After being a Menudo fan since Ricky Martin was 12, I finally met him in 1999 in London through a series of events which required a mixture of serendipity and cunning. It's quite a story which I'm pleased to recount to anyone who'd care to listen. Since then I've met him 7 times and even won a trip to Beirut, Lebanon where we watched him in concert and met him backstage. The trip was filmed as a 30-minute program called "On the Road with Ricky" and shown on Zee Arabiya.

If you're a guest at a host's home, be mindful not to treat it solely as free accommodation. Contribute by offering to wash the dishes (for example) or buy some items like fruits, vegetables or groceries to give to your host. A simple souvenir from your home country is a thoughtful touch.

Having lived in eight different countries and worked in 5 of them , I can answer questions which may be of interest to my hosts. I'd like to think that as a guest, I'm low maintenance and can be as social or as laid back as the situation calls for. I enjoy lending a helping hand.

Learning languages, travel, gastronomy, cooking, volunteer work, reading, dancing, singing and real estate.