FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO BE HOSTED:

I am very sick of the way CS has become some kind of "free air BnB expectation" from entitled people especially Erasmus students.

I DON'T HOST PEOPLE WITH NO REFERENCES

I DON'T REPLY TO COPY/PASTES

I DONT HOST PEOPLE WHO CLEARLY DON'T READ MY PROFILE

I AM NOT A FREE HOTEL.

I DON'T GIVE A HOOT WHAT YOUR TRAVEL PLANS ARE IF THAT'S ALL YOU MENTION IN YOUR REQUEST TO ME.

I AM INTERESTED IN CULTURAL EXCHANGES, BUILDING FRIENDSHIPS AND MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL HOSTING EXPERIENCES. NOT SAVING YOU MONEY.

*Guys? Looking for hook-ups on this site? Look elsewhere, like Tinder.

**Creepy, predator, pervert, disrespecting, gross men? (there have been some and there are some on this site) I will report you immediately so take your grubby thoughts and intentions FAR away from me.

OK, NOW , ABOUT ME.......

I moved to Malaga just before Covid hit and feel that this is now my home.

The goal : to meet fun, decent, open minded, compassionate, interesting, travel- loving ,positive people.

To make new friends , to listen, to laugh, to learn about the countries I know nothing about and hear stories about how other people experience life. To bond with fellow travellers and share my current city's gems/ take little trips with CSers/ feel like a tourist with them (as I rarely do touristy stuff when I live somewhere)
I try my best to show CSers places of interest where I am living.

I do not like it when it is made clear to me that the CSer has no interest in either seeing the city or hanging out ie their motive is a free bed. That sucks. Don't engage with me on those terms. Get a hotel.

ABOUT ME

I am caring, fun loving, creative, a bit too serious/ deep thinker, chatty, friendly and I enjoy travel very much. I love to be inspired, make connections with people.I love music, wine, good literature (studied that in Uni).

I am drawn to outgoing, funny, maverick- like , courageous, outside the box thinking , positive, considered, "contrarian" type people, who live life to the full, flout rules and trends and who are socially conscious/ active.

*I do not gel well with conservatives or right -wing thinkers so please give me a miss if you are one of those.*

I'm passionate about the left/ socialism/ politics/ justice. But I also love to laugh, dance, drink, rollerskate (learning) so its not all intense heavy and heart wrenching 😜
I adore people who are kind and thoughtful and who give back to the world as much as they can.
I abhor arrogance and disingenuity.

PHILOSOPHY

I have never followed a crowd and have never felt 'popular' or 'cool'. I used to be ashamed of that, but now it makes me proud.
I question things and feel comfortable with fellow misfits. Being honest and brave in the face of all that is wrong has been life - defining for me. I definitely walk the less travelled path and it can be very lonely, but staying true to yourself , protecting the vulnerable, fighting bullies, speaking your truth and standing up for your beliefs- even when it makes you unpopular , are the philosophies I go by. Can't live any other way, so no choice!

Some quotes I like;

Shakespeare:

"This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man"

* "Better to try all things and find all empty- than to try nothing- and leave your life a blank."(E. Bronte)

* "Half of the people can be part right all of the time,
Some of the people can be all right part of the time,
But all of the people can't be all right all of the time." (A. Lincoln.)

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling- but in rising every time we fall."
(Confucius)

*Put your faith, not in your circumstances- but in your attitude.

* People only treat you the way you allow them to.

*Being barely alive on your own terms, is better than living a bloated half life on someone else's terms."

(Jeanette Winterson.)

*You can't argue with stupid.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I have mostly hosted rather than be hosted but I do want to CS more now!

I've hosted numerous times. I adore how with like minded people we can make connections with total strangers, open your heart and your home. Find common ground or be totally blown away with something totally new. I always see my home town environment in a new and exciting way when hosting CSers.

Life can be lonely.

Couchsurfing chips away at that somewhat and at its core is altruism, trust and togetherness- all pretty awesome concepts.

I always pick up new tips from Couchsurfers be it a recipe, a book, discovering a new corner of my city I never knew was there, or getting a feel of a place they have been, but I haven't.

Interests

Good company, good books, history, film, poetry, nature (hiking in it, cycling in it and swimming in it) .

Alternative thinkers.

A challenge.

Travel- the wackier location the better. Most music (except Jazz which I loathe in general). Learning. Being humbled. Traveling the road less traveled and bucking the trend. Volunteering and standing up for the vulnerable.

Anthropology. Becoming braver. Challenging the establishment. Being inspired and inspiring. Feminism -equality. Human Rights. Good food. Good wine. Good music. Good stories. And good craic.

• books
• literature
• poetry
• environment
• womens rights
• dining
• wine
• traveling
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• swimming
• anthropology
• history
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

Books;

I read mostly memoirs / biographies of people whose lives inspire me eg Primo Levi, resistance fighters, or people I admire like Bob Dylan, or people who have suffered from racism / mental health issues ...

Activism

Existentialism

1984, The Plague ; The Stranger , Brave New World,

Hector and the Search for Happiness, An Evil Cradling, The Rules of Inheritance.

The Prophet.

Authors,
Jeanette Winterson. James Joyce. Patrick Kavanagh. James Rhodes. Frank Mc Court. Oscar Wilde. Samuel Beckett. Seamus Heany. Kahil Gibran.

Genres-
Existentialism. Dystopian. Magical thinking. Satire. Resistance fighters. History. Philosophy.

I love travel tales like those of Theroux.

I have recently been addicted on Netflix to shows such as The Keepers, The Confession Tapes, Squid Games, La Casa de Papel. ( I cried like a baby when it ended).

I like true crime documentaries TOO much !

Films;

The Idiots (and all Lars Von Trier's work) Dead Man's Shoes, Pan's Labyrinth, El Mar Adentro, Fifty Dead Men Walking, Hunger, Schindler's List, Mary and Max, Philadelphia. The Matrix, Starred Up.

And silly stuff like Airplane and Team America.

Music;

My Passion is music.

Smog, Pavement,Clap Your hands say Yeah, Bob Dylan. Pink Floyd, Elbow, Rufus Wainwright, Chairlift, Laura Marling. Radiohead. Nick Cave. Los Planetas. Los Delincuentes. Julieta Venegas. Joan Báez. Nina Simone. Faithless. Neil Young. PJ Harvey. Moby, Bruce Springsteen, The Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, Mumford and Sons, The Flaming Lips, Tom Petty, Dua Lipa, John Lennon, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, The Smiths, Cat Power, Belle and Sebastian, Devendra Banhart, Nick Drake, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Najwa, Paul Simon, Pearl Jam, King Of Leon, Jack Johnson, Beck, Inxs, Bonnie Prince Billie. Nirvana. St Vincent. Paolo Nutini, Morcheeba,

I also like Bluegrass and blues

And less frequently-
Debussy, Bill Evans, Vivaldi.

Heaven is live music , good company, beer, and a drunken dance till the early hours.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I volunteered in Cusco, Peru, 2007. I had very little Spanish. I was with a group of people with learning disabilities and who had been cast aside by their society, completely abandoned. By everyone.

Teenagers and old folk, some burned badly, some in wheelchairs.

In a human abyss. A human wasteland. Victims of indifference & savage betrayal. Forgotten , superfluous &
In-valid. Thrown onto a pile by the universe's cruel ways.

I spent time bringing them for walks, doing their nails, bringing them cake...anything.

One lady from this group came up to me and took my hand and said some words of gratitude in her native Quechan language.I have no idea what it was, but I didn't need to know.

Her face was enough.

I crumbled inside.

Teach, Learn, Share

Giving to others though seems to be the closest thing I can see to making sense of existence as well as discovering what you're all about and how to be the best you can be. Believing in yourself and in the idea that facing the truth and sticking to your guns will reap rewards. Justice is big for me.And the fact that we must respect ourselves- and if we do so others will more likely respect us. Nearly everyone who has been big in my life has taught me something I did not know about myself, good and bad.

Self knowledge is hugely important for me and I get more of it when I am challenged and travelling is a challenge.

+ So many of us are couchsurfers are broken + had trauma(!!) I have had deeper connections + brutal honesty (mine + theirs) with my couchsurfers than with most other people in my life ! It's crazy !

C Surfers have always enriched my life with recommendations, stories, concepts and the ability to be open with me and have me be open with them :) I like pushing my own boundaries and taking risks, getting out of my comfort zone.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My time, my company, walks, tourist stuff, tips re where I am living (good pubs/cafes/ historic places/ places of beauty) some local history, a good shower, wifi, basic breakfast (but not always anything else to eat, it depends), probably shared dinners- cooking together for example, or out and about...love road trips (but don't have a car, would love to join in on road trips...)

Please see the MY HOME section before contacting me.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bolivia, Brazil, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Tunisia, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, England, Iceland, Malta, Peru, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, United States