CURRENT MISSION

Figuring out this whole "adulting" thing.

ABOUT ME

Hey there! My name is Deandra and I am a 1st grade teacher in Las Vegas. I am currently teaching and in the process of earning my Master's Degree in Education. I grew up on the East Coast so I am really loving the chance to explore the West Coast. There are so many amazing places to go out here and I plan to surf them one couch at a time :) I love teaching and I love my kids but my real love is theatre. I grew up doing theatre and I got my undergad in theatre so that is always where I will feel the most at home. I also love traveling and meeting new people! I had the chance to go on the trip of a lifetime a couple of years ago backpacking all over Europe for two months with my best friend (my little sister!) and had the most incredible couch surfing experiences there. It really restored my faith in humanity to see how many generous and kind people are in this community and in the world. I can't wait to do some more surfing (and hopefully some hosting as well) and make many more connections and lifelong friendships!

PHILOSOPHY

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

This is one of my favorite quotes and words that I think everyone should live by. I see so many of my friends working in fields they hate because it is what they think will make them the most money in the future, yet they are miserable. And ya, I'll admit in the state of the world right now, money is obviously important for a lot of things but for me, success will be in 10, 20 years if I can look at my life and say that I am truly passionate about what I am doing, then who cares if I am living in a shoe and riding a bike.
You know how when you talk to someone who is so passionate and excited about what they do that it becomes contagious and suddenly you too are excited about it....that is the kind of person that I strive to be everyday.
Besides being passionate, I believe in approaching everything in my life from a place of love instead of fear. I believe that everyone is on their own path in this lifetime and whatever that may be, it is beautiful and perfect and exactly what it needs to be. I try to constantly move through the world with this in mind and it has brought so many incredible souls into my world and has helped me to embrace everyone I come into contact with, with love instead of holding onto judgement that are so easy to pass upon people.

我为什么加入 Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am interested in surfing but also possibly hosting. It can be difficult for me to host because I am usually really busy with all things school, but if the opportunity to host some cool new people came along I would definitely consider it!
COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I come from a whole family of couch surfers and have tagged along on some surfing adventures. A few summers ago my mom and I couch surfed our way up to Chicago. We stopped in Atlanta, Nashville, and Memphis and this was my first real taste of surfing. I got to surf with such a diverse group of people and shared great conversation and had unforgettable experiences that has made me want to surf more

In addition to surfing, my family has hosted several people and once in a while I will be home for a break and get to make some friends that way as well. We have hosted people from all over and so far everyone has been AMAZING. This is also how Edith, my big sister, came to be in our family, and I am lucky enough to get to surf with her this summer in Berlin, Germany!

My sister Raechelle and traveled for two months through Europe; we went to:
Amsterdam, Prague, Salzburg, Venice, Florence, Siena, Rome, Pisa, Milan, Gimmerwold, Berne, Paris and London.

兴趣

-I am a vegetarian (woot woot!) I have been vegetarian for a little over a year now and I love cooking vegetarian food for people....usually they are so amazed by how delicious vegetarian dishes can be.
-I am a feminist, and proud of it!
-I think astronomy is just about the coolest and most fascinating thing ever and if all my other life goals fall through, I am DEFINITELY becoming an Astronaut :)
- I am really into crafting...Mod Podging is my specialty but I also really love loom knitting.
- I love Spanish and have been studying it consistently for the past 6 years. I am pretty fluent I just have some major shyness when it comes to conversational skills but I love the language and really love practicing with native speakers, so if anyone ever just wants to email back in forth in Spanish for any reason, I'm your girl!
-Because we are all sort of off living our separate lives now, it is not very often that I get to see my mom and sister but when we do get together, we laugh more than most people laugh in a year; that is one of my very favorite things to do. I miss them just writing this!

-Also, I collect Playbills!

• writing
• coloring
• dining
• cooking
• vegetarian
• partying
• drinking
• traveling
• knitting
• cycling
• surfing
• astronomy
• psychology

音乐、电影和书籍

Books:
Full Frontal Feminism- this is one of the most real and relatable books about being a woman that I have read in a long time
Harry Potter Series- I have been working on completing this series since 6th grade (yes I know it is completely ridiculous). I have read up to the 4th book and refuse to see the movies until I read the books. So If by chance we ever talk Harry Potter this is fair warning that we DO NOT under any circumstances talk about anything after the 4th book... I have managed to keep the ending a mystery thus far!
I Love Paulo Coelho, especially The Alchemist. I am actually working on reading this book in spanish right now which is...trying to say the least.
PLAYS!PLAYS!...AND MORE PLAYS! This is where I let my theatre freak flag fly I love reading plays. Favorites include: Machinal, Necessary Targets, All My Sons, Mother Courage, and Medea

Music:
Mumford and Sons, Taylor Swift, The SteelDrivers, Adele, Train, Au Revoir Simone, Bon Iver, Kate Nash, Ellie Goulding, The Magnetic Zeroes, Michael Jackson, Billie Holiday, Sam Cooke, Louis Armstrong, Elton John, Billy Joel and SHOWTUNES (of any kind)
Movies:
Disney Movies, Indie movies, Foreign movies, movies set in the 1940s, Documentaries, movies with a crazy twist at the end or intertwining stories, Titanic, Toy Story Trilogy, Avatar, Chocolat, Crash, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, House Sitter, The First Wives Club, My Girl

我做过的一件不可思议的事情

Places I have Been: Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Alaska, England, Ireland, Wales, The Bahamas, Canada, and all over the continental US
Places I want to go: California, Spain, Greece, France, Germany, Australia, Hawaii, Japan, and Egypt

some of the coolest experiences I have had....
-New Years Eve in Times Square New York was probably one of the most emotional and exciting midnights of my entire life. The energy of that many people cheering, jumping and throwing confetti was incredible

-Going through the Northwest Passage in Alaska

- Every trip to New York City that I have ever taken

- And a whole bunch of other amazing things that my mom took me to (she is going to kill me for not listing some of them so I am covering my butt here hehe)

教，学，和分享

Share:
Everyone is on their own path in life and the best we can do is accept, love, and embrace everyone for exactly what and who they are unconditionally.

Learn:
To be courageous in all that I do and to always take pride in everything that makes me me. I'm still working on that.

我游览过的国家

Austria, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, Wales