CURRENT MISSION

1) Create a library at a school in the Volta Region - done July 2005 2) Fund a project to create water filters in Ghana - done April 2006. 3) I'm going to finish building a kindergarten in the Dalive Village if it is the last thing I do on this planet!

ABOUT ME

http://www.courant.com/features/lifestyle/hc-couchsurfers.artaug16,0,530505.story

I want to travel rtw from couch-to-couch as soon as I can swing it. If you are interested please visit my group called gogrannygo. I am mom to three sons and hope to be a real granny some day. In the meantime, you can call me granny if you want to. I love red. I drink coffee with a straw. I have the cutest mom in the world. I like to crochet. I hitchhiked around Europe back in the day. I drove all the way across U.S.A. just to put my piggies in the Pacific-it was worth it! I took my sons tent-camping-it was worth it.....until it rained and we woke up in a puddle. I want to ride a camel through the desert, and I will some day. I want to skydive, but I never will. I'd rather eat out than cook. I love Connecticut because the weather changes every day. I love the seasons and the scenery. I'm kinda funny in a funny sort of way. I want to experience the planet. I want to really feel it, touch it, smell it, walk on all the continents, eat the food, meet the people, play with the children. I wish I could sing.

My current mission is to travel around the world bringing books and clothing and joy to children, and medical supplies to remote medical posts. I will start out with a duffel bag filled with goodies, donate the stuff, then refill it to donate to the next place. This is my version of direct action - no middle man - no overhead - just taking the donations directly to the people who need it the most. My goal is to surf couches with other people who will support me in this mission - by hosting me - helping me to find transportation to my new location - and assisting me with filling up my duffel bag again. The money I would have spent on a youth hostel can go directly back into the duffel bag and the children around the world will benefit. If you are interested in helping me accomplish this mission, please contact me and I will add you to the group. This is my first shot at a route but obviously will change: nyc to new zealand to australia to thailand to india to nepal to ethiopia to kenya to ghana (this is a must cuz my village is there!) to morocco to paris (another must cuz my bro is there), then i want to go to ireland and back to nyc.

JOIN MY COUCH SURFING GROUP --> GOGRANNYGO

Your Personality is Somewhat Rare (ESFP)

Your personality type is playful, charming, open minded, and energetic.

Only about 7% of all people have your personality, including 9% of all women and 5% of all men
You are Extroverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

PHILOSOPHY

Be Joyful. Be Adventurous. Be Courageous. Be Free!

The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others happy. The time to be happy is now.

Often people attempt to live their lives backwards. They try to HAVE more things, or more money, in order to DO more of what they want, so they will BE happier. The way it actually works is the reverse... You must first BE who you really are, then DO what you need to do, in order to HAVE what you want. Be/Do/Have....NOT...Have/Do/Be

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

This is a result of my first CS experience: I am now hooked. The possibilities are endless --> The construction of the school in Ghana has begun! The foundation is complete and the front of the school is UP! This will be a 3-room schoolhouse for Kindergarten classes KG1 KG2 and KG3. The design has been modified slightly to include a teacher's office, first aid room and 2 storage areas. The school was designed by the ACE TEAM (Architecture Construction & Engineering) in Hartford, Ct. Working with the youth group YCC Ghana and the wonderful people in the Dalive Community was a rewarding experience. Anyone traveling to Ghana, please visit this awesome community. Your life will be richly blessed forever. See www.brightstarvision.org for photos of the school.
Create your own visitor map!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I hosted:
Leo from Canada - October 2012
Zach from Nebraska and Hoon from Korea - August 2008
Peter from Egypt - August 2008
David (WAAKYE) from Austria - July 2008
Justin from Portland Oregon - July 2008
Richard (STREETB) from Arizona - October 2007
Judeth from Massachusetts - October 2007
Lucy the Life Magician from Australia - September 2007
Elizabeth from New Mexico - August 2007
Joey from Ghana - July 2007
Frisbee Champion of the WORLD - June 2007
Leif from NYC - June 2007
Philipp from Germany - April 2007
Zo from New Hampshire
Tara from Massachusetts
Michael from California

I surfed:
Tista in New London October 2007
Andrejs in Ithaca in 2010
Sue Green in Senaca Falls 2010
Kingsley from Ghana 2012
Leo from Canada 2012
Brad Clarry in Syracuse 2013
Celeste Friend in Utica 2013

I have couchsurfed with John Glidden in Volta Region GHANA and with Alfred & Kingsley and their wonderful family in Tema, Ghana. I also surfed couches before this site was invented: Once while hitchhiking in Germany a mom and son were worried about me so they took me to their house for the night. Tennessee in 2004 met up with some peaceniks and I surfed their couch, and the outer banks when I couldn't find a place to stay. Surfed in Greece with another mom and son back in the day, and once in Berlin which was a terrible mistake.

Interests

peace and social concerns
making friends with people from different countries
I am looking for a new volunteer opportunity in either Central America or Asia to prepare for my rtw adventure
Thoughts rolling around in my head at the moment: My next mission is to go to somewhere in Central America to volunteer for a week in a school or orphanage, meet the local people and possibily form a partnership for Bright Star Vision. I would like to have a total of 3 villages around the world where I could sort of call home. When i need a little R & R from my rtw adventure, I will pop in on my "homes away from home"

• books
• singing
• architecture
• design
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• drinking
• clothing
• traveling
• eating out
• crochet
• camping
• surfing
• skydiving
• teaching
• engineering
• hitchhiking
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite movie: PAY IT FORWARD - Help three people, and instead of having them 'pay you back', you ask them to 'pay it forward' by helping three other people, who would then each 'pay it forward' by helping three other people. Pretty soon, 'random acts of kindness' will spread into the global community.
Favorite Book: SOMEBODY'S HEART IS BURNING: A Woman Wanderer in Africa by Tanya Shaffer
Favorite Song: "Marla Packed a Pack" by David M. Brown - WHY? Cuz it's my theme song and all about me!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I tried Ghana in 2005 as an experiment for my future rtw. But, an amazing thing happened - I adopted a son and a village in the Volta Region. If you're interested in having the most meaningful volunteer adventure ever, check out www.yccghana.org for more information. This is a group of young people who are dedicated to putting smiles on the faces of the children, and they ask for nothing in return. Amazing...truly amazing!
NEXT YEAR - INDIA or NEPAL or THAILAND - I'm searching for a volunteer opportunity there.

Teach, Learn, Share

Follow your heart - Be yourself - Do not let negativity of others stop you from fulfilling your dreams. If you want to support my cause please join the gogrannygo group.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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