CURRENT MISSION

US Ecomony sucks! But that's not got me down...I'm escaping with one of my best girlfriends to get inspired in Paris, Prague, Barcelona, Rome, Venice, Sevilla, Lisbon, Amsterdam, and anywhere else along the way!

ABOUT ME

Travel is not just for the wealthy! I would love to meet locals and learn about their lives, thoughts, and dreams....I am inspired by local culture and want my travel experience to be more than just tourist attractions....I spent some time in South America (lived in Buenos Aires and traveled around)...and fell in love with travel! My trip to Europe (beginning 2/09) is a crazy idea because I am already a starving artist here in the US!

PHILOSOPHY

I live each day hoping I will learn something new. I want to become a professor because I feel that being able to guide others with the exchange of knowledge and life experiences is one of the few meaningful and worthwhile jobs. I love to cook and prepare teas and study healing herbs. This passion is due to my desire to make those around me feel at peace. I want to travel to expand my mind before attending graduate school and let my studies become inspired by the lives of people around the world.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I want to exchange ideas about art, literature, inspiration, and LIFE in general. I will cook you a meal, or leave you with some art, and will be interested in hearing all about your life in your home city and will tell you about my home, thoughts on the US, etc. Also, should you ever travel to the US, I would let you stay on my couch or could connect you to friends/family in Wisconsin and California.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I went to a portfolio review in Chicago and stayed with a cousin of a friend. She was so friendly and loved showing me around and sharing all her knowledge of the city. We went out to a few fun bars, (she even performed Irish folk songs in one of them) and just had a good time This is how I'd treat somebody crashing on my couch and how I see a great host treating visitors.

Interests

ART (printmaking and photography), music, anthropology, spirituality, literature, THE BEACH!, the Spanish language, diplomacy

• arts
• culture
• writing
• literature
• photography
• cooking
• traveling
• music
• drums
• anthropology
• teaching
• emergency services
• tourism
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm a HUGE fan of Milan Kundera, this is some of what I've been reading lately, The Hour of the Star (Lispector), Bless me Ultima (Anaya), The complete Medicinal Herbal, Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, Poems of T.S. Elliot (especially Portrait of a Lady)

Music right now I'm listening to (I like a diverse selection)...Les Nubians, Miles Davis, Neil Young, Mos Def, the Roots, Talib Kweli, local Minneapolis Hip Hop (mostly Brother Ali), Santogold....I would love to meet people who could show me some good Bailefunk, hip hop, jazz, latin music

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I danced and sang in the streets in supposedly one of the most "dangerous" areas of Minneapolis after Obama was announced the president-elect. Everybody - black and white, young and old, students and professionals danced and played drums until 3 am ...the police could do nothing to calm the celebration....it was beautiful

Teach, Learn, Share

Share: Artistic techniques, creativity, enthusiasm for herbal knowledge, Spanish language, English language, English creative writing/literature skills

Learn: any other language, herb/plant knowledge, anything relating to art

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, United States