CURRENT MISSION

Having some FUN and doing some GOOD before I take my dirt nap! Expanding my horizons...you know the gig.

ABOUT ME

I'm quite a nerd sometimes, and quite a rebel at times, but usually i'm just excited to be alive. Everyday day is pretty damn good if you let it be.
Peter, one of the most important people in my life, has recently called me: "Carpediemtastic".
Now i finally have a word to use during those dreaded icebreaker games when you have to come up with a word that describes you. As if one word could do it?

PHILOSOPHY

I'm here to make this world a better place, and i'm gonna keep on trying... so no use trying to talk me out of it. Idealism is realism, but with a vision. We must take care of eachother. "When the rain falls, it don't fall on one man's house" as Bob Marley put it best. We can all bring our umbrellas out to shelter eachother or we can all dance in the rain together. Either way we're in it together.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I tell everyone i know who is the vagabond type about couchsurfing. I visit couchsurfing often and communicate with people on the site. I offer advice and plan visits with people. I host surfers when i can, thoug its hard because of my renting situation. When i have enough money i plan to travel...couchsurfing as much as humanly possible. I have offered my services to help coordinate/build the humanitarian efforts of Couchsurfing via CS Cares. When that starts to develop i'll be very excited to see the result. People searching for efforts to take part in...along with couches to sleep on. Making service to humanity a priority equal to the sightseeing and touring. Fusing the two into one mission. Travelling with a purpose.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I lived in Ensenada and Rosarito Mexico for a while (2yrs) without running water, electricity, or a fridge. We had a well under our driveway, and we heated the water up on the propane stove to bathe. It was sweet. I've also couched it in Pedro Escobedo, Queretaro MX with a Doctor and about 20 other UCLA kids, doing health outreach. That was also sweet. I did humanitarian aid in Costa Rica for two stints, in homestay families. During the day we worked in the shanty-towns (primarily Nicaraguan) embedded in/around San Jose. The people in these places were some of the most beautiful and funny and warm i've ever met. Another wonderful thing there is that you never eat alone; someone always sits with you while you eat, even if they're not eating or hungry. And they always want to feed you, like my NY Jewish Grandma. It feels like family there, even though half of the conversation is sign-language because my spanish is so-so. Pura Vida!

Interests

Laughing really hard. Connecting with people. Dancing like no one's watching (especially Salsa). Studying the utter majesty that is the human body. Yoga. Accidental Photography. Poetry. Spokenword. Guitar, i'm a bit rusty though. Activism. Anything and anyone new and refreshing!

• culture
• poetry
• photography
• dancing
• salsa dancing
• dining
• yoga
• running
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• biology
• medicine
• sightseeing

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Patch Adams, Dumbo, JohnQ. Books: Just finished: Intimacy(OSHO), Now Reading: The Art of Happiness (The Dalai Lama), Next in line: Guns, Germs, and Steel (Diamond), Favorites: Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez), 1984 (Orwell), Anything by Marquez and Vonnegut. Music: Everything from Jimi Hendrix to Erkya Badu, from Ella Fitzgerald to Dave Matthews Band, from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Gipsy Kings, from James Brown to Celia Cruz.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

People. People are amazing. I've seen smiling, laughter and hope in complete poverty, thats amazing. I've seen orchids smaller than a thumbtack. I've seen cells. Cells are amazing. I've seen the Waterfall in Arenal Costa Rica, thats amazing. I've seen how ribosomes work...that blew my mind! I guess i'm just perpetually amazed.

Teach, Learn, Share

I would love to learn how dance like the locals...to any kind of music. Dance is transformative and powerful...i connect with people most when dancing. I would also like to learn to make a dish (well) from each culture i visit...because I LOVE FOOD! I also love learning new guitar songs. I would love to know how to say one great proverb in each language i visit. And one good joke. and how to say "cheers." in each place i go. I can teach a little self-defense (blackbelt in Kenpo, but no longer practicing), maybe a little yoga or stretching, a little salsa dancing, and i can teach ya about biology stuff like what DNA is, what RNA is, what an enzyme is (but i don't usually get requests like "Gee Elisabeth...won't you tell me what a gram positive bacteria is!"). I think you catch my drift.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Mexico, United States

•