CURRENT MISSION

Chante! La vie n'est pas mechante! Et quand il nous enchante, il n'est rien de meilleur...

ABOUT ME

I am a full-time nomad, a part-time journalist and travel writer, a part-time teacher of English and computer skills, and the godmother of 12 Burundian journalism students. A part of me will always be in Africa. I believe in fair trade, a free press and a borderless world (although I'm not sufficiently idealistic to believe that last one will happen in my lifetime).

After quite a few requests, here is the link to my travel (and life) blog, Year of No Fear:

http://yearofnofear.wordpress.com/

PHILOSOPHY

I believe all people are people, regardless of age,race, socioeconomic status, religion, etc., and should be encountered and evaluated as such.
I believe borders cause more problems than they solve.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Surfing, hosting, collective meetings...

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Surfing, hosting, collective meetings, trips...oh yes, and there was that motorcycle trip around Switzerland :-)

Interests

I am a journalist focusing on developing-world issues, and I believe I'm extremely fortunate to do this work and I couldn't have picked anything more fascinating! In my free time I like reading and cooking, but I haven't got much free time.

• writing
• cooking
• wine
• white wine
• reading
• traveling
• blogging
• hiking
• surfing
• teaching
• journalism
• religion

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Oh so many, but the top three would have to be seeing hippos in the wild in East Africa, motorcycling in the Swiss Alps and hiking the Saguenay Fjord in Quebec. I will also always remember seeing Swan Lake at the Mariinsky Theatre, having mussels and white wine by the sea in Piran (Slovenia) and seeing a zebra in the snow at the Zagreb zoo.

Teach, Learn, Share

You will make stupid mistakes, go hours out of your way without realizing it, buy things you don't need, etc. Budget for this!
Watch out for the St. Petersburg metro station doors- they will swing back and slap you.
Always keep an eye on your pin number.
In Russia, nothing ever starts on time.
Taking buses and trains at night, as well as sleeping in airport and train stations the night before your departure, saves craploads of money.
The location written on the top of a bus or subway train is usually the last top...you have no idea how many people don't know this.
Never be afraid of someone strictly because of their race.
Before going to a new country, always learn basic civilities, the numbers one to ten and the days of the week.
Shawarma and doner are EVERYWHERE, from Montreal to Murmansk.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Canada, Croatia, Cuba, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Haiti, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Burundi, Canada, France, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Switzerland, United States

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