I can't figure out how to change my profile photo, so the one you see is like 10yrs old. My last photo in the photo section is what I look like nowadays.

I grew up on the west coast of the US, but we moved around a lot as I was growing up and now I move around a lot as an adult 😅 For 17yrs, I worked as a nanny all around the world. I've lived in 7 countries and have visited 50 countries total. For the past year, though, I've been pretending to be retired, living off my savings while I wander the world. During May 2024, I'll be walking the Ruta del Norte of the Camino de Santiago and then I'm off to central/southern Asia (the 'Stans, India, and Sri Lanka) with a bit of time in Abu Dhabi as well.

I'm chatty to a fault and like to meet new people. I'm big on reading, textile crafts, and board games.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

As I head to a new part of the world for me, it would be nice to have a way to meet up with locals. I have only really CSed a few times, but am all about local meetups. I was a weekly meetup organizer when I lived in Barcelona and Madrid.

I have been involved with couchsurfing since 2010 and got a taste of what it is really about: community. I have been lucky enough to attend a number of trips/events/meetups in several different countries and have met some of the most kind, generous, and interesting people. It'll sound cliche, but CS has definitely changed my life! :)

Interests

One of my friends said of me recently that I just don't fit into boxes. And I loved that! I'm open to doing a lot of different activities mainly so that I can say that I lead a fully-lived life. If nothing else, trying new things lets you see into someone else's life and broadens your understanding, which is never a bad thing!

I love to do "hermit" things like reading, writing, watching movies, knitting, and just chillin'. I have a social side, too, though! I enjoy golfing, chatting, shopping, and just exploring with friends.

• culture
• writing
• pub crawls
• shopping
• movies
• reading
• socializing
• crochet
• knitting
• backpacking
• canoeing
• languages
• religion
• language exchange

Music, Movies, and Books

movies: I love chick flicks and horror movies! lol. I'm also a documentary fan.

music: i just love music! one of the things I look forward to most in my future travels is hearing local music. Right now I'm really into anti-folk with singers like Regina Spektor, The Weepies, Lenka, Priscilla Ahn, Ingrid Michaelson, Jaymay, and the list goes on and on. I listen to a lot of contemporary Christian, grew up listening to country, an can appreciate pop and hip-hop when it's not just too much. I'm not crazy about contemporary jazz, but I love swing-era jazz!

books: I'm a Harry Potter nerd... In fact, I like to think that this is the one nerdy thing about me. I'm not "dress up for the movie openings" nerdy, but lets just say I've read through the series several times... :D I try to leave a book I've recently finished in hostels around the world in the hopes that someone will be take it and use my IG hashtag #ginastravelingbooks

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I slept in a park in Podgorica when my train from Belgrade was delayed by two hours. Because I'm far too "by the seat of my pants" for my own good, I had no info about the hostel in town, very little money, and fewer options. So I hopped a fence, stashed my backpack in a plastic house, and stayed in a little playground area for the night.

More recently, something really amazing happened to me through CS. I went on a canoe trip in Hungary with a group of CSers and my wallet was stollen at a pub. When we got back to the city, I needed some coins to get my backpack out of the locker (after a week) and made a little plea to the group for any spare change they might have. The response really touched my heart; everyone chipped in and I had way more than I even needed. I was humbled and very grateful! :)

Honestly, though, I have stories for days! ;)

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: um... well, I can teach new friends about crafting (knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, sewing, etc.) and about various (western) religions. I also have a pretty firm grasp on the English language... lol

Learn: whatever you have to teach! If I ever wanted to be independently wealthy, it would be so that I could just spend my time collecting hobbies. I have a whole list of seemingly useless things I'd like to learn just so that I can say that I know how to do them. I also want to learn a handful of languages so that I can talk to people pretty much anywhere. Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, Swahili, and Russian are among the biggies. :)

Share: I think the idea of living on a commune is really fascinating! Money is just money and stuff is just stuff; people are what's important! I'd share everything I have if asked.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm handy around the house when it comes to domestic chores and am pretty decent in the kitchen 😁

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Scotland, Serbia, Slovenia, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Bahrain, Ireland, Spain, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States

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