CURRENT MISSION

To experience all that life has to offer through people, places, languages and culture.

ABOUT ME

I love travelling and meeting new people and I found the perfect job to do this. I am an emerging opera singer; which combines travelling, languages and culture.
I am also an avid sports enthusiast and love adventure and extreme sports. My newest hobby is photography and I just received an old SLR camera that I am trying to figure out how to use. I also have a blog that I update not-often-enough. Someday I hope to proactively update this blog and combine my love for story-telling, photography, music and travelling!
Until then you can find out more about me on my musical website: www.michelecusson.com

PHILOSOPHY

Life is about experiences. To interact with people and learn new things is what it's all about. To realize that we are all the same no matter where in the world we come from and to realize that everyone just wants to be loved,-and to act accordingly.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am on couch surfing because as an emerging artist who is constantly seeking work and needing to travel all over the world for auditions-my budget is basically nil. It is important for me to keep auditioning to get work but its also very hard to travel, save money, have some roots or any semblance of a day job. One of the reasons I became an opera singer is because I love travelling, language and culture -so it seems like the perfect fit to be a couch surfer because then I can interact with new people and cultures and learn more about the places I am staying.

Interests

Languages, philosophy history, sports, nature, snowboarding, camping, running, dancing, music, photography, writing.

• cats
• culture
• writing
• singing
• photography
• dancing
• cooking
• running
• traveling
• blogging
• music
• opera
• camping
• surfing
• scuba diving
• snowboarding
• sports
• swimming
• extreme sports
• teaching
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Whatever I am watching, listening to or reading at the time.
As a classical artist, I enjoy everything from Mozart to Berio. My passion in music is Russian vocal songs. I studied in Russia and if you want to hear someone get excited about their passions....ask me about Russian vocal music :)
I tend not to listen to classical music when I'm not working or researching.
I enjoy hip-hop, dance, top-40 when I'm running/working out and alternative rock, folk/rock when I'm chillin' at home.
I love live concerts-any kind of music! Back home in Canada, I would go to week-long rock music festivals where you camp on the grounds. I miss those days!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

There are two many amazing things I have done and will continue to do! here are a few:
1. Canyoning in Bled, Slovenia.
2. Bungy Jumping off a train bridge in Nanaimo, British Columbia.
3. Sky Diving in Arizona with members of the London Philharmonic while on tour with Andrea Bocelli
4. Cat Sking in Fernie, British Columbia.
5. Scuba diving and swimming with the Dolphins in Cuba.
6. Singing Chinese Pop music in Mandarin at the Great Hall of the People

Teach, Learn, Share

wow, deep!
I follow my heart. I go after my dreams, I travel a lot and I am constantly learning and evolving. There are things that I can teach, but everything I have learned is continuing to evolve and change every instant as I learn more. What I have learned as a teacher (music and sports) is that teaching others is the best way to learn something new or understand something blocked within myself.
I am a seeker, I am constantly searching for all the answers-perhaps too much. Something I am starting to grasp and would like to learn more is how to just accept and let it be. Do I really need the answers to everything? Someone, please explain to me why not!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I offer my stories of the world or I offer to listen to someone else's stories of the world. I can offer my voice and my passion for Russian vocal music. I offer to help around the house with cooking or basic needs. I offer a friend, a seeker, a listener: a passionate person who loves life and meeting new people.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands Antilles, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Scotland, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, England, Germany, Russian Federation, United States