CURRENT MISSION

Following my many ambitions without stomping on anybody's foot.

ABOUT ME

Very talkative, super talkative, annoying talkative. May even have sometimes opinions about things I don't really know about.

PHILOSOPHY

In theory, experience before judging. In practice, trust your guts and common sense!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have hosted several times, I have been hosted several times.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Met my wife on couchsurfing while traveling through the US a bit more than 7 years ago... but I'm also available just for a coffee.

Interests

Arts, especially visual arts, cinema and photography. This is what I do for a living... (www.solalgaillard.com) I'm ashamed to say it but words and complex semantics can easily bore me and I, sometimes, take the fastest shortcut to articulate a reasoning, which I can stubbornly hold onto, even if I know it's not true, cause its simplicity can make one feel secure, umm... very secure.

Slacking around, especially when I can't afford to.

Discussing very controversial matters (no topics are taboo but I will respect your taboos), even more so when alcohol is involved.

• arts
• culture
• design
• photography
• coffee
• politics
• movies
• traveling
• visual arts

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: The boring scandinavian stuff but also the stupid and anally-fixated American stuff.
Music: Everything. From obscure Icelandic indie bands that I don't know about yet and classic jazz to the French Touch. I actually don't know that well the big marketed products so if you want to make me listen to Bieber and call the crap caviar, you probably could do that with me.
Books: Tramp literature (London or Kerouac), more classical literature like Maupassant. Favorite book: Journey to the end of the night.
Photography: Cartier-bresson, Koudelka, Guy Tillim, Magnum agency, McCurry, Françoise Huguier.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

A Paris to Tokyo trip without taking an airplane not even once.

Teach, Learn, Share

What I want to get from people is the way they see their lives, the way they see things, what their ambitions are. And what I give in return is to give to understand the way I see things. Isn't it why we travel and what we call cultural exchange?

After meeting me, you will be able to say that you had the honor to have met a nice, sensitive, sweet French guy, that definitely wasn't as arrogant as his other compatriots.

What I Can Share with Hosts

We can speak about esoteric things or more basic stuff. I can explain the few things I know about photography, films, the French language, culture and politics, and visual design. If you are looking to learn more technical skills, well I didn't go to a vocational school but I can replace a shower head. I recently solved a vpn problem that a host in China was having. I felt that overall it made her happier than my and my friend's conversation.

If you are tired of hanging out with me, I will understand social clues, though make sure they are not too subtle.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, France, Japan, United States