Hi! I'm Hart.

I'm embarking on my second long-term backpacking adventure through Ecuador and South America starting in March 2019. I spent the second half of 2017 backpacking and adventuring through India and I guess I've caught the travel bug! In the US I've been working as a social worker with elderly adults and people with terminal illnesses. While I've loved that work, I'm on a quest to find an alternative way of living outside the normal expectations of US culture.

I left my job at the end of 2018 to pursue this goal. I've started a blog (zioncalling.com) to document my travels/experiences/insights as I move through the world. I love to write little essays, poetry, rap lyrics (I've been doing conscious/spiritual hip hop for over a decade <3), and anything in between. I'm deeply into meditation and maintain a daily practice. I'm also deeply interested in yoga, energy work, healing, magic, and sacred ceremonies of all kinds. I guess you could say the spiritual world is pretty close to my heart.

I'm looking to help out in any way I can! I have a big ol heart and love all the creatures--older folks, children, animals, and everything in between. I love making things, growing things, cleaning things, decorating things. Cooking! And learning! I may not always know what exactly what to do but I'm a fast learner and if you can show me what you need I can usually figure it out.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'll be backpacking the States January through March, then Ecuador and the rest of South America after that. I didn't wind up using Courchsurfing very much during my India trip (hotels were just awfully cheap), though I did make an awesome friend through the app at the beginning of the journey . I'm hoping to get more involved this time around--meet more people, get more involved in the places I go to, have deeper connections. I'm hoping this will be a good tool to help me do that.

Interests

• writing
• poetry
• cooking
• yoga
• meditation
• politics
• chess
• traveling
• magic
• hip-hop music
• philosophy
• urban exploration
• traditional food
• exploring
• kundalini yoga
• plant medicine
• trying new foods
• traditional music

Music, Movies, and Books

The Alchemist, Siddhartha, Cats Cradle, Jitterbug Perfume, 100 years of Solitude, Midnight's Children, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, On the Road, Dharma Bums, Brave New World, Dune, Habibi

The Bible, the Koran, Buddhist commentaries by Thich Naht Hanh, The Bhagavad Gita, Tao Te Ching, Power of Now, A Course in Miracles, Be Here Now, all things Alan Watts, Rumi, and alllll sorts of other things

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

While in India I wound up joining a traveling hip hop group called the Conscious Cabbages. The band consisted of an incredible beatboxer/loop artist, a guitarist/hand drummer, a female vocalist, and myself rapping/doing vocals. We made a ton of music together, climbed mountains, rode motorcycles, and played some really big shows! All unexpected, all coordinated by the cosmos ✨

Teach, Learn, Share

I do a lot of different things!

I have an undergraduate degree in religious studies and a masters degree in social work. Through social work I've received training as a counselor and several years of experience working with elderly people as well as managing a team of employees. I am skilled in mediating people and conflict resolution. I love helping people work through their personal and interpersonal issues and have a variety of tools I use to facilitate this, including guided meditation/visualization, breathwork, prayer, talk therapy, energy work, and plant medicine. While I don't have a yoga teaching certification I've been practicing yoga and meditation for 15 years and have guided friends and acquaintances frequently.

I can write, edit, manage social media accounts, and have some basic knowledge of website design from building my blog. I've done a fair amount of basic home repair and maintenance. I can cook delicious family meals and food for groups. I can clean, organize, decorate, and make spaces beautiful. I love plants and gardening. I know how to travel, haggle, live cheaply, and solve complex practical problems on the fly. I'm also pretty great at working with kids, older adults, people with disabilities, and animals.

I also love to learn! I'm very much interested in expanding my knowledge and skill base. If there's a job you're needing help with that can be taught, I'm ready and willing to invest time and energy into learning what's needed.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Poetry, stories, cooking, music, conversation, massage, meditation, energy work, cleaning, and adventure!

Countries I’ve Visited

India, Ireland, Nepal

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, United States