CURRENT MISSION

Live life abundantly.
Listen. Learn. Laugh. Love.

ABOUT ME

I am a woman who loves to laugh, loves to learn, loves to explore the great outdoors, and who attempts to recognize and sometimes even capture some of the beauty I see (in people and in nature) through photography. I am someone who has had the enormous privilege of traveling paths a little off-the-beaten-track, and getting to know some of the amazing people who live and serve others in those places.
I'm an extroverted-introvert who enjoys getting to know people and places, but I also need down time to process it all and restore my energy. (INFP)

PHILOSOPHY

"Certainly travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living".
~Miriam Beard

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm a wannabe couch-surfer. (One day, I WILL be successful!) I almost couch surfed in Oregon in 2010, but in the end, my accommodations were taken care of elsewhere - but it was still a great experience just to have coffee with the couple that I'd met on this site. It definitely gave me great confidence in this community of like-minded explorers!
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*UPDATE! I successfully couch surfed in Chicago! High Five!!! Game ON!!!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Chicago, 2012. It was brilliant! Enjoyed getting to know my host and felt safe and comfortable throughout the entire experience. I was passing through Chicago on my cross-country drive as I moved from Ontario to BC (driving through the States is shorter!)

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Have also now couch surfed in Cuzco, Peru! Loving this amazing journey and meeting people along the way... so much of a richer experience than hiding behind a hotel room door!

Interests

Nutrition, health, genetics (and the intersection between all three).
Hiking, exploring, traveling, helping others, discovering, living life well, social justice, sharing stories, good conversation paired with good food paired with good wine, the list could go on and on...

• photography
• beauty
• dining
• wine
• coffee
• traveling
• eating out
• socializing
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• track and field
• genealogy

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: The Art of Racing in the Rain
Music: Josh Garrels
Movies: I'm not much of a screen buff...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Wow... so many things. For over a decade I worked and travelled for a community development NGO that allowed me the privilege of meeting amazingly strong and resilient people around the globe. Some of the people I've met along the way have changed the way I live my life. Ask me about my perspective on forgiveness after visiting Rwanda if you're interested. Or I could share how my perspective on personal wealth, simple living and generosity has been developing through many opportunities to visit families living in poverty.
Aside from some of the amazing people I've met along the way, I would have to say that some of the traveling hilights for me would include hiking up a volcano to visit with the Mountain Gorillas, being chased by an elephant, and hang-gliding (not all on the same day!)

Teach, Learn, Share

"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers." ~M. Scott Peck.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories and nutrition knowledge :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, England, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Malawi, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Peru, Rwanda, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United States, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, United Kingdom