CURRENT MISSION
To live my life to the fullest! :)

ABOUT ME
My friends would likely describe me as very genuine, down to earth, practical, a little quirky and definitely outside of the box in beliefs and perspectives, but always with a good heart and intentions and always willing to help others see their challenges in a new light so they can grow and transcend them. I'm usually pretty calm, but every now and then I get very energized and get a little zany :p

I'm a very dynamic person, with many contrary aspects all somehow existing within one personality. I'm typically quiet and reserved, and takes a little for me to open up, but once I do, I can be a chatterbox and very energetic. I tend to come across as more serious and earnest, yet I also have a very fun loving side that sometimes comes out even as I talk about serious things. I enjoy having child-like fun, and also enjoy deep, reflective conversations about life and the things we can learn and grow from our life experiences. I can be very rational in my thought processes and approach to things, but at the same time, there are things that I can be very passionate about. Some of my opinions can be logically sound, while some are more passion or intuition based. I consider myself open-minded and accepting of others' differences, and always do my best to follow through on that self-belief, even if I disagree with another on something.

I communicate very straightforward and believe strongly in honesty and integrity. I'm an introvert, but tend to come across as an extrovert to most people. What this means is that I can be friendly and sociable, but when I start to reach my social cap, I will need more space to unwind and recharge. I also socialize more the fewer people there are (groups of 2-4 people work best for me), and become quieter with more people in the group.

I'm adventurous, independent and enjoy outdoor activities as well as just relaxing in nature. Relaxing in nature is one of my favorite ways to recharge :) Music is also one of the greatest things to me. I love to sing and dance to music :) I love water (lakes, rivers, streams, oceans, etc), mountains, forests. I love nature :)

I have touched on a lot of different areas of life that don't seem to mesh in any particular way (ie. physical, mental, emotional, spiritual health; business and entrepreneurship; video games and technology; food; international travel/cultures), and I surprise myself sometimes that I have something to say about some topics. You should just ask if you're curious. At the same time, I have very little awareness of things like the media, news, pop culture, etc. I'm very much a "Jill of many trades" of things that are not common of our culture and society.

I enjoy learning cultural things, whether that's learning the customs or practices of a culture, listening to their music, learning their dances or trying their food. I love dancing to pop, dance beats and Latin music. I also enjoy Middle Eastern and Indian influenced music.

I usually look for places to be out in nature (usually among trees and/or by water), or playgrounds (love swing sets!) If you can suggest any such things, I'd really appreciate it :)

My most favorite thing to do when traveling though, is adventure eating! To me that means trying new restaurants in the area. I'm mostly vegan, so I don't eat animals or dairy (doesn't bother me if other people eat them, its just a health preference of mine) but I am open to eating eggs and honey. Don't worry about recommending places if you don't know of any though. Google maps has helped me explore places many times before :) Don't worry about feeding me or my food needs, unless you REALLY want to do so, as I don't want my dietary lifestyle to be a stress or issue that gets in the way of us meeting :) It doesn't bother me if others eat these things, as one's dietary lifestyle is a personal choice.

I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I like to keep my belongings together and spaces tidy when I travel. Please let me know how to respect your property and space, if you have any particular needs I should be aware of. Nothing is worse than doing one's best to be kind and respectful and unknowingly cross someone :(

I want to be respectful of your time and schedule, and at the same time, I'm not sure what is appropriate with regard to me spending time with my host so I don't come across as just using you for your couch, so I'm open to suggestions on how this can go... If you're busy and don't have much time, I'm just as good at chilling out or exploring on my own. If you want to chat and hang out and do stuff or something, I'm cool with that. Just let me know how you usually like to do things :)

I want to minimize any pressure on you for hosting me, so just let me know how you roll (if there's more to it than what you put in your profile).

When sending me a message for the first time, please greet me with "Namaste".

PHILOSOPHY
Be yourself and be honest with yourself and others about who you are.

Make every moment of your life count and give back to the world!

Never let your past, your own personal challenges or the challenges in your life stop you from becoming who you want to be or achieving what you want!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I have always loved connecting with people from different cultures and backgrounds. I feel like there is so much we can learn from each other about life and the diversity of our experiences. This is a great way to meet people from other countries and to meet other open minded people who have a love for life, adventure and learning :)

Interests

I'm always interested in helping the world become a better place through the transformation of people on an individual level. I love discussing life, the challenges we face and the lessons we can grow from and how to help people reach greater levels of themselves. I have a strong commitment to myself to cultivate myself in this way on a regular basis.

I love nature, animals and the environment, and love to take the time to relax outside or watch animals in nature. I enjoy relaxing by moving water (fountains, streams, lakes, etc) and horse riding. I have kayaked, rappelled, hiked, zip-lined and white water rafted when the opportunity has arose, as well. I love outdoor adventure activities :)

I love listening to music to relax or to sing or dance along with. I love dancing, too :)

I want to financially free myself from the work grind, so I can travel the world, see more of the beauty of nature around the world, and help more people. To this end, I spend some of my time outside of my day job on some entrepreneurial business ventures.

I have an interest in the evolution of cars and the vehicle transportation system. I believe there will be some great technological advances in the next 50 yrs! :)

Music, Movies, and Books

Avatar was an awesome movie :)

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan is awesome too :)

I love music with great messages or music that makes me dance :) I also enjoy music that heals.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1. Breathtaking 2 hr horse ride through hills, forested plantations, streams and along rivers in Costa Rica while I stayed at Selva Bananito in Costa Rica. I rode the awesomest horse on the planet, Ballo, which was the smoothest ride I've ever had.
2. I met the Dalai Lama in Japan after the Peace conference in Hiroshima, in the fall of 2007 (see pic :)

Teach, Learn, Share

If you know Japanese, I would be happy to chat in Japanese if you wish. I'm interested in learning Spanish and about other cultures.

If you know some dances, I love dancing and would love to learn :)

I enjoy ethnic music too and would love to hear some

What I Can Share with Hosts

I've traveled around the world and the US a good bit and would be happy to share about my travels.

I enjoy hearing about the inspiring experiences of others and their realizations and growth from those experiences. I also enjoy exchanging and discussing meaningful and insightful realizations and experiences with others.

I could teach you merengue and bachatta.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Costa Rica, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Costa Rica, Japan, United States

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