I'm looking to travel in Ireland and Spain this summer so will be seeking hosts to house me in those locations!

"Travelling is like dreaming: the only difference is that not everyone, on waking, can recall their dream. Whereas, everyone has a vivid memory of the trip from which he has returned. " - Edgar Allan Poe

My name is Emily J.C. Cripps.
Literature, music and art are some of my greatest passions.
I write poetry and read a lot. Live music is enlivening.
There is profound beauty in turning strangers into people to hold dear.

The world is in desperate need of engaging in empathy with the world and one another, perhaps now more than ever before. Trying to accomplish this in different ways is another passion of mine.

I do not like to force conversation with people. If a connection with integrity is to form I believe it is sensed from the start and grows naturally without the need for an exaggeration of oneself or of ones interests.

I am currently in Plymouth although I lived in Aberdeen for 5 years before that.
I was born in London which can be quite a wonderful place, but I have lived here my whole life and the city can become tiring in many ways.

I want to explore.
Within the walls of a large city people often forget or relent to pursue the world beyond.
But little excites me more than the idea of being able to say I have not stood still my whole life, and have been able to experience the lands and the people who make up the world upon which I live.

I find languages really difficult to learn but I find them fascinating and am trying my best with Spanish and Catalan at the moment. Languages are not just words, but reflections of how different cultures see the world.

Sometimes we are lucky enough to stumble upon or into fantastic situations, but often this does not happen without our own input. I want to do as much as I can with all the time that I have.

PHILOSOPHY

Keep putting one foot in front of the other...even if you have to drag them.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING
If you are passing through Plymouth let me know and we can try and find some space for you 🤘

When I am at home in London, I will always be willing to meet with people to help them to see the city. I know of some great music venues and events spaces.

Potentially, when I'm home in London I could invite people to stay with me and my parents. But I can't offer this widely.

I'm a pretty good cook too, and love cooking for people

Though I didn't use this website as much as I envisaged when traveling through Alaska, the people who I did meet from here were incredible.
We did a lot of couch hopping that's for sure, but that was thanks to the huge hearts of the Alaskan people who never left us out on a limb.

This site helped me to make some great friends when in Australia and Iceland.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

The kindness of strangers overwhelms me.

Interests

The power and influence of literature is often underestimated, which is perhaps one of its greatest strengths.

Music is the food of the soul. Nothing has a greater influence on my heart and my behaviour than whether or not I listen to music, and what I listen to when I do.

I love the moon. The light which it casts and the power which it contains fills me with hope at the sight of it.
A nickname given to me 10 years ago is Luna.

I want to see the Aurora Borealis.

I find creating a summary of my interests relatively difficult.
Hopefully those who read this will be able to share them with me one day in actuality.

• arts
• books
• literature
• poetry
• singing
• dining
• cooking
• running
• traveling
• magic
• music
• blues

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Dancer in the Dark, Amores Perros, The Royal Tenenbaums, Misery, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Blazing Saddles, Being John Malkovitch, Girl Interrupted, Angel-A, Memories of Matsuko, The Cat Returns, Toy Story, Life of Brian, Delicatessen, New Orleans, Taxidermia, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Darjeeling Limited, Wild at Heart, Leaving Las Vegas, Coffee and Cigarettes, Dead Man, The Last King of Scotland, Inside I'm Dancing, The Vengeance Trilogy (Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, Old Boy and Lady Vengeance), Tekkonkinkreet, Hugo, The Man Who Could Cheat Death, Bombay Beach, The Battle of Algiers, etc etc etc.

Music: Tom Waits, CW Stoneking, Shigeto, Big Mama Thornton, System of a Down, Elliott Smith, Bjork, Nick Cave and the Badseeds, Jeff Buckley, Flatbush Zombies, Charles Bradley, Yellow Days, Eartha Kitt, The Growlers, The Velvet Underground, Bon Iver, Devendra Banhart, Xarim Aresté, The Cure, David Bowie, Sonic Youth, Vulfpeck, The Dresden Dolls, Etta James, Mogwai, Sigur Ros, Tycho, clipping., Alpha Mist, Bonobo, Wu Tang Clan and the list goes on...

Books: I'm an avid reader and enjoy little more than the discovery of a new book which I can lose myself completely. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky remains one of my favourite novels. Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr is another. This book creates an in depth and graphic view into some of the most stigmatized people of society which allows an understanding and empathy to grow, which before would have been impossible. Not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach!
The Onion Eaters by JP Donleavy is one of my new favourites.
Others; Love, Anger, Madness by Marie Vieux-Chauvet, Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Colour Purple by Alice Walker, Candide by Voltaire, The Age of Reason by Jean-Paul Sartre, Lanark by Alasdair Gray, The City of Corpses by Ota Yoko, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson, Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys, Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Minpins by Roald Dahl, etc...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

6 years old- The moon filling the end of the street it was so large, and me and the children from the road running toward it trying to catch it and meet the man who lives there.
I carried a bucket and spade.

Teach, Learn, Share

"Ars longa, vita brevis, occasio praeceps, experimentum periculosum, iudicium difficile.
Mors gratam,vita brevis."
-
Life is short, the art long, opportunity fleeting, experiment treacherous, judgement difficult.
Life is short, welcome death.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share knowledge of different musicians and movies, debates about literature and society, my bad sense of humour, cooking and an eagerness to learn from my hosts as well.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Taiwan, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Scotland

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