I am a mother of 4 small children and have done all my big traveling before the kids. I am now looking to hit the road and jump the 7 seas with my husband and my little children. I have worked as an ESL teacher for most of my professional life but have also done work as a photographer and journalist in Asia. My sweet husband, Leon, is a wonderful daddy and a glorious problem solver. He is a programmer who develops mobile apps and websites. He loves to study new things like no one I've ever met. He also has a love for writing poetry and plays.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I used this lovely network of welcoming world citizens and had the best experiences. It is a wonderful thing to have people proudly show you the best of their cities.

Interests

Traveling to as many places as possible, Dancing, Brazilian Ju-jitsu, Photography, Collecting Antique Photos, Yoga, Health Food Stores, Quirky Stuff, Interesting People, Cultures & Languages,& Wheat-free Vegetarian Cuisine from Around the World.

• poetry
• photography
• music festivals
• teaching
• peace
• photojournalism
• gluten free
• vegetarian meals
• global cultures & customs
• folklore & legends

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies I enjoy are: Pan's Labyrinth, Shall We Dance (Japanese Version), Monster's Inc., Leon the Professional, Harry Potter, Braveheart, and Moulin Rouge. We enjoy watching different series like: House of Cards, Game of Thrones, Narcos, Damages, Stranger Things, Blacklist, Gran Hotel, and The People v. O.J. Simpson. I love Harry Potter and George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. Leon's tastes are far older than mine. He favors: Samuel Johnson, Shakespeare, Samuel Beckett, and every old dust covered book that had otherwise gone unloved by everyone else. ;) As far as music goes I like everything except heavy metal. I even like to bust out with gangsta rap when my 3 little ones aren't in the car. We both regularly listen to: Vampire Weekend, Arctic Monkeys, Bon Iver, SBTRKT, James Blake, Florence and the Machine and too many kids songs to count.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I took an English teaching position in southwestern Mongolia which whisked me over the Gobi Desert in a cramped little van for 28 hours straight. We got lost in the middle of the night driving through the sand, punctured our tire, repaired it, stopped in a few nomads ger's for some kindness and warm milk tea and arrived in Altai City to teach. I was the first American many of the town's folks met. It was an honor to be one of their teachers in a summer program which taught English to all ages all the way up to the town's professionals.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to learn about the customs and legends of the countries I visit. I also enjoy learning interesting local natural remedies for health. My husband & I will share all we know with you wonderful people.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can give you any recommendations for any of the places I have traveled. I also have studied self defense and can give you a few powerful tips for your safety. I have studied Krav Maga for 3 years and can help give a women's perspective on self defense and personal protection. I love languages and will be happy to help any couchsurfing friend learn some useful conversational English phrases. I might need your help learning some phrases in your native language as well. :) Another thing I absolutely love to share with others is photography. I know all about old school dark room developing - a dying art in this digital world. I do enjoy using a digital camera when I travel and can give you some pointers on framing shots to document your couchsurfing adventures better!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, China, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mongolia, Myanmar, Peru, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States