CURRENT MISSION

Us: (Ira) Writing, producing, living theatre and teaching wonderful, bright eyed high school students. (Ruby) Digital ads making, crafting, painting, glitching, making things with her hands. (Us) GARDENS! Exploring, immersing and eating my way through places I visit. Cycle ancient routes and forge new ones. Meet up with strangers and explore our connective situations. Collaborate on art pieces, spontaneously go camping and laugh, cry, and smile with new peoples.

ABOUT ME

Ira: I am a very easy going and wanderlustful person, who loves meeting others from various walks of life. Spontaneous and exciting are things I like and am. Random activities, new foods, reinventing the wheel, count me in. I am into the arts and history and love wandering in museums for hours on end. I am not afraid to have impromptu dance parties in public spaces. I love writing and reading and reading aloud with people. I love story telling and ensuing adventures. I love my bike, Mr. Coffeehead and enjoy our time spent, discovering and rediscovering our fair city (which I am constantly in awe of). I have a wonderfully supportive family, who instilled me with the amour for cultural immersion and exploration, and exploration and curiosity of all facets and parts of this amazing planet. I love film and making it as well. I could show you a few, if you'd like. I love food and trying odd food variations or new tastes all together. In Vancouver it rains quite a bit, but I have grown to love all types of weather and all types of people under the weather. As you can tell, I am pretty positive, but I think expending energy any other way, isn't too helpful, now is it?

(She) Ruby: Artist of several mediums, computer wiz, photo taker, yummy foods maker, island person at heart. Ruby is a witty soul, a deep listener and an awesome hand holder (I am biased). She loves to camp, go for walks, is a maverick with gardening and always stops and smells the roses. In the mornings is yoga, in the evenings it could be some creative endeavour or games. Ruby also loves to try new foods, new restaurants, treasure hunting at thrift shops, and engage with new-could-be friends. She is super easy going, thoughtful, empathetic and humble (that's why I am loving getting to brag about her!). Her bike is also quite purdy, she has an amazing Tickle Trunk and is down for spontaneous photo shoots, art gallery visits and a few bike rides sprinkled in between.

PHILOSOPHY

(Us) For us, Life is not about an end goal, but living in the moment as if it was, non-pessimistically, your last. We all need to listen more and remember our childhood imaginations to give meaning to the mundane and to break the auto-routines. Having fun or reaching for happiness isn't a crime and is first on our list, along with being thoughtful, non-judgemental and inclusive. Connection: to people, food, long conversations about anything, cultural deep dives, education and a constant search for nothing in particular.

P.S. Check out Ira's travels and hijinks at www.pedaleachmile.com and my theatre stuff at www.spectheatre.com

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Ira: I joined back in 2008 and have been surfing, hosting, meeting and experiencing the CS spirit ever since. It's the good kind of contagious. Trust me.

Ruby: Started JUST last year on a trip to Central America and has met some cool cats through it.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

So many wonderful memories and times The plethora of people I have met..the most wonderful experiences of my life. Adding depth to every place I go. You are all beautiful souls.

Interests

Ira: I wrote about all my interests in the information about me section. Just a quick recap, I love theatre, books, film, cycling, writing, the outdoors, experiencing new things and new foods, history, meeting new people, storytelling, all sorts of interactions, music, night owling, a jaunt down a random side street. I love showing people the underbelly of our city, the hidden gems, or discovering a new one, beyond what travel texts have to say. The uniqueness of the urban landscape, divulged coffee by coffee, dance move by dance move.

Ruby: Agreed! Those things! And picnics, telling stories under pillow forts, engaging in meaningful exchanges of words, dancing in the kitchen or in any room to any good song, gardening, art collaborations, board and video games.

• arts
• writing
• performing arts
• film making
• music festivals
• traveling
• painting
• drawing
• music
• camping
• swimming
• art
• learning languages
• sustainability
• theatre
• film
• spontaneity
• cycle touring
• creative writing
• lights

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies - 400 Blows, The Downfall, Down By Law, Seventh Samurai, Yojimbo, Pan's Labyrinth, Amorros Parros, Le Haine, Panther Panchali, Babel, There Will Be Blood, Exterminating Angel, M, Metropolis,

Shows - Call the Midwife, Peaky Blinders, Sense8, Westworld, Maniac

Books - Jakob's Story, Time Traveller's Wife, Man in Full, Maus, My Apprenticeship, Disgrace, Koolaids, Barney's Version, Electric Koolaid Acid Test, Fight Club, Anosh Irani books...

Music - Kendrick Lamar, Michael Jackson, Said the Whale, An-Ten-Nae, Diamond Saints, Hippie Sabotage, FKA Twigs, Weeknd, Frank Ocean, The Doors, Sam Smith, Jackson Whalan, Run The Jewels, Tommy Cash, Lupe, Die Antwoord, The Beatles, kp., A Tribe Called Red, Missy Elliot, J Balvin, Sia, bitbird, Courtney Barnett, Perfume Genius...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Ira: performed at the international theatre festival in Brno, Czech Republic. I bicycle rode for charity through 20 countries. I have sat on a tin roof in Kiev. I lived in China, twice. I got detained in Russia. I am sure there are a million amazing things around the corner and I can't help but peak. I rode through the Penines on a 2 speed Dutch cruiser. Recently I slept on beaches in Taiwan and produced a play in a Fringe Festival (woot woot!).

Ruby: Travelled across Central America by old American school buses.

Teach, Learn, Share

Ira: I can speak a fair bit of Hebrew, if you'd like to learn and some Mandarin. I also make film, so I can share some films, some stories, some photos. I do a pretty mean singalong to Butterflies by MJ if you're into that. I can make smiles appear like no one's business. I am pretty open to learn anything, but gardening and languages and history and and and...pie making.

Ruby: Computer skills, an AMAZING pie crust recipe, making jam, creating art, speaking Spanish, being AWESOME!

What I Can Share with Hosts

We can share knowledge of where I come from, what we are doing now, where we plan to go. We can share musical tastes, films, book recommendations, art collaborations, two hands for some volunteer work, or help, or some thoughts here and there about this and that. We can share experiences, wonderful times, and new, possibly lasting connections.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Belize, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, China, Czech Republic

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