Hi!

My name is Laetitia, or Trish, as my friends call me, I am 27 years and I have been living in England for a year (I came over last September to teach French at Birmingham University). Originally I am from the South of France, a city called Montpellier.

I am also a student, having finished a second Bachelor's Degree in English Literature and History (the first was in Applied Foreign Languages, during which I studied both English and Italian linguistics).

I have been working as a teacher for 4 years, including the position teaching French in Birmingham. I have experience teaching young children, but also adults, which is what I love best.

Finally, I work as a translator for a doctoral research lab in France.

I have a daughter, Tessa (you can see her in the photos :), who is 7. She spent a semester with me in Birmingham, before moving back to France in January to live with her dad.

I have been living in Brighton for a month.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

In 2018, I am planning a two year trip around the world. I am hoping to discovery as many countries as I can and eventually find one where I will feel good, and want to settle down.

I heard about Couchsurfing through two friends, the first backpacking in Ireland, and the second doing the same in Argentina, and they were so enthousiastic I thought it would be a great way to discover new places!

I have a blog narrating Tessa and my adventures, please feel free to check it out :) https://pasapasandstepbystep.wordpress.com/

Interests

I love drawing and writing. Those are the two things I have never let go of doing and enjoy so much when I am travelling. Instead of taking pictures, which I am not very good at, I rather take the time to sketch some of the wonderful things I see. It takes longer, but I realized I tended later to remember them better too.

I have been writing short stories forever, but these last few years have become extremely passionnate about it. What do I write about? That's a hard question to answer, but basically I write the stories of the people I meet during my trips. I now have quite a few, turning into a collection. Writing about them is a way to make sure I don't forget anything when the meeting has been extraordinary. This is something that is very precious to me.

Finally, I love travelling (but then again, who doesn't?). The happiest moment in my life was in February a year ago, going to visit friends and Switzerland: gazing at the Lemane Lac one evening, coming home with my daughter, I felt I had never been so free and happy. I realized this was the thing I wanted to do, spend the next years travelling and discovering as much of the world as I can.

• writing
• books
• literature
• make up
• cooking
• traveling
• drawing
• backpacking
• teaching
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

I am a book-eater and very fast reader, so there are never enough books for me! My absolute favorite author is Laura Kasischke (and her marvellous "In A Perfect World", which I offer to all my friends and take on every trip)! I have increasingly been enjoying Stephen King too (in particular his short stories, such as "Full Dark, No Stars", but also "Dr Sleep", and "11.22.63"), as well as Italian novelist Donato Carrisi.

I love movies, especially indi ones, but prefer watching them at the movie theatre if I have a chance. My favorite movies (which I saw three times each at the theatre) are "Black Swan", "The Constant Gardener", and "Somewhere". Btw, my favorite director is Sofia Coppola.

I don't have many music references, because I am always discovering new artists and I generally like to trust the friends/people I am with to recommand things. My all time favorite album, however, is "To Emma, Forever Ago", by Bon Iver.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Stil working on it... But I would definitely say my little stories about the people I meet :)

Also I shooting a documentary on some musicien friends of mine in Brighton, over one year.

My daughter.

Teach, Learn, Share

As I mentionned I have been working as a teaching assistant/tutor was almost three years now so my area of expertize is definitely language teaching!
However, as I love to draw, this is a fun thing I like to share, along with thousands of book and movie recommandations. I am not a great cook, but I manage!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can definitely help out with homework is there are kids, as I will be homeschooling my daughter thoughout the entire trip next year.
I can cook, I am not a chef, but I know my basics :-)
I will be so happy to discuss cosmetics with the ladies and moms, and organize workshops for home cosmetics recipies!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, England, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, France, United States