** Lucas (who's from Pennsylvania) and I are currently travelling up to Canada to explore Quebec and Montreal. We'd love to have the local experience, as we have limited time and want to see the best that Canada has to offer! **

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CURRENT MISSION

To see life and to understand it. To remain open to learning and to leave the world better than I found it.

ABOUT ME

I'm bubbly and excited by life. Different cultures fascinate me, as do other ways of seeing the world.

I'm really keen to meet other individuals who also want to offer something to the world. Be that through their story, music, charisma, or a passion of a sort.

I don't have a 'thing'. I would love a 'thing'. But I've always been a bit of a generalist. I used to play the Euphonium and Trombone, sang in choirs, did ballet, athletics and debating. *see interests*

I have a passion for helping people - when I was at uni I was on the executive committee of the Oxford Hub - a local branch of a national charity that connects students with causes. i.e. the aim is get people involved, and realising that there is a world out there...

I'm was a trustee for a charity doing a similar sort of thing for young professionals, and I finished the graduate scheme at Cancer Research UK, which is the UK's largest fundraising charity, and seeks to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured - through finding scientific research, policy, information and campaigning. I then spent an amazing 6 months in New Zealand - surfing, work exchange and living in ashrams for a couple of months! Back to London I worked full time in social enterprise. Then moved to rural Devon after the pandemic and went freelance.

PHILOSOPHY

Travelling, and remaining curious. I am a meditator, love yoga, and have been on several silent retreats (so I know how to be quiet) :)

I feel none of us are that different. Every human wants the same base things - to connect, to love, to be loved, to share, to laugh, to experience. We are global citizens. I don't think getting along with people has to be as hard as people/governments/employers make it out to be. I think most of the world's problems come from people not being genuine, and not realising how similar we really all are.

In my gap year, I tore off to a seaside town in England (Newquay) armed with my car and low budget, where I found myself a job, house share, friends who could teach me how to surf, and didn't come home till 8 weeks later!! So this taught me I could do it.

Then I did a boring but formative job for 4 months to earn cash. Then I went to Sri Lanka for 2 months, where I taught English in a school (this was independent travel in a group of 4 - non of this voluntourism crap, which makes me rather angry). Though I would do it differently now. Keep reading.

Then the most mind-boggling experience of them all. One of the hardest and most interesting things I think I'll ever do. I spent 6 months volunteering for VSO (Voluntary Services Overseas). I was on a cross cultural team (8 UK, 8 Nigerian volunteers), and I spent 3 months living/working with locals in Nigeria, doing community projects/working in an NGO, and 3 months in Essex, UK (I know how exotic) living with locals, working with the same Nigerian volunteers, on community relevant projects.

This experience was very much about cultural dialogue and personal development. We were under no impression we were going to go and change the world (bla bla). But amongst the malaria, racial identity, absolute cultural confusion, and complete feelings of 'floating', I learnt how subjective everything I'd ever been taught was. And it left me wanting more.

Having got through uni I worked and having got through that I am now exploring the world for a few more months...coming back to me :)

I love meeting new people and I have found couchsurfing the most wonderful way to get to know a place and its people!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Started by travelling on my own in Canada in 2014. Had some reservations (being a girl on my own and all that), but didn't look back. Had amazing experiences in Amsterdam and New Zealand and excited to be returning to Canada with my partner!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

visited 12 states (5.33%)Create your own visited map of The World or another interesting project

Interests

Like to keep healthy through yoga, exercise outdoors and meditation (dabbling with Buddhism nowadays). Enjoy photography and love experimenting with food - I think enjoying food is such an important part of life (I don't mean to excess, but I mean the creation, experimentation and shared experiences it provides). Always looking for new things to try.

Would like to learn photography as I do own a lovely 1970s Cannon film SLR but currently point and hope for the best...

• photography
• beauty
• ballet dancing
• causes
• dining
• recipes
• exercise
• yoga
• working out
• meditation
• partying
• reading
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• buddhist
• boxing
• psychology
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

Love cinema, can't live without music. Into my house, acoustic, electro swing, occasional dub step and drum and base, and also have space for the cheesey classics and northern England indie. Love 'raves' (though at heart I'm really a sensible girl and don't like being in actual danger).

My guilty secret: despite my education, my environment, my ability to talk about ideas, I am no book worm. I know I 'should' read, and people find this "serenity" in it, but to be honest I get bored very quickly, I lose concentration, and I'd prefer to see it in a film, or talk to someone instead! Maybe that's weird. But it hasn't hurt me too badly yet (I hope!). I'm trying to get into it. Promise.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The resilience, kindness and beauty of the Sri Lankans I met. I love that place and would go back in a flash.

visited 12 states (5.33%)Create your own visited map of The World or another interesting project

Teach, Learn, Share

I guess my study of Psychology?! Though this is very much a scientific study - it has nothing to do with psychoanalysis or knowing what people are going to say next. Sadly. Though I consider myself to be pretty intuitive about people - I really do seek to understand others and I guess that might be interesting to some.

Would love someone to give me a hand at:
- finally learning the guitar
- new recipes
- developing my photography skills
- showing me how they see the world/party/live and love life
- learning to enjoy reading (good luck)
- learning what I don't yet realise I don't know.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Me and Lucas are both Warm Data Hosts - happy to host a lab for your community if you can find us a space, some chairs and more than 12 people!

https://warmdatalab.net/warm-data-lab

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Greece, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Morocco, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Vatican City State, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom