I'm a writer and director of film and TV - have just spent the year in Tokyo working on some short film projects and doing some TEFL teaching too to get by. I'm originally from England, but I've lived all over, including 10 years at an international school in Athens, 4 months in Utrecht and now a year in Japan! Outside of creative pursuits, I enjoy exploring new cities and countryside regions, and I'm also not bad at making curries and cakes.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm looking to meet as many new people as possible. I do a lot of solo travelling and it's always more fun to share the experience with someone. I find often you'll remember the people more than the places - though if you can remember both, you're doing travelling "right."

Interests

Movies, books and anything technological. So Japan's been pretty perfect! Art galleries and museums and anything cultural also goes down a treat.

• arts
• writing
• books
• movies
• tv
• traveling
• solo travel

Music, Movies, and Books

Music - ALL sorts. And I mean all. I'm just as happy listening to a chart topper as an obscure indie band. Current favourites are The Asteroids Galaxy Tour and The Colourist. But Lorde and Rihanna do it for me too.

Movies - Again, all sorts, but to boil it down: I loved Harold and Maude, and American Beauty, and Melancholia, but also Bridesmaids, Mean Girls and Easy A. Also an avid horror film fan. Still having nightmares about It Follows.

Books - In my view, Margaret Atwood is the best living writer, so The Handmaid's Tale, The Blind Assassin and Oryx & Crake without a doubt. Dostoevsky's the best dead one, so Crime & Punishment and The Idiot too. But also the works of Jonathan Franzen, Dave Eggers, Ian McEwan, Zadie Smith and Milan Kundera, all of whom I'm completely in awe of.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Eesh - define "amazing." I climbed an active volcano once, so I guess that counts. I also made an 8 hour long series of short films when I was 16. It took 3 years, and I'm seriously proud of it. So perhaps that counts too.

Teach, Learn, Share

Hmm, not really a question. So here's a poster I saw that I think sums up my views of things nicely: https://vinishahalli.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/life-manifesto.jpg

What I Can Share with Hosts

Someone who's fun and friendly and easygoing, and happy to go along with whatever you have planned. You'd also get first pick of staying with me in London/Tokyo/Athens/wherever I'll be based from this point on, including a free tour! So I'll be more than happy to return the favour at some point in the future.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, France, Germany, Italy, Morocco, Russian Federation, Scotland, Spain, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Greece, Japan, Netherlands, United Kingdom