The South African term Ubuntu means "humanity" but is better defined as "I am who I am because of who you are". Our individual identities are the sum of all of our previous experiences; the risks we've taken, the places we've been, but in particular, the people we've met. I live a lot of my life based on this understanding. I am constantly learning to appreciate the bigger story at hand; the real reasons people are who they are.

I have been living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for the past 5 years. I graduated a few years ago with my Bachelor of Social Work and have been working as an Employment Coach since then, teaching young adults life skills. I've been living in a 6 person house that I built with my brother and we try to hang out together, play some video games, host parties, volunteer in the community, ride our bikes, garden a little. Last year I finished paying off my student loans and have been saving for a trip though South East Asia. I plan on traveling/volunteering for the next 8 months.

I'm really passionate about healthy relationships! I recognize so many different systems and cultural norms that foster unhealthy living patterns in cities, neighborhoods, friend groups, romantic partners and lovers. I love opening up taboo subjects, or just awkward conversations, because often those are the topics that are most neglected despite being really important. Conflict is pretty natural, so it's super important that we know how to work through it without just throwing up fists. I pride myself on being a confident, independent, critical thinker, who can read a room or a person and know how to handle the situation.

I live my life pretty intentionally. I love spontaneity, meeting new people etc. etc. but I also have very specific long term goals for myself and my close relationships. I don't often just let life happen to me. I like to choose who I want to be, and then go for it.

A lot of people say they're an "open book", and that you can ask them anything. Although I can say the same thing, I won't just leave it up to you to ask the questions; I'll straight up tell you stuff. I think it's important that people are vulnerable with each other and I love sharing my past experiences with people. At the same time, I'll probably ask you questions about your life as well, maybe even some weird ones. If I want to grow as a person, I need to hear new stories and new perspectives.

I'm pretty nerdy and I have a deep affiliation for fantasy and sci-fi. I'm fairly level headed and can flow with the punches pretty easily. I like to balance all aspects of my life as best as I can, never leaning too strongly in one direction. I like a lot of things about the world so I'm pretty easily excited. If you're into something, you can pretty easily convince me to also admire it.

Что привело меня на Couchsurfing

I can't stand the hospitality/tourist industry. My parents took me to a 5 star resort in Mexico once. It was unbelievably awkward to be so far removed from the local culture. I often opt for hostels where I can meet other travelers but for this trip I'd really like to step it up and meet local people. I've never been to Asia before and have very little experience with all of its different cultures so I figure there's no better way to get an understanding than by sharing space with people who know the area!

I'm extremely low maintenance. I don't need much, just a safe space to sleep and store my stuff. What's far more important to me is finding lovable people who want to share in my life a little, even if it's just for a day.

Интересы

I'm not particularly exceptional at anyone thing, but I'm pretty mediocre at a lot of things! I like to be well rounded in my activities, so that no matter who I'm with or what we're doing, I can be a part of it. I really like dancing. I've taken swing and salsa lessons but I mostly enjoy just shaking it to whatever music has a beat. I cycle pretty regularly as a way of getting around and I've recently taken up bouldering (rock climbing). I do have a secret talent of sand sculpting. I'm not sure where it came from but I'd like to think I'm pretty good at it.

Otherwise, I really like discussing hypothetical and philosophical topics, just to see if I can stretch my imagination. I love putting my ideas up to the test by defending them with sound reason against other valid arguments.

• dancing
• wine
• beer
• video games
• bouldering
• darts
• social work
• social justice
• biking
• ultimate frisbee
• campfires
• sculpting

Музыка, кино и книги

I'm honest to goodness not certain what my favorite music is. My iphone carries so many different genres and artists, you have no idea what to expect when you put it on shuffle. I enjoy folk, alternative rock, some EDM, some hip-hop, disco, funk. Ironically enough, despite being from "Oil Country" in Alberta, I'm not a fan of country music.

Although it's not my favorite movie, I respect and hold in highest esteem "The Matrix". So many films in the past few decades have been based off of books rather than pieces of original art. Not only is the Matrix an original idea but it used revolutionary techniques (slow mo) that changed the action film industry forever. With that aside, I've seen the Lord of the Rings movies 24 times each, I watch V for Vendetta every November 5th, I love all Disney films (old and new), I enjoy some foreign films like Amelie, I love anything by Wes Anderson and I embarrassingly get emotional in most romantic comedies.

I read a lot of fiction, though every now and again I dive into some history or pop culture analysis type read. My book list is FAR too extensive to talk about each one so I'm just going to name a few that I particularly enjoy: The Alchemist, The Kite Runner, The Book Thief, The Secret Life of Bees, Ender's Game, 2001 Space Odyssey, Dune, Lord of the Rings, Room, The Mysterious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, The Poisonwood Bible.

Классная вещь, которую я сделал(-а)

Last month a friend and I hosted an event called "Night's Heart". After a year of planning and preparing we finally made it happen. We wanted to combine the sense of wonder of a circus, with the energy of a night club, and the fellowship of a music festival. We designed Night's Heart as a playground for adults to be whoever they want to be be while playing different games, creating collaborative pieces of art, dancing, and interacting with our actors. It was a small version of what we'd like to make in the future, but it was absolutely amazing! So much food, drink, dancing, and laughter.

As far as an "adventure" type thing though, I've been bungee jumping off of (what used to be) the world's highest in South Africa: 281 meters. Now that was a ride.

Учу, учусь, делюсь опытом и информацией

As I've mentioned before, I believe strongly that each of our individual identities is made up of a collection of everyone else we've interacted with. It's impossible for us NOT to share with one another. We are bound by it. As such, I realize just how little I know about the rest of the world, even my own neighborhood. I seek out challenging viewpoints on almost any topic help me gain a wider and more dynamic vision for that subject. What I don't like doing is arguing or debating. Especially if it's on the same subject material over and over. When I was younger, I thought the only way of "Learning" from one another was through debate. I've learned since then the value of learning through doing. I'd rather cook together and eat a meal, or wash the dishes, play a game, watch a performance, or resolve a conflict and engage in the conversation, if any, that naturally comes out of just doing things together. Hands on learning.

I've been wrong too many times to hold onto any stubbornness. I am constantly in a place of learning, even when my position (like my last job) is one of teaching.

Чем я могу поделиться с хостами

Having grown up in Western Canada, I know the culture really well! I'd be so happy to talk about Canadian customs, traditions, culture, conflicts, sorrows and successes. In particular, I'm fairly well versed in the Residential School Program of Canada's Indigenous peoples and the current challenges facing reconciliation between immigrants and aboriginal people. As well as the Christian faith as seen in Canada. Most of my childhood and a good chunk of my adult life was immersed in the Christian Church and I have a very good grasp of what that theology looks like and how people live that out.

As anyone does, I have many stories that I'd be happy to share as well as some, perhaps, more alternative views on what healthy living looks like. I'm not pushy! But I'm very open about how I choose to live my life if people are interested.

I also know how to juggle and am happy to teach that!

Где я побывал(-а)

Australia, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United States

Где я жил(-а)

Canada