CURRENT MISSION

Grab life by the balls and don't get stuck in a rut!

ABOUT ME

Since starting my travels I have taken a lot of joy in reducing my possessions and focusing on what I think are the more important aspects of life - meeting people, experiencing new things and going on adventures. I think very carefully before I buy anything now! Except food, I cannot resist nice food. I suppose you could call me a minimalist with a good appetite.

I love stepping outside my comfort zone and experiencing new things, meeting new people, going to new places. I also love curling up with a good book, playing with dogs (that's not a euphemism, I just really love dogs!), growing plants and organising things.

PHILOSOPHY

"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future." - Chris McCandless

"It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinions; it is easy in solitude to live after your own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"As soon as you're born you start dying, so you might as well have a good time!" - CAKE

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I surfed all over Canada in 2010 and am now hoping to give back while I settle for a while in Scotland!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Oh my God, I have had so many good experiences!

-Driving all over Vancouver Island
-Camping in Denali National Park
-Camping in the Cape Breton Highlands
-Raiding student fairs and stealing lots of food in Charlottetown
-Exploring an abandoned gold dredge in the dead of night
-Enjoying home-cooked meals and feeling part of a family in Port Hardy while so far away from home

To name but a few! Not to mention meeting so many amazing people. CouchSurfing opens so many doors you wouldn't even get a look at if you only stayed in hostels. All while saving hundreds of dollars! Win/Win!

I've been living in Edinburgh a few years now, and am finally in a position to accept surfers! Looking forward to giving back to the community after spending a lot of time surfing with some brilliant hosts back in 2010.

Interests

Reading, writing, travelling. Do I need to put travelling here?

• dogs
• writing
• books
• dining
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• camping
• surfing

Music, Movies, and Books

I love all kinds of things and stuff. I love books, music and movies. In that order.

Massive love for dystopian novels. Also like fantasy, travel diaries (funny that), comics, and books about happiness and minimalism. Some favourites: 1984, Oryx and Crake, Blindness, A Clockwork Orange, Travels with Charley, Into The Wild, Wicked, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel, Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher in the Rye, Down and Out in Paris and London, The Call of the Wild. Uh, I think that's enough to be going on with!

Currently listening to a lot of Ben Folds, Martin Harley and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Generally prefer more chilled out stuff: country, blues and folk music all feature a lot lately. I'm expanding my knowledge of classical too.

I love a good dose of British comedy - Red Dwarf, Green Wing, Black Books - anything with a colour in the title, apparently. Also SHERLOCK. Favourite movie: Educating Rita. And Tank Girl. Ha.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I worked at a summer camp in New Hampshire a few years ago, one of the best times of my life! I made some lifelong friends, had tonnes of fun, and got to eat cookies almost every day.

Teach, Learn, Share

Perfection takes the fun out of life. The little imperfections are what make life interesting! This is a valuable lesson I have learned that can be attributed to almost anything.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Ecuador, Germany, Peru, Spain, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, United Kingdom