CURRENT MISSION

ABOUT ME
Now in Melbourne...should probably get on changing my about me...but I won't! It all still applies :D

はじめまして、マデイです！よろしく！神戸の近くに住んでいます。甲南大学で留学生しています。ダンスが好きが、上手じゃないです。大阪でハウスダンス習いたいが、ダンスの学校全然知りません。私のかれしはオストレリアに住んでいて、五月に、日本に来ます。そして、関西でcouchsurf をしたいです！

I'm studying in Kobe now, at Konan University. Want to get involved with dance again, before I go home! If you know any street dance schools/circles, let me know.
My boyfriend is coming to visit me in May, and I want to show him the Kansai area. We're looking for some people to surf with and meet up with!

My background

When I was little, I lived in Toronto, where I was one of the only kids in the class whose parents spoke English at home. Later, we moved to Richmond Hill, which seemed to make a bigger impression on me than my sister. All my classmates were either Italian or new immigrants from Hong Kong. It's really affected the way I see the world.

My family is a little odd for your average white family. For instance, my mum lived in Japan for a year so we all ate Japanese food and seriously studied Judo at a very traditional dojo.

We later moved to Oshawa, where my sister and I were in for a horrible shock. Although our ethnic background is "white canadian" we found that we had nothing in common with the dominant "white canadian" culture in Oshawa. The children there could never quite understand my affection for Keroppi and Hello Kitty, and I never really got their obsession with tiny plastic hockey sticks.

Many years later, I escaped Oshawa for the greener fields of Ottawa to study Anthropology and Japanese. I lived with a Pakistani-Canadian homestay family last year, and I'm really missing all the delicious pahratas. Now I live near Kobe, trying to keep up with my Japanese studies, and explore when I can! Let's meet up if you have time!

PHILOSOPHY

work towards being able to do the things you love. Surround yourself with good friends. Eat delicious food.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I don't have a couch right now, because it's full of couchsurfing friends!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I surfed a few times in Japan...you can read all about our great experiences on my boyfriend's page: Peter Bui!

My sister, a past boyfriend and I stayed at Gaetan's lovely apartment in Montreal. He was so kind, showing us around, inviting us to dinner and karaoke with his friends. We had a great time.

Interests

Languages!
Oh man, it's been a while since I updated this. So much has changed! Cycling and rock climbing have been my latest interests! I'm also a big geek, and I like playing roleplaying games (D&D and Dragon Age are big favourites), watching SciFi or fantasy movies.

• culture
• dancing
• dining
• japanese food
• movies
• karaoke
• cycling
• rock climbing
• hockey
• anthropology
• teaching
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: I'll listen to anything that's quality, but if left to my own devices, it'll probably be indulgent stuff from my youth like Silverchair or DJ Premier.
Books: Random Family, Running with Scissors, The Glass Castle, Harry Potter, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, anything by Guy Gavriel Kay (except Tigana, which is rubbish) or George RR Martin.

Movies: Trainspotting, Charade, Lust/Caution, The Princess Bride, Oldboy, Lady Vengeance, Infernal Affairs, The Seven Year Itch

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I was *this* far from a deadly stingray.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm an English language teacher, so...that? How to use apostrophes? No one seems to be able to use those these days!

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Canada, Japan