I have always been a gregarious, outgoing character. I am a bridge builder - I love to bring people together. I have a deep love for Life, and I am so grateful for this experience of being - right here, right now.

The last three years of my life have been the most adventurous, challenging and transient of my life. Here is a little story...

I resigned from my career as a project manager in the solar energy industry in 2017, and began a wandering journey away from home shortly thereafter. After a few intervening escapades - working on women's empowerment and girls' education projects in Namibia, travelling through Southeast Asia - I found myself doing volunteer work in Bali a year later. This is where I had my first hands-on experiences with regenerative agriculture. I spent some time at the well known Green School Bali, learning about Syntropic Farming from a good friend, Arthur. Arthur trained in Brazil with the likes of Namaste Messerschmidt and Ernst Götsch.

My father always said to me, “We are what we eat.” This message came back to me in Bali, and took on a whole new meaning as I began to more deeply understand the intrinsic connection between our health and the health of our ecosystems.

I met my partner, Keeva Dagg, on the side of a mountain in the rural north of Bali, having passionate conversations about the strangeness of our shared sense of a different, better world being possible, and our shared desire to live in community. As you may have guessed from her name, Keeva is Irish.

Fast forward almost two years - we were now in South Africa together. I spent the first nine months back working on starting an organisation to promote and implement regenerative agricultural principles on established or new farms. I put this plan on the back-burner when a very unique opportunity was offered to both Keeva and myself.

On the 25th of March 2020, one day before the government of South Africa initiated the country-wide “lockdown” in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Keeva and I landed at Bodhi Khaya. We had been invited to be members of a learning community, part of the "Development Team" for an alternative education school, the Born as the Earth Mystery School. We were totally taken by the nature of the project and its home. Bodhi Khaya is the name of a retreat centre, based on a 220 hectare farm, in the middle of a private nature reserve. It is surrounded by the Fynbos Floral Kingdom on one side, and the ancient Platbos (low, sand-dune occupying) forest on the other.

The project was due to continue for 18 months, during which time we would live and work at Bodhi Khaya.

Fast forward three months, and another rather involved story, and the Earth School project was dismantled by its progenitor. It was unthinkable to me that the director of the project would set aside his role completely, and take a unilateral decision to essentially cancel the Earth School project.

In the wake of this, Keeva suggested we move to Ireland, where we will have a "soft landing" with her family, and more opportunities to rebuild our financial reserves. The idea of this move settled very easily for me. A life in Europe has been on the cards for me for a long time. I am the first generation of my father’s side of the family to be born in South Africa. He emigrated from Bologna, Italy, over 50 years ago. I am very privileged to have a European passport through him.

For myself, I am on a mission to initiate an organisation that promotes and implements regenerative agricultural practices on new, or existing, farms. I have a vision for closing material and energy loops, of providing tools, and of accessing structural and financial aid. All this to support farmers as they make these transitions in support of biodiversity and resilience in our food systems.

While I prepare this business, I am interested in working with organisations and individuals in related arenas and involved in similar initiatives.

One step at a time, and the first one is Ireland. I am eager to return to my work with regenerative agriculture, and so I am identifying some of the right people to build relationships with in this arena in Ireland.
Furthermore, our desire to live in community remains central to our dreams for this next adventure, so we are eager to learn more about, for example, the CSA projects in Ireland.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

One of my closest friends once said that my role is to "...bring the energy, the raw energy everyone can relate to." and I think that sums up well how I participate! I also bring a fair amount of useless information. And food, always food.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Thus far I have hosted many more people than I have been hosted by. I enjoy sharing my home. Having "my own space" is not a feeling I experience often. If, however, it happens to strike while you are staying with me, rest assured that I will make sure you understand where I am coming from and thereafter we can sort something out. I like to be part of the solution, not the problem.

Interests

Listening in the small moments that we usually do not pay attention to, the ones in which our quiet, small voice - that this busy world has no time for and disregards - tells us amazing, insightful things. It is called: being observant of the present.

Lying on the sunshine dappled grass in a park filled with the happy sounds of children, dogs and adults playing. Reading a magical book that teaches me new ways of seeing the world, of interpreting the events within it and conditions of it.

Being at the beach, getting really hot in the sun, then dashing for a dive in the cold, refreshing ocean. To me sea water is best when it is cold, so cold it takes your breath away. I have washed away many a bad day by playing in the sea.

Being in nature, real and raw nature. Alone, or with a few special people, the feeling of being close to the Earth is unparalleled. We do not live ON this planet, we live WITH it. Why do we treat her so badly?

Dancing - not in a nightclub, but in a space where it is easy to forget myself and just move with the energy the music draws from me. This does not happen often, but when it does I feel like I am a stranger getting to know this person called 'I'.

Philosophy - best learnt through conversation, but books are great too of course. We are what we think and we can learn to be better at it, so why not expose ourselves to the myriad of thoughts and interpretations our forebears and peers have shared?

- FOOD;
- Swimming;
- Slacklining;
- Hiking;
- Scuba diving (do not get round to much of this these days and have not been diving in a long time);
- Free diving (same story, unfortunately);
- Wine (tasting it, drinking it and becoming friends with it);
- Sailing (I take part in the Twilight Series races in Table Bay on Wednesday evenings in the summer, for example);
- Mountain biking;
- Surfing (why does it seem like it is all the water sports I am paying too little attention to?);
- Computer games (I know this is generally considered a "nerdy" pastime but I enjoy it and believe it can be as healthy an experience as any other activity, if done in moderation);
- Movies (good movies, Hollywood "blockbusters" rarely count in this department)
- Outdoor music festivals;
- Photography; aaaaaaaand . . . no that's it.

• dogs
• books
• photography
• music festivals
• festivals
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• drinking
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• surfing
• scuba diving
• sailing
• sports
• swimming
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Mr Nobody, Castaway on the Moon, Garden State, The Fall, Fight Club, The Matrix, Holy Motors.

Music: Plush, The Kongos, Linkin Park, Civil Twilight, Odesza, RHCP's, Al Bairre, The Zolas and many, many more.

Books: anything and everything - except those weird erotic novels! In particular I like epic fantasies, space operas and fiction in general. Currently I am attempting to focus on "classic" novels.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

What? ONE THING?! Well, then: considering that all subsequent amazing things are dependent on having survived birth, I'm going to go with that. (Bit of a cheat answer I suppose?)

I sailed across the South Atlantic, that was pretty amazing.

Teach, Learn, Share

Life is both too short and too long: don't waste time but don't rush either. Look yourself in the mirror and smile, for no reason, no matter what your mood this WILL make you happier, even if just a little. Learn to laugh at yourself.

Ok so now that I have the wise-guy comments out the way: I love to cook, so I'd love to share that with anyone keen to make a meal with me.

As for learning, yes please! Anything and everything, teach me teach me teach me!

What I Can Share with Hosts

(This is weird, huh? Bit of a self-promotion thing going on here...)

-My undivided attention and interest;
- Energy; and
- Funny stories (apparently);

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Botswana, Chile, Egypt, England, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Singapore, Spain, Tanzania, Thailand, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Indonesia, Ireland, Namibia, South Africa

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