I'm 29 and have been living and teaching English in Barcelona since November 2014. I am originally from Southampton, on the south coast of England, but before coming out to Barcelona I spent the previous ten years in London where I worked in management consultancy and public relations. Later decided it wasn't the life I wanted to be living, and least now and maybe never, and I retrained as a teacher, completing the CELTA course, before moving out here. Day to day, I am either going to be found on the beach playing volleyball, in a cafe planning one of my many lessons, hassling people with the poor Spanish which I have been learning for two weeks now, or at an inter cambio trying to improve the awful Spanish : )

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I haven't couch surfed before, hence my unfortunate number of zero references right now, but want to meet people in the cities I travel to rather than stay in hostels or hotels which would be the alternative option. It would give me the opportunity to expand my horizons further and learn about the cities through people who live there, rather than the well walked route of the guidebook.

Interests

My interests have traditionally centered, maybe too much, around sport. I play beach volleyball here in Barcelona, but have previously played a lot of basketball, tennis and football at a high level before coming out here. Outside of that, I love to cook, making the best scrambled eggs around which I would be happy to cook, and travelling as much as possible. This has probably been too little in comparison to some on here, but that is something I am looking to change!

• cooking
• walking
• traveling
• socializing
• sports
• basketball
• soccer
• tennis
• volleyball
• teaching
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

I love all types of books and reading is one of my passions. Sitting here at my desk writing this profile I look up to see novels by writers I love such as Kafka, Burroughs, Bukowski, Dostoevsky, and Virginia Woof. Right now, since moving to Barcelona, I am reading a lot of Hemmingway and Bolano as they both seemed to form a special relationship with Spain in their times spent here.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Five years ago, I completed the Camino De Santiago de Compostella and began the walk, which took six weeks, in France before continuing further on to Finisterre. It was an incredible experience, one I tell myself I will do again knowing how much I enjoyed it and how unprepared I was the first time. Doing this I met so many incredible people and only wish I had taken the chance to learn more Spanish beyond asking for a can of tuna and asking after my walking stick which I had likely left behind at my previous point of momentary rest.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Spain