CURRENT MISSION

Travel to all the places I've never been - be good to everyone I meet!

ABOUT ME

Irish - with freckles to prove it! - but really, a traveler at heart. Moved to Montreal in 2011 and am slowly getting used to the winters! I am a super positive person, both chill and excitable, and can occasionally be found dancing on tables, though I do like quiet times, curled up with a book. I love to cook (baking especially), be in nature, and speak different languages.

PHILOSOPHY

I believe:
Swimming in the sea is good for the soul; books are important; good manners are not optional; a cup of tea or a long hot bath makes any situation better; knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad; you've got to do what makes you happy; you don't have to 'get' modern art; spirituality is more important than religion; a good Pavlova is the most amazing dessert; and everything in moderation. Including moderation ;)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Hosting when I can, surfing, showing people around whatever city I happen to be living in, spreading the great CS vibe.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Have been hosting and surfing in Europe, Central America, South America, and Asia - such amazing experiences. The people I have met are incredibly inspiring and have taught me so much! I have also had wonderful experienced as a host [However: I really don't like these impersonal, could-be-for-anyone couch requests. Come on people - make an effort!]

Interests

Food, good books, travel, tea, tango, salsa, martial arts, scuba diving, religions, science, technology, pole fitness, singing, crop circles, baking, space.

• arts
• books
• singing
• modern art
• festivals
• dancing
• tango
• dining
• cooking
• baking
• fitness
• shopping
• technology
• traveling
• cave diving
• surfing
• scuba diving
• skydiving
• martial arts
• swimming
• languages
• religion
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Cheesy 80s Rock (Kiss, Danger Danger, Whitesnake etc.) Toots and the Maytals, Paul Simon, Fleetwood Mac, Sting, Vampire Weekend, Oren Lavie,The Saw Doctors, Ben Howard, Matt and Kim, some jazz, some classical, and very occasionally, some country.

Movies: Angels in America (ok, it's a mini-series), Twelve Angry Men, Kung Fu Hustle (Stephen Chow is a genius, plain and simple), Amelie, Lost in Translation, Battle Royale, Mutiny on the Bounty, Brokeback Mountain, Dan in Real Life

Books: Haruki Murakami just to make you think, Joe O'Connor for some great humour, Robert Fisk for important stuff, Talking Cock by Richard Herring (It's NOT dirty!!), The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton, off-the wall travel guides, anything by Roald Dahl, good cookbooks with lots of pictures.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Atlantic Swim, Coney Island, NYC, in December
Skydive!
Mongolian Yurt in the hinterland of France in the middle of winter.
Marketplace spices in Bahrain
Rainforest suspension bridges in Ghana
Silk shopping in Beijing
New Year's Eve in Las Vegas
Lunch in the Bolivian salt desert
Whale-watching in Patagonia
Night dive on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Tango Dancing, Buenos Aires
Leaning out over the cliffs at Dun Aengus, Ireland
Just for Laughs festival, Montreal
Midnight earthquake on San Blas, Panama
Ziplining and Volcano-watching, Costa Rica
Cave diving in Vinales, Cuba
The floating islands of lake Titicaca, Peru
German Colony in the northern desert of Paraguay
Iguazu falls, Brazil
Dressing up geisha-style, Kyoto, Japan
Apple-picking in beautiful Quebec

Teach, Learn, Share

Can offer Irish (gaelic) lessons! Also could attempt to teach a bit of Wing Chun Kung Fu and Tango or Salsa. Have travel tips and stories from Europe, Russia, Turkey, Africa, China, Australia, Canada, Central and South America. Pretty decent cook. Happy to show travellers around if I have time, and make them a nice cup of tea!
Would love to learn cooking from other countries, surfing, and bits of random languages.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech Republic, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Canada, China, France, Ireland, Scotland

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