Hello! My name is Mackenzie and I am bright shiny new to couchsurfing :) Unfortunately, I live in a student foyer where we're not allowed overnight guests-- I hope that doesn't put you off!

The simple facts are these: I'm a Canadian living in France until May, 2016. I'm working as an English Language Assistant in primary schools, which is amazing. I want to be a primary school teacher one day; I adore working with kids. While I'm here, I want to see as much of France and the countries surrounding as I possibly can! I am hungry for adventure.

I'm an effervescent traveler who loves beautiful words. When I go to the sea, I collect seashells. When I look up at the night sky, I look for constellations and shooting stars. In short, I am filled with a child-like sense of wonder for both the little details and the vast mysteries that make life grand.

I am a curious young lady with a penchant for learning. I am always looking for new experiences, new sensations, new perspectives: we are all growing and expanding our minds every day, and I like to do the best I can to help that process.

I have a thousand questions about everything, and I never tire of interesting conversation. I love getting to know people: not the small talk that fills the first encounters, but the sharing of perspective that comes from feeling comfortable enough to open up. Other people fascinate me, and honesty and sincerity are two traits I value highly.

I am a firm supporter of doing what scares you. This is how we can truly experience life: I think fear is like a wall that stops you from experiencing what life has to offer, and once you can knock down the wall, you have so much more space to breathe!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm here for several reasons:

1. I want to travel as much as possible for the short time I'm in Europe!

2. This may sound blunt, but I'm pretty darn poor. Wanting to explore the whole world isn't really a hobby covered by the teaching assistant salary! What's a girl to do?

3. As previously stated, other people fascinate me. This is a great way to connect with others and learn about what life is really like in the places you travel to.

4. The thought of staying with strangers and sharing my travels with others initially frightened me, so I told myself I had better just do it and see what it was all about! You don't bite, right?

Interests

I an honest-to-goodness bookworm. I devour literature. My favourite authors include Austen, Dickens, and Tolkien. My favourite poets are the romantics: Keats, Shelley, etc, but I basically love it all.

I also write! Mostly poetry, but i've dabbled in prose a bit a well.

I also draw! When I have time, I enjoy working with pastels, oil paints, and watercolour, but more often than not you'll find me scribbling with ink or pencil into some notebook or other.

I was raised by a foodie, and as a result I loooove good food. I am passionate about pie, am a self-professed coffee snob (still I would prefer bad coffee to no coffee) and will never pass up a glass of good wine or craft beer. You may find this charming, or annoying, depending on your own views on food ;)

You may think it's weird that I included pie just there, but my BIGGEST passion is baking! My grandma and my mom taught me how to make pie when I was maybe eight years old, and i've been baking ever since. I've worked as a baker in a coffee-shop, but would love to take classes to become a pastry chef, and work for a real bakery.

• arts
• literature
• poetry
• dining
• recipes
• wine
• beer
• coffee
• baking
• shopping
• traveling
• drawing
• hunting
• teaching
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

When I am home alone, I spend a lot of time dancing around my studio to Otis Redding or Marvin Gaye. My all-time favourite band is Radiohead. I also love Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker, The National, Fleet Foxes, Taylor Swift, Feist, Arctic Monkeys, The Swell Season, Sufjan Stevens, Patrick Watson, Sia, Purity Ring, The Joy Formidable, Maroon 5, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles... you get the gist. I have eclectic taste.

I really love Disney. My all-time favourite movie is The Lion King. I also love Wes Anderson films, Quentin Tarantino films, and anything with Audrey Hepburn (especially Sabrina, as I also love Humphrey Bogart).

Being a total geek, I have a weakness for sci-fi and fantasy. This goes for books as well as movies. Right now I'm reading The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss and wow is it ever good. The Magicians by Liev Grossman is also a great series, and of course Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings will always have a part of my heart.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have traveled and done a number of amazing things, but mainly:
I moved to the other side of the world, completely alone, to fulfill my dream of being a teacher and living in France.

Teach, Learn, Share

Aside from a sunny disposition and zest for life, I'd love to share my poetry, art, and baking with you! Maybe we can share recipes and make something together!

You can read my poetry here: https://destroyerandpreserver.wordpress.com/ if you feel so inclined. If you also write, we can share that, and even if you don't, I love feedback and criticism.

English is my first language, but being Canadian, I've also been speaking french since I was a child. Lets share our languages and our cultures with each other!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, England, France, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, France