CURRENT MISSION

Periodically morph, mutate, re-invent myself, give, profile those who give, and above all, share what I have!

ABOUT ME

Love people, am easy, choose to have few material assets. Love to laugh and have fun. At the same time I am reflective and like solitude. I have lived in Cambridge, Mass for 37 years.

PHILOSOPHY

Be open, not be bound by societal expectations, relate to the new-born and the centurion in equal measure. Try, as much as possible, to break out of the confines of my comfort zone. For that is not where the magic happens!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

So far, I have Couchsurfed three times. I have had amazing persons as my hosts. I have hosted more than one dozen individual Couchsurfers, as well as four teams of between four and seven persons from OneWorldCenter.org! Almost forty in all! It's been a blast! Even though I have only a 1 bedroom apartment, the teams were very considerate and disciplined and quiet. The first team cooked dinner every evening, and I was glad that the only male in the team was the one who cooked! As to the second and third teams, I was able to spend only a few hours with each of them, before I left for D. C., Manhattan and Western Mass, etc! They had already left by the time I returned, but it was so wonderful to see that they had left my apartment spotless and sparkling! The individual couchsurfers have ranged from Camila, 21, from Brazil, to Mark, 62, from Germany.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Magdalena Kogutowska, the guest from Denmark, had the goal to visit the Kindergarten Lab, part of the Media Lab at MIT (my alma mater). On the Sunday that she and I visited it, an organization called "The Awesome Foundation" was in the building. My guest, returning home, sent them a proposal. She made her presentation in Berlin, and won first place, and $ 1000. Go figure! What a thrill!

Interests

I invite people for conversations over food and drink. I attend, as a volunteer, (where I stay in a tent with a sleeping bag) 1) the Falcon Ridge Folk Music Festival at Dodd's Farm in the Berkshires (first weekend in August), this year August 1 to August 8, and 2) the late Pete Seeger's Clearwater " Revival of the Hudson" Festival at Croton Point Park, (a 508-acre park situated on a peninsula on the east shore of the Hudson River), this year June 15 to June 19. I read all genres of books and materials, and listen to all genres of music.
I am on Facebook and Pinterest. Also on Twitter@bingerwhome!

• books
• beauty
• music festivals
• festivals
• dining
• drinking
• flying
• magic
• music
• folk music
• hinduism
• communications

Music, Movies, and Books

The list of Movies, Music and Books is too long! But here, at random, are a few.

Movies: Moulin Rouge, As Good As It Gets, Erin Brockovich, The Joy Luck Club, Why We Fight, Regret To Inform, Be With Me

Music: K.D. Lang singing Hallelujah, Lauryn Hill, Corinne Bailey Rae, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Dido singing Whit Flag

Books: Books by Pat Conroy, Thich Nhat Hanh, Barbara Kingsolver, Sally Mann, Nan Goldin, and Titles: To Kill A Mockingbird, When I Was A Puerto Rican, Where The Indus Is Young, Power Concedes Nothing

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1) Canada: Seeing the Russian Circus in Toronto and feeling breathless at the fluid liquidity of its acrobats flying the high trapeze!
2) Pakistan: Seeing Ushu, Uthror, Madyan, Behrain, Kalam, towns in the valley of Swat, which lies in in the lower part of the Hindu Kush range, in the northern part of Pakistan! The Swat River originates in the mountain range, and flows through the Kalam Valley and Swat. Many people have made the observation that the natural beauty of Swat equals or surpasses Switzerland (which I have not yet seen)!
3) California: Where water meets sand: The unmatched beauty of Point Lobos Natural Reserve, part of Monterrey Bay.. It is Nature's endless, constantly fluctuating montage, sculpted by water, sand, rock, sea creatures, land!

Teach, Learn, Share

I especially enjoy people who are relaxed, have a sense of adventure, take responsibility for themselves, do not blame others, have a positive attitude, and smile, laugh, and have a sense of fun, and a joy for living! There is a lot to be learned from people who have been through adversity, have tackled the ups snd downs of life, and come out smiling in the end!

What I Can Share with Hosts

A wide variety of experiences from crossing paths with people who have taught me how life is to be lived simply by being themselves. I have never been shy from borrowing from others that which I lacked. They were never the poorer from my taking on their quirks, etc! Each person I have met has added a lot to the fascinating tapestry of memories. Every woman I meet renews my hopes for kindness, for human possibilities !

Countries I’ve Visited

United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, Pakistan, United States