CURRENT MISSION

See the best of Australia, Make new friends, Learn more about My world and about Myself! Collect new jokes, dance moves, and fabulous stories!

ABOUT ME

Hey there! My name is Ana and I live in the gorgeous little town of Ashland, OR out here in the west coast. We have easy access to the great outdoors, many rivers and lakes and great hikes. Our town is filled with fun restaurants, bars, an awesome Uni, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

I am a joyful, outgoing, and goofy gal that loves dancing, yoga, good conversation, and being a teacher for exceptional little humans. I love making jokes, art, poems, and most importantly, friends!

I will be in Australia from the end of September til before Christmas and would love to find some good friends and comfy couches to surf while abroad! I am also coming with a Working Holiday visa and am very interested in short-term jobs that will allow me to travel and not come home in the end flat broke! I am up for just about anything whether it be working with kiddos (my specialty), gardening, painting, cafe/restaurant work, office business, or anything customer service related (I love people!) Also, I should mention that as a solo lady traveler I am only looking to surf the couches of ladies and couples (just my own comfort level, you understand right?) I wish I could have brought along my sweetheart, Jacob, but alas he is an American Football coach and September-December is work time. I greatly look forward to meeting new AU friends, I know we will have fun!

Warmest Blessings,
Ana

PHILOSOPHY

LOVE EACH OTHER

Just saw this bumpersticker and had to post:
"Being nice to people is a really good idea"

Love&kindness, Love&kindness

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm new here! Excited to be joining this very cool global community! Australia, show me what you got! =)

INVITES FROM WOMEN AND LIVE-IN COUPLES ONLY PLEASE
(my personal comfort and safety measures, thank you for understanding)

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have never couch surfed. I did travel through Central America for 4 months in 2009, but we stayed in hostels. Looking forward to meeting new friends in the comfort of their homes instead!

Interests

I just received my master's degree in special education and my license to teach at the elementary/early childhood level. I've been in college for 7 years, so I am looking forward to a much needed vacation!

When I'm not teaching or studying I love dancing, yoga classes, hikes, walking on beaches, swimming in rivers, coffee with friends, long chats, Laughing til I Cry, cooking healthy food, reading good books, writing poetry, getting lost in new music, jumping around at concerts, snuggles with my sweetheart, and of course, traveling!

• arts
• writing
• books
• poetry
• concerts
• festivals
• dancing
• education
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• yoga
• coach
• meditation
• walking
• gardening
• reading
• traveling
• eating out
• painting
• music
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• american football
• soccer
• swimming
• business
• teaching
• religion
• beaches
• lakes
• rivers

Music, Movies, and Books

I'll come back to this...but for now: Eat Pray Love, HappyThankYouMorePLease, and The Avett Brothers.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Fallen in Love

Transcended my body and forgiven my past in meditation

Traveled around the Caribbean islands of Central America

Watched a child with cerebral palsy walk by himself for the first time

Learned traditional songs and dances from Jamaican children

Saw Cirque du Soleil live

Stood my ground in a public debate with a homophobic extremist

Danced with my best friend at the ocean's edge under a full moon while we blasted the Lion King soundtrack out of my car.

Teach, Learn, Share

My focus of the last several years has been working with children of many different types of backgrounds, strengths, areas of need, cultures, and families. I've taught in Nicaragua, Jamaica, every level of primary school, and in three different realms of special education (resource through severe and profound mental and physical exceptionalities.) I nanny for children 2 months through 10 years old and it has truly shaped me into the woman I am today.
I've done a fair amount of yoga and modern dance over the years, and learned a lot about eating gluten-free when a blood test revealed that I am allergic to it.
I've never followed any particular religion, but I have studied meditation in addition to yoga and I've learned a lot in my life about the power of unconditional love, positive perspective, listening, and letting go.

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