CURRENT MISSION

To be true to myself and follow my heart. To trust in my intuition and live life to the full. To help others and develop my own skills and talents. To smile in the face of adversity and try to be positive no matter what.

ABOUT ME

I am an inquisitive person who takes great interest in finding out about other cultures. I especially love exploring the musical traditions (and innovations) of different countries and also the foods people eat around the world. I would describe myself as someone with a strong sense of spirituality and do believe in a Higher Power, although personally I do not choose to follow any particular religion. Love, respect, honesty, kindness and compassion are my guiding principles. I am respectful of the choices of others to lead their lives as they see fit. I just love people and marvel at how we can be superficially so different, but all bound together by our common humanity.

PHILOSOPHY

Do to others as you would have them do to you/treat people as you would like to be treated! I believe that what goes around comes around, and that "we must be the change we wish to see in the world". In other words, we all have the power to positively influence reality, in ways both big and small: even the most seemingly minor or insignificant act of selfless, conscious behaviour contributes on some level to creating a better world. The exchanges we have with others are opportunities to manifest our higher selves.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I hope to be able to contribute to the community by offering Couchsurfers a friendly welcome to London, be it an email exchange providing information, a short link-up to help them orientate themselves in the city and find out what's going on, a cup of tea or a meal, to check out some music in town or if possible/practical hosting them at my home. I also wish to spread good vibes and promote global goodwill on my travels by meeting with Couchsurfers in the countries I visit.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I spent good times in Morocco with Amina Triki and her beautiful family (Marrakech) and also in the home of Imad Houmaid (Agdz, Drâa Valley)! I had 'chance' (read synchronistic) meetings with other Couchsurfers from different countries whilst travelling in Morocco too and had some interesting encounters with some Moroccan CS people who were unable to host me, but who I was glad to meet nonetheless.
I have hosted and also given other members information about London and helped them plan their visit according to their needs/interests via email. I also met up with a couple of American girls for a musical night out in Brixton.
I went back to Morocco (end March 2007) and caught up with some of the wonderful people I met the previous year and some more CS members too, this time mostly at the coast, a truly blessed time! : ) I also met Fadoua Atif, another CSer on a trip to Morocco for the Essaouira Gnawa Festival and we made fast friends!

After a break from Couchsurfing, I had my first experience of being hosted as a family when myself and my son Jahleel spent the Summer of 2018 lodging with fellow CS members in and around the capital city of Dakar, Senegal. We were welcomed with open arms and made to feel an integral part of the homes we were blessed to stay at, to the point we struggled to leave and ended up spending much more time than planned, even revisiting most of our hosts more than once. It was incredibly moving and humbling experience and one I know my son will never forget. We went back in 2020 to catch up with the beautiful people we connected with in Dakar & also travelled down to Casamance in the South of the country to visit one of our original hosts who’d moved back to his hometown & spent happy days with him & his family. Still in touch via WhatsApp several years later!

Interests

Music. Nature. Photography. Music. Walking. Cycling. Music. Yoga. Meditation. Music. Cooking. Eating good food in good company. Music. Sharing. Reasoning. Music. Aromatherapy. Herbal remedies. Music. Writing (songs, short stories and poetry). Travelling. Music. Dancing. Singing. Music. Pottery. Dressmaking. Music. Gardening. Swimming outdoors. Music. Cinema. Reading. Music. Creating. Recycling. Music. Conscious parenting. Music. Just 'being' in the present moment and being grateful for life and all the amazing opportunities it offers!

Oh, and did I mention MUSIC?!? ; )

• wildlife
• writing
• poetry
• singing
• photography
• concerts
• festivals
• dancing
• education
• social action
• dining
• cooking
• vegetarian
• vegan
• yoga
• meditation
• walking
• gardening
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• pottery
• music
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• camping
• visual arts
• volunteering
• nature
• freedom
• spirituality
• theatre
• mindfulness
• kindness
• recycling
• sharing
• love
• mentoring
• upcycling
• creating
• compassion
• ceramics
• dressmaking
• community
• connecting
• songwriting
• youth
• djembe
• conscious parenting
• co-operation
• wild swimming
• kora
• dundun
• vocal improvisation

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC: Roots reggae and dub (old and new); some hip hop - conscious vibes only; beatbox; most jazz; folk; acoustic; fusion; world music (especially African, Brazilian and Latin); some soul/R'n'B; some gospel; some classical... pretty much a bit of everything, apart from techno, rock/metal/grunge (although I never say never)...
BOOKS: The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho); Conversations With God (Neil Donald Walsh); The Prophet (Khalil Gibran); Peace Pilgrim, Her Life & Work In Her Own Words (Peace Pilgrim); Join Me (Danny Wallace); Pensées Quotidiennes (Mikhaël Aïvanhov); Beloved, The Bluest Eye, Sula (Toni Morrison); 100 Years Of Solitude, Love In The Time Of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez); The Master and Margherita (Mikhail Bulgakov); Labrynths, The Aleph and Other Stories (Jorge Luis Borges)...
MOVIES: Little Otik; Delicatessen; Historias Minimas; Night On Earth; Frida; Metropolis; Amelie; My Life As A Dog; City Of Lost Children; La Vie En Rose; Perfume; Anything & Everything Made By Emir Kusturika; The Keys To The House; Amores Perros; The Science Of Sleep...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Visiting the immensely beautiful Borobudur Buddhist temple complex in Java (Indonesia) at sunrise. The shape and size of the place coupled with the amazingly intricate stone carvings covering the whole structure, the dome-shaped stupas with latticework cut-outs revealing a larger-than-life-size Buddha within each one, the mystical effect of the light hitting the low-lying mist and the surrounding jungle landscape made for an unforgettable experience. I would love to go back there one day...

Teach, Learn, Share

I could teach French and/or English and also give information on vegan and vegetarian nutrition and plant-based food preparation. I'd also be happy to take CSers on lovely walks on Hampstead Heath with its ancient trees, swans, squirrels and other city wildlife. I really want to learn to play the guitar, so would be grateful to anyone out there who would be willing to teach me the basics! I've enjoyed singing with previous hosts and am always up for musical exploration including checking out live events. I took up the kora (21 string West African harp) recently after enjoying listening to it for years, which is a very pleasurable challenge so could maybe play you a few (very simple) tunes - compared to the masters I’m still very much a total novice! Also was learning Spanish before my son was born and could definitely do with a bit more practice and since I went to Morocco I would like to try to learn a bit of Arabic too ("beginner" is an understatement: I'm struggling to make some of the sounds despite having a languages background and much encouragement from my Moroccan friends!). Also hoping to learn more about Wolof (vocabulary, grammar etc.) beyond the everyday basic words and phrases we learned during our trip to Senegal!

*****************************************
Lessons of life from whatever source...
*****************************************

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good company: genuine friendliness, a strong desire to understand and get involved in local cultural activities, interesting conversation and an open mind! I believe we should all open our hearts and share and be good to eachother. That’s what the real life is about! 💓

Countries I’ve Visited

Antigua and Barbuda, Belgium, Dominica, Egypt, France, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Martinique, Morocco, Netherlands, Scotland, Senegal, Spain, Uganda

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Martinique, United Kingdom