*UPDATE*
Fully vaccinated & boosted.
Now back in Asheville, NC, USA.
***
I moved to Quito in Aug, 2014. I love exploring the city and nature, working as a school librarian, traveling all over Ecuador and South America, y practicar hablar español.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I know some off-the-beaten path spots in Quito, and I enjoy showing others around when I have time. Traveling is a richer experience when you can connect with locals and other travelers, so I'm happy to offer that connection when I can, and enjoy it with others when I'm on the road.
I'm also happy to share my Quito friends, and meet yours when I come to your city/pueblo/cave!

Interests

I love hiking, live music, healthy food, yoga, artistic endeavors, outdoor recreation, museums, cultural events, literature, and exploring all kinds of places, from wilderness to cultural cities to indigenous pueblos. I also love hanging out with friends, learning about people, and having interesting conversations with people from all over the world. I'm interested in social and environmental justice issues, cultural preservation, and education. And vino tinto. Tea is also good. ;)

• literature
• theater
• education
• dining
• cooking
• yoga
• house parties
• traveling
• music
• live music
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• canoeing
• anthropology
• teaching
• study abroad
• social justice
• film
• feminism
• improv
• feminismo
• vino
• dance parties

Music, Movies, and Books

Oh, wow. So much. These are a few of my favorite things...

Music...so much, but there's a heavy rotation of indie rock, garage rock-and-roll, old funk and soul, 70's art punk, alt hip-hop, electronica, and some old jazz in my life. Some favorites include Television, Radiohead, Talking Heads, Al Green, Carla Thomas, Otis Redding, the Pixies, Grizzly Bear, Santigold, Broken Social Scene, Black Mountain, New York Dolls, T-Rex, Roxy Music, Yo La Tengo, Detroit Cobras, Beach House, Animal Collective, old Rolling Stones...but sometimes I just wanna cheese out on nostalgic old '70s and '80s pop, too...
UPDATE: Now I listen to a lot of classic cumbia, electro-cumbia, boogaloo, tropicalia, Andean folk-tronica, psych-latino, alt-latino, and Spanish hip hop!

Books! Books! Books! I'm a children's/youth librarian, and books are my first love. Favorites include The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, White Teeth by Zadie Smith, 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Orlando by Virginia Woolf and everything by Lynda Barry, Alice Walker, and Toni Morrison. And Madeleine L'engle's Wrinkle in Time series! And a million more...

A short list of favorite movies includes Antonia's Line, Dirty, Pretty Things, Men with Guns, Amores Perros, Heavenly Creatures, Lost in Translation, and everything directed by Pedro Almodovar and Paul Thomas Anderson...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My first experience in Ecuador was pretty amazing. I connected with a study abroad group studying indigenous resistance movements, and we traveled to local communities in the Andes and Amazon, participating in round-table discussions and community organizing projects.
Our Amazon experience was especially unforgettable...from Tena, we paddled a few hours in a canoe, then trekked several hours through the river. We camped with a tribe deep in the jungle, where we participated in an ayahuasca ceremony with a shamana, hiked to sacred waterfalls, and learned about the tribes' experiences with exploitation at the hands of missionaries, rubber companies, and banana companies.

Teach, Learn, Share

My Spanish is decent...I can be a resource for Quito/Ecuador travel, and help with some language barriers.

What I Can Share with Hosts

When I have time, I can show folks around Quito. I live in the beautiful, historic Guapulo neighborhood--lots of cool stuff to see here!

I am up for day hikes near the city, cool bars, breweries, and cafes around Guapulo, La Floresta, and Centro Historico, live music, cultural events, etc.

I do have a pretty great loft apartment in Guapulo, and a sofa bed, and I may occasionally be able to host.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, England, France, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ecuador, Mexico, United States