CURRENT MISSION

Just wanna enjoy life to its fullest

ABOUT ME

I think I am a pretty easy going person, not afraid to laugh at myself. Apparently, I look more serious than I really am... I really don't take myself very seriously, even my research, though I really enjoy what I am doing.

I am generally shy at first, but warm up quickly if I'm with the right (i.e. friendly) people. I can sometimes have a peculiar (i.e. French) sense of humour, and like telling incredible stories with my hand gesturing in all directions :D

I used to have 4 cats (hence the cat lady name), but I only have one left now, Fanny, a 16 years old female.

PHILOSOPHY

No regrets. Just do what I want to do, so that I can't never say later... "what if?"

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I really enjoy this! I realized that what I really like when I travel, is to notice the little things from the day to day life that are different from my own. Staying with people is a great way for me to meet people, and to learn more about life in the country. I do enjoy sightseeing too, but I like to experience the country in a deeper depth... and staying with local people is a great way for doing just that!
I did have some bad hosting experiences though... people not showing up, insulting my language or culture, or people coming home expecting me to cook dinner for them or to clean after them.

Please, people, "host" is not a synonym for "mommy" ;) If you want us (and others) to continue this wonderful hosting tradition, leave your prejudices at home and try to be more clean and helpful than you are at home, cause this is someone else's home. Thanks.

Interests

I am a very curious person, that's probably why I became a researcher. I like learning new things, and trying new things too (but you won't EVER see me eating sea urchins alive, no matter how much my boyfriend insist that this is a delicacy... I have my limits). I do like photography, movies (especially action or fantasy), traveling, meeting new people, squash, tennis, badminton, reading, music, beaches, mountains, volcanoes, well, nature in general, etc.

• cats
• culture
• folklore
• photography
• cooking
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• tennis
• racquetball
• badminton
• sightseeing
• beaches
• mountains
• squash

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite movies: Lord of the Rings, Benny & Joon.

Favorite TV shows: Flashforward, Lost, House, Desperate Housewives, Castle, The Big Bang Theory, Friends, X-Files, etc.

I like lots of different kinds of music: pop, rock, classical, latino, punk, that is, from Beethoven to Rammstein. I also love drums, including taiko (Japanese drums).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Lived in Denmark for half a year. For the first time in my life, I felt like an "outsider" and that was a strange feeling. I think it helped me understand a bit more how it feels to be an immigrant... and for that, it was the most valuable experience of my life. I also made a best friend there... And now I'm living in Japan, and again, I feel like an outsider, but yet, welcomed.

Teach, Learn, Share

I want to understand how people from different cultures live and think. That is why I think the couchsurfing experience is great, as it allows you to go into people's home, get closer to the people living there and experience how they live, instead of staying either in American-style hotels or other tourists hosting places that does not allow you to really get in touch with the "real" culture of the country.

Countries I’ve Visited

Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Denmark, Japan, United States

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