CURRENT MISSION

Weavin' dreams...like a quilt, but far less kitsch.

ABOUT ME

I'm going to omit the 'all' in the 'All about you' heading as there is far to little space to fully respond to that. I'm an American-German girl, and if that confuses you, you should read all the criteria to become one. I had to. Really. And damn do they have some bizarre requirements. But in a phrase: I'm a dual-national of the US and Deutschland currently living in Hannover, Germany. At the moment, I'm working as an English teacher, both for business and conversational purposes; work which I find both gratifying and intellectually stimulating (albeit not as stimulating as my true love, media).

I like to party, I like to laugh, I like to study and I love languages (don't be fooled though, I only speak one and three-quarters), but above all I'm intrigued by unique and passionate people from different cultures who like to talk about their perspectives on life and share experiences across state, cultural political and 'taboo' lines. Music's effin' awesome and I love to dance (terribly); and I'd rather enjoy my life on a shit salary than hate it on a good one. (This last entry is a reference to my current 'living situation,' as I'm grappling to get my bearings, having moved back to Europe on a 3-month American salary which amounts to changing your money into pesos.) I hold a B.A. in Journalism, received from the highly reputable Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, where I also studied German as a minor. My future aspirations include working like a child in a sweat-shop for the next year (terrible analogy, I know) and saving my money so that I may pursue a Master's program in a field such as Globalisation and Journalism, then move on to the ever-sought after, ever-desirable PhD.

That's about it.

Did I mention travel? My god, how I love to travel.
Anything else you want to know, just ask.

PHILOSOPHY

"I am always doing that which I cannot do in order that I might learn how to do it"---Pablo Picasso

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

surf/host (although not at the moment)/coffee or drinks

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Someday I'm going to be an old lady. Not one of those senile, scared-of-the-world old ladies, but the kind that that warns their grandchildren of the dangers that exist with a half- and knowing smile. I'll do all the things that grandmothers do: be excited when the grandchildren come to visit, tell them about the good 'ol days when cars drove on these long, black and paved things called streets--which were really just long stretches of even land covered in a tarry-rock substance so that you car could maintain traction--and reminisce about what the internet was like when we first got it. I'll tell them of the good people in the world. The people that impacted my life for the better, and I'll tell them to watch their backs, 'cause there're evil-doers out there too. Then, one day when their old and curious enough to really want to know what my life was like and what I think of the world, I'll tell them about trust. And community. And that all that shit that everyone tells you about the world being vast and vicious, about the people hiding on the corners waiting to do you harm, about not being able to have faith in any stranger--all that's to some extent true, but if it were always true then we'd all live a monochromatic existence of fear without ever really experiencing any of the beauties that life has to offer. Because life is about taking risks. It's about trusting yourself to make good decisions and to trust that those decisions are made on good judgement. But it's also about trusting that you're not the only one capable of such cognizances. That in a world of 8 billion peeople, it's hardly feasible that your thought was original. And once you realize that regardless of age, stature, or social prevalence, everyone has something to offer, then you can really begin to appreciate what each individual contributes to this small, small world of ours. Then you can begin to consider the thought of the world as a large inter-cultural community. And I hope here you become interested, not just in those that are like you, but particularly in those that are different, and in those that are willing to 'put themselves out there' and to realize the relevance of their fellow man. To want to know more about what he is capable of, how he grew up, how his life is different from yours, but also how we are all the same, and how we need each other to co-exist. This, to me, is what couchsurfing enables, fosters. A community in which we all put ourselves on the line, and invite others into our homes, into ourselves, and try to share what we can in what sometimes is the briefest of moments on a level that one can't experience in a kurzfristig stay at youth hostel or in a hotel. I'm adding a link to a TED Talk by Thomas Thwaltes, who attempted to build a toaster from scratch, only to realize that regardless of what knowledge he possessed, he always lacked the knowledge of another. Knowledge is individualized. It's based on experience. And unless we interact with and really get to know those who possess a unique knowledge to our own, how can we expect to ever grow beyond our own institutionalized boundaries and limits?
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/thomas_thwaites_how_i_built_a_toaster_from_scratch.html

Interests

nature, water, travel, books, writing, audio, old buildings, running, swimming, biking, talking to strangers, weird road signs, dancing poorly, walking, learning, culture, food, languages, teaching, telling stories, hearing stories, fotographs, graphic design, computer software, all forms of media, art, museums, contemplation and anything strange or unusual.

• fish
• arts
• culture
• writing
• books
• design
• graphic design
• concerts
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• running
• walking
• partying
• drinking
• shopping
• traveling
• cars
• music
• cycling
• fishing
• sailing
• swimming
• business
• communications
• teaching
• journalism
• languages
• software
• study abroad

Music, Movies, and Books

Documentaries, ZDF, etc. All books. All music.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Stood onstage at a large concert at which I was responsible for setting up the stage and lighting gear, while a band I interviewed is playing to a mass of people, of which I know many. Soundcheck with my favorite bands. They'll groove together and improv something that may never be heard again or that may become their next single. Driving for hours just because you feel like getting out of town with no purpose or destination, and sleeping in the car. Sailing in the Mediterranean. Christmas in Stuttgart with real candles on the tree. Getting totally stoned in Amsterdam. Visiting Jim Morrison's grave in Paris. Erasmus. Getting hammered drunk at Versailles in the middle of the day. Fish, chips and tea all in one meal in England with me best English mate :P. Attending a political march in DC. Driving all the way to NYC fromTexas to clean out my ex-boyfriend's boss's godfather's apt. He had some really weird shit. Riding on the back of a moto through Sicily with a friend who doesn't speak English...or German. Being a part of a family on another continent and really feeling like a part of the family (Portugal). Sharing intimate details of life with a very close friend in a language which neither speak fluently. Talking to my brother on skype and recalling good times and looking forward to future ones. Teaching people English and being able to sense that the have really learned something that will help them in the future. Writing or recording something that people enjoy and appreciate. SETTING GOALS AND MEETING EVERY ONE OF THEM! Making my father proud. Keeping a positive outlook. Meeting amazing people and letting them impact and change my life.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you how to swim like a mother fckin' fish (or, if you prefer, technically, but really, really technically); Business English; Conversational English; American English (how to use the 'f-word' as any part of speech); writing (inclusive of creative writing); how to cook some American traditional, as well as German traditional dishes; how to use public transport in any country; how to read a map; how to find anything you want on the internet; how to spell in English and German.

Countries I’ve Visited

France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany

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