ABOUT ME

I've had a very adventurous life, and I'm still looking for more. I traveled to 30 countries with my grandma when she was in her 80s. I traveled to 11 countries with my daughter before she died of brain cancer at the age of 9-1/2. I taught racquetball in Latin America for 6 months in the early 1980s. In 2016 I lived in the Philippines for 7 months, then went around the world by train mostly, starting with the Trans-Siberian Railway. In 2017 I traveled to 11 new countries in SE Asia and Africa, bringing my total to 90. I like to be active and play racquetball, swim, do Zumba dance, ride my bike and walk regularly.

PHILOSOPHY

I would love to see the world get beyond racism and religions that separate us. You may say I'm a dreamer, but hopefully I'm not the only one. I believe in one people, one world. I wish all children could meet other kids from around the world so they would know that there are good people everywhere.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

My first time couchsurfing was in November 2010 for a few weeks in Eastern Europe by myself. It was the most amazing experience, staying with women in Poland, Ukraine and Romania.

I opened up my home to couchsurfers the summer of 2011 because I was at home with my Haitian husband and several Mexican friends who were all open to the idea of foreign visitors. We had a blast meeting so many wonderful people, mostly young European women. One night we even had 5 people stay here, in addition to the 5 of us, in my little bungalow near the beach.

Now I'm taking a break from hosting, because I spend time with my folks in Chula Vista, near the Mexican border. And I'm traveling too much. But I hope to host again in the future, as long as it's okay with my housemates.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Couch surfing is based on trust. I like to be a positive, optimistic person who believes the same of others. I've had total strangers take me home, give me a couch to sleep on and a hot meal, left me alone in their place while they went off to work or school, and let me lock the door behind me on the way out. It gives me hope for humankind and world peace.

Interests

Traveling, photography, video, writing, racquetball, other cultures, biking, nature, animals, children, adoption, folk art, festivals and holidays.

• animals
• arts
• writing
• photography
• festivals
• dancing
• zumba
• traveling
• guitar
• piano
• cycling
• surfing
• racquetball
• swimming
• beaches
• other cultures

Music, Movies, and Books

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; Restavek: From Haitian Child Slave to Middle Class American; anything by Isabel Allende; El Norte; Zoot Suit; Harold and Maude; mostly foreign and indy films; most kinds of music, especially 60s folk, bachatas, romanticos, reggae, hip hop, and R&B. Maya Angelou, Nelson Mandela and Luis Valdez are my heroes.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Little known fact about me: I hopped freight trains to the National Hobo Convention in Britt, Iowa three years in a row in the 1980s.

Teach, Learn, Share

I could teach piano, guitar, Spanish, racquetball, or Photoshop on a Mac computer.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I like to cook and clean for my hosts, assuming they're cool with that.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guam, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Viet Nam, Wales, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Philippines, United States

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