I'm Kari. I grew up in... several places :) Temuco and Coquimbo, in Chile, and in rural Alberta, Canada. I was born in Temuco and lived in the countryside for my early childhood where I learned to love green growing things and animals in all their varieties. Then we moved to Coquimbo, Chile, where I learned to love the desert and her water plants and cacti and lizards. We moved to a small farming town in Alberta, Canada when I was in high school, and there I learned to love the beauty of the prairies and being surrounded by extended family for the first time in my life.

Since then, I've discovered the power of resilience, of being able to find beauty in whatever locale we find ourselves, of being able to make anywhere home, make beautifully deep and meaningful friendships, and put down roots... and then take those roots up again to start over someplace new. I've found that I have skills I never dreamed of using professionally (like becoming a conference interpreter, a private English tutor, and an integrative health coach). Now I'm at a stage in my journey where I'm in the process of discerning what to do next. Here's to letting the adventure continue!

Instagram: karisandvig

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've gradually branched out in the ways in which I like to travel, starting first with private Airbnb stays, then trying out staying in Airbnb hosts' homes (which was the highlight of that particular trip - the hosts became friends over my stay with them, something I had not foreseen and was so thrilled about). In 2023 I lived for 8 months in a permaculture intentional community and met the loveliest humans from all over the world. That convinced me that it really is the human connections we make that make a place magical. So now I'm ready to stretch my bravery wings a bit further and try Couchsurfing and meet even more lovely humans, and see their cities through their eyes, and show them my city, wherever that ends up being :)

Interests

• arts
• architecture
• reading
• food
• nature

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: indie/folk/pop
Movies: Understated period pieces like Bright Star; LOTR trilogy; What Dreams May Come; pretty much anything directed by Baz Luhrmann; Blood Diamond; odd ones like Cloud Atlas and The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus; The Holiday; Across the Universe; Never Let Me Go
Books: LOTR; epic fantasies in general; YA urban fantasy; The Book Thief; the Anne of Green Gables series shaped me as a teen ager; Hafiz's poetry; Isabel Allende's early work; Confieso que he vivido; Madre que estás en los cielos

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This is amazing to me, though it may not be amazing to others. I packed everything up in Santiago, Chile after having made that wonderful city my home for 8 years, and moved to a permaculture ecovillage on Vancouver Island to see if I had what it takes to live in community and work on myself and on a functioning farm for 8 months. It's one of the most challenging and rewarding things I've done. So proud of myself for having done something so very far outside of my comfort zone, and for choosing over and over to continue to do things way outside my comfort zone while I was there.

Teach, Learn, Share

When the person(s) I'm interacting with are open to it, I love sharing what I've learned over the years about environmental care, self-care and self-growth, the cultures I've grown up in, what I'm currently learning about.
I really enjoy hearing people's stories and learning about the great diversity of ways of doing life.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I find it deeply meaningful to lend a listening ear and to be a calming presence in the room.

I also love cooking. Not so great at baking, though, so I probably won't make you dessert.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belize, England, France, Italy, Morocco, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Chile, United States