CURRENT MISSION

Think change, connect to like-minded people, take action

ABOUT ME

Avidly curious, spontaneous and reflexive, obsessed and eclectic, intellectual and sensitive, urbanite and wilderness-loving - I'm all in contrasts.

These days, as a graduate student, I spend my life in books, but as soon as I have a moment, I won't miss an opportunity to go play outside.

I love to get out of my zone of comfort - the discovery, the feeling of being alive.

PHILOSOPHY

Every experience is worth trying.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Obviously, the possibility of meeting people is the main reason why I'm involved in couchsurfing. Also, the idea of a non-commercial way of travelling, and the possibility of giving back to a tight-knit community just fit so well with my set of values and my way of life!

Plus, I love my city and I love even more giving other people the opportunity to discover Montréal from an angle you'll never get in travel guides - the people, the way of life, the unknown little places, the various neighboorhoods, all its history interwoven in it's architecture, the street art, the bilingualism, the mix of cultures...

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I'm just starting on couchsurfing.org but most of my travels have been in the couchsurfing spirit. I've lived in families in Nicaragua and Guatemala for several weeks, and in a local's apartement in Marrakesh. As most people here in the CS community, I'm not the type of tourist who runs for touristic attractions and follows travel guides. When I'm away (and even at home sometimes!) I'm fascinated by the multitude of different ways people live their lives. That's what I want to discover.

Interests

Themes I spend my life talking about: urban alternative transportation, urban/guerilla gardening, the environmental crisis and its solutions, sustainable living, canoeing, literature, new journalism, and sometimes continental philosophy.

• arts
• culture
• books
• literature
• architecture
• street art
• gardening
• traveling
• socializing
• knitting
• canoeing
• history
• journalism

Music, Movies, and Books

Films: A Steetcar Named Desire, Jules et Jim, Pour la suite du monde (Pierre Perreault), Léolo de Jean-Claude Lauzon, Scorsese (Taxi Driver, The Departed, Raging Bull), Hable con ella, Blue Velvet, Once Upon a Time in the West, La Pianiste (Haneke), et tant d'autres.

Musique (pêle-mêle): Arcade Fire, CocoRosie, Blonde Redhead, Emily Haines/Metric, Tori Amos, Patrick Watson, Karkwa, Malajube, Nina Simone, Lhasa de Sela, Tracy Chapman, Bonobo, Ratatat, Richard Desjardins, la vieille chanson française (Piaf,Brassens,Gainsbourg) et belge! (Brel)

Livres: Réjean Ducharme, Simone de Beauvoir, Colette, Hannah Arendt, Albert Camus, Siri Husvedt, Susan Sontag, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Alessandro Barrico, et beaucoup de bandes dessinées (Corto Maltese, Joe Sacco, De Cape et de Crocs, la série Paul, etc.)

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach French, talk at length on the history and culture of Quebec, the only remaining French speaking nation in North America.

I'd love to have opportunities to practice my Spanish, hear about innovative practices to live more sustainably.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Spain, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, France