CURRENT MISSION

говорить по-русски

ABOUT ME

I live on a small but beautiful island in the middle of Japan's Seto Inland Sea :)

I am originally from England but I've been living in Japan for just over a year now, teaching English on the JET programme. I used to think of myself as a city girl but I'm now a firm convert to island life. I love the sea and the mountains, the food, the laid back lifestyle and the kindness of the people in my town.

The island I live on is on the Shimanami Kaido, a series of bridges connecting Shikoku to Honshu over a chain of smaller islands. There is a popular bike/walking route along the bridges, which is the main reason most tourists pass through the area. My town is 'famous' for salt, so most passing cyclists stop off to try the local specialities salt ramen or salt ice cream!

I'm interested in hosting or just meeting up with anyone passing through. I'm also interested in language exchange - English for Japanese, Russian or Spanish. I can be quite a quiet and serious person, but CS-type people usually make me feel upbeat. I try to have a positive outlook on life and I will always try to help people who need it.

I studied Russian at university and lived in Moscow for a year. Russian culture and language are big passions of mine so I'd love to get in touch with any Russian speakers in my area. I'm studying Japanese now, too.

The most important value that I think we should all live by is respect: respect for other people, for the environment, our community and our immediate surroundings. It makes me happy when I see people caring about all these things.

PHILOSOPHY

Work hard and be happy :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

In my past CS lives in London and Moscow I participated in a lot of CS meetings, parties, film clubs, excursions... I haven't been involved in CS very much since I've been in Japan, but I'm hoping to start hosting.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I couchsurfed for the first time over summer 2008 in Spain. I was completely blown away by the sheer generosity and hospitality of the people I stayed with, and the amount of trust they placed in me as someone they'd never met before. I am incredibly grateful to everyone who made Spain so special for me.

I have also been to local CS meets and language exchange groups etc in London and Moscow - the meetings are like travelling without leaving your own town and I have made some really good friends that way.

Interests

Books, big cities, island hopping, languages, linguistics, walking, art galleries, coffee shops and tea rooms, karaoke, dancing, purikura, Russian animation, feminism, cooking and eating.

• arts
• culture
• books
• dancing
• environment
• womens rights
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• walking
• partying
• clubbing
• traveling
• karaoke
• cycling
• animation
• languages
• language exchange
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

My most favourite book is probably Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Other writers I really like at the moment are Haruki Murakami, Banana Yoshimoto, Milan Kundera, Vladimir Nabokov.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

white nights in St Petersburg

Teach, Learn, Share

I can help with English as a foreign language or beginner's Russian or Spanish if you are interested. I like to cook so we can 'share' or I will gladly 'learn' in the kitchen!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, Russian Federation, Spain, United Kingdom

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