I am a recovering compulsive traveller (lived in 10 countries). Recently settled down, whatever that means. Got married. Bought a house. Welcomed a child. So have not been very active for the last couple of years.

I like places and people. Stay in the moment. Relate. Experience empathy. Grow. Culture, art, sports, travels, etc. Very curious.

I am a big fan of the English language and culture. I also love music (The Stones, Bauhaus, The Smiths, Nick Drake, The Stooges, Lisa Gerrard, Air, Beastie Boys, Wu-Tang, Cat Power, BRMC, BJM, DFA 1979, Les Rita, Television, Bowie, Fela Kuti, TV on the Radio, Dylan, Bashung, Boyz Noise, Electrelane, Interpol, MGMT, Arcade Fire, Mobb Deep, Dead Can Dance, Elliott Smith, Brassens, James Brown, Neil Young, Pavement, RATM, Radiohead, Lavilliers, etc.

My idols growing up were Jack London and Albert Londres (ahah, double pun eh?) Artur Rimbaud, Jack Kerouac, Bernard Lavilliers, Ralph Emerson, all people who were free, sincere and kind, who had multiple facets which contributed to their genius, self-reliant, who followed no road but left their own tracks.

We are all much more alike than we realize. Cultural expressions change from place to place, but universal values are the same, always, anywhere, all the time. I try to live by those. Authenticity is the highest quality.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love having company from any-where. Just settled down in London. My couch may be available, please check.

I used to CS a lot, more so before the site became an extension of FB, and while I was more mobile. From best friend, to bunches of people I had met and ended up at after a drunken party. I'm pretty open to the music of chance. As "formal" CS user, I've stayed / hosted a few times. Good times.

Interests

Music, literature. The human condition, philosophy. Cinema. History. Psychology. Swimming, volley-ball, running. Excruciating questions that keep me awake at night, staring silently at the ceiling as the moon is rising, such as: Who would win in the savanna between the hippo and the lion?

• cats
• arts
• culture
• literature
• singing
• dancing
• running
• partying
• movies
• tv
• music
• guitar
• piano
• sports
• swimming
• history
• languages
• psychology

Music, Movies, and Books

"Vol de nuit" and "Terre des hommes" by St Exupéry. "Catch 22". Heat. "Voyage au bout de la nuit" de Celine. Paris-Texas. Rashomon. Spirited Away. No country for old men. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. Breaking the waves. 1984. "Secret weapons" by Cortazar. Yukio Mishima. Chinatown. Les portes de la Gloire. My name is Joe (and Ken Loach in general). Raining Stones + Lars Von Triers. "The naked and the dead" by Mailer. "Trainspotting" (the book). Oscar Wilde. Borges.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The sun rise and set on all continents. The genius of the British, Japanese and Senegalese cultures. Having been so many different things in my life, places, jobs, social circles, languages, cultures, loves, tears and joys.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach English and French at native level. I can teach you also how to sing off-key, strumming away at an accoustic guitar like a crazed gerbil (I'm a reference in that rare field). I'd love to learn how to play piano, to play, for starters "Ballad of a thin man" and "Ring them bells" by Bob Dylan, or like some Nick Drake covers.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahrain, Belgium, Benin, China, Cuba, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Germany, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Oman, Poland, Russian Federation, Senegal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, China, France, Guinea, Japan, Senegal, Spain, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom