CURRENT MISSION

Getting my life back now that it looks like the pandemic is over, especially as I’m fully vaccinated and had COVID-19 as well.

ABOUT ME

I enjoy travelling and usually manage one trip a year to a new country. I don't often go back - there are too many places I haven't seen!

I am an experienced nature conservation volunteer. I can clear scrub, cut down trees (much more often than I ever plant any!), build fences and bridges, repair and make footpaths and so on. I used to belong to the Conservation Volunteers (TCV) when it was an international environmental charity and I used my annual leave to work on one overseas project every year. We worked alongside local volunteers and I always had a really good time! TCV doesn't do any overseas work anymore, so I've worked on a project with Habitat for Humanity and am looking at other options to volunteer on short projects overseas.

I like learning new languages but I just shove them in my short-term memory before my trip and usually forget them afterwards. I enjoy teaching Welsh to adults.

PHILOSOPHY

Life is what you make of it. Don't just sit on your backside - go out there and see what happens.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I love, love, love meeting new people! I host guests and go to CS meetings in Cardiff. I surf sometimes, usually when I'm travelling overseas.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have hosted lots of people and met visitors for a chat or a meal. I love the amazing conversations I have with couchsurfers!

Interests

I sing in an enormous mixed choir - over 100 members - and I really enjoy it. I'm an alto and my choir, Cor y Gleision, sings everything from the sublime (Handel) to the ridiculous ("Delilah"). If you're around on a Thursday evening, you can come along and hear us rehearsing.

I enjoy carrying out practical work to improve and protect the environment. I enjoy going to the theatre and cinema, and reading modern fiction. I belong to a Welsh reading group.

• singing
• reading
• live music
• theatre

Music, Movies, and Books

My music tastes are pretty wide-ranging, from Rammstein to Geraint Jarman a'r Cynganeddwyr to the Chieftains. My taste in books is equally difficult to pigeonhole. I like crime novels and science fiction and modern Welsh fiction. My taste in films ranges from Hollywood blockbusters to far more thoughtful films. I usually go to the cinema once a week. My favourite films include Hard Candy, Lola Rennt/Run Lola Run, Dal Yma Nawr/Still Here Now and The Wall.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Building an 8-metre long wooden bridge in the US is the most amazing thing I've done and the Blautopf in Blaubeuren, southern Germany is the most amazing this I have ever see - a small, deep pool which is an unbelievable shade of turquiose. Any photo of it looks fake.

Teach, Learn, Share

I am an experienced adult education teacher - I teach Welsh to adults. I can teach people how to plant a young tree and move a fully grown one. I like to learn about other languages and cultures and to practise the ones I know a bit.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm not much of a cook but I make a mean vegetarian shepherd's pie. If you have any questions about English grammar (or Welsh, of course), I'm your woman!

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Wales

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