. On a daily level, my life is busy but casual (or just disorganized?), and usually centred around my son. I love both the solitude and the energy of late nights, meeting people, and listening to music, but (despite this) have never been a party animal.

PHILOSOPHY

Help others. Learn. Leave the world a better place. Try to be a better person. Don't waste. Take time to laugh and appreciate life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

When I was younger and travelling alone in Europe, my most-appreciated couchsurfing experiences were with family friends in Paris and England. Since then, I haven't done much couchsurfing--or travelling (sigh)--but have mostly been on the other end of the couchsurfing equation, sharing our sofabed and spare bed with friends and family over the years.

Interests

Nothing very unconventional here: I love music, reading, films, great food, summer, being with good friends, and laughing with my son. I wish I had more time for all of these!

• animals
• dining
• partying
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music

Music, Movies, and Books

This will be have to be a work in progress--there's so much to consider! I have pretty eclectic tastes, but here's a sampling of music that I like: Bill Evans, Dexter Gordon, Glenn Gould, Bach, Chopin, Indian classical music, bossa nova, Celtic fiddle and accordion music. I have a weakness for old movies like Laura, To Have and Have Not, Gone with the Wind, and Citizen Kane; will usually watch anything by Hitchcock or Woody Allen, or adapted from Jane Austen. One day, I'd like to see more of Satyajit Ray's films. However, nowadays I tend to watch a lot of "family films," geared to my son's tastes. I'm trying to expand my options in this category! Any suggestions? Haven't read Stuart McLean's books yet, but I usually can't stop laughing when I listen to his "Vinyl Cafe" radio shows. MFK Fisher is one of my favourite writers and I'd happily read books by EM Forster and Steinbeck again and again (if I had the time....).

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, France, Singapore