CURRENT MISSION

I'm on a mission this summer to explore the nature and the people of Tasmania! My home state! I was born there but moved when I was little, so I don't remember anything about the place.
I'm keen on this mission to climb as many rocks and paddle as many rivers and rapids as possible, so if you're keen to support me in this, let me know!

ABOUT ME

Hi! I'm Louie. It's nice to meet you! I'm a person who likes to make good friends, and go on adventures. I love to spend my time outdoors, and I love the memories you collect from those experiences. I work as whitewater rafting guide and ski guide, and am training to become a teacher.
If you read my references, they'll have the name 'Susan'. I'm transgender (female - to - male), and that is my old name, which I unfortunately can't change on my references. That's a bit of history for ya!
I've been around the couchsurfing block a few times, and have learned over time what my balance is. I'm the kind of person who usually will go on adventures with the local rock climbing or paddling club instead of asking to spend all my time with my hosts, and come back of an evening to share a story or two over tea. I like to get out a lot and make new friends, so you won't find me hanging around the house a lot. That said, if you're a rock climber or a whitewater paddler, I might be keen on heading out on adventures with you!

PHILOSOPHY

Love many, trust a few, always paddle your own canoe. (stolen from a friend, thanks Henry!)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've hosted in the past, particularly when living overseas in Norway, and have been hosted through couchsurfing a couple of times, and through informally surfing the couches of my outdoor guiding buddies and friends a lot more times. At the moment I don't host, as I'm semi permanently surfing and working in Victoria on a number of outdoor expeditions.

I'm currently on Couchsurfing because I'm seeking friendly homes and couches to surf while I'm in Tasmania this summer (14th December 2018 til the 28th Jan 2019)

Interests

I love the outdoors.
I mean L O V E love.

I'm currently studying to be a teacher (science and outdoor ed) so that I can share my passion of random bugs, mushrooms, rock shapes and risky adventures with young people who are also excited about these things but may not know it yet nor have a way of accessing these things. I'm also pretty passionate about equity and inclusion in education (and society in general), and maintaining a little bit of that wonder that makes the world so beautiful to people.

Other than that, I dabble in a bit of (vegetarian) cooking, cake baking, card game playing, language exchange and drawing or painting when the mood takes me. I'll happily sing along and make requests if you pull out a guitar or piano, and I know my way around a hula hoop.

• insects
• cooking
• baking
• movies
• painting
• drawing
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• kayaking
• mountaineering
• skiing
• rock climbing
• chemistry
• languages

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Live in Europe for a year and a half. I climbed a few 4000m peaks in Switzerland, went ice climbing in Norway, learned Norwegian, joined a choir and learned to sing in Norwegian, and made some life long friends.

Teach, Learn, Share

Things I can teach you (professionally):
Chemistry
Biology
Rock climbing
Skiing
WhiteWater paddling (inflatables only)

Things I can teach you (informally):
How to balance on just your hands but make it look easy
how to juggle or hula hoop
A large number of details about the insect world and the contents of a rock pool
How to cook a delicious polenta

Things I'd like to learn:
How to whitewater kayak better
bits and pieces of spanish or mandarin

Things I can share:
A nice day at the beach
homemade jam/chutney - I may need to make it with you first though
excitement over outdoor things
A great day out at the crag or on the river
info on travel and work in Norway

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Norway, United Kingdom