CURRENT MISSION

Compassion - Practice of Gratitude - No more trash-talking of self, others, neighbours, anyone - harder than it sounds apparently. Also no more listening to trash-talking by others - ah, harder still.

ABOUT ME

Living in several cultures, Estonians build sauna's before they build their homes - missing our family cottage and rolling in the snow from sauna, love winters, love the change of seasons, re-inventing myself for the umpteenth time, this time hopefully sticks! Interested in my own and others' spiritual journeys - and how we bring out the best in ourselves and those around us.

Currently trying to figure out how to distribute a documentary film I made with my brother, www.patternsoffreedom.com and finance the new ones www.insearchofourfathers.com. Giving the first of the men's films as a gift to EV100, the 100th Anniversary of the Republic of Estonia. Love that my roots run deep into finn-ugric soil. Always a new challenge and something to learn.

PHILOSOPHY

Tread lightly on the planet - tread gently with each other. Treat each other with kindness. Treat the world and all who inhabit it with kindness - it is a beautiful, spectacular place - planet as beautiful and vulnerable as we all are.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I love the informal hospitality of couchsurfing. Inviting people into your unvarnished reality. Being welcomed into theirs.

At the moment, by home is fully occupied, so unable to host. Will welcome guests again when space is available.

Had lovely hosts in and around Berkeley while on my courses - Thank you everyone. And have pretty much positive interactions with people I hosted. I am LGBTQ welcoming and safe space.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Lots of couch surfing with and without this fabulous couch surfing network.
Stayed in family friend's flat in Estonia, smuggled to area we weren't allowed to go to so I could see my aunt, at time of soviet break up - stayed on couch worrying about soldiers to arrive and take us away - but clearly they didn't -as here I am still!

Met many wonderful people both hosting and being hosted. Still looking forward to meeting new friends.

Interests

Spirit - anything that involves wind and water, art and spirit. hearing people's stories - sharing bits of my own journey - ability to laugh and see humour in life - sometimes artist - made a colouring book to go with the women's film. Now looking at reprinting that. Have an adult kids story in my head - will see how that one goes. Studying to become an interfaith minister - March 2018 received my Interfaith Spiritual Direction certificate. Will be ordained as an interfaith minister in the fall of 2020 in the USA and as a Metaphysical Minister in Canada.

Working with my lovely brother, made a short documentary about an Estonian musician Alfred Kuus, then a full length feature documentary - Patterns of Freedom, focusing on the Estonian women of the Baltic Diaspora of 1944 and how they kept their culture alive in exile using their traditional skills and crafts. Now working on collecting and trying to finance a series of short films about the men of the Baltic Diaspora. Clearly you will see that something about Estonia is of interest to me. Mostly love wind, water and being outdoors.

What you need to know, is that I am a stupidly early riser, - sometimes I go to the lake to watch the sun rise - so if you want to party downtown, or stay out late, this is not a good match for you either by location or by my own needs.

• arts
• culture
• documentaries
• wine
• sauna
• crafts
• music
• outdoor activities
• kayaking
• windsurfing
• camping
• spirituality

Music, Movies, and Books

Big Rude Jake Catman Cohen, Tom Waits, Doors, Leonard Cohen, Nest, Opera, jazz, Taize, Gregorian chants, Estonian regi laulud, mystery novels, kids books, mythology, still love Tolkien, CS Lewis, reading alternative history of the Americas by South American writer Eduardo Galeano - awesome and my interfaith course books, now favourite is Braiding Sweetgrass. and found a Finnish mystery writer translated into English - yay! and also "the man who spoke Snakish", an Estonian story that I think that's a must read if only to understand that YES! Estonians are Wind Wizards. So be careful how you treat us. We can call up a gentle good wind to take you to where you need, or a gale that can knock you off your feet.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Scuba certification on the great barrier reef - that was cool
wandered Tallin's vana linn with my relatives, my daughter wore out her shoe soles on the cobblestones,
windsurfed on the Magdalene Islands
went to Song Festival (Laulupidu) in Estonia
Lived in a ghost town
world is a pretty spectacular place.

Teach, Learn, Share

I am happy to share directions and information about Toronto and the local area. If I have time, happy to drive you around to see a few of my favourite places - which are usually outdoors. One favourite is Scarborough Bluffs - the lake at the bottom of the bluffs.

Pretty much everyone I meet I learn from - some I want to and others, not so much.
Want to teach and learn to live with kindness - different cultures, different spiritual journeys, different sports (as long as they involve water). I can teach windsurfing to beginners - and quite successfully usually (claim I can get anyone up and sailing!) - and so far, only one person who didn't. Wrote a camp level program for Windsurfing Canada as most coaches are learning along with their campers - keep one step ahead.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am happy to share my own self - when it works, love to take my hosts out to dinner somewhere that they love - realize timing doesn't always work, but if not, we can still share a glass of wine and a laugh or two and swap some tall tales. Sadly I don't cook - so save my hosts that painful experience by offering dinner out.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Colombia, Estonia, Finland, France, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Sweden