My name is Cédric and I am a designer. I spent the last two years working next to Moria camp on the island of Lesvos (Greece), a famous European hotspot blocking people's attempt to reach safety.
If I am a bit straight forward while writing, I am generally more of a calm listener in real life; described as the comforting presence in the middle of a stressful crowd and always with a smile and a plan. But one's description might hide different facets so I simply wish that we meet and see where that friendship leads.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

For surfers: I am on the move so If you're in a last minute request or if you need information, reach me out and I will try to help you.
For hosts: I am really flexible, I can both share my time with the host or manage my time independently, depending on host's schedules.

Interests

My life turns around design but I also practice photography, sport (athletics), art, ... I'm open minded and genuinely curious. Show me your passion and we will start from there.

I like to have a "one month topic" which made me discover more about various topics such as shibari, permaculture, mentalism, blockchain economy, know-how's men fashion, ...

• arts
• design
• photography
• traveling
• magic
• sports
• creativity
• humanitarian aid
• discovering
• crepes!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Turkey is litterally facing the Greek island of Lesvos, and only separated by few kilometers of Mediterranean sea. Spotting the boats attempting to cross the border is a 24/7's job that is made possible thanks to the hundreds of volunteers coming every year and doing spotting one after the other to be sure nothing wrong will happen. Let's be clear, we are not "saving people", we are primarily supporting the people to have a safer landing.
You might picture Lesvos as a warm picturesque Greek island but winters are freacking cold, rainy and windy here. For night spotting you would leave the small village of Skala Sikamineas before sunset with a team of 3 for a 30 minutes drive to the rocky shore of Korakas and you would spend your night on a small wooden hut next to the lighthouse. The humidity would make you freeze so much that you would barely fall asleep during your resting time... even under the four layers of clothes and the thick security yellow jacket. But that night was special. It wasn't like every other night.
This night, there was a full bright moon lighting all the area. The visibility was excellent, we didn't need to use the night vision to spot the Greek fishing boats around; I remember as well that the coast guards and Frontex didn't launch their boats.
This night the sea was flat, there was no wind at all. It was beautiful like a large quiet and empty theater. When there is no wind, we generally stay alert to sounds like an engine or screamings as this might be the first signal for us.
And this night, in the middle of the winter, it was also warm: hours after hours I was removing layers of clothes and ended up, surprised, with a simple T-shirt. I remember at that time, it was my turn spotting with the binoculars. I was looking from West to East when suddenly I spotted 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ... fireworks (you silly) starting all simultaneously on the wide Turkish coast. It was 11pm on 31st of December and our team of 3 coordinators decided to let the volunteers enjoying their party home for this special day.

Teach, Learn, Share

When I was a child I used to play cards with my grandparents, sometimes I was winning and I was becoming happy; sometimes I was loosing and I was becoming sad. But generally when I was playing I would feel like getting super lucky or super unlucky in a row, like if cards had a spirit and were playing on my side or against me.
One day I tried something... even loosing and getting bad cards, I would try to stay happy and feel grateful for my bad cards. The test was a success. I lost much less rounds and was able to win games much more often. What I realized at that time is that it's not about being lucky or having the God of cards helping you... it's just about your mood: when you are happy you are readier to see winning opportunities; staying defeatist and you will sure miss all of them. Since that time I am optimistic... people generally say to me that I am lucky but luckiness is not based on randomness, it's a consequence of a person's attitude.

In conclusion: don't play cards with me ;)

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Greece, India, Netherlands, Spain