Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've joined couch surfing in part to find places to stay when I travel, but more so because I love meeting people, and the way my perception of the world changes when I know that I have friends all over. I love to travel, but I also like putting down roots in a single place: getting to know the people and coming to feel that in some way I belong to that place and it belongs to me. Couchsurfing excites me because I think that in staying with people who "belong" to the place, a traveller can perhaps find, even in a brief period, some sense of belonging.

Interests

Dance (swing, blues, ballet, picking up new things...), yoga, cooking, baking, writing, theatre, acro yoga, contact improv, drawing, running and hiking

wandering around a city and getting lost

finding a comfy chair at a coffee shop and sitting there a long time, writing, talking to whoever comes by, people watching

swimming in rivers, even if they are cold!

converations over a good meal or a glass of wine

• writing
• dancing
• ballet dancing
• cooking
• baking
• yoga
• traveling
• socializing
• drawing
• blues
• surfing
• swimming
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: To The Lighthouse, Mrs. Dalloway (Woolf), The Age of Innocence (Wharton), Moby Dick (Melville), Black Swan Green (Mitchell), The Hours (Cunningham), Heart of Darkness (Conrad), The Book Thief (Zusak), About a Boy (Hornby), and the list goes on...
I love children's literature, and would also count among my favorite books The House at Pooh Corner (Milne), Miss Rumphius (Cooney), Bread and Jam for Frances (Hoban), The Magician's Elephant (DiCamillo) and a number of others... if you're a fan of any of those, or high quality children's books in general, we really need to talk.

Movies: The Philadelphia Story, Bringing Up Baby, Young Frankenstein, A Night at the Opera, Amélie Poulain, Never Let Me Go, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Tampopo, Big Night, The Princess Bride,

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Swimming in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Goa at night, in the moonlight.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am a very good cook, and would love to prepare you a meal! Or cook with you, if you also like to cook. Sharing knowledge in the kitchen is one of my favorite things to do. And I'll do the dishes:)
I've studied dance all my life, and could teach the basics of swing, blues, ballet, and a number of other forms. I'm also a certified yoga teacher and would be happy to lead an informal session.
I speak French and am always looking to practice. My English is pretty good too ;)
Most of all I can share good conversation, thoughts both serious and silly, and a thoughtful and positive outlook on life. I get excited about little things, and I like to think that excitement is contagious.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, England, France, India, Italy, Netherlands, Scotland, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States