I am Thomas. I grew up in a small ex-coal-mining town in County Durham in the Northeast of England and have lived in Scotland (on and off) for the last six years. I get up in the mornings for: friendships and great conversations; learning more about the many worlds which fit within this one; and leaving the world a little better than I found it. I recently finished a Masters in Social Anthropology, which I was drawn to studying after spending time living in Amazonia; first in Guyana and then later in Peru. I've also spent time living in the Peruvian Andes (Nothing beats waking up each day to the sight of El Misti, the imposing snow-topped volcano that towers over the city of Arequipa!)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I really enjoy meeting new people and especially welcoming people to the city I've come to call home, Glasgow. Many of my flatmates over the years have hosted couchsurfers and I've always enjoyed playing my part in welcoming the many travellers who have come to stay with us in Glasgow. Although I'm new to couchsurfing, I have been welcomed into the homes of many warm-hearted and generous people, either while trekking through the rainforest in Guyana or hitch-hiking to Morocco, whose hospitality inspired me to try this.

Interests

If it's a rainy day (there are quite a few of those here in Glasgow), you'll most likely find me cosy in a cafe drinking coffee with friends, ensconced in a book, doing yoga, plinking away on the mandolin or cooking food. If it's bright, I love getting out into the hills for walks and cycling through the city. I'm an avid reader of anthropology, history, philosophy, politics and poetry.

• books
• poetry
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• yoga
• walking
• drinking
• politics
• socializing
• guitar
• cycling
• hiking
• anthropology
• teaching
• history
• hitchhiking
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

- Close to home: Fiddlers Bid, Treacherous Orchestra, the Elliotts of Birtley, The Clash. Further afield: Amazonian cumbia, Scandi folk like Nordic, Ana Tijoux, Brother Ali, Ella Fitzgerald, Gil-Scott Heron, Leonard Cohen.
- También la Lluvia.
- If I could only retrieve a few books from my seriously over-burdened bookshelf, they would probably be by Eduardo Galeano (Espejos, or Patas Arriba), Davi Kopenawa (The Falling Sky: Words of a Yanomani Shaman), Mary Oliver and Rumi (their poetry is my bread), Alastair MacIntosh (Soil and Soul) and Murray Bookchin (his essays on social ecology or The Next Revolution).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once spent a month walking across northern Spain, along the Camino de Santiago.

Teach, Learn, Share

I make a great pizza (according to an Italian who once asked for my recipe) and my sourdough bread isn't bad either. I play guitar and mandolin and love playing tunes with other musicians. I love meeting people from elsewhere and learning about their lives and perspectives.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I enjoy cooking and will gladly muck in with any tasks you need a hand with. I'm an experienced English teacher and would be happy to give you some tuition.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Guyana, Ireland, Morocco, Palestine, Peru, Spain, Sweden

Countries I’ve Lived In

Bolivia, England, Guyana, Peru, Scotland