CURRENT MISSION

Making the best of my short time on Earth, and screening CouchRequests for quality and genuine interest...

ABOUT ME

I guess the conclusion so far is that I'm pragmatic, open-minded, always eager to learn and discover more about almost anything and everything. I am easygoing and I respect others' points of view and personalities because I consider it minimum courtesy and fundamental to living in any society.

But really, who likes describing themself? beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and in that spirit I recommend you discover me through my profile, my references and my company...

PHILOSOPHY

Logic, reasoned free thought and lifestyle, common sense. I'm what I call a pragmatic nihilist. There is no single absolute morality, and as such one should feel free to build one's own morality and live by it, as long as one remembers that one lives in a society and as such shouldn't damage one's own or others' positions in it.

Favorite quotes:

"Traveler, there is no path, you make your own path as you go" - A. Machado

"Remember the past, plan for the future but live for today because yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come" - Unknown

"Old age is when your regrets replace your dreams" - Antoine de St. Exupery

"Wisdom is having dreams large enough not to lose sight of them as you pursue them." - Spinoza

"Those who forget the past are doomed to relive it" - Santayana

"I disagree with what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it" - Voltaire

I have given a lot of thought to societal norms and taboos, to the point of seeing them from a different perspective, one allowing me to be more free while at the same time remaining both human and humane. In everything I do I respect my fellow humans and expect the same in return.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have attended hundreds of CS meetings and gatherings, love to meet fellow CSers, love to help out with languages or insider tips... I have met so many great people already, and absolutely enjoyed the experience, so I definitely want to keep that up...

I have surfed a few times and I hosted for a few months in Paris and Lisbon, and it's been great!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

At first when I registered I mostly attended CS gatherings. I have met several great people in those meetings, people from all over (Philippines, Ukraine, Germany, Belgium, Baltics, Hungary, South America, USA, UK...) We would often meet up again later for drinks, pool games, etc...

On the hosting side, about a hundred people have been on my couches in Paris and Lisbon already.

I have also surfed a few couches during my most recent travels (in Paris, Lyon, Stockholm, Tallinn, Dublin) and otherwise met interesting Couchsurfers during those trips as well. I particularly remember a birthday party in Tallinn, preparing fondue for my host in Stockholm, enjoying some great cooking in Lyon and sampling really cool bars in Dublin...

More recently I was really involved in the Geneva CS community, taking over the organization of both the weekly meeting and CS' participation at a local Pub Quiz.

Interests

Most anything, but my biggest interests are travel, geography, history, computers, water sports (sailing, scuba diving, *real* surfing, windsurfing, just plain old swimming, hopefully soon kitesurfing), snowboarding, getting lost (this being the best way to really get to know a city), *living* the places i visit (instead of sticking to the cliché tourist traps) from the inside

On the more creative side, I do some drawing and graphic design, occasionally write songs (parodies), and lately have taken up actual writing, which you can sample on my blog: http://damien.concordel.eu. I have also published a book, a short story collection called "The Edge of Reason", and intend to publish more in future.

• writing
• design
• graphic design
• beauty
• dancing
• cooking
• recipes
• partying
• drinking
• pub crawls
• boating
• traveling
• billiards
• blogging
• drawing
• guitar
• windsurfing
• surfing
• scuba diving
• sailing
• snowboarding
• sports
• swimming
• geography
• history
• languages
• logic

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: i'm not a big fan of most Hollywood movies: you know, the kind where after 5 minutes you know exactly who the good guy, the bad guy and the pretty girl are, and after 10 you know the rest of the plot.
In general I like a bit of mystery and when the characters aren't all binary (a careful balance of Jekyll AND Hyde doesn't hurt and makes the whole thing seem more real... let's face it, we've ALL got a little J&H thing going)
A few that stand out: American Beauty, Phone Booth, Butterfly Effect, The Sixth Sense (at least plot-wise)...

I'm not big on TV, but being the nerd and geek I am, I do like some TV series, such as The Big Bang Theory, Game of Thrones, and CSI-like series.

I've taken a particular liking to a series I discovered kind of by accident: The Good Place. It is an excellent exploration of morality and philosophy and gives an amazing amount of perspective all through and particularly at the end. I definitely recommend it, it ran on NBC in the US but is also present (in its entirety) on Netflix.

Music: I like anything that stands out from the commercial music which seems to dominate the market today. I look for songs with something worth listening to: this means that I tend to prefer the creative lyrics of rap, the astounding solos and long tracks of classic rock (from way back when they made music for the music and not for the money) and the carefully written, recherché music of symphonic metal.
I also enjoy classical music (mostly from the romantic period: beethoven, brahms, dvorak, grieg...) from time to time.
I listen to a lot of other stuff too, but that's where I get picky.
As for making some noise myself, well I have been playing guitar for a while now, so you may have the chance to cringe at the discordant inexpert tones issuing from mine...

Books: My favorite books are thrillers, especially books by Frederick Forsyth, Alistair MacLean, Lapierre & Collins etc...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

>5000km in one single non-stop sailing journey, from Mexico to the Marquesas Islands, from Puerto Vallarta to Polynesia, in 16 days 13 hours and 30 minutes.

Did I feel lonely out there? sometimes
Would i do it again? gladly...

1,320 km down the Rhine river on a bicycle, with only a backpack, saddlebags and two bottles of water for company. That was a hell of an experience!

Oh you said only one? Sorry...

Teach, Learn, Share

I am a native English and French speaker and a fluent Spanish, Portuguese and Italian speaker, and can therefore help teach those three languages. Better yet, over the past decade and a half I've specialized in helping people overcome the trauma they often feel after having learned a language in school. I've actually had very positive results with this and with the advice I give on how best to learn and practice a language. I could definitely share my insights in the matter with you as well.

As for the rest, I can help you learn some graphic and Web design, other computer-related things (such as handy tips in Office, Windows or Linux), some guitar, sailing (at least the theory, if we can't get access to an actual boat)...

I would like to practice my German.
I'm also very interested in cooking (I know my way around a kitchen but am always hungry - pun emphatically intended - for new recipes) and cocktail mixing.
I also have two left feet in the dancing department, so any tips or practice opportunities are welcome! (at your own risk, though, I'm afraid...)

What I Can Share with Hosts

My cooking, my guitars, movies, music...

Language tips (French - English - Spanish - Italian - Portuguese)

IT knowledge or tips

Stories from my travels

Nice long conversations about society, politics, religion, current events...

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Egypt, England, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mali, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niue, Northern Ireland, Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Portugal, Rwanda, Scotland, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tonga, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Mexico, Nicaragua, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

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