I'm an English teacher / editor based in Prague. I also play romantic piano in a restaurant, and teach ukulele and piano.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have had a break from Couchsurfing after having some amazing experiences in Mexico . In Prague my room is very small and unsuitable for hosting... but I have met couchsurfers that my friend here was hosting. And that was a warm and fuzzy experience.

I started using Couchsurfing in Mexico for six months between July 2011 and January 2012, where I spent two months in Guadalajara and 4 months by the beach in Manzanillo, Colima. That's where I met the lovely Couchsurfer /host Marcela (also known as Yudith).

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Manzanillo - México 2011
- Hosted two ladies - Charlie and Diana
- Made good friends with Yudith Medina
- Met another Couch Surfer for food / drinks

Bangkok 2012
- Surfing / renting a room from Jackie Lastras and Susanne Walter
- Been to Bangkok Wednesday night meet ups. Went out dancing down the Kao San Rd. Lost a bag... mmm...
- Taught Craig Gonzales a little meditation - he's quick!

Interests

Playing music, writing songs, travel (somewhat obviously), Swimming. Yoga and Buddhism, meditation.

• animals
• writing
• books
• singing
• dancing
• dining
• coffee
• yoga
• meditation
• drinking
• traveling
• music
• equestrian
• camping
• surfing
• buddhist
• swimming
• freelancing
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Films - Bridesmaids, The King's Speech, Amelie, Edward Scissor Hands, The Bucket List, English Patient, Anything by Almodovar.. Hable con ella

TV - Lie to Me, Spiral (French cop series), Wallander (Swedish cop series)

Books - novels / stories
Been reading - Bangkok Noir, short stories collection.
Now reading - Asian travelogue: "A fortune-teller told me"

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, House of Spirits, Isabel Allende; loving Alistair MacLeod's Island (short stories collection, 50s memories of Nova Scotia), the Mirror (by S African author Lynn Freed), God of Small Things, The Glass House (beautiful coming of age story about highlands teenager and her mad mother), The Kiss, The Crimson Petal and the White, Wasp Factory, Trainspotting, Kite Runner, The Yacoubian Building (vignettes of residents of a Crumbling Cairo building)...

Factual books
Dao Te Ching, Diamond in your Pocket (Gangaji). The Best Kept Secret (men and women's stories of enduring love), The Mexicans (Patric Oster), The bookseller of Kabul

Spanish - easy Spanish readers including cheesy detective novels.

Music
- Cuban and Latin American jazz/ salsa / tango music.
Buena Vista Social Club, GoTan project, Roy Ayers (Everybody loves the Sunshine), Elbow, Beatles, Bebo y Cigala (lagrimas negras), Billie Holiday, Amy Winehouse, Leftfield, Bic Runga, Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, Bessie Smith, Edith Piaf

Classical - Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninov

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

A horseback safari in Zimbabwe where we got close to the elephants because they saw us as just another animal in the bush. A moment of timelessness and connection

***** Un safari de camping en Botswana ... y ver las jirafas, los leones, los elefantes. El mejor momento fue un safari a caballo en Zimbabwe, donde nos acercamos a los elefantes - en lugar de ser hombre, una cosa separada, que fueron sólo otro animal en el campo. Así que fue un momento de eternidad y de conexión.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach...
- Ukelele - strumming your favourite numbers.
- Song writing / improvising / musical freedom
- Meditation and breath-calming techniques
- English fluency - where to find free resources for learners

Learn.....
- Spanish, Thai, Mandarin
- Growing food, sprouting seeds, etc
- Garageband for recording music
- Yoga (I'm so stiff - I need to practise).
- Shiatsu (I did a beginners' course in Sydney 8 years ago but I'm rusty).

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, China, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Czech Republic, Mexico, Thailand