CURRENT MISSION:

Be a better person everyday, never forget to savour each moment.

ABOUT ME:

I studied and worked in neuroscience thinking about anatomy, evolution and mental health.
I love traditional music and dance, and play the Scottish fiddle.
I believe education and intercultural understanding are the only ways society can improve.
I love to travel, and love learning new languages and ways of understanding the world.
I'm privileged to be able to combine all these in my work, running my own science-arts organisation.
I'm a clinical workaholic, but I'm getting better.
I'm terrible at writing about me's.

PHILOSOPHY

«Tout existant naît sans raison, se prolonge par faiblesse et meurt par rencontre.»

Add the phrase "...so let's all have a laugh anyway"
and that's sums my philosophy up pretty succintly.

"The proper study of Mankind is man"

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have hosted many times in my home in Edinburgh and Montréal over the years and surfed all around Europe, Asia and North America. These days, it's harder for me to host as I work and travel a lot and frankly need to prioritise the important people already in my life, but I still believe every stranger is a friend yet met and happy to hear from passionate people keen to connect.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Plenty of good, great and wonderful experiences hosting and surfing.

Interests

Music and Dance, history, politics, those words and concepts that English lacks ("L'esprit de l'escalier" is my favourite) or vice-versa ("cheeky", "-ish"), neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, nature. I love my work, but value the chance to people-watch, draw, write and read over a good coffee or gin.

• writing
• dancing
• cooking
• coffee
• drinking
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• drawing
• music
• surfing
• anthropology
• history
• languages
• neuroscience
• psychology
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Well-listened, I like most things, but I have an obvious bias towards live traditional music - anything that makes my feet a'stomp and my heart pump.

As for books, a wide range of things (science fiction, more science, more fiction) though these days I'm all about the podcasts...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hitchhiked across Newfoundland for a week armed only with a fiddle. In fact, living in Montreal, Canada, for a year playing music, learning french and travelling around the whole North America was pretty cool.

I get to do pretty cool things with my work - travel all across Scotland and the world, meet lots of passionate people and work with some amazing young people and communities.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach:
I love speaking languages, cooking and playing music - I could definitely share a few wee scottish or quebec tunes, some traditional Scottish (and other european) dances, a meal or some good old chat!

Could teach you about some simple neuroscience facts, and my research involving schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders, music on the brain, placebo effects.

Learn:
Those subtle differences between us which amaze me. The nooks and crannies in a new city and people which makes it/them unique. Stories. Reflections. More languages.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Probably got my fiddle with me, some tunes, science, host some Scottish or other world dances, gaelic words, tips and a tipple of Scottish whisky or gin.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Italy, Morocco, North Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom

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