My retirement dream is to run a bed and breakfast/retreat centre for artists where I can combine all of my domestic and creative hobbies while still meeting travelers.

I have a long way to go before retirement and a lot of things I need to learn before I'd be ready for that lifestyle. In the meantime, using Couchsurfing is helping me to get practise working toward the dream.

Some years ago I had the chance to experience living/working abroad in the Philippines for almost 6 months. Up until 2018, most of my travel has been in Canada where I traveled extensively in my province (Ontario) for work. I've tried to prioritize visiting other provinces in Canada for fun, however, it was my first visit to Estonia in July 2018 that has made me more interested to explore outside of Canada. I fell in love with Estonia in the summer of 2018 that I went back to visit again in January 2019 and I'm already fantasizing about the next time I will go back.

For me, traveling makes the world seem smaller yet simultaneously expansive and I look forward to meeting many more great people along the way.

My pronouns: she/her.

** Before sending a request please read the section about my home. If you are viewing this on the App, click the "read more" link under my hosting status. **

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I like to be a tourist in my own city and when I travel I like to see and do what the locals do. I think the best way to really go to know a place is to get to know the people. I'd like to meet new friends and show others what I love about this fine city I call home (Toronto) and meet others who are willing to do the same.

Tell me why you want me to host you, I encourage you to make reference to something in my profile. I am more inclined to seriously consider your request if you can demonstrate that you have read my profile. :)

Interests

There are so many things to be fascinated by in this life and I spend a lot of my free time oscillating between the following activities:

checking out live music shows;
hosting brunches or dinner parties for 2-3 guests;
improving my garment sewing skills;
trying out new recipes;
making preserves;
curling up with a good book;
going on walking adventures.

I made my very own pair of hand made leather sandals and am well on my way of realizing my goal of making a complete outfit from head to toe. Other garments I've made include: leggings, shorts, dresses and underwear.

• cooking
• walking
• thrifting
• reading
• music
• live music
• teaching
• learning new things
• conversation
• exploring
• sewing
• curiosity
• art galleries

Music, Movies, and Books

I enjoy going out to live music shows (mostly folk, roots, indie-rock but am open to exploring all genres). You'll usually find me at small venues with the capacity for 20-300 people. I love attending music festivals to discover my next favourite bands or seeing shows in unusual spaces - which now includes concerts in my home! In March 2018 I had a dream come true: I hosted my first ever house concert and my musical guest was NEFE, nearly two years after I first met her at a music festival. She played songs to 25 people in my living room and it was one of the best shows I've ever experienced. Aside from NEFE (from Canada) some of my other favourite musical artists include Ewert and the Two Dragons (from Estonia); Kaia Kater (Canada) and Leif Vollebekk (Canada).

Venues you'll likely find me at in Toronto include: The Cameron House, The Rivoli, Burdock, Horseshoe Tavern, Danforth Music Hall, Lee's Palace, Dakota Tavern and The Garrison.

Favourite books: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell; almost anything by David Sedaris; Shopgirl by Steve Martin; Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. Amanda Palmer's book The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help became a new favourite even before I finished reading it. The connection, vulnerability and generosity
Favourite films: Harold and Maude; Blue Valentine

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One of my favourite bands asked fans to share a memory about their music as part of a contest. They chose my entry as their favourite and flew me from Canada to Estonia to see them headline the inaugural Sweet Spot Festival in Tallinn in 2018! There's even a 5-minute documentary about my trip in 2018. When I went back to Tallinn in January 2019 and I met up with the band again I prepared an elaborate home cooked meal for them and a few other friends and they topped the night off by performing a mini house concert for me!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you how to bake, cook and sew. I love to learn new skills and have tried my hand at leather work, pottery and sewing.

Skills I would love someone to teach me include: how to dye cloth with natural dyes, hand embroidery and tatting (lace-making).

I'm currently studying Estonian language and will be learning American sign language starting in January 2020. If you can help me with either of these languages I would be very grateful.

If you want to experience the city in a different way I can take you on a tactile art walk. As part of a friend's walking group I hosted an art walk where we walked through familiar parts of the city but instead of taking photographs we took charcoal and pastel rubbings of different surfaces. The idea was to re-engage with the familiar by engaging with the environment in an unusual way. It sparked the most interesting conversations and everyone that participated expressed so much joy in the simple act of collecting the surface rubbings.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Conversation, laughter and home cooked meals.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Cuba, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Philippines