ABOUT ME

45 years old. Type A Nomad, if that's a thing. People-oriented introvert. Quietly and gently rebellious. Chronic pain required me to change my lifestyle, the way I work, what I value, and to learn more about myself. I have had the freedom to reevaluate how I want to live life, and am still daily learning about how I get in my own way! Over the past ten years I have gone from teaching full time in an elementary school to...(at various points) living on a farm, working for a raw milk business, having a large organic garden, integrating Buddhism and other philosophies into my life, delving into alternative health approaches, finding out about alternative education models, starting up an eco-friendly cleaning business, learning how to interact differently with money, property-sitting on a tiny island on the west coast, traveling on my own in the US in my camperized van for 4 months, sleeping in my tent on various friends' properties, purging half of my possessions, making and selling greeting cards with my photography, running an alternative economy website, researching neuroplasticity and chronic pain, etc etc....
It continues to be an adventure - often challenging, often involving trust and letting go. I would love to continue to travel when I can, and to find ways of doing it that honour my body and spirit.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am currently a bit of a nomad with no permanent homebase, seeing where the journey takes me next in life. I used couchsurfing with some trepidation for the first time when I was on a four month solo road trip, sleeping in my van and traveling across the US. It was a fantastic and helpful experience, and I was so grateful for the people who hosted me. I am always amazed at all the incredibly interesting, generous, loving souls out there when I read through people's bios on the couchsurfing site, and am thankful for how many people are willing to share their space and their lives with strangers.

Interests

Growing things, campfires, woodstoves, coffee, indie folk music, puttering, building, massages, photography, foraging, eating, independent films, funky coffee shops, reading, art, organizing, decluttering, helping, problem solving, Nia, Groove, slowing down, books, espresso, alternative education models, weeding gardens, wandering, the gifting economy, the sharing economy, neuroplasticity, guitar, singing.

• arts
• books
• photography
• education
• coffee
• gardening
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• folk music
• outdoor activities
• teaching
• art
• reading books
• buddhism
• playing guitar
• organic gardening
• sharing economy
• good conversation
• gift economy
• neuroplasticity

Music, Movies, and Books

I tend not to watch a lot of movies or tv (except for occasional binges when I'm feeling exhausted and low!), but I do love a good film.
Indie folk music, mostly. And anything calming. I love singing and making music with people.
I am a voracious reader. Well-written novels that aren't too, too taxing for my brain (I studied french literature in university, but now I prefer works that are a little easier to digest...while still being witty, clever, or beautiful enough to keep my attention, if possible...), also humour, dystopian, stories of survival of events in history (eg. Book of Negroes), and some children/teen's literature thrown in for good measure. Also non-fiction on topics that are currently of interest to me. I love libraries. I could live in them.
I usually have a dozen books on the go all at once.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Quit my ten year career, left the church, moved out of Toronto, relocated to a farm in Waterloo, with no plan and no money, all in one fell swoop.

Teach, Learn, Share

Well, I'm fantastic at helping 6 year olds with school work, but that doesn't seem to come in very handy so often anymore...
I can garden, weed, clean, and organize like nobody's business.
I was once fluent in French, though those skills need some reviving...
I like being genuine with people and getting to know them.
I have experience in starting up and running small ventures with heart (a hostel out west, an eco-friendly cleaning business, an outdoor homeschooling initiative, my own PWYC greeting card business...). I like helping things to flow smoothly.
I have loads of resources and information about alternative economic businesses (PWYC, barter, pay it forward, gifting) - this is a huge fascination and passion of mine. I have a website/directory called Pay What? and I can connect you with all kinds of resources!

What I Can Share with Hosts

see above

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Slovakia