CURRENT MISSION

I am excited to take this part of my life and explore more of the world. Being a Peace Corps volunteer has enabled me to learn so much more about Mexico and Guatemala. I want to keep exploring!

ABOUT ME

When I travel, I want to experience more of the local culture; learn about their foods, art and activities. That is one of the reasons why I love Couchsurfing. I enjoy museums, ethnic restaurants and dancing, but I also love exploring rural areas of a new location to see the plants, trees and the animals that live there especially the trees and the birds. I also enjoy cooking. I use a lot of herbs and spices when I cook for seasoning and for nutrition. And sometimes I get to just relax and chill with a good book.

But best of all is meeting new people and learning their stories. It is so much better to be able to learn a new location with someone who lives there. To be able to get to know folks and share time, stories, food and dance versus "being a tourist" without any local connection.

PHILOSOPHY

The world is a pallet to paint your life with so enjoy every moment even those moments that are a little more difficult to appreciate at the time.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am still rather new to Couchsurfing. My experiences were in Mexico and for the most part were great. I am now back in the US and looking forward to hosting folks that would like to visit San Antonio, Texas. Of course I am also looking forward to taking advantage of Couchsurfing as I am planning on doing more travel as I approach full retirement.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My experience with Couchsurfing has been limited, but enjoyed spending time in Xalapa with Lupita, a very gracious young woman who is a language teacher. At that time it was really good to have someone that could speak some English. Fortunately, my Spanish has improved. I also have had coffee and local tours with several other Couchsurfers. My favorite experience was climbing Mt Iztaccíhuatl, one of the volcanoes that separates Tlaxcala from Mexico City with 2 other local Couchsurfers and a Couchsurfing couple from Poland. We spent the night at about 12,000ft and continued our climb the next morning. Unfortunately, we did not quite make the summit due to the fog rolling in, but we were close and we all had a really good time.

Interests

Besides cooking and exploring nature; camping and hiking, I like swimming, scuba diving, fishing, dancing, gardening and eating good food. On rainy days I like to read, watch movies and work on jigsaw puzzles.

• animals
• birds
• arts
• culture
• books
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• yoga
• gardening
• movies
• traveling
• restoration
• puzzles
• painting
• fishing
• hiking
• camping
• scuba diving
• rock climbing
• swimming
• teaching
• volunteering
• tours

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Avatar, The Blind Side, Gone with the Wind, Elizabeth with Cate Blanchett.
Music: world music including contemporary Native American, classical and 60's-80's.
Books: Celestine Prophecy series, historical fiction and adventure fiction.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I was able to work at Seeds of Change in New Mexico during their first year and helped make the decision to sell organic seeds especially organic heirloom seed.

Teach, Learn, Share

My area of expertise ranges from organic gardening, wildscaping, xeriscaping, tree care, ecological restoration, yoga and aromatherapy. I can also do small repairs around the house.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada

Countries I’ve Lived In

Mexico