Hello! I'm Karen. My goal is to travel around Asia and South America and experience people’s ways of living. My dad is Ecuadorian and would love to one day finally learn his culture and be around his family. I’m Pagan, always been drawn to the esoteric, a granddaughter of a curandera and now trying to walk her path by practicing to become a clinical herbalist. I'm vegetarian and try to eat plant-based during travel as much as I can.

I would love to meet open-minded people willing to show me around and tell me stories about their living whilst sharing good food and whom I can openly talk to about pop culture, art, health, nature, etc.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I learned in life, especially in travel, that you can only do so much on your own. You still gotta learn to interact with people and if you need help or assistance, learn to ask for it. It's an important factor of personal and spiritual growth. So here I am, extending a hand! If anyone needs comfort, stories, advice, shelter, tips, food, herbal remedies, recommendation.. here it is

Interests

Herbalism, Folk Medicine, Ethnobotany, Music, Books

• arts
• music
• films
• spirituality
• asian history
• herbalism
• indigenous cultures
• witchcraft

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Betty Davis, John Coltrane, David Bowie, Dusty Springfield, Jeff Buckley, Claudine Longet, Serge Gainsbourg, Vashti Bunyan, Erykah Badu, etc.
Books: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Religion for Atheists by Alain de Botton, A Separate Reality by Carlos Castaneda, House of Spirits by Isabel Allende, Wild Child by Monica Furlong, The Great Cosmic Mother by Sjöö, etc.
Movies: a lot! Anything by Varda, Kurosawa, Truffaut, Rohmer!

Teach, Learn, Share

I speak a bit of Esperanto and French and can converse in English and my home language, Tagalog and Bisaya. And I can share vegetarian
recipes, life in the Ph, etc.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good company, good conversation, good ear for listenin’ + I always have tea in my pocket

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, France, Guam, Hong Kong, Italy, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Philippines