CURRENT MISSION

Only connect!

ABOUT ME

I think the most important things you can have are an open mind and a generous heart, and I try to have both. I am from Denmark and after having spent most of my adult life abroad now I am back here. I do however have a very wide world view and travel a lot, and I love to meet new people. I always try to be open and when I feel connected to a person I can talk and talk. Although I am naturally quite shy and reticent, I always make an effort to be open and talkative. I like to think I have a good sense of humour but I guess that is for others to decide :)

I work with a variety of projects, but I prefer things where I can be both creative and at the same time communicate things that I think are important, things that can open people's minds. Currently I am fortunate enough to have stimulating day jobs, translating for a feature-length Japanese/Danish documentary, writing about Japan, and working on two documentaries of my own, one about a Japanese avant-garde musician and the other about a rejuvenation project in a Swedish housing estate.

I am always looking for collaborators or other creative or thoughtful people to make things with :)

PHILOSOPHY

Summed up more or less by William Blake:

"If others had not been foolish, we should be so."

(Oh, and we still are, a lot. But that's how you learn.)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have been a host for many years. Currently I am not able to (I am living with my mother while looking for a flat!), but when I was living in London and Japan I would have people come to visit many times. I particularly enjoy showing people my personal favourite things, in my experience the best things about a place are often the small everyday things that the guidebook doesn't bother with, such as the hundred yen shops or the puri-kura sticker booths in Japan.

I look forward to being able to host in Copenhagen too!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I am new to using the CouchSurfing website but have been a couchsurfer for many years. Having lived and studied abroad the last 10 years, I am lucky to have friends in most parts of the world and tend to stay with them when I go travelling, and have of course hosted them wherever I have lived - London, Japan, Denmark. What I love most about couchsurfing is the chance to meet cool people and see something different from what the guidebooks tell you.

Interests

Art, music, film, books, cartoons, comics, languages, (also sign languages which I really want to learn!), writing, drawing, photography, filming, poetry, travelling, the sea, the sea, swimming, walking, bike riding, singing, politics, religion, football, the eurovision song contest, comedy, personal identity and identity in general, the body, sexuality, gender, disability, minorities, culture, how perceptions of the world change according to who you are, Japanese dance/musical theatre (kabuki, noh, butoh and takarazuka!), colour, delicious alcohol and food, conversations.

• arts
• culture
• writing
• books
• poetry
• singing
• photography
• documentaries
• film making
• concerts
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• walking
• drinking
• politics
• technology
• comics
• cartoons
• movies
• traveling
• drawing
• music
• cycling
• soccer
• swimming
• anthropology
• engineering
• freelancing
• languages
• religion
• sign language

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies:
People: David Lynch, Gus Van Sant, Doris Dörrie, Hayao Miyazaki, Seijun Suzuki.
Works: Hiroshima Mon Amour, A History of Violence, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 24 Hour Party People, Tokyo Story.

Also love love love TV comedy - The Office (UK & US), anything with Steve Coogan, The Thick of It, Arrested Development, 30 Rock.

Music:
Marvin Gaye & Motown in general is big love at the moment.
De La Soul, Dexys Midnight Runners, Efterklang, Arcade Fire, Animal Collective, MIA, Bill Frisell, NWA, Mos Def, Talk Talk, the Wolfgang Press, Japanese taiko drum music and music from Japanese dance theatre, some Balkan stuff, Boøwy, Pizzicato Five.

Books:
William Blake, Milton, Dylan Thomas, Philip Larkin, Kazuo Ishiguro, Ryu Murakami, Bruno Bettelheim's "The Uses of Enchantment," Marshall Berman's "All That Is Solid Melts Into Air."

Comics:
Tezuka Osamu (especially "Buddha"), Carl Barks, Art Spiegelman, Doonesbury, Barefoot Gen.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- Walking the underground pilgrimage in pitch black darkness and walking on hot coals at the firewalking ceremony at Daishoin Temple, Miyajima

- Four-hour champagne brunch in Hong Kong (I am and remain a foodie)

- There's a special high I get sometimes when I make films. I've only experienced it twice, but I love it

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach:
- Any of the languages I speak
- Teaching methods, lesson planning, keeping kids and adults engaged
- Public speaking
- Japanese culture
- Philosophy (especially political philosophy and personal identity)
- Gender and identity studies in anthropology
- Final Cut Pro
- Basic use of Nikon DSLR cameras
- Basic use of Sony professional video cameras (HVZ-series)
- Practical life in the UK, Japan and Denmark
- University admissions procedures in the UK, including Oxford and Cambridge
- How to get a job in Japan as a foreigner - good and bad companies
- Japanese home cooking

I would love to learn:
- Sign language (especially Danish, ASL, British and Japanese)
- Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Bulgarian spoken and written languages
- How to cook Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Thai food
- Advice on making movies and distributing them
- Advice on touring as a musician in Europe and the US
- Advice on touring with an independently made film in Europe and the US
- Sound editing / Soundtrack Pro in Final Cut Pro
- Tech geek advice on advanced use of DSLR or videocameras (especially the Canon 5D)
- Advice or experience on living and working as a travelling freelancer
- About great books, films, music etc.

I want to share:
- Filmmaking. I am always looking for contributions such as:
- Sound engineering
- Editing
- Distribution
- PR
- Bouncing ideas :)

- Film watching and concert going, eating and drinking

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Denmark, Japan, United Kingdom