CURRENT MISSION

I'm currently working abroad across a number of locations (I was in Haiti and the Dominican Republic and am now in Medellín in Colombia) volunteering as a 'Kiva Fellow' for Kiva, a P2P microfinance charity.

ABOUT ME

I graduated from Edinburgh University in Scotland in 2007 and, after working for a large corporate in London for 3 years, I am now working for a microfinance charity doing something that I'm really enjoying. It's only short term so my future is undecided, but I'm just really enjoying it for what it is at the moment.

I'm a big fan of people. Cool, friendly, interesting, funny people. That said, whereas when I was younger I wanted to be with people the whole time, I now also really like just going off by myself and visiting a museum or reading a book - must be getting old!

As for going out, nowadays you're probably more likely to find me having a beer in a nice pub where I can actually speak to friends (hate bars that aren't for dancing but where the music is so loud that you can't hear each other) than a club. That said, music seems to rule my life and so I'm always up for going to a good gig or a club where I like the music.

I love sport, both playing and watching, but am often pretty terrible at playing. I'm a big Liverpool FC fan, but can steer away from football chat if it's not your thing!

I love nature and the great outdoors. Love walking, love mountain biking. I'm more of a country than a city person, but I also find cities lots of fun (in short bursts).

PHILOSOPHY

There's no point regretting anything. Easier said than done, but once you've done something that wasn't a good idea in hindsight, just learn from your mistakes and don't do it again. I good friend said that to me and I think it's very true.

Friends and family are incredibly important. Always try and enjoy yourself as much as possible but always keep them in mind.

I REALLY dislike rude, impolite, disrespectful, mean, selfish people. I have a lot of time for everyone else! If everyone were like the people I've met so far in Colombia (and in many other countries I've been to where it's been the people who have stuck with more than anything) then the world would be a far more enjoyable place!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Well, I've just joined so my participation so far has been pretty minimal! I'm abroad at the moment (currently in Medellín, Colombia) and so I'd basically just love to meet people to go for a coffee and get to know places better. I can't currently host as I'm in a shared apartment in Medellín and the landlord has a no guest rule (for staying over) but I hope I can return the favour when I'm back in the UK in June.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

None so far - just joined!

Interests

Music, meeting people, being social, lots of sport - playing and watching (I'm a big Liverpool FC supporter if you like football), nature and the great outdoors (especially if I'm on a mountain bike), eating great food, reading, art, charity, languages.

• arts
• books
• dancing
• dining
• beer
• coffee
• walking
• clubbing
• pub crawls
• reading
• eating out
• socializing
• music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• sports
• soccer
• languages
• tourism
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

This is tough. I could write for ever on this as I love all three.

Music - very eclectic. Like a most genres apart from terrible pop, most modern R&B, reggaeton, bad hip hop (but love good hip hop) and all the music bar none that I heard in the Dominican Republic.

The artist with most songs on my iPod is Dylan (who I adore) but that doesn't really say much.

Movies - love European cinema. Les 400 Coups, La Haine, The Bicycle Thief etc.

Books - I always say 100 Years of Solitude is my favourite book but I read it when I was 18 and I've read a hell of a lot of great books since. I love reading the classics, especially when I'm away.

My best 'modern' novel is Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. Incredible.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This question is far too difficult. I've travelled to a lot of countries and seen a lot of cool stuff. But I'll give you a recent one.

In Haiti (where I was recently) there is no tourism (there was, but it's all gone post the cholera outbreak) and no tourist infrastructure at all. For this reason, I was able to walk to the Citadelle La Ferrière - an incredible fortress on top of a mountain with views for miles and miles which the Haitians justifiably call the 8th Wonder Of The World - and see it completely alone. It was an incredible special moment.

Teach, Learn, Share

I speak French and Spanish so if you do too and want to practise your English, feel free!

Apart from that I can talk about the sector I'm in currently (charity, microfinance) which seems to interest a lot of people.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Monaco, Montenegro, Mozambique, Netherlands, Peru, Portugal, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Zambia

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom

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