"Using words is hard, because words mean things." —Wylenn's Manual of Style

I love words and doing things with them. I always have a story to tell...

Exploring and being spontaneous are my ideas of fun. I am an introvert so I would prefer having a coffee or beer with one or two people, rather than going to parties and other large gatherings.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When I travel, I prefer to experience the everyday life of local people. I like to observe differences in everyday routines and rituals, for example, when are typical mealtimes? How is the post normally delivered? What is the plumbing in the typical bathroom? I want to stay far away from the tourist crowds and explore the places where the locals hang out.

I usually travel alone and on short notice, so renting accommodation isn't often very practical for me, and hostels don't usually give a lot of privacy.

Interests

I love that geocaching lets me not only enjoy nature, but also learn a little about local history - even in urban spaces.

I think my quirkiest hobby is collecting evening newspaper (tabloid) front-page headlines about weather. They appear ridiculously frequently in Finnish tabloids: http://tabloidweather.tumblr.com

• board games
• classical music
• piano
• instrumental music
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• geocaching
• choral music
• book collecting

Music, Movies, and Books

I am a classically-trained pianist and self-taught vocalist. While I'm not religious, I enjoy listening to liturgical music (Catholic, Orthodox...) and also singing it. I also enjoy karaoke, but mainly only in Finnish, so this is probably of less use abroad...

Teach, Learn, Share

I can tell you about usage-based semantics (my master's thesis topic). I've studied many things over my long university career, from materials science to sociology to pedagogy to, of course, linguistics. I don't remember too much about the science bit, but I could share some insights about the other three things.

I can also offer English proofreading services for something you're working on, and teach you how to sing in Finnish. Or classical music theory.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, Hong Kong, Japan, Sweden, United States, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Finland