Hi there!

I'm Mélodie, a 27 year-old french girl.

I like to dream, I like to laugh. I'm sensitive but sarcastic. I may be reserved but I love to meet new people and chat with them... I'm a living paradox! That's not an easy thing for me to define and introduce my little self, believe me. So I'm currently trying to figure out how the world works and how I can be involded in a positive way :)
But if you really care, I think the song "Ruby Tuesday" (from the Rolling Stones) would introduce me better than I could do.

I studied English and American literature and civilization, sciences of information and communication, theatre and then film studies… In France, you have to pick up ONE subject of study for university but there are so many things to learn! So I dropped some of them and went graduate for others.
In a nutshell, let's just say, I must deal with a very quirky imaginative mind and a life goal which is to write actually. And to nourish that what more than travelling and encounter people from around the world? I really enjoy listen to people's stories, I can't wait to hear yours!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Four years ago, a good friend of mine introduced me to Couchsurfing. We had planned a last minute trip together and finding accomodations was not very easy. Luckily, there were really nice people, never met before, who opened their doors and welcomed us in their house like two old friends.
At first, I must admit that I was a little bit reluctant. I was afraid to bother our hosts, take advantage of them, disturb their schedules... things like that. But we found lovely CS members, we cooked and shared meals together, they brought us to parties, introduced us to friends and neighbors of them, and some were even trustful enough to let us the keys of their home and leave some days off! Wow! what an amazing journey, so much fun and so much kindness! Then, I realized there was a new way of travelling. It was not just about discovering a new unknown city or country, it was also their inhabitants.
Thus, now, I’m fully interested in wandering around new places but encountering folks who lives in too.

Interests

Anything art-related!
On daily basis, I like reading, watching movies and TV shows, listening to the music and writing. I've played in the theatre for years (I miss it so much right now btw), so seeing performances and concerts is such a delight!

Obviously, I really love to travel. Surprising, isn't it? This marvelous feeling which grasps you when you are on the edge to discover a new place, city or country... Mixed emotions of excitation, impatience, and freedom which makes you feel so alive and grateful! I assume I'm not the only one since CS exists ;)
When I travel, I try to discover every aspects of the location, not just beaches and great sites. Living with eyes closed is easy but not really fair. It may sound cliché but I really care about welfare and living in a better and peaceful world. Thus I can't ignore inequalities or rather appalling background.

Otherwhile, I’m obsessed about 1965-1975 era, Victorian, Roaring Twenties, Impressionism, old fairs and circus... But I'm always enthusiast about learning any kind of new things! I guess sitting and talking with some good drinks is a great way to process.

• arts
• writing
• literature
• impressionism
• concerts
• dining
• cooking
• partying
• drinking
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• languages
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

So many!!! Seriously, if I may list everything, you would probably be dead by the end of it. Hmm… er… Ok, if you insist, here are some of them:

Music :
I’m a huge huge fan of The Beatles, Pink Floyd (Syd Barrett included), Serge Gainsbourg, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Arctic Monkeys, Royal Blood... And enjoy mostly psych-related groups or artists (Jacco Gardner, for example). But I can listen to electro or classical or whatever as well. It depends on my mood!
Movies:
I love dramedies, horror movies but I must confess I have a penchant for little indie movie with teens or young adults who are lost and desperate. Yeah another cliché. I adore Wes Anderson, Martin Scorcese, Roman Polanski, Federico Fellini, Coen brothers, Jim Jarmusch, Hayao Miyazaki, Sergio Leone, Xavier Dolan, Michelangelo Antonioni...
As for my favorite movies, I could mention « The Shining » or « In the Mood for Love » or « My neighbor Totoro » or « Freaks » or… No, that's enough, I let you deal with that.
I binge watch a lot of series too!
Books :
I could die for Boris Vian’s books. I’m also absolutly fond of Haruki Murakami, Francis Scott Fitzgerald, Jack Kerouac and Roald Dahl. And "The catcher in the Rye", "Lolita", "Belle du Seigneur", "The Master and Margarita", "Just kids", "Infinite Jest", "The Bell Jar" "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"... have stolen my bookworm’s heart (but really among many others). Oh, and during my teen years, I developped a severe addiction to the Harry Potter series but I'm healed now (kind of...).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Maybe leaving my homecountry for teaching French in a high school in Thailand? I couldn't speak a word or so (except for "Hello" and "Thank you") of Thai and I had never ever teached before. But it was laaaaargely worth it! Not so simple but a lifetime experience!

Teach, Learn, Share

One thing I know for sure is that I know nothing (like Jon Snow, sorry, GOT addiction, too). So I’m looking for learning more and more. And the few I know, I’m truly happy to share with anyone as long as he/she seems to be interested in. All you need is to ask for it!

By the way, I apologize for my English... Unfortunately, I don't have so many occasions to practice so I make a lot of mistakes. I need to improve it and CS seems to be perfect for that, right? In exchange, it will be my pleasure if I can help you with French.
As for my German, I studied it for nine years but forgot everything (could only talk about Kartoffeln und Meerschweinchen - Potatoes and Guinea Pigs-, yep fascinating I know). It's a huge shame so I'm currently trying to rectify that...

What I Can Share with Hosts

As a veggie, I can cook some mysterious "without" (meat, dairy, eggs) food if you want to try. I don't intend to brag but I can make a pretty good Humus, for instance :)

I can also share some French expressions or slang or whatever. This is the funniest thing about foreign languages, isn't it?

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Greece, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Scotland, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Germany, Thailand