I hold a PhD in Machine Learning. I'm a fiction writer travelling the world in crazy times. I'm interested in people and their stories. I am interested in meaningful connections. I like adventure and a healthy amount of chaos. I believe there's magic in the world and the universe has a great sense of humor.

While I grew up in Israel I spent most of my adult life in Toronto, Canada, and that's where I call home.

I am an ethical vegan but I won't judge your plate.

Some of my hobbies include - talking to my friends, traveling on a whim, wildlife watching, strenuous hiking, riding my motorcycle, watching artsy films, running, yoga, snowshoeing, scuba diving, reading, going to small venue music shows, meditating, going to the gym, making and then drinking carbonated water (and sometimes kombucha), back-camping trips, wearing my Chewbacca hoodie, feeding people vegan food I make, supporting women in tech, dancing like no one is watching, understanding myself, and if possible, others.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am curious about this mode of travelling, meeting people, seeing the city from a local perspective with all the hidden gems and quirky aspects. I care less about the tourist check list and more about moving experiences with real context of someone who knows and cares.

Interests

• animals
• writing
• dancing
• yoga
• meditation
• live music
• hiking
• travelling
• vegan cooking

Music, Movies, and Books

So many....
A messy mixture of what strikes me as truly extraordinary/seriously influenced me/religiously following regardless of quality/one-offs/I simply like/guilty pleasures/blasts from the past/newish discoveries.

Vonnegut, Gaiman, Alan Moore, Patrick Rothfuss (goddammit), Nabokov, Heinlein, Asimov, Le Guin, Stanislav Lem, Greg Egan, Jonathan Franzen, Jonathan Safran Foer, David Sedaris, Borges, Sanderson, Scalzi, H is for Hawk, The Enchanted, Miriam Toews, Gerald Durrell.

Sufjan Stevens, Andrew Bird, Joanna Newsom, Regina Spektor, TMBG, Smog, Craig Cardiff, Kevin Quain, Zappa, Elliot Smith, Badly Drawn Boy, Fleet Foxes, Dan Mangan, Iron & Wine, Patrick Watson, Keith Jarrett, Silver Jews, but yeah, this is just the tip.

The Hours, Miranda July, Clerks, Princess Bride (I can probably quote the whole thing), A Few Good Man, Sound of Music, Groundhog Day (every 2/2), Star Wars, LOTR, Blade Runner, Monty Python, Dead Poets Society, Arizona Dream, PTA, Fatih Akin, Tarantino, Wes Anderson, Del Toro, Wim Wenders, Coen Brothers, Gus Van Sant, Noah Baumbach, Cronenberg, Egoyan, The Little Mermaid, Primer.

I'm not a big fan of television. Or even Netflix (gasp). Sure, there's a lot of great things, and I've seen lots. But I've been mostly off it for the past few months and I can't say I miss it. Constraining the search space to animated creatures: Southpark, Ren & Stimpy, MST3K, Shawn the Sheep, Frisky Dingo.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Motorcycle trip in Africa!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can tell you about machine learning and how it became the AI craze over the last 15 years, I can tell you about being a woman in tech, about transitioning to being a writer, about believing in science and magic...

What I Can Share with Hosts

Always happy to cook a delicious vegan meal!

Countries I’ve Visited

Antigua and Barbuda, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Laos, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Portugal, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Scotland, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Israel, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States