CURRENT MISSION

Teaching English in a Caboclo school in the Xixuau Reserve, Amazonia

ABOUT ME

I'm an international mongrel. I've a HUGE sense of humour and I'm curious, and nonjudgmental. I feel most at home learning about the history and culture of far away lands. (I have sort of adopted Portugal as 'home' however, and become a Lusophile.)

I live in the UK mainly, but I love long plane, train and bus journeys, and beaches at the end of them. I'm also partial to a city or two.

I'm OBSESSED with music. I also like taking photos. I read like a fiend (currently travelling with a bilingual library on my back), and I love to write. I used to be an editor for money. I've set up a blog for my travels: http://farotherworlds.wordpress.com. definitely beats talking to myself, like I used to ;)

People tell me I'm like a labrador puppy: boundlessly enthusiastic; generally happy, and loyal. I'm also told I'm funny, but I think this is only because the main subject of my comedy is myself. Endless material.

I gained honours from my mum's 'how to be a good houseguest' school; I knew I went through that for a reason!

I like running and yoga. And drinking strong black coffee. And eating. All of these give me energy, and energy is happiness.

PHILOSOPHY

I always say that "every human being you meet is a little potential adventure". And I LOVE adventures.

And some other people have said some cool things too, which tickle me:

Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.
- John Milton
...
The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n
- John Milton, Paradise Lost

Better light a candle than curse the darkness.
- Chinese proverb (and Amnesty International motto)

It is a terrible thing to desire and not possess, and it is also a terrible thing to possess and not desire.
- W.B. Yeats

It is better to live out your own destiny imperfectly than to live someone else's with perfection
- Bhagavad Gita

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm new to this game, but I've met some pretty amazing people, who under their civilian clothes wear CS superhero-style pants and capes. As someone who 'loves travelling and meeting people', I decided to give it a go.

I like the idea because I believe in collective good karma! :)

Interests

Making plans for travels and parties
Learning, laughter and anecdotes
Kindness and gratitude
Music music music music music
COFFEE! (Strong, black, no sugar, South American, buckets)
FESTIVALS!!!
Writing
Running
Yoga

• culture
• writing
• books
• festivals
• human rights
• coffee
• yoga
• running
• partying
• drinking
• off-roading
• clothing
• traveling
• socializing
• blogging
• music
• skiing
• world cup
• business
• history
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: This is SO HARD to describe. Everything from folk to electronic music, hiphop, triphop, dubstep, drum&bass, house, indie, alternative, classical, reggae, dub, kuduru etc. The hard drives are fillin' up fast! I'm not hugely into metal, but an ex-colleague even managed to play me some noise that I liked ;)

Books: At the moment I'm reading a lot of non-fiction; about crime, human rights, cultures and countries. I'm fascinated by postcolonial culture and writing (and did a thesis on it at university). For 'fun', however: Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut, The First Global Village by Martin Page, Diary and Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, White Teeth by Zadie Smith, Small Island by Andrea Levy, Intimacy by Hanif Kureishi, No Logo by Naomi Klein, A Small Death in Lisbon by Robert Wilson, Shakespeare's The Tempest, poems by Alexander Pope, W.B.Yeats.

Films: The Big Lebowski, This Is Spinal Tap, The Royal Tenenbaums, Slumdog Millionaire, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 100 Days of Summer, This Is England, Little Miss Sunshine, Garden State, The Shawshank Redemption, Shaun of the Dead, City of God, La Haine, Central Station, Amelie, Children of Men, Once, Brazil

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In the physical sense:
All the incredible people of India!
Having the slopes to myself, skiing with iPod in Lillehammer
Going off-road in Oman
The Forbidden City (and later that day the Great Wall) in the snow
Organising trip with 7 friends to Istanbul
Optimus Alive festival in Lisbon, Portugal
Big Chill festival four years running

(I generally love it when a plan comes together!)

In the spiritual sense:
Watching people recover from addictions and illnesses, and learning from their strength

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm all about communicating with people and sharing ideas, and have worked and volunteered in publishing, at festivals and for children's human rights organisations.

I'm looking forward to being involved in organising the 2014 Street Child World Cup in Brazil. I hate the idea of business 'networking' but I love bringing people's skills together to make something wonderful happen. Let's DO THIS THING!

Oh, and I can probably teach a bit of English, and yoga.

I can also offer lots and lots of music/book/film suggestions, and maybe an MP3 or two...

Countries I’ve Visited

China, India, Oman, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Brazil, China, Portugal, Thailand, United Kingdom, Viet Nam