CURRENT MISSION

To be inspired by the beauty of the world and do what I can each to contribe to the world I love.

ABOUT ME

I am a long time enthusiast for life. I always have a dozen things on the go because I want to do it all. Almost everything interests me and I haven't known boredom in years.

I work in the Theatre as a stage technician, for the most part, but also work with kids, on political campaigns, doing graphic design, and occasionally with LEGO.

I am a long time veg for animal rights, as well as political and environmental reasons. Despite flying once or twice a year, I tend to think of myself as being quite eco conscious and I do what I can to minimize my footprint.

I was schooled (for the latter half) in what is called a "democratic school". Though the idea is sound, it is a very rare form of school with only 400 around the world, each of which is small and serves between 10 and 200 students. Along with Free Schools, (I count them in the rough 400), this totally different consept for education produces a totally different result. Imagine a school with no age-segrogation, no top-down power structure (, no bullying as a result), a student body that loves school, teachers who teach topics they love, students who learn self-responsibility from a very young age, and a feeling of real community. Each school is totally different because the democratic process ensures that the school is meeting the needs of the current population (so constantly changing).
I won't try to truely describe a democratic school here, but if you are interested, go visit one.
www.democraticeducation.com

I love to be outdoors and enjoy most any activity, from Kayaking to Hiking, Running to caving. I live in a fairly big city, so I guess I enjoy my time out in nature all the more (thought Vancouver is a pretty green city).

PHILOSOPHY

I treat the world and all people with kindness and respect. Tolerance can be great, but it's not quite right either. I /accept/ those around me and love them for what makes them unique (rather than /tolerating/ who they are). I always look forward to being inspired by the beauty of others.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have just joined and will be out of town for the next 5 weeks (and looking for a new home when I get back to Vancouver). But I love showing people around the city and hosting interesting people. I look forward to participating soon as a host, and for now, I hope to do some surfing while here in Japan and Korea.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Noe yet (July 14th)

Interests

Hiking, Biking, Veg food/veganism/vegetarianism, Education Philosophy, Environmental Awareness, LEGO, Politics, Sustainability Projects, Communal Living, Travelling, Exploring, Learning, Almost anything.

• animals
• design
• graphic design
• beauty
• education
• dining
• raw food
• running
• flying
• politics
• traveling
• violin
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• kayaking
• spelunking
• surfing
• animation
• teaching
• languages
• tourism
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Liking the Decemberists a lot lately, on the music front.
Everything is Illuminated was an amazing movie.
I barely find time to read but I'll say The Underground History of American Education, just to get the name out there because understand how we school children is so important to achieving real change in the world.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When Travelling in Peru, I was a two day hike from the last village. I decided to split from my group and left them with most of the gear and food. I was pretty confident that I could make it back to town in one day and I did. 32 KM with 1700 Meters drop and 1600 climbed, it was a long day but I did it in about 12 hours. It was the farthest I have been from other people and an inner-city notion of safety. Many people had warned against this trip because the jungle was too dangerous. Though I didn't feel that I had anything to prove to them, I wanted to know that I could walk alone.

A few weeks later in Bolivia I climbed one of the mountains around La Paz (with a guide and company this time). Everything past 5000 meters was ice and not so long after that it was pretty hard to breath. 6088 meters was an incredible peak to reach and I won't forget the fear and the excitment of standing so high up in the sky.

Teach, Learn, Share

I believe in the "Travelling school of life", the idea that we don't need schools as much as we need a willingness to learn.

I could possible teach: sustainable living, basics of Raw Foodism and/or living a veg lifestyle, artistic building with LEGO, stage lighting design and application, stage carpentry, tiling with ceramic and stone, using Apple computers, basics of Photoshop and Illustrator, something about starting/creating free/democratic schools, some outdoor skills and maybe more...

I would love to learn, more languages, more about signing, how to play my violin, and maybe anything. I can't imagine something not being interesting if it was presented with interest and care.

Countries I’ve Visited

Peru, Venezuela

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brazil, Canada